Digging Deeper - The Prophets
The CEO of Northwest Airlines was a strong business leader, saving the airline from bankruptcy. He then became CEO of Burger King and helped turn them around. He excelled at achieving his goals. But when his 6-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident, he no longer had control. Grief was overwhelming. What could help him through this tough time? Would you believe the book of Isaiah? The first half of this prophetic book is filled with coming judgment, but few realize the latter half provides visions of a brighter day, of a new heaven and new earth, a place where death no longer claims a 6-year-old girl.
Well-known Christian professor Hadden Robinson once said, “Hope is hearing the music of the future, and faith is having the courage to dance to it.” John Dasburg, that CEO who lost his daughter, heard the music of the future in the prophet Isaiah (one day the wolf and lamb will feed together, a new better day is coming – 65:25) and despite his grief found the faith to go on.
It’s been said that the 17 books of the Old Testament called the Prophets – Isaiah through Malachi - are the least read books in the Bible. To some degree it is understandable. They can seem confusing if you lack context, but they are part of “all scripture” that Paul writes to Timothy about when he says they are “God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
Author Philip Yancey had been guilty of neglecting these books also. He says, “My Bible showed a broad band of white after the poetry books, signifying this unread portion of the Bible my fingers hadn’t touched, until I was given an assignment to work on The Student Bible. My job required me to study the prophets. A surprising thing happened as I experienced an abrupt turnaround, so abrupt that I now claim the prophets as my favorite section of the entire Bible.”
What can cause such a turnaround in viewpoint? Maybe it’s because these books deal with some of humanity’s biggest questions. Why does God seem silent? Why is there evil in the world and why doesn’t God do something about it? Is history just random circumstances or is there a sovereign hand behind it all? Why is there economic injustice and what should we do? Is this messed up world all there is, or is something better awaiting us someday?The prophets grapple with these issues also.
Not just questions, but answers, personal answers. Critics picture God as dispassionate, detached, uncaring, but in Isaiah God opens the door and lets us see his innermost feelings. “For a long time, I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant” (Isaiah 42:14). In Hosea, God is about to pronounce judgment if they fail to be faithful, but then says, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? My heart is changed within me, all my compassion is aroused” (Hosea 11). God cares about us as he instructs us.
Are you willing to try the Prophets? Keep in mind: 1. Before reading one of them, reconstruct the setting with the help of a good study Bible. A good reading of I & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles would help set the stage. Preaching God’s Word to those around them is more central than predicting the future and upholding the Old Covenant Law is what they are called to preach. 2. They sometimes provide unusual visual aids to help get the message across. 3. You may not understand all the details since we are 2,500 years removed, but you can understand the main theme, which is often relevant to our modern day. 4. You’ll find the hope of Jesus sprinkled throughout (example: Isaiah 53).
Cross Point: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet (symbolic of John the Baptist) before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and children to fathers” Malachi 4:5, 6. The prophet’s goal was to turn hearts back to God in faithful obedience.
Well-known Christian professor Hadden Robinson once said, “Hope is hearing the music of the future, and faith is having the courage to dance to it.” John Dasburg, that CEO who lost his daughter, heard the music of the future in the prophet Isaiah (one day the wolf and lamb will feed together, a new better day is coming – 65:25) and despite his grief found the faith to go on.
It’s been said that the 17 books of the Old Testament called the Prophets – Isaiah through Malachi - are the least read books in the Bible. To some degree it is understandable. They can seem confusing if you lack context, but they are part of “all scripture” that Paul writes to Timothy about when he says they are “God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
Author Philip Yancey had been guilty of neglecting these books also. He says, “My Bible showed a broad band of white after the poetry books, signifying this unread portion of the Bible my fingers hadn’t touched, until I was given an assignment to work on The Student Bible. My job required me to study the prophets. A surprising thing happened as I experienced an abrupt turnaround, so abrupt that I now claim the prophets as my favorite section of the entire Bible.”
What can cause such a turnaround in viewpoint? Maybe it’s because these books deal with some of humanity’s biggest questions. Why does God seem silent? Why is there evil in the world and why doesn’t God do something about it? Is history just random circumstances or is there a sovereign hand behind it all? Why is there economic injustice and what should we do? Is this messed up world all there is, or is something better awaiting us someday?The prophets grapple with these issues also.
Not just questions, but answers, personal answers. Critics picture God as dispassionate, detached, uncaring, but in Isaiah God opens the door and lets us see his innermost feelings. “For a long time, I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant” (Isaiah 42:14). In Hosea, God is about to pronounce judgment if they fail to be faithful, but then says, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? My heart is changed within me, all my compassion is aroused” (Hosea 11). God cares about us as he instructs us.
Are you willing to try the Prophets? Keep in mind: 1. Before reading one of them, reconstruct the setting with the help of a good study Bible. A good reading of I & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles would help set the stage. Preaching God’s Word to those around them is more central than predicting the future and upholding the Old Covenant Law is what they are called to preach. 2. They sometimes provide unusual visual aids to help get the message across. 3. You may not understand all the details since we are 2,500 years removed, but you can understand the main theme, which is often relevant to our modern day. 4. You’ll find the hope of Jesus sprinkled throughout (example: Isaiah 53).
Cross Point: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet (symbolic of John the Baptist) before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and children to fathers” Malachi 4:5, 6. The prophet’s goal was to turn hearts back to God in faithful obedience.
Posted in Cross Points