Chapter 13
More Than Mere Fortune-tellers: The Prophets
In This Chapter
Understanding the vocation and qualifications of biblical prophets
Seeing the future and implementing social change with Isaiah
Suffering with Jeremiah
Flying in God’s chariot with Ezekiel
Examining the 12 Minor Prophets
T oday we call those who predict the future brokers. In the Bible, however, they are called prophets. Yet, predicting the future was only part of a prophet’s job (and, unlike brokers, true prophets were strictly not-for-profit). In this chapter, you explore what it took to be a biblical prophet, and you meet those who fulfilled this important task.
Being a Biblical Prophet
Describing a prophet’s job
Being a prophet was not an easy job. Most often God’s messages were about as popular as a pharaoh costume at a Passover party. In fact, only one prophet, Isaiah, actively seeks the job, while several others, including Moses, Jonah, and Jeremiah, complain that their vocation is a fate worse than death.
Predicting the future. Predicting future events was a prophet’s calling card. These predictions could range from picking the sex of an unborn child (ancient sonograms) to predicting the outcome of a battle. Typically, the ability to predict the future gave prophets credibility, and when they had an audience, they could tell their listeners what was really on their (or, more accurately, God’s) mind.
Advising leaders. Kings realized the importance of getting God’s approval before embarking on a particular course of action, such as building a temple or going to war. Yet, most kings didn’t want “no” for an answer, so they would usually hire “prophets,” who were really nothing more than ancient yes-men. At times, however, and much to the chagrin of the king, a true prophet would show up on the scene and tell the king what God really thought about his plans or administration. As a result, kings and prophets rarely got along well.
Enacting change. Prophets worked hard to get people to rectify their behaviors and beliefs. At times their messages were met with repentance and change, but most often their admonitions were shunned, and prophets found their very lives in danger.
Performing symbolic acts. Because “a picture is worth a thousand words,” sometimes prophets conveyed messages by dramatic action. For example, the prophet Ezekiel is asked to cook food over manure “briquettes” to symbolize Israel’s moral uncleanness (Ezekiel 4); the prophet Hosea is asked to marry a prostitute to convey Israel’s unfaithfulness (Hosea 1); and the prophet Isaiah is asked to go around naked for three years to depict Israel’s impending judgment and shame (Isaiah 20). As you may imagine, there was not a long line in front of the Prophet Employment Agency.
Declaring oracles. Perhaps the most common function of a prophet was to deliver God’s messages. These messages, called oracles, usually begin with the words “Thus says the LORD . . . ” Oracles most often warned people of the impending judgment they would face if they didn’t reverse direction and amend their ways.
Examining a prophet’s qualifications
Unlike other vocations in ancient Israel — such as the priesthood, where one needed to fulfill specific requirements before getting “hired” (such as being a Levite, male, and falling into a particular age bracket) — biblical prophets could be young or old, rich or poor, brainiacs or simpletons, male or female. In fact, some of Israel’s most influential prophets were women, including Miriam, who led Israel in its worship of God after the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 15:20); Deborah, who led Israel to victory against the Canaanites (Judges 4:4); and Huldah, who advised one of Israel’s greatest kings, Josiah (2 Kings 22:14). The secret to God’s choice is diversity, because God needs a wide range of people to deliver His diverse messages to the ever-changing circumstances of Israel’s national existence.
Introducing the Major Prophets
The writings of the Major Prophets are quite long, each filling their own scrolls, while the Minor Prophets are considerably shorter, and are written all on one scroll. The Book of Daniel, though certainly containing prophecies, is not found with the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, but with the Writings. However, in the Greek ordering, Daniel is placed with the Prophets, after Ezekiel, making him a kind of fourth Major Prophet. Because we are following the Hebrew ordering, we discuss Daniel in Chapter 11.
Isaiah
Isaiah is perhaps the best known and most influential of the biblical prophets. Part of the reason for his impact was that he lived during one of Israel’s most trying periods (around 742–700 B.C.E.). During his tenure as prophet, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians (721 B.C.E.), and Jerusalem narrowly escaped a similar fate. How could God allow His people to be destroyed by so wicked a nation as Assyria, which had an international reputation for violence and bloodshed? And what would be the eventual fate of Judah, who, though still standing, was teetering on the brink of destruction? For the answers to these questions, and to figure out what God wanted from and for His people, the nation looked to Isaiah.
Calling Isaiah (Isaiah 6)
Isaiah’s call to be a prophet is quite unique among the prophets, such as Moses and Jonah, because rather than skirting God’s call, Isaiah enthusiastically volunteers his services.
God appears to Isaiah in a vision where God is sitting on an elevated throne wearing a mantle (or robe) that fills the inner sanctum of the Temple (see Chapter 10 for more about the construction of the Temple). Because not just anyone can look upon God, Isaiah is made ritually pure by a six-winged angelic being called a seraph (see the “What are seraphim?” sidebar in this chapter) who takes a burning coal from God’s altar and places it on Isaiah’s lips. God then asks, “Whom shall I send [to my people]?” Isaiah responds, “Here am I, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).
God’s message for Isaiah in this particular case is that Judah will be destroyed. Moreover, God tells Isaiah to speak to the people in order to make their hearts “fat” so they won’t understand, their ears “heavy” so they won’t hear, and their eyes “shut” so they won’t see. With their senses dulled, God can punish them without reservation. Yet, this seems a strange call by God given that a prophet’s main job is to warn people so that they will listen and change their ways. So what’s going on here?
Actually, getting people to change their ways is exactly the desired effect God wants in the present case. When those who truly want to please God hear that God has reached the point of not wanting His people to repent, they will repent all the more earnestly. But why has God reached this point?
The opening chapters of Isaiah show that although the people offer God sacrifices and prayers, they reveal their insincerity by neglecting the rights of the poor and disadvantaged. As God puts it,
Remove your evil ways from before Me, cease doing wrong, learn to do good, seek justice, correct the oppressor, defend the orphan, contend for the widow.
—Isaiah 1:16–17
Israel has a lot to do, and it stands on the threshold of imminent judgment. How it responds to Isaiah’s warnings will ultimately determine its fate.
What are seraphim?
The heavenly creatures that purify Isaiah’s mouth with a burning coal in Isaiah 6:1–7 are called seraphim, a designation derived from the Hebrew word for “fiery.” This association seems to result from their shining like flames. Isaiah’s seraphim have six wings: with two they cover their faces lest they look directly at God and die, with two they cover their “feet” (which most believe is a euphemism for male genitalia) so they remain modest, and with two they fly. It seems likely that Isaiah’s seraphim are winged serpent-like creatures, who symbolically guard the sanctity of God’s throne.
Isaiah’s most famous prophecies
Several of Isaiah’s prophecies have had an enduring influence. Here are some of the most influential:
Swords to plowshares: the great day of peace (Isaiah 2): In Isaiah 2:4, Isaiah predicts that in the “latter days” God will usher in a great age of judgment, followed by unprecedented peace. In beautifully crafted poetry, Isaiah predicts that God “will judge among the nations, and rebuke many peoples. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they shall no longer learn war.” It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s nice to imagine such a day. This passage, in fact, adorns the United Nations building in New York.
The birth of Immanuel (Isaiah 7): In Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah prophesies that a “young woman will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be called Immanuel.” In its immediate context, Isaiah is advising King Ahaz not to get involved in a war because those pressuring him to do so won’t be around much longer. In fact, they’ll be gone “before the child knows how to refuse evil and choose good” (Isaiah 7:16) — in other words, the danger will pass in a few years. The child’s name, Immanuel, which means “God is with us,” intends to remind Ahaz that God will protect him during these trying times. Many scholars think that the “young woman” involved here is Isaiah’s wife, who is elsewhere called a “prophetess” and who later gives birth to sons with important names.
Isaiah and Handel’s Messiah (Isaiah 9): Nothing says Christmas like the smell of pine, the taste of eggnog, the sight of bills stacking up on the hearth, and the melodic sound of choirs singing Handel’s Messiah: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called: ‘Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’” In truth, Handel didn’t write these words, Isaiah did. With these words Isaiah predicts the birth of a child who will usher in a Golden Age of justice and peace.
Isaiah’s descriptions of this child, though grandiose, were not uncommon in ancient royal eulogies. Thus, some scholars believe they were composed for the coronation of a Judean king, perhaps King Hezekiah, who ruled during Isaiah’s tenure as prophet (see Chapter 10). Yet, most interpreters, both ancient and modern, have understood these words to refer to the Messiah — an understanding that resulted in Handel’s applying them to Jesus.
My two sons and their naked father (Isaiah 7–20)
Isaiah fathers two sons who, like Immanuel, receive symbolic names: Shearjashub and Mahershalalhashbaz.
Shearjashub is not as bad as it sounds — it means “a remnant shall return,” and could be understood to mean that, no matter how bad things get, there will always be a remnant of God’s people. However, it could also mean that although a whole army will go into battle, only a remnant will return. That’s bad.
Mahershalalhashbaz means “the spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Positively, this indicates that Assyria will soon defeat the Syrian-Israelite coalition threatening Ahaz. Negatively, however, it means that the people of Judah will also be victims of Assyria’s aggressions. That’s really bad.
Later, Isaiah strips and walks around naked for three years. Although this must have been extremely difficult for Shearjashub and Mahershalalhashbaz to explain to their friends, the historical background for Isaiah’s unusual behavior is the Assyrians’ capture of the Philistine city of Ashdod (711 B.C.E.). The people of Ashdod had hoped that their powerful allies, Egypt and Cush (south of Egypt, now Sudan/Ethiopia), would defend them against this attack. They didn’t. Thus, Isaiah removes his clothes to symbolize the “dress” of war captives to warn the people of Egypt and Cush that they, too, will fall to Assyria. In addition, Isaiah cautions Judah not to trust in Egypt as its military deliverer.
A close call for Jerusalem (Isaiah 36–39)
Nobody liked the Assyrians, though this didn’t seem to bother the Assyrians much. They were constantly raping, pillaging, and plundering kingdoms both to enrich themselves and to ensure that people were too terrified to revolt. Because Israel did revolt, the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom in 721 B.C.E., and Judah almost fell 20 years later when the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, destroyed several cities and even besieged Jerusalem.
Fortunately for Judah, their king Hezekiah listens to Isaiah and repents on behalf of the nation. Thus, while Jerusalem is under siege by the Assyrians, the Bible records that an angel kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their sleep, and Sennacherib is forced to return home.
A prophet for all seasons: Second and Third Isaiah
Because of differences in vocabulary, theological outlook, and historical perspective, many scholars believe that the Book of Isaiah records the words of more than one prophet. As the theory goes, Isaiah 1–39 records the words of the actual eighth-century prophet from Jerusalem. This material is characterized by stern warnings against Israel and Judah for their wrongdoings, with the threat of exile if they do not mend their ways. In Isaiah 40–66, by contrast, the prophet (whom scholars call “Second” or “Deutero” Isaiah) declares the end of God’s wrath and the promise of return from exile. This prophet, according to this theory, lived in exile shortly before Babylon’s fall in 539 B.C.E., after which the Jews are allowed to return to their homeland. Some scholars further divide chapters 40–66 into “Third” or “Trito” Isaiah (56–66), which, because of still other changes in vocabulary and outlook, is believed to have been written by a fifth-century Judean after the exiles returned to Jerusalem. Although all of this is theory, the important point is that the mood and message of Isaiah changes to address changing historical circumstances — making Isaiah “a prophet for all seasons.”
The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)
Several passages in the Book of Isaiah describe the activity of an unnamed “Servant” of God. The best known of these is the “Suffering Servant Song” of Isaiah 53, which tells the story of an unattractive man filled with grief, and who is hated and rejected by others. He carries others’ pain, but still they inflict pain upon him. God even inflicts pain upon this servant, placing the sins of everyone else upon his shoulders.
Although Isaiah’s death is not recorded in the Bible, tradition maintains that King Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, the most evil of Judah’s kings according to the Bible, executes him by sawing Isaiah in half, a tradition that seems reflected in the New Testament’s notice of one of God’s prophets being “sawn in two” (Hebrews 11:37).
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, also known as the “Weeping Prophet,” is arguably the most depressed person in the Bible. You can hardly blame him: He’s active from 626 to 580 B.C.E., seeing firsthand the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. Moreover, much of these horrors could have been avoided if the people would have listened to his admonitions to repent.
The fetal and frightful prophet’s calling (Jeremiah 1)
Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, a small village 4 miles north of Jerusalem. He, like his father Hilkiah, was a priest, and he seems to have traced his heritage back to Moses, Israel’s great deliverer and lawgiver (see Chapter 7 for more information about Moses). Thus, it is interesting that, although God says He appointed Jeremiah “from the womb,” Jeremiah, like Moses, comes up with several excuses as to why he isn’t fit for the job. For example, he reminds God that he is only a youth and, like Moses, he doesn’t know how to speak. In response God tells Jeremiah what He told Moses: I will be with you and tell you what to say. Then, to symbolize how He will put words in Jeremiah’s mouth, God touches his lips. Reluctantly, Jeremiah accepts his commission as God’s prophet.
The yoke’s on you, Hananiah (Jeremiah 27–28)
Some of the most memorable passages in Jeremiah relate to his ongoing battle with a false prophet named Hananiah. One of these bouts occurs when several of Judah’s neighboring nations send emissaries to Jerusalem to celebrate the coronation of Zedekiah. In order to get their attention, Jeremiah puts on a yoke, or oxen harness, to symbolize that soon all of the nations in the area will be servants to Babylon. Jeremiah goes so far as to call the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, “God’s servant.” Moreover, Jeremiah warns the nations that if they don’t submit to Babylon, God will punish them with the sword, famine, and pestilence.
The people, as you may imagine, don’t want to hear this bad news, and Hananiah comes to their rescue. He says that Nebuchadnezzar’s days are numbered. Moreover, he removes the yoke from Jeremiah and breaks it, symbolizing that God has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. However, Jeremiah has the final word in this confrontation. He turns to Hananiah and tells him that, although he broke the wooden bars of the yoke, God will make new ones of iron. Furthermore, Jeremiah predicts that God will kill Hananiah within the year. Shortly thereafter, the false prophet dies.
Sour grapes of wrath (Jeremiah 31)
The famous expression “sour grapes” comes from Jeremiah. However, rather than having the contemporary meaning of pouting, in the Bible this expression has to do with accountability. Jeremiah says that one day soon the people will no longer say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29). This proverb was apparently repeated a lot during Jeremiah’s day, since it is also quoted by Jeremiah’s contemporary — the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 18:2). This proverb expressed what seems to have been most people’s view during the difficult times in which Jeremiah’s generation lived: their present problems were the result of their ancestors’ sins. Jeremiah assures the people that everyone is accountable for their own actions, and that children, though they may suffer from the effects of their parent’s sins, will not be judged for them.
Jeremiah’s new covenant (Jeremiah 31)
Perhaps the most moving passages in Jeremiah are those describing God’s future plans for Israel — plans, as Jeremiah puts it, “to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Among these plans, God intends to establish a new covenant with Israel where people will obey God’s laws because they are written “on their hearts” and God will “forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:33–34). This prophecy gave the Jews great hope following Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., and early Christians applied it to Jesus, whose death on the cross was believed to usher in a new covenant by providing forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:20).
Don’t go to Egypt! Jeremiah’s relocation and death (Jeremiah 42–43)
After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the survivors come to Jeremiah and admit that they should have listened to him and repented of their wrongdoing. They also ask him what they should do next. Jeremiah tells them that whatever they do, “don’t go to Egypt” (Jeremiah 42:19). Showing that they really hadn’t changed, the people respond: “Truly, you are a prophet of lies!” And with this, they grab Jeremiah and take him to Egypt with them.
Although the Bible does not say how Jeremiah died, later traditions say alternately that he died of natural causes or that he was stoned to death for his unpopular messages. Whatever the exact circumstances of his death, Jeremiah serves as an example of how hard a job it is to be called as a prophet of God.
The Weeping Prophet: Lamentations
Reading Lamentations, though we highly recommend it, is an extremely difficult enterprise. The difficulty isn’t because of length or vocabulary, but because of the content. Lamentations records the sad songs recalling the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. Because Jeremiah, the “Weeping Prophet,” lived through these terrible events, and because he is elsewhere said to have written laments (2 Chronicles 35:25), tradition holds that he authored these dirges. However, they are anonymous, which is perhaps fitting, because they express the sorrow of a nation.
Lamentations opens with the words: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people.” And the book only gets more depressing from there, as it describes how the Babylonian forces breached Jerusalem’s walls, killed or enslaved the people, and burned the city. Those who survived the attack now have no food, and in desperation go so far as to eat their own children (Lamentations 2:20 and 4:10). Moreover, things that they formerly valued, such as gold and precious stones, don’t matter anymore in the face of the horrors they have endured (Lamentations 4:1). Yet, amidst all this destruction and despair, there is still reason to hope in God:
For though He brings affliction, He will show compassion as a demonstration of the abundance of His unfailing love — for He does not willingly bring affliction or grief on anyone.
—Lamentations 3:32–33
Ezekiel
Like his contemporary Jeremiah, Ezekiel lived through the destruction of Jerusalem, though he did so from 1,000 miles away, in Babylon. Ezekiel was a prominent citizen of Jerusalem, a Temple priest, who was exiled to Babylon ten years before the demise of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. As a result, Ezekiel was the prophet to the exiles.
UFOs and Ezekiel’s call (Ezekiel 1–3)
The Book of Ezekiel opens with an incredible vision in which God leaves Jerusalem and His Temple in a swift flying machine that is called a chariot but is more like a chair-throne borne up by some very unusual creatures. They are cherubim with lion’s (or, in this particular case, possibly human’s) bodies and eagle’s wings, but unlike typical cherubim that have only a human head, these have four different faces: human, lion, ox, and eagle.
From his fiery chariot God sends Ezekiel to prophesy against Israel. God hands Ezekiel a scroll with the tragic events about to unfold written upon it and commands him to eat it, which he does (Ezekiel 3:3). Ezekiel then gets to ride in God’s flying chariot to the exiles in Babylon. This marks the beginning of Ezekiel’s career.
Them bones, them bones, them dry bones (Ezekiel 37)
Ezekiel records a vision in which God leads him to a valley filled with dried bones. God asks the prophet, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel wisely responds that only God knows the answer. Following God’s instructions, Ezekiel prophesies to the bones that they will live, and then he hears an increasingly loud rattle. The dry bones begin to move, eventually coming together and re-creating skeletons. Then the skeletons grow tendons, muscle, and flesh.
A vision for the future: The Temple (Ezekiel 40–48)
On the 25th anniversary of Ezekiel’s exile (572 B.C.E.), he has an amazing vision. He sees Jerusalem’s future Temple, the measurements of which are quite large. Then, the glory of God, which Ezekiel saw depart from the former Temple when it was destroyed in 586 B.C.E., returns from Babylon and enters this new, idealized Temple. Now God will dwell with the people of Israel forever. There will no longer be a need for kings in this restored empire, and God will rule from what Ezekiel calls the “New Jerusalem.”
Nothing is certain about Ezekiel’s death, though according to legend he lived a long life in exile, died of natural causes, and is buried in a tomb near Babylon.
Meeting the Twelve Minor Prophets
Despite their small size, the text of the twelve Minor Prophets held an important place in Israel’s holy writ. At least seven scrolls containing “the Twelve,” as they are called, were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (see Chapter 1). In addition, their wide-ranging prophecies greatly impacted later Judaism and Christianity.
Hosea
Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the latter half of the eighth century B.C.E. These were turbulent years for Israel, because several kings were assassinated, and it seemed to be just a matter of days before an expanding Assyrian empire would destroy the nation. And, as if things were not bad enough, God tells his prophet, Hosea, to marry a prostitute. And, to make matters even worse, the prostitute he marries is named Gomer.
Jezreel refers to a famous valley and city in northern Israel where a bloody coup took place under Jehu (2 Kings 9 — see Chapter 10 in this book). The king of Israel during Hosea’s life, Jeroboam II, is a descendant of Jehu, and Hosea predicts that this dynasty will soon come to an end, as will the nation (Hosea 1:4–5).
Lo-ruhamah means “no mercy,” and signifies that God will not have compassion on Israel, but will allow Assyria to punish it for its unfaithfulness to Him and its oppression of the poor (Hosea 1:6–7).
Lo-ammi means “not my people,” and signifies God’s rejection of Israel as His people due to their wrongdoing.
Following the birth of their three children, Gomer leaves Hosea. God, however, tells Hosea to go out and rescue Gomer, and to bring her back into his home. This is intended to symbolize God’s heart toward Israel. Though the Israelites have been unfaithful, God will one day rescue them and bring them home. And, in reversal of God’s earlier rejection, Hosea sees a day when God will cleanse “Jezreel” of its bloodguilt, and once again show mercy to Israel, calling them “My people.”
Joel
Because the Book of Joel offers no real clues as to when it was written, dates for this prophet range from the ninth to the fifth century B.C.E. Yet, knowing the date for this prophet is not essential for understanding his message.
Joel writes at length about an upcoming “great and terrible day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31), which will be a day of judgment for the whole earth. Prior to this judgment the sun will turn black, and the moon will turn to blood. Advancing armies, like giant swarms of locust (though some take these to be actual locusts), will destroy everything. But despite this impending doom, there is hope of deliverance if Israel changes its present course and returns to God:
Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness . . . Who knows? He may relent and have compassion, and leave behind a blessing.
—Joel 2:13–14
Yet, even if Israel does return, God promises that there will be a day of judgment for those who don’t. On that day, God will gather all the nations of the earth to the “Valley of Jehoshaphat,” which means “Valley of the LORD’s Judgment.” Those who did not turn to God in repentance for their wrongdoing before that day will be judged. But “all who call upon the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:32).
Amos
Amos seems to be the earliest of the writing prophets, being active during the prosperous and peaceful years of the mid-eighth century B.C.E. In many ways, this made Amos’s mission more difficult, because people are less inclined to heed the warnings of prophets when times are good.
Although Amos condemns the behavior of Israel’s neighbors, including Syria, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon, and Moab (Amos 1:3–2:5), he is most critical of Israel, which, because of its privileged position as God’s chosen, is more accountable than these other nations (Amos 3:1–15). According to Amos, God is a champion of social justice, defending the underprivileged and poor. In contrast, God detests Israel’s religious hypocrisy, because the Israelites perform religious acts but fail to perform acts of kindness or justice. As God says,
Remove the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the music of your harps. Rather, let justice roll down like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
—Amos 5:23–24
Obadiah
Obadiah’s prophecies make for the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible — a mere 21 verses. This brevity also makes its author one of the most enigmatic. What is clear is that Obadiah is angry with Judah’s neighbor to the south, Edom. The Israelites thought themselves to be related to the Edomites. In fact, according to Genesis 25, the ancestors of Edom (Esau) and Israel (Jacob) were twins. Yet, following Judah’s destruction by Babylon in 586 B.C.E., instead of helping its “brother,” Edom gloated over Judah’s defeat. Worse, the Edomites kicked Judah while it was down — looting and pillaging its cities. For this brotherly betrayal, Obadiah prophesies that Edom will soon meet a similar fate. As God says,
Because you were violent toward your brother, Jacob, you will be covered with shame and will be destroyed forever.
—Obadiah 10
Jonah
The Book of Jonah recounts the trials and tribulations of a hot-tempered Israelite prophet living in the eighth century B.C.E. At the story’s onset, God tells Jonah to go to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh to declare that God will destroy it for its many sins. Yet, instead of traveling east to Nineveh, Jonah hires a boat and goes due west, to “Tarshish,” an apparent reference to modern-day Spain. On the way, however, God sends a violent storm that threatens to destroy the ship. Eventually Jonah admits to the sailors that he is to blame for the storm, and that if they want to survive, they must throw him overboard. The sailors, not wanting to harm Jonah, try rowing to shore, but this fails. With no other recourse, the sailors pray to Jonah’s God for forgiveness, and then heave-ho.
Jonah, now in the middle of the ocean without a life preserver, begins to drown. In desperation, he cries out to God, who hears his pleas and sends a giant whale named Monstro to save him. Actually, the Hebrew name for this creature is dag gadol, which literally means “big fish,” and can therefore refer to anything big that lives in the water. (So calling this story “Jonah and the Whale” may be a bit of a misnomer.) Jonah remains in the big fish for three days, after which God tells the sea creature to vomit Jonah onto dry land, which it does, and God repeats His command to go to Nineveh. Wisely, Jonah heeds God’s call and heads for Nineveh.
When Jonah enters Nineveh, he wastes little time before declaring God’s message: “In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.” Yet, rather than kill Jonah for his threat, the Assyrians repent. And not just a few of them, but everyone, including the king and even the animals, which the Assyrians dress in sackcloth (a coarse material worn to show extreme contrition and repentance). Seeing their repentance, God also “repents,” forgiving the Assyrians for their many sins.
Jonah is livid. He did not come all this way just to see the bane of the ancient Near East forgiven. And at this point we realize why Jonah ran from God in the first place: He was not afraid of what the Assyrians might do with him, but what they might do with his message — repent! Jonah wanted to see the Assyrians destroyed. In anger, Jonah says to God, “I knew You were a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and repenting of evil!” (Jonah 4:2). Everywhere else these words appear in the Bible they are used to praise God. Here, Jonah uses them to accuse God.
In a huff, Jonah departs from the city and camps outside its walls, waiting to see if Nineveh or God will repent from their respective repentances. While Jonah is waiting, the weather grows extremely hot. Thankfully, Jonah finds refuge under the shade of a plant that God had made grow the night before. The next morning, however, God sends a worm that eats the plant, and Jonah again becomes extremely hot, both in temperature and temper. No longer wanting to live, Jonah begs God to kill him. In response, God says,
You pitied the plant for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow. It was alive one night and dead the next. Should I not have compassion on the great city of Nineveh, in which there is more than 120,000 people who do not know between their right and their left, and many cattle besides?”
—Jonah 4:10–11
And with that question, the Book of Jonah ends.
Micah
Micah, like Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos, prophesied during the eighth century. And like his contemporary Amos, Micah chastises the urban elite for exploiting the poor (Micah 2:1–5). In what is one of the most famous passages in the book, Micah asks if he should perform sacrifices to God. The response he receives gets to the heart of the matter:
[God] has shown you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: To do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
—Micah 6:8
Because of the nation’s sins, Micah sees a day when not only Israel will be destroyed but also Judah (Micah 3:12). For his “foresight,” Micah becomes very influential later in Israel’s history. When certain Judean officials are deciding whether to kill the prophet Jeremiah for predicting the fall of Jerusalem, they decide to spare his life because Micah had made a similar proclamation over a century earlier. Micah was also very influential in Christianity’s early development. When the magi ask Herod where the “King of the Jews” was to be born, Herod’s advisers find the answer in Micah:
And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are small among the rulers of Judah, from you will come one who will rule for Me over Israel.
—Micah 5:2
And Christians have been singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” ever since.
Nahum
Nahum means “comfort,” which is ironic, because the Book of Nahum is perhaps one of the most violent books in the Hebrew Bible. Written in the late seventh century, Nahum celebrates the demise of the hated Assyrian empire. Just as the Assyrians raped, pillaged, and plundered others, so too will they be the victims of unthinkable violence. And Nahum’s words come to pass, when the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians join forces and conquer Nineveh in 612 B.C.E., bringing an end to the Assyrians’ “reign of terror.” So in what sense is Nahum a book of comfort? Because the message of Assyria’s destruction would bring comfort to everyone else in the ancient Near East:
When everyone hears the news of your fall, they will clap their hands, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?
—Nahum 3:19
Habakkuk
Habakkuk’s oracles date to the late seventh century in Judah, a time when the Babylonians’ power was growing. Although Jerusalem has yet to be conquered, Habakkuk knows its fall is imminent. Addressing the question of theodicy (why good things happen to bad people, and vice versa), Habakkuk asks why a just God is “silent while the wicked man swallows up those more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13). God remains silent. Yet, Habakkuk is determined to wait out God’s silence, and remains in a watchtower until God answers him (Habakkuk 2:1). When God does respond, He tells Habakkuk that He will deal with the wicked in His own way and in His own time, “but the righteous shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 twice (Galatians 3:11 and Romans 1:17) in order to demonstrate that even in the Hebrew Bible people were ultimately justified (made right with God) by their faith, and not by performing ritual acts or works of the law.
Zephaniah
Zephaniah was active in Judah during the reign of King Josiah (640–609 B.C.E.), but seemingly just before Josiah had enacted his famous religious reforms (621 B.C.E.; see 2 Kings 22–23 and Chapter 10 in this book). In fact, Zephaniah may have been a relative of Josiah — the genealogy provided at the beginning of Zephaniah links him to Hezekiah, Josiah’s great grandfather and the former king of Judah. (However, some scholars have suggested this is a different Hezekiah.)
According to 2 Kings, Judah was involved in unprecedented idolatry and apostasy before Josiah’s reforms (see Chapter 10), which helps to explain why the major theme of Zephaniah is the coming “day of the LORD,” when God would judge the world, including Judah, for its wrongdoing. Yet, through the gloomy clouds of judgment, a ray of light appears. Zephaniah predicts that after God’s judgment, He will restore the people of Israel, and they will be “praised among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:20).
Haggai
The prophet Haggai lived during the Persian Period shortly after the first group of Judean exiles returned to Jerusalem (around 520 B.C.E.). The main focus of his prophecies is to motivate the Judeans to rebuild God’s Temple. To this end, Haggai chastises the people for neglecting the Temple while beautifying their own homes:
Is it a time for you to live in your houses with roofs, while The House [the Temple] lies in ruins?. . . Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build The House, so that I will be pleased with it and will appear in My glory.
—Haggai 1:4–8
Despite their initial opposition to Haggai’s message, the people eventually rebuild the Temple, completing it in the spring of 515 B.C.E. Although the Temple was nowhere near its former glory, this was a major accomplishment.
Zechariah
Zechariah was Haggai’s contemporary, and, like him, admonishes the people to rebuild the Temple. Moreover, Zechariah envisions a day when a Davidic king would once again rule over Israel. He even predicts that the then governor, Zerubbabel, would one day be king (Messiah, in Hebrew), and that the High Priest, Joshua, would also wear a crown of leadership. All of this pointed to a day of future blessing, when God would fully restore Jerusalem:
I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be built in it . . . My cities will again overflow with goodness, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.
—Zechariah 1:16–17
Several of Zechariah’s visions have significance for his contemporaries as well as for future generations. In one vision, Zechariah is a shepherd who is paid 30 pieces of silver for his services (Zechariah 11:12). Although this vision in its original context is intended as a rebuke of Israel for rejecting God as its Shepherd, this passage would later be associated with the price Judas receives for betraying Jesus (Matthew 26:15). In a second vision, Zechariah sees a day when the Messiah would come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The New Testament writers portray Jesus as fulfilling this prophecy when, during his Triumphal Entry (see Chapter 19), he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey on what is now celebrated as Palm Sunday.
Malachi
Malachi seems to have lived in Jerusalem during the early fifth century B.C.E. He repeatedly emphasizes that those guilty of sin and unfaithfulness to God will be punished on the upcoming “day of the LORD.” As preparation for this day, Malachi predicts that Elijah (see Chapter 10) will return to earth in order to prepare the people for God’s coming:
Behold, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you before the great and the fearful day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the fathers’ heart to their children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with complete destruction.
—Malachi 4:5–6
For Christians, John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy by being the forerunner to Jesus (see Chapter 18), and Jews invite Elijah to Passover meals to hasten the day of the Messiah.