Some Keys to Reading and Understanding Old Testament Prophecy
(Adapted from How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth,
Fee and Stuart, pp.165-186)
Sixteen individual books of the Old Testament come under the heading of prophecy. This includes the four Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) and the twelve Minor Prophets. The Minor Prophets are so designated because of their shorter length as opposed to the relatively longer "major" prophets.
The Nature of Prophecy
Because it is easy to misunderstand and misinterpret the function and form of these books, they are among the most misapplied books of the Bible.
The Meaning of Prophecy
Too many Bible readers want prophecy to either speak to us directly
today, tell us about our future, or at least reference the New
Covenant. Oddly enough, even though the majority of readers seem
to be seeking this type of information very little Old Testament
prophecy concerns us directly. In other words, it has already
been fulfilled.
The Prophets as Spokesmen
The primary purpose of the prophets was not to foretell, but to
"forth-tell," that is speak for God. There are some
prophets that we know more of their deeds than their words (Elijah,
Elisha). Others are only mentioned by name or number. God has
chosen only 16 prophets to have their words recorded for posterity.
It is an interesting side point that we know more about the oral
prophets lives than we do about the literary prophets lives (with
the exceptions of Daniel and perhaps Jonah).
The Problem of History
Because we are far removed from the religious, cultural, and historical
lives of the ancient Israelites, we will have a harder time understanding
what the prophets had to say than their contemporary listeners
did.
The Function of Prophecy
To help us understand the role and function of a prophet in Israel, we must consider these three things:
The Prophets were covenant enforcement mediators.
God chose the prophets to announce His blessings and curses upon
the Israelites. These were the rewards and punishments for keeping
or violating the covenant he had established with them.
The Prophet's message was not their own, but God's.
Note how many times the prophet's say, "thus says the Lord."
Sometimes they choose to just quote the Lord in the first person.
The prophets then were God's ambassadors to Israel, relaying His
blessings and curses to the people through them. The prophets
were required to neither act nor speak independently.
The Prophet's message is unoriginal.
The prophets have nothing new to offer the people. Their message
is really just a restatement of what Moses had already given.
Even the messianic prophecies were reiterating what Moses had
already established in the Law.
Understanding the Prophets Will Require Time and Patient Study
The Need for Outside Help
There are three sources of help available that the careful Bible
student may wish to avail themselves of:
1) Bible dictionaries
2) Commentaries
3) Bible handbooks
Choose these carefully from among trustworthy conservative scholars.
Especially be careful when selecting commentaries, as this is
where an author will tend practice his particular hobby.
The Historical Context
There are two types of historical contexts that need to be considered
when studying the prophets: the larger context (the era
in which the prophet worked) and the specific context (of
an individual oracle).
A few thoughts about larger context are in order. The sixteen literary prophets cover only about 200 years in the history of Israel. Why did God choose these three centuries to make almost exclusive use of these men? It is obvious from the context of the prophets and from what we can learn from the New Testament writers that the Israelites were in dire need of covenant enforcement mediation during this period of their history. Also it obvious that God wanted His dealings with the Israelites during this time frame recorded for our learning.
Unprecedented political, military, economic and social upheavals were taking place. The Israelites were practicing an enormous amount of idolatry and disregarding the Law of Moses during this time. Finally, the world around them was changing as populations and national boundaries shifted. God raised up His prophets to deal with these problems and reiterate His word.
To gain an understanding of a specific prophecy, knowledge of the date, audience, and situation is a necessity.
The Isolation of Individual Oracles
Figuring out where one Oracle ends and the next one begins is
often daunting. The chapter and verse divisions as well as the
topical headings were not supplied by the writers, so we are at
the mercy of the editors as to their reliability. Once again,
employ your Bible dictionary, commentary, and handbook to help
determine the limits of each oracle.
The Forms of Prophetic Utterance
The prophets employed a variety of literary forms.
1) The lawsuit - (Isa. 3:13-26). In this form of prophecy God
is portrayed as the judge or district attorney prosecuting a case
against Israel.
2) The woe - a prediction of imminent doom. Note: the announcement
of distress, the reason for the distress, and the prediction of
doom (Hab. 2:6-8).
3) The promise - or salvation oracle. Note: reference to the future,
mention of radical change, and mention of a blessing. (Amos 9:11-15).
The Prophets as Poets
The rhythm, parallelism, and overall structure of poetic literature
lends an ease of memorization to its contents not found in the
narrative style of writing. This form of literature is prized
in societies where not everyone can read, not everyone has access
to books, or the people are transient. There are three types of
parallelism employed by the Hebrew Prophet-Poets that need to
be mentioned: 1) Synonymous (Isa. 44:22) - where the second line
of the poem repeats or reinforces the first line. 2) Antithetical
(Hos. 7:14) - where the second line contrasts the thought of the
first line. 3) Synthetic (Oba.21) - where the second line adds
to the first by providing further information.
A Caution, a Concern, and a Final Benefit
What are the prophets saying to Christians today? If they are condemning sins that we can commit, then we need to heed their warning (Amos 2:6; Isa. 1:10-17; Hos. 13:2-4). Beyond this obvious application Fee and Stuart suggest three additional matters.
The Prophet as a Foreteller of the Future
Most of the predictions of future events by the Old Testament
prophets are now in our past. To see the fulfillment of these
prophecies we must look back, not forward. Trying to force certain
prophecies to apply either to New Testament times or our own often
ignore the context, intent, and wording of the prophecy.
Prophecy and Second Meanings
When a New Testament writer gives a prophecy a second meaning
that is not obvious or implied then we must regard the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit as the means for that writer to give such a
meaning (See Paul in 1 Cor. 10:4 expanding on the meaning of Ex.
17:1-7.) We however, are not God's inspired writers and must refrain
from applying second meanings to any prophecy.
The Dual Emphasis on Correct Belief and Correct Action
The balance between these two as presented by the Old Testament
prophets carries over into the work of the New Testament writers
(Jas. 1:27; 2:18; Eph. 2:9-10). For those who choose to be obedient
to the New Covenant, their final eternal resting place will be
blessed, regardless of how they were treated here on earth. Meanwhile,
the disobedient will receive a cursed afterlife, regardless of
their success here on earth.
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