Page 111 - Advanced OT Survey Student Textbook

Study Section 11: Five Major Prophets (divided into two—pre-exilic
and exilic) (740 BC to 538 BC)

11.1 Connect

Suppose you were driving down a lonely road in a fog, and noticed, just in the nick of
time, that the bridge across a deep river was down. If you had continued any further,
you would have been lost. Your immediate concern now is to stop any unknowing
drivers from driving to their death. You would probably try to put up some sort of
barrier to warn drivers to stop their forward progress. In the same way, God sent the
prophets to warn the nations of Israel and Judah that they were going the wrong way and to stop, lest
they fall into judgment.

As we have learned in the introduction to the Prophetic books, one of the primary tasks of a Prophet
was to warn the people of God. Of the three books of Major Prophets, one written by Isaiah and the
other two written by Jeremiah, stand as warnings to the nation of Judah before the exile to Babylon.
They are called pre-exilic because the Prophets ministered before the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity.

11.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to discuss what these three books of the Major Prophets are all
about.

2. The student should be able to discuss the important questions such as: what, when, where,
how.

3. The student should be able to discuss the main message and main divisions of each individual
pre-exilic major prophetic book.

4. The student should be able to discuss the applications from these books.

11.3 Introduction

The Major Prophets are essentially in chronological order and cover a period of over 200 years
of Jewish history starting with Isaiah about 20 years before the fall of Israel through Daniel
who ministered to Judah during the Babylonian Captivity. Three of these Prophetic books
were pre-exilic (Isaiah, Jeremiah/Lamentation) and two were exilic (Ezekiel and Daniel). They
are called Major Prophets because of the length and relative significance of their writings. The
Major Prophets have great theological importance and reveal why God judged his people with
Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. They also reveal God’s redeemed purpose for both Jews and Gentiles
and his eternal plan which is being worked out in human history. The Prophetic books what God is
looking for and expects from his people.

1. Why study Prophecy
The study of Prophecy is important because:
a. 20 to 25% of the Bible was Prophecy when written.
b. Prophecy demonstrates the faithfulness, sovereignty and supernatural power of God.
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