What is Prophecy? Pt. 3

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Remember to download today's worksheet by clicking below.

 

Main Question for today...

Is Prophecy what we think it is?

 

Review

Remember that prophets:

 

Speak truth

Advocate for the poor and the needy

Speak to power

 

Consider this question as you read through the following passages:

What is the role of this prophetic message?

 

1 Kings 14:7-11: Ahijah condemns Jeroboam

1 Kings 16:1-7: Jehu proclaims against Baasha that his line will end.

1 Kings 18: The Prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel.

1 Kings 22:8-18: Micaiah gives bad news to the King

 

How do the words of the prophets function in these passages?

 

Are the functions of this message to just tell the future or is there a different function?

 

Hosea 4:4-10: Corrective against Levites getting rich off the people

Hosea 5:1-2 + 6:4-5: Same corrective against the Levites

Amos 4:1-2: Cows of Bashan– message against greed and taking advantage of the poor

Amos 5:18-24: Judgement of the Day of the Lord because of empty Worship

Amos 8:1-6: Rebuke against those who are cheating the poor.

 

What do these passages reveal about the role of prophets?

 

 

Consider this...

We've all heard of these passages...

Isaiah 7:14: the virgin birth of Jesus

Isaiah 9:6-7: For a child has been born to us, the world will be on his shoulders.

Isaiah 53:1-5: The events of Golgotha.

Hosea 11:1– Out of Egypt I called my son

 

What do these passages do?

 

Compared to the other 10 passages we've read, which ones are you more familiar with? the first 10 or the last 4?

Why do you think that is? Why are we only taught the messianic prophecies?

 

What do we miss if we only focus on the prophecies that point to Jesus? 

Messianic Prophecies are good! But thinking back to our previous lessons, why do you think we tend to only focus on the predictive or Jesus-pointing passages while ignoring all of the other kinds of prophetic messages?

 

 

Take away

How do you see the function of prophecy even when they "predict" a close future event?

 

Based on everything we've talked about and the several roles of prophecy, which set of prophetic utterances and passages most fit the descriptions we listed earlier? Why or why not?

 

What can we do to not ignore these functions and messages of the prophets?

 

How has this changed your understanding of the prophets?