What did the Prophets Say

What did the prophets Say?

 

Is there a consistent theme? Prophets we have mentioned already were calling the nation to repentance and a return to the true God – generally without success. To get a clearer picture I shall reduce the Biblical prophets messages to a few main points and tabulate the results in chronological order.

Prophet	message	reception	result
Deborah	Barak to lead army against superior Canaanite force	Obeys conditionally on Deborah coming	Israel saved, but honour goes to a woman
Unnamed to Samuel	Eli's sons' sins will bring disaster	ignored	disaster
Samuel	Long settled ministry as judge, but under attack by Philistines told Israel to get rid of idols & return to God	obeyed	Philistine attackers routed
Samuel	Announces God's judgement on Saul	ignored	Saul's dynasty ends
Nathan	Rebukes David for adultery & murder	David repents	Spared but consequences
Gad	Announces God's judgement on David	David obeys	Judgement limited
God speaks directly to Solomon	Judgement because Solomon worshipped the idols of his wives	ignored	disaster
Ahijah	Tells Jeroboam God will make him king	Only part obeys	Becomes king but no dynasty
Unnamed	Judgement against Jeroboam's shrine	ignored	Judgement fulfilled
Jehu (ben Hanani)	Judgement on Baasha for idolatry & murder of Jeroboam's line	ignored	disaster
Elijah	Calls nation to reject Baal, return to God	obeyed	Drought ends
unnamed	Tells Ahab God will defeat invaders	obeyed	saved
unnamed	Rebukes Ahab for sparing Ben Hadad	?
Elijah	Judgement on Ahab for murder	repents	Judgement postponed
Micah	Ahab going to his death in battle	ignored	Ahab killed
Elijah	Judgement on Ahijah for consulting Baal	ignored	Ahijah dies
Elisha	Many foretellings and miracles	varied	All happen as predicted
Elisha through unnamed prophet	Anoints Jehu king over Israel	obeys	Rules as king
Elisha	Tells Jehoash to perform symbolic action for deliverance from Aram	Part obeys	Part delivered
Jonah	Nineveh will be destroyed	repent	spared
Amos	Repent or perish	ignored	disaster
Hosea	Repent or perish	Ignored	disaster
Isaiah	Many messages including … Tells Hezekiah God has heard his prayer	-	Invaders miraculously defeated
Isaiah	Messages of eventual salvation by God	-	Fulfilled in Jesus
Isaiah	Tells Hezekiah he will die of current disease	Hezekiah pleads with God	I. sent back with message that H. spared
Micah	a) Judah to be destroyed b) Israel to be destroyed for injustices c) eventual salvation by God	a) Repent b) ignore -	a) Spared b) destroyed c) fulfilled in Jesus
Hulda (wife of Shallum)	answers Josiah: “God will destroy Judah for idolatry, but after your time because you worship him.”	Josiah gets rid of nations idols & renews covenant	Judgement postponed
Zephaniah	a) Jerusalem to be destroyed b) nations esp Nineveh to be punished c) a righteous remnant will be saved	- - -	Fulfilled fulfilled fulfilled
Nahum	Nineveh to be utterly destroyed	-	Fulfilled 612 BC
Habakkuk	Babylon is God's instrument of judgement but the nation that ravages others (Babylon?, Nineveh?) will be destroyed	-	Nineveh was destroyed and Babylon was captured
Jeremiah	Repent of idolatry and return to God (in many and varied ways over decades!)	ignored	disaster
Jeremiah	a) foretells return of exiles to Jerusalem b) foretells eventual salvation by God	Heeded by exiles -	a) fulfilled b) fulfilled in Jesus
Jeremiah	Tells Zedekiah he will be spared if he surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar	ignored	disaster
Ezekiel	a) Judgement on Jerusalem b) god's power to restore	a) ignored -	a) destroyed b) Fulfilled – part in return of exiles – part in Jesus – part in Heaven
II Isaiah	God's power to save and restore	Some responded	Part fulfilled in return of exiles, part in Jesus
Haggai	Rebuild the Temple!	Part obeyed	Temple begun
Zechariah	Call to obedience & messages of hope & retoration	-	Part fulfilled at time, part in Jesus, part will be at Judgement
Obadiah	Judgement on Edom	-	Overrun by Arabs 400's BC & by Nabateans 200's BC. Blotted out.
Malachi (no more prophets for 400 yrs. Then John the Baptist)	a) rebuke for state of religion & morals in the nation b) promise of prophet “Elijah” to come	- -	a)Much reserved for Judgement day & heaven b) fulfilled in Jesus.

OK that was an exhausting process! But by and large the prophets who spoke to the whole nation had the same message for their generation: “give up your evil living and your idol worship and seek God” Sometimes people responded, sometimes kings were inspired to push reform, but mostly people rejected the opportunity to repent and suffered the consequences! 

But the really good thing is that even where judgement was announced with no call to repent, where the person or nation did change their ways, judgement was stayed!

The message for us in the West is that we cannot expect to continue to enjoy the benefits of a civilisation shaped by godly men and women if we reject God and let injustice and evil flourish among us. Nationally as well as personally it really is: “repent or perish - but return to God and he will return to you”.