Prophetic Lit: More Than Predictions
Jul. 7 2008
Prophetic literature is more than just a bunch of predictions. It’s a treasure trove of knowledge about God’s character and how God’s people should act. Here are four simple things to keep in mind as you read. Dig in.
Obadiah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Names that strike fear into many Christian.
Questions swirl. Who in the world is that? How in the world can I understand a prophet if I can’t even pronounce his name?
Take a deep breath and remember that what Paul told his protégé right before he died:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
All Scripture—even the obscure not often quoted parts—is breathed out by God. Our job is to work at interpretation so that we can get close enough to the text that we can feel the breath of God in our hearts. How is that possible with Old Testament prophecy? Here are some things to think about when reading the Old Testament prophets:
First, understanding what the prophet is saying does take more work because he was writing during a long ago time, to a people you have never met about issues you may know nothing about. Comprehension is not impossible; in fact it is amazing how even a little bit of background knowledge aids in understanding. For example, take the books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. In many ways they are very similar. They are contemporaries. They are both from priestly families. They even have a very similar message—both speak to Judah and Jerusalem—about impending doom and future hope. The key difference is where they prophesy from. Ezekiel is an exile in Babylon and Jeremiah is a citizen in Judah. Even just a smattering of background information will help you read the book better. So get a study Bible out or a resource like Dillard and Longman’s An Introduction to the Old Testament when you read prophetic literature.
Secondly, prophets were commissioned to deliver a message from God to others. Prophesying was serious business not something people took lightly as Moses tell us in Deuteronomy 18:20: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.” True prophets (and all those in scripture are true prophets) spoke the very words of God, because if they didn’t they risked being killed. They were specially commissioned spokesmen. Speaking for God was serious business. Many of the prophetic books tell the story of how God called the prophet (Jeremiah 1, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 2) so that the people knew that this man was serving as God’s mouthpiece.
Thirdly, it might be helpful to change the way you think about the word ‘prophecy.’ Most of us can think of prophecy as purely predictive. While there is predictive element to Old Testament prophecy that is usually not the primary goal. In fact, as you read the prophets you will find they are often calling Israel (or Judah) to repent from their worship of false gods.
Lastly, interpretation will be most natural when you read the prophetic book in the most natural way. Don’t allegorize or over-spiritualize.
Keep those four principles in mind as you read prophetic literature. Though, there is one interpretive consideration that we must grasp to really understand the prophets. What do you think that is? It isn’t an ‘it’ at all, but a ‘he’, none other than Jesus Christ. Next time we will tackle a bit of prophecy and see what difference Jesus makes.
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This is part one of a two part article on understanding prophetic literature.
The Author
Rich Richardson is senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Gilbert, Arizona.
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