The “office” of prophet was instituted during the days of Samuel, the last of the judges. Prophets stood with the priests as God’s special representatives. The prophet’s role was to speak for God, confronting the people and their leaders with God’s commands and promises. Because of this confrontational stance and the continuing tendency of people to disobey God, true prophets usually were not very popular. But though their message often went unheeded, they faithfully and forcefully proclaimed the truth.1Life Application Study Bible. Introduction to Isiah
The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are called “major” not because their message is somehow more important but because of the their physical size. They have more content then the so called “Minor Prophets.” For example, in the King James Bible, the five Major Prophets have a total of 183 chapters while the twelve Minor Prophets have only 67 chapters all together. Just one more then Isaiah’s 66 chapters.
Jewish scholars have viewed the historical books from Joshua through 2 Kings as “the former prophets.” They regarded Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel as “the latter prophets,” and lumped the books from Hosea through Malachi together as “the twelve.” In their division of the Old Testament into Law, Prophets, and Writings, they placed Daniel and Lamentations in the third category, the Writings.2Why are some Old Testament prophets called “major” while others are called “minor”? by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr. https://tafj.org/2010/11/18/why-are-some-old-testament-prophets-called-%E2%80%9Cmajor%E2%80%9D-while-others-are-called-%E2%80%9Cminor%E2%80%9D/
Isaiah:
Isaiah prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, Isa. 1:1. Isaiah began prophesying in the last year of Uzziah’s life (740B.C.) and continued into the reign of Hezekiah (which ended in 686).3The Book of Isaiah: 12-Lesson Study Guide by Brian Simmons He was also a man of faith who consistently tried to persuade Judah’s kings to trust in God rather than in foreign alliances (Isa. 7:4-7, 30:15, 37:6-7). Isaiah defended the poor against exploitation by the rich, and tirelessly denounced Judah’s social oppression and religious corruption. He warned Judah that because they had despised God’s love, the nation would surely be taken into captivity (5:1-30). But from the people taken captive , a remnant would return to their homeland and the Messiah’s kingdom would be set up (11:1-12:6).
Pastor Chuck Swindoll says that “The book of Isaiah provides us with the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament. It includes the full scope of His life: the announcement of His coming (Isaiah 40:3–5), His virgin birth (7:14), His proclamation of the good news (61:1), His sacrificial death (52:13–53:12), and His return to claim His own (60:2–3). Because of these and numerous other christological texts in Isaiah, the book stands as a testament of hope in the Lord, the One who saves His people from themselves.”4Isaiah. Pastor Chuck Swindoll. https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/isaiah
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah began his prophetic work in 627 BC, the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, king of Judah (Jer. 1:1-2). His ministry continued during the reigns Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, Jehoiakim, the second son of Josiah, Jehoiachin the son of Jehoiakim and ended in 582 BC with the reign of Zedekiah5Zedekiah became king in 597 B.C. His reign ended when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the last king of Judah. Josiah had carried out sweeping reforms to remove all the idolatrous and immoral practices that had become deeply rooted in Judah over the previous generations and to re-establish the true worship of Yahweh (2 Kings 22, 23:1-25). Jeremiah saw that in spite of the king’s good work, little had changed in people’s hearts. Judah was heading for terrible judgment. Jeremiah preached against Judah’s sins and forecasts Judah’s destruction (Jer. 22:13-19; 26:1-6; 26:20-24; Jeremiah 36) while evil king Jehoiakim was on the throne. He denounced Jehoiakim harshly for his selfishness, materialism, and practice of social injustice. Jehoiakim was a cruel and ungodly ruler. He opposed Jeremiah because of his condemnation of Judah’s sins and his forecasts of its destruction6 Jer. 22:13-19, 26:1-6, 26:20-24, Jeremiah 36 Much of Jeremiah Chapters 7-20, along with Chapters 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 36 and 45, belong to the time of Jehoiakim.
Jeremiah and Zedekiah were constantly in conflict. Zedekiah had been placed on the throne by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Jeremiah assured Zedekiah that God had allowed Babylon to subjugate Judah as judgment for their sin. Jeremiah warned Judah to accept its punishment and submit to Babylon. To resist would only bring invasion, siege, starvation, bloodshed and captivity72Kings 24:18-20; Jer. 21:1-10, Jeremiah 24, 27:12-22, 28:12-14. Early in Zedekiah’s reign, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylonia, advising them not to expect to return immediately to their homeland, as false prophets were encouraging them to believe, but to settle peaceably in their place of exile and seek the welfare of their captors. When Jerusalem finally fell, Jeremiah was released from prison by the Babylonians and allowed to remain in Judah. However he was kidnaped and taken to Egypt. It is theorized that Jeremiah died there around 570 BC.8https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jeremiah-Hebrew-prophet Jeremiah’s most important prophecy concerns the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34). Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a new covenant with Israel and Judah. This new covenant would replace the Mosaic Covenant. Under this covenant God would write his laws upon their hearts not tables of stone. Under the New Covenant all would know God directly and receive his forgiveness.
Josiah tried to stop the Egyptians from passing through Palestine to fight the Babylonians north of Judah and was killed in battle (609 BC; 2Ki_23:28-30).
The southern kingdom of Judah fell during Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry (586 BC), having been threatened for many years by outside powers—first Assyria and Egypt and then by their eventual conquerors, Babylon.
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