The Works of the Prophets |1

THE WORKS OF THE PROPHETS

The Works of the Prophets

Michele Bennett

Professor Wendt

BIB 113

12 December 2009
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The Works of the Prophets

Understanding the sins of the nations of Judah and Israel is the first step to discovering

the purpose of God’s future actions against these sins and God’s plans for these nations. Let us

start by looking further into the scriptures to learn about some of the sins of the nations. After

recognizing some of these sins, we need to observe what God’s actions were towards these

nations. Finally, we can see what God plans for these nations from the perspective of the

prophet’s day.

After David and Solomon, the reputation and fortune of Israel went downward. The

nation rebelled against God and his laws. God might have shattered Israel had he not promised to

Abraham a savior and he still planned to use the house of David for this. When Solomon died, a

civil war broke out as Solomon's sons and generals fought for the throne. Rehoboam had his

father’s blessing to be the new king, but Jeroboam had influence that is more military. In the end,

Rehoboam took the southern half of the country and called it "Judah". Jeroboam took the

northern half and kept the name Israel. Each claimed to be God's chosen king. In First Kings

Chapter 12 of the Life Applications Study Bible, the revolt of the Northern tribes (Israel rebels

against Rehoboam) is a time after Solomon died where the revolts caused separation of the

nations and bad consequences for each nation run by very bad kings now. We read at First Kings

Chapter 12 verse 20, “When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and

called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained

loyal to the house of David” (LASB p 518). This is a beginning of a separation lasting for many

centuries. First Kings discusses many opportunities when the idolatry was in full force, which is

a sin against God. The golden calves erected to keep worshippers away from the temple in

Jerusalem were something that Jeroboam attempted. Being in the Northern tribe he did not learn
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a lesson about mistakes occurring when a person believes they can do better than God can,

however in First Kings chapter 13 verses 33, 34 we read what really happened,

“Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more

appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who

wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. This was the

sin of the house of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its

destruction from the face of the earth” (LASB p 519).

People in both kingdoms wanted freedom from the kings and from God, so they erected idols to

get a feeling of power. The people could be completely engrossed in their sick ways of being, no

guilt because of the loose life they were engaging in. The nations reduced to simply being

available to others for exploitations of many sick natures. We can read that things were not any

better for the people of Judah because, “Rehoboam permitted all kinds of idolatrous practices to

come into the land, though undoubtedly without regal sanction” (Merrill p232). Without really

going very far into the study of the nations of Judah and Israel after Solomon’s death, we have

already seen quite a level of sin against God’s word and laws.

God sent Elijah to these nations to be the tool in which God uses to deal with the sins.

Elijah tried to direct Ahab to go away from the evil ways, yet this was not happening because

Ahab was not changing his ways. He was there to confront the kings about the evil deeds that

they were permitting. It may seem as though God is not dealing with the sins of these two

nations very quickly but he will judge them and he will do it very harshly. The sins of the

Israelites catch up to them as God allows them captured by the evil Assyrian king. Yet the Lord

testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, saying to them to turn from their

evil ways, and keep his commandments, according to all the law which he commanded your
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fathers, and which he sent to you by my servants the prophets. Nevertheless, they would not

hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord

their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and

His testimonies that he had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and

went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them

that they should not do like them. So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God,

made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all

the host of heaven, and served Baal. In addition, they caused their sons and daughters to pass

through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight

of the Lord to provoke Him to anger. Therefore, the Lord was very angry at Israel, and removed

them from His sight; there were none left but the tribe of Judah alone. In addition, the Lord

rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of

plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following

the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of

Jeroboam, which he did and they did not depart from them, until the Lord removed Israel out of

His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. Israel was carried away from their own

land to Assyria, as it is to this day." Second Kings Chapter 17 verses 5, 6 describe the last and

final invasion that allowed happening because of the sins of the people in Israel.

“The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria

and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of

Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled

them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the

Medes” (LASB p 576).

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The Book of Isaiah in the LASB begins by showing us that “Words of Judgment (1:1- 39:8) so

we do know that God brings judgment, yet this time it’s through the prophet Isaiah. He pointed

out that as long as people were continuing to sin then no assistance would come from God

because he cut them off. A need to confess sins and doing his will and relying on him through

prayer could have gotten themselves healed from the damage they had imposed on themselves.

Because God had such an immense amount of love for his people, he sent the prophets

Isaiah and Jeremiah with strong warnings that, unless they repented of their rebellion and

disobedience against Him, catastrophic things would occur to the nation in its future. Isaiah and

Jeremiah warn the people of God that "The Lord make the Earth empty, make it waste, turneth it

upside down, and scattereth around the inhabitants thereof (Crowther, 2004) those that were

disobedient were warned that they would be cut off. Although many of the challenges that Israel

and Judah faced seemed unbearable, it was never God's initial plan for Israel to have to endure

any of the trials. God allowed is real to endure these trials in order to bring them to a point of

repentance. In doing so, his plans were for Israel to return to him and him to them (Zech 1:3).

The Book of Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11 we read that God has a plan for us, “For I know the

plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you an not to harm you, plans to give

you hope for the future” (LASB p 1239). Restoration is in the plans for Israel according to

Jeremiah Chapter 30. Six goals (six infinitives) serve to establish the time of the prophecy's

fulfillment: (1) "to finish the transgression, (2) "to make an end of sins"), (3) "to make atonement

for iniquity," (4) "to bring in everlasting righteousness," (5) "to seal up vision and prophecy," (6)

"to anoint the most holy [place]” (McClain p 6).

With much sorrow and deep pains, God has seen the nations sin and continue to sin even

after he sends prophet after prophet to guide them to doing the right things. He sees the wrongs
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and expresses in many ways the dislike of these total disregards for his commandments and laws,

yet he is not letting them go completely without judgment and many more opportunities to

confess their sins and acquire a close and loving relationship with him again. These sinners are

not repentive and therefore God takes action against them. Even though they have sinned against

him, he still has a major plan for restoration of Israel and this will include all who are loyal and

humble. His plan has never changed and he will continue to reign and make the decisions about

this world right into the future. We see the love that God has for all creation; let us continue our

path with God as our guide.

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References

Crowther, D. (2004). Inspired Prophetic Warnings. Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publications.

Life Application Study Bible. In Life Application Study Bible: New International Version (pp.10-

23). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Merrill, E. H. (1999). An Historical Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Academic.

McClain, Alva J. (1971). Daniel's Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks .Grand Rapids: Zondervan

Publishing House, 1971), 6.