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Prophets Before the Exile BACKGROUND About 786 BCE, II was king, and Amos was sent from his home in the Southern Kingdom to Jeroboam in the Northern Kingdom. About the same time, was a in the Northern Kingdom. We don’t know if the two ever met, but they likely knew of each other’s work. Hosea may have been around after Amos was gone. During that time, many kings had very short reigns—some only months long. It was not a good time to be a king. A powerful country known as Assyria was busy conquering other countries and becoming ever more powerful. Amos was an outsider, coming from the Southern Kingdom to preach in the Northern Kingdom (). He brought a strong message. He spoke to the wealthy people who thought they already knew what wanted—that is, rituals and sac- rifices. But Amos pointed out that God hated what they were doing. God instead wanted justice for everyone. Amos told the people that God wanted righteousness instead of religious prac- tices done without any real feeling. How could a people who truly worshipped God be so ignorant of the plight of the poor? Worse than that, they took advantage of the poor for their own gain. Amos called the people to worship God in their daily lives instead of trying to appear holy in the temple. Amos also gave a bleak picture of Israel’s future. He talked of impending disaster, in which the kingdom would be overthrown. He spoke about God’s condemnation of social sin. Sins of the individuals had risen to such a level that the whole nation was rebelling against God. Sin had become socially acceptable to all the people of Israel. Taking advantage of the plight of the poor was the worst sign of this rebellion. It was part of the social fabric, and the people would pay for it. Amos predicted that the outcome of all this corruption would be the ruin of Israel. Fifty years later, his predictions came true. Assyria attacked Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and after a terrible three-year siege, Israel fell to the conquerors.

JEREMIAH In 640 BCE, an important king named Josiah came to power in Judah, the Southern Kingdom. He is known for bringing the people back under God’s laws. For a long time, the people had not had a leader who was truly faithful to God. In fact, the temple in had fallen into disrepair. It was as people were cleaning up the mess in the temple that they found a book of the law, probably the book of Deuteronomy. King Josiah, when he read the book, realized how far the people had strayed from God’s intent. He initiated sweeping religious reforms and got the people back on the right track. Another prophet, (whom we will study later on), helped in this. was a prophet in Jerusalem from approximately 640-580 BCE. There were other around, too, such as , , and . Jeremiah, though, is the one who gets the most attention. During this time of political expansion, the people began to prosper and forget about God. King Josiah, it seems, could only be so influential. After Josiah died, things really started falling apart and people began worshipping other again. The scenario was similar to what Amos and Hosea faced about 150 years earlier.

Have I Got News for You!: Prophets Before the Exile 68 Meanwhile, the Assyrians faded away and the Babylonians became the regional bullies. King Jehoiakim was not too worried, because , just to the south, was a powerful and friendly neighbor to Judah. In 605, the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians and advanced on Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Jehoiakim had been ter- minated and Jehoiakin took the throne. He was king for three eventful months, during which the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and replaced him with Zedekiah. Zedekiah did as the Babylonians told him, which is why they chose him to rule. However, whenever they went away for a time to conquer other countries, Zedekiah tried to get away with things, like not paying taxes to the Babylonians, trying to attack them, and so on. Finally, the Babylonians had enough of Zedekiah and his back-stabbing. They destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BCE and took everyone of importance away to . (The date of 587 BCE will be on the final exam.) All this time, even during the period when people were worshipping God under King Josiah, Jeremiah was prophesying doom and gloom. Jeremiah was apparently a very young man when he was called (Jeremiah 1:6). In a well-known passage at the beginning of the book, Jeremiah receives word that God had appointed him a “prophet to the nations” even before he was born (1:5)! Jeremiah was a prophet who liked to make a statement. He was not as much a show-off as , but he knew how to get people’s attention. His most famous moment was when he wore an ox yoke in the streets of Jerusalem to symbolize what life would be like under the oppressive reign of an enemy power (27:2-11)— the Babylonians. An amazing part of this passage is the statement that God makes about the Babylonian king being one “who is my deputy.” In other words, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was doing what God wanted him to do! We are not sure whether King Neb (as we shall call him) knew this or not. It seems unlikely that Neb would even have known about God. Babylonia, like so many other king- doms at the time, usually had many gods, for wind, rain, crops, and so on. Jeremiah told the people that the coming cataclysm would be God’s punishment to the Hebrews for ignoring God for so long. He was not only a prophet to Judah, his homeland, but to other countries as well. In fact, the countries listed in 27:3 form a ring around Judah. This might have been God’s way of saying to Jeremiah, “Tell it so that even the neighbors hear what you say.” It would also let the people of Judah know that everyone around them was aware of their unfaithfulness. But Jeremiah was not without a hopeful message. Jeremiah relayed God’s message of and revival (30:2-3). All of the current enemies would be made slaves—that is, God would turn the tables and the Hebrew people would be victorious over their enemies.

ELIJAH After died in 922 BCE, his two sons fought over who would be king. The result was that Israel was split into two small countries. The one to the north was called Israel; the one to the south was called Judah. The books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles tell the stories of the kings who ruled in each of these kingdoms. About 50 years after this split, a king named and his evil wife ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ahab worshipped God, but Jezebel did not. Jezebel ruled the country through control of Ahab, who wanted only to please her. Jezebel managed to promote worship of the group of gods known as and to send the worshippers of running (:4). The prophet

Have I Got News for You!: Prophets Before the Exile 69 was active during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. He stood up against Ahab and Jezebel and quickly became one of Jezebel’s chief enemies. Elijah faced the 950 employed by Jezebel, who worshipped foreign gods (Baal and ) in a famous contest. Elijah had the priests build an altar and put an animal offering on it. Then he challenged them to call on Baal to ignite the animal and consume it with fire. When they failed the challenge, Elijah had the whole altar soaked with water until it was absolutely drenched. Then he called down fire from and the animal and the altar were consumed. After this demonstration of God’s power, Elijah had all the priests killed (1 Kings 18). This did not please Jezebel, who felt that he had made fools of her and her god Baal. Elijah also confronted Ahab over the treacherous takeover of some land (1 Kings 21). Jezebel wanted to kill Elijah. Elijah fled to Mt. Horeb and asked God why he, Elijah, was the only voice speaking out in the land. God reassured him and gave him renewed hope to continue. Elijah is credited with the of the oil and flour (:8-16) He was such an awe-inspiring man that his deeds became legend in the land. “He is depicted as a dour, lonely figure clad with the hair mantle of his aus- tere calling (:8), possibly a Nazirite in perpetual ritual fitness for war, who haunted waste places to appear as if by magic wherever Yahweh's battles were to be fought . . .” (A History of Israel, John Bright. Westminster Press: 1981, p 246) Elijah trained and passed on his duties to , who became known for having the power of Elijah. Elijah then vanished without a trace, taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot (:9-12). This mysterious disappearance only added to the legend that was Elijah. His aura of power and authority raised him to such high esteem that he and were the two to appear with (:2-4).

JONAH It is difficult to know when the book of was written. Some say it was around the time of the prophet Elisha. Others believe it was not until the exiles returned to Israel from Babylon. Though Jonah is one of the in the , Jonah is never named as a prophet. His calling and his actions in are clearly consistent with the prophetic call and activity. One unique feature of this book is the disobedience of Jonah in response to a clear call from God. Other prophets expressed doubts about their own abilities, but none rejected God’s call as Jonah did. Another unique characteristic is the use of humor to get the point across. The humor includes such things as sleeping through a storm (1:5), offering a of thanks from a ’s belly (2:1), demanding that animals wear sackcloth and fast (3:7-8), and being angry enough to want to die because a plant withered (4:9). Though people tend to emphasize Jonah and the fish, the real message of the book is larger. Jonah seeks and gets deliverance from God, but God also gives deliverance to anyone who repents and recognizes God. This larger theme of sal- vation for the non- would have been a shocking story during almost any time in Israel’s history. Why would God care about a pagan people in the first place? God’s patience with the narrow-minded Jonah is also instructive both for the people of Israel at that time and for us today. Jonah’s cry that they did not get what they deserved helps the reader to realize that only God knows what we deserve and what we will receive. We first hear of Jonah as a counselor for King Jereboam II, who reigned from

Have I Got News for You!: Prophets Before the Exile 70 788-747 BCE (:25). The story is really a two-part tale. Chapters 1-2 tell of Jonah’s call, rebellious flight, and incredible journey to Nineveh and escape from a great fish. Chapters 3-4 tell of his prophetic witness to the Ninevites and their consequent repentance. Jonah, for many reasons, is a unique prophetic book. We are not sure who Jonah is, though there is a reference to a man by that name (2 Kings 14:25). The writer of Jonah does not tell us when the events occurred. Usually there are other events or names of kings that help us date the prophetic books. Jonah is unusual in that it tells a story about a prophet, but does not name him as a prophet. Other prophetic books usually contain direct quotes, visions and oracles from the prophet. The book of Jonah does not.

ISAIAH Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdom, and were prophesying at about the same time. We know Isaiah better, because the book named after him has many chapters. Quotes from his book are among the most famous of all those in the . He is known as one of the Major Prophets and Micah is a Minor Prophet. It isn’t that Micah wasn’t as important. It was probably in part because a more writing about Isaiah exists than writing about Micah. It is thought that Isaiah was a prophet for about 40 years—a long time for a prophet. During those years there was a struggle for “world” power. The world worth conquering at that time consisted mostly of the modern-day Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, , , Israel, Egypt, and parts of Turkey. The country with the strongest and biggest army at the time was Assyria, today’s Iran. In those days, the powerful country would simply send its soldiers marching through sur- rounding countries, capturing major cities. Once the cities were captured, the country was conquered and taxes were paid to the winner. The Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom of Israel were not always the best of friends (more like two quarreling siblings), but just before Isaiah’s time there had been a period of peace between them. Both the Northern and the Southern Kingdom could tell when they were about to be conquered. News usually traveled ahead of the invasion. There wasn’t much they could do except wait and try to give up peacefully to save the lives of as many as possible. After all, neither kingdom was very strong. Each time a new country became strong, the kingdoms of Israel would be conquered again. It hap- pened a lot. The Northern Kingdom finally decided to be more proactive. They made an agreement with Syria to fight together against the Assyrians. Isaiah prophesied against this strategy. For one thing, weren’t they supposed to rely on God? For another thing, these types of agreements, or alliances, were always being broken. If one of the allies got a better offer from the Assyrians, or happened to be con- quered by a sneak attack, they would simply change sides. In fact, that is what happened. Both Syria and the Northern Kingdom tried to convince the Southern Kingdom to join them. When this failed, they decided to attack the Southern Kingdom. The king of the Southern Kingdom went to Assyria for help, and the two defeated Syria and the Northern Kingdom. However, as a result, the Southern Kingdom had to pay heavy taxes to Assyria and do what they were told. When one king of Assyria died, the Southern Kingdom tried to rebel. However, the new King of Assyria was stronger (and meaner) than the old king. He punished the rebellion by capturing all of the cities in the Southern Kingdom except Jerusalem.

Have I Got News for You!: Prophets Before the Exile 71 During the time Isaiah was prophesying in the Southern Kingdom, the Assyrians captured the Northern Kingdom. This made people in the Southern Kingdom very nervous. The prophets were able to point to the north and say, “See what happened to our neighbors because they didn’t obey God? Do you want the same to happen to you?” Isaiah prophesied against Israel’s neighbors, saying that God would repay them for what they had done. Isaiah also prophesied against making alliances with other countries. And when the Assyrians were plundering and pillaging near- by cities, Isaiah gave the people a message of hope. He told them about special events and signs that would prove God had not forsaken them. This is where we find the of the , or savior, who would come and free the people from oppression. Note: An interesting comparison is between Isaiah 7:10ff and Isaiah 9:2bff. This and fulfillment was a sign to King Ahaz. We know it best as the prophecy and fulfillment of Jesus, the Messiah. However some do not realize that God gave a sign to the people in Isaiah’s time as well. Note that the 9:2 section uses the present tense.

Have I Got News for You!: Prophets Before the Exile 72 Prophets Before the Exile

LESSON 4: AMOS, MOST FAMOUS Objective By studying the life, calling, and actions of Amos, students will learn about the challenges of being a prophet. They will also begin to understand that the messages of the prophets have meaning for us today.

Key Concepts • To imagine what the people felt like when Amos came to them virtually out of nowhere. • To begin to understand the social and political setting Amos entered when he became a prophet.

Estimated Lesson Time: 55 minutes

Materials • “The Setting for Amos” handout (p. 76) • “Comparing Sins” handout (p. 78) • “Meet the Prophet” note sheets (p. 59) • Pencils • Prophets Journals

Teacher Preparation 1. Make copies of the two handouts, one per student. 2. Be sure there are enough “Meet the Prophet” sheets for all students to have one. 3. Be familiar with the background information about Amos (p. 68) and the Meet the Prophet page (see Answer Key on page 75).

INTRODUCING THE LESSON The critical sub. Divide the class into small groups. Ask each group to imagine that they have a new substitute teacher. This teacher begins the day by telling the class all the things they are doing wrong. She or he then tells each student what their flaws are and that they will not develop into the person God wants them to be unless they make some big changes. Have each group discuss the following questions and write out their responses: How would you react? What, if anything, would you do? Have each group share one response from each question.

LESSON STEPS 1. The setting for Amos. Tell the class that Amos may have felt like and been treated like that substitute teacher. He came from another country. He didn’t know anyone, and no one knew him. He simply started telling the people that they’d better straighten up or God would punish them. Divide the class into four smaller groups.

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 73 Explain that in order to understand what a prophet was called to do, we have to understand what was going on in society. Today, each group will do some research to find out the context, or conditions, into which Amos was called. Distribute the handout “The Setting for Amos” and assign one question to each group. (More than one group may be responding to a question.) Members of each small group may take one or more verses and research the answer to the question. Then the group should summarize their answers and present them to the class. (See the answer key for “The Setting of Amos” on page 77.) 2. Group reports. Have each group appoint two spokespersons to share a brief report of what they found in their Bible passages. Allow just a few minutes per group. Invite listeners to jot down notes on the left page of the spread in their Prophets Journals. They may write any questions they have on the righthand page. 3. Meet the Prophet—Amos. Augment the information the students found with the background material on Amos and information from the Meet the Prophet answer key (p. 75). 4. Distribute the handout “Comparing Sins.” Students will compare sins that Amos talked about and those we hear about today. This will help students recog- nize that there is still good reason for God to be angry and will help them realize that people in our time still need Amos’ message. Work on the handout as a whole group, individually, or in small groups. 5. Prophets Journals. Make sure students add all handouts to their Prophets Journals. If they need more time to complete the handouts, give more time in class or assign as homework.

EXTEND THE LESSON (These activities will extend the lesson to longer than 55 minutes.) • Read Amos 5:18-27 dramatically or have someone in your class read it. Why is God so angry in these verses? (The people grew addicted to luxury and power and misused their prosperity.) Discuss the following questions: —What is wrong with being rich? —What are some of the advantages of being rich? —What are some of the drawbacks to being rich? (Accept students’ ideas in the discussion. Be sure to bring out the concept that the people forgot all about God.) Divide the class into two factions. One group will argue that being rich today in our world is perfectly OK. The other group will argue that being rich in our world today is NOT OK. Give the sides time to prepare. Then have them each give a five-minute argu- ment. Each side will take notes of what the other side said. Then each side will prepare a rebuttal of the remarks from the other side. After rebuttals, gather as a whole class again. Ask the students what the rich countries of the world should do to help the poor countries. • Read Amos 5:24, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Ask students to share practical ways to accomplish this in your classroom and in your school.

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 74 • Make parallels between Amos’ society and our own today. Ask students to write in their journals some of the points Amos would make about what goes on in today’s world.

Homework: Ask students to bring in two or three newspaper or magazine articles, for the next class, that deal with the themes Amos addressed in his book: justice and injustice; the gap between the rich and the poor (including exploitation of the poor); decreasing moral conditions; ways of honoring and dishonoring God.

ANSWER KEY for Meet the Prophet—Amos: Prophet’s name. What does this prophet’s name mean? “Burden bearer” Where did this prophet live? He originally came from the Southern , near . His hometown was Tekoa, about five miles south of Bethlehem. However, he was sent to be a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. When did this prophet live and who were the kings of his/her time? About 783-742 BCE/Jeroboam II What did this person do before becoming a prophet? He was a peasant farmer. To whom did this prophet speak? He preached to the wealthy people and to the king. What was the main message of this prophet? Amos preached against injustice and predicted God’s judgment on Israel. How did people respond to the message? The priests tried to stop Amos (Amos 7:10-17) because he predicted God’s judgment on the king and his powerful supporters. What did this prophet say that might be important for us today? Answers will vary, but might include looking at the sins committed today all around us and being aware of immorality, taking advantage of the poor, corruption of big business, etc. What questions do you have about this prophet? Answers will vary.

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 75 The Setting for Amos

How did people who were rich live? 3:15 4:1 5:21-23 6:4-6 8:4-6

What were moral conditions like in that society? 2:7 2:12 5:10-12 6:12 8:5

How were poor persons treated? 2:6-7a 4:1a 5:11-12 8:4-6

What was God angry about, and what would God do to the people of Israel if they did not repent? 2:13-16 3:9-15 5:16-17 6:14 8:9-14 9:1-10

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 76 ANSWER KEY for “The Setting for Amos”: How did people who were rich live? 3:15—had winter houses, summer houses, great houses, houses of ivory 4:1—thought only of their own pleasures, including drink; used the poor to make their life of luxury possible. 5:21-23—able to afford fatted animals and grain at their festivals 6:4-6—lived in luxury of ivory, had time to lounge, had many lambs and calves, and expensive oils, and drank wine. 8:4-6—mistreated the poor and cheated the needy with high prices and unfair practices What were moral conditions like in that society? 2:12—Nazarites, who had pledged not to drink, were made to drink 5:10-12—The people hated the truth, trampled the poor, took bribes, and com- mitted many sins. 6:12—There was no justice or righteousness. 8:5—Deceitful business practices were common. How were poor persons treated? 4:1a—They were oppressed and crushed. 5:11-12—The rich trampled the poor, afflicted the righteous, and pushed aside the needy. 8:4-6—The rich brought ruin to the poor in the land and charged too much for an unfair amount when making a sale. What was God angry about, and what would God do to the people of Israel if they did not repent? 2:13-16—the strong and mighty would be pressed down, they would not retain their strength 3:9-15—God was angry that the people would not do what is right. An enemy would surround the land and all would be plundered; everything would come to an end. 5:16-17—all would mourn and lament 6:14—a nation would come in and press Israel. 8:9-14—Bitterness and mourning would come, but also the nation would experience God’s silence. There would be a famine of the words of the Lord. 9:1-10—Those whom God opposes would find no refuge, they would be destroyed.

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 77 Comparing Sins

Sins of Amos’ Time Sins of Our Time

Have I Got News for You!: Amos, Most Famous 78