Modern Christians struggle to see the relevance of the Prophetic books of the Old Testament. Initial thoughts suggest that these books are hard to understand, confusing, and due to their varying genre, irrelevant to the modern age. However, when deep reflection and study occur, the Biblical student will realise that:
“Prophetic literature is more interested in revealing God than in revealing the future.”
John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill, Old Testament Today: A Journey from Ancient Context to Contemporary Relevance, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 21 of 35, Perlego.
Furthermore, the entirety of Scripture is a revelation of God. Rather than confine the prophetic literature to the box of irrelevancy, this post will seek to explore the nature and purpose of the biblical prophetic books. Through locating similarities within the literature, utilising the book of Amos as a starting point, it will be argued that its purpose is to encourage the children of Israel to submit everything to YHWH. He is to be their one and only God.
The Literature:
The prophetic books of Scripture are found in the latter portion of the Old Testament, following the Torah and Writings[1]. These prophetic books consist of both the major and minor prophets, totalling 17 books. These works have different purposes and messages, but overall, the:
“Prophets spoke to Israel in times of crisis.”
C. Hassell Bullock, Prophetic Books: An Introduction to the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 14.
Each prophet’s ministry was unique, with most of the literature focusing on the period surrounding the exiles. There are three groupings of prophets: the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Persian. The Neo-Assyrian period included prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Micah, Jonah, and Isaiah. These prophets ministered before the fall of Northern Israel in 722 BCE. The Neo-Babylonian period included prophets such as Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Nahum, Ezekiel, and Obadiah. These prophets ministered following the fall of Northern Israel but before the fall of Judah in 586 BCE. The Persian period included Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, and Malachi, of which these prophets ministered through the period of exile, including after their return to Israel[2].
As mentioned before, the prophetic literature found in the Old Testament does not focus on a foretelling of future events. Any suggestion to the contrary is a misconception, for it creates an “imbalanced perspective”[3]. The truth of the matter is that there is a wide variety of different genre within prophetic literature.
Amos & Genre:
When assessing the material, the book of Amos is a great starting point as it features many of the genre found in the other prophetic books. It begins with a superscript, whereby the author introduces himself and their context. To that accord, Amos begins with the following: “The words of Amos” (Amos 1:1 ESV). Most of the prophetic books (Isaiah 1:1; Jeremiah 1:1; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; Nahum 1:1) begin similarly [4], but there is no consensus as to the precise purpose. In the postmodern age, introductions are perhaps the most important aspect of academic writing. They advise what the work is going to accomplish. While different in application, it would be fair to suggest that the prophetic superscriptions do similar.
Firstly, the superscriptions determine the genre of the work[5]. Amos and Jeremiah begin with dibrê PN, and another six books begin with dvar yhwh, which could suggest the works to be “collections of sayings”[6]. On the contrary, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Malachi use massa’ PN, a singular term, suggesting the books ought to be seen as one speech rather than a collection. Within other superscriptions, namely Isaiah, Obadiah, Ezekiel, and Jonah, they “talk only of visions hazon… [or] have the standard opening of narrative texts vayhi“[7]. From inspecting the superscriptions alone, it is clear they advertise a broad range of genre.
Following the superscription, Amos begins the prophecy:
“The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem.”
Amos 1:2a ESV.
It then proceeds to a passage of eight oracles of YHWH, six directed towards foreign nations and the final two oracles towards Judah and Israel respectively[8]. These oracles feature in Amos from 1:3 through to 2:5. Interestingly, their arrangement is “like a hawk circling its prey, moved in ever-tightening circles from one country to another, till at last he seizes upon Israel”[9]. Whether this arrangement was of divine inspiration or the reflection of a redactor, the effect on the original audience would have been considerable. Oracles such as those found in Amos function as a judgement speech and more examples can be found in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 4:5-8.
Oracles are not necessarily confined to judgement though. They act in the format of a speech, often regarded as YHWH’s spoken word. As a genre, the “space devoted to these oracles ranges somewhere between 12 and 23 percent of these books”[10]. In direct relation to Amos, these oracles form a large portion of the text, continuing the oracle against Israel well into chapter six.
The oracles of God are far deeper than judgement speech. So too, they also go deeper than future vision alone. There may be elements of prediction, but overall, the genre of oracle is broad in what it includes. Perhaps the best way to summarise it is simple:
It is the spoken word of YHWH, calling His people to honour the covenant and love Him first.
Whether it is a call to return to the covenant due to impending judgement such as Amos and Habakkuk, or a call to remain faithful to YHWH such as Haggai, the oracles display a God who cares deeply for the people of His covenant, who advises that:
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 ESV.
Another feature within the book of Amos is the prose genre. The pockets of prose are small and can be found in chapter seven. It is narrative in nature and can be either autobiographical such as Hosea 3, Isaiah 6 and Jeremiah 1, or biographical such as texts found in Isaiah 26 to 29 and Jeremiah 32 to 45[11]. This genre tells a story and major sections of the book of Jonah contain it. Jonah is an odd text as the prophetic oracles are relatively few, but the narrative’s message relates well to prophetic literature. Prose is often used intermittently between oracles to provide further information and enhance the message:
“This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land.”
Amos 7:4 ESV.
From the discussion surrounding genre, the Old Testament prophetic literature utilised a broad range of genre to enhance or deliver their message. Despite not being an exhaustive discussion of the genre, it provides enough detail to conclude that prophetic literature is far more than a simple utterance about future events. I will now turn to a brief discussion on the themes within the literature.
Prophetic Themes:
Within the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, prophets often called their audience to return to YHWH. Hosea is the first book found in the Minor Prophets, and it exemplifies this theme well. Utilising the metaphor of marriage, Hosea depicts a:
“God [who] has established a close relationship with Israel and -importantly- its land in the past has demonstrated multiple times that God honours this relationship and the commitment that results from it.”
Aaron Schart, “The First Section of the Book of the Twelve Prophets: Hosea-Joel-Amos: A Journal of Bible and Theology”, Interpretation 61, no. 2 (April 2007): 141.
With a spirit of harlotry, Israel has turned from YHWH for other lovers (Hosea 2:5). Hosea calls for their return to YHWH (14:2-4), despite noting “several times that Israel is principally unable to return”[12]. Other books follow suit in the call, but the general theme encourages the audience to turn from sin. Whether turning from impending crises such as the exiles or simply repentance through a reflection of YHWH’s displayed covenantal love, the call spreads a beautiful message:
The safest place for a wife is to be in the arms of her husband. Return to where the worship was committed. Return to YHWH.
Another theme found in prophetic literature is that of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is a term that features in many of the prophetic books, often referring to the “days of punishment” (Hos. 9:7) or to “indicate the time when the current state of affairs would be replaced by the Lord’s intended order of things”[13]. Amos utilises this theme. In chapter five the author pronounces “Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!” (Amos 5:18) and the two following verses continue the theme of discouragement for those who are hopeful of its arrival. The Day of the Lord is to be respected at best and feared at worst. This theme follows the next theme to be discussed: the end of God’s patience.
The Day of the Lord occurs when YHWH’s patience and hope for Israel and Judah’s return to the covenantal relationship with Him concludes. The term “I will never again pass them by” is used in both Amos (7:8) and Hosea. Its usage in the texts can be somewhat confusing, but when both books are taken in context together, it can be seen that:
“God’s patience comes to an end because Israel had driven out from Bethel the very same prophet, who … prevented God’s punishment through intercession.”
Schart, “Book of the Twelve”, 146.
When the nation drives out the messenger of God, it becomes clear that their respect and honour for Him has dwindled. Because its people no longer adhere to their promise, YHWH relinquishes the protection pledged to the Israelites through the covenant. To a postmodern culture, this may seem vindictive, but it allows the consequences of free will to occur. Every action in life has a consequence.
The final theme to be discussed is within the prophetic literature’s respect and desire to honour the covenant relationship within the Torah. Amos provides a brief reference to the covenantal laws in reference to Northern Israel’s transgressions: “They lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined” (Amos 2:8). Schart comments well by suggesting that “the critique of the prophet is inspired by juridical norms included within the Torah from Sinai”[14]. This theme displays the failures of the Israelites to adhere to what was promised at Sinai in the book of Exodus.
Conclusion:
These few themes explored show a plurality of purpose and desire for the outcome of the text to bring to its original and succeeding audiences. Combined with the discussion surrounding the genre of prophetic literature, it becomes clear that there is more to the range of text than a simple understanding of prediction. There is an element of truth in this, but it is far from the whole truth. Prophetic literature is broad, and its purpose can be hard to glean. The brief discussion of themes, while not exhaustive, displays a clear level of desire to encourage the original and succeeding audiences to honour, respect and love their God. When the people turned away from the covenantal promises they had made, YHWH sought to facilitate their repentance. The prophets were His messengers. The covenantal relationship ensured that YHWH was to remain the people’s only God. They were to worship Him and Him alone. The entirety of Scripture attests to this point, and it seeks to reveal new elements of His character or seek to facilitate the people’s return to Him. The nature and purpose of prophetic literature in the Old Testament is to facilitate the relationship between the Israelite people and their God. It sought to encourage the audience, both original and future, to pursue YHWH above all else. This message remains the hope of the Scriptures for believers today.
[1] David L. Petersen, The Prophetic Literature: An Introduction, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 1.
[2] C. Hassell Bullock, Prophetic Books: An Introduction to the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2007), 14-15.
[3] John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill, Old Testament Today: A Journey from Ancient Context to Contemporary Relevance, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 22 of 35, Perlego.
[4] M. Daniel Carroll R. and Thomas E. McComiskey, Hosea, Amos, Micah: The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 16 of 25, Perlego.
[5] Aaron Schart, “The First Section of the Book of the Twelve Prophets: Hosea-Joel-Amos: A Journal of Bible and Theology”, Interpretation 61, no. 2 (April 2007): 140.
[6] Tim Bulkeley, “The Book of Amos as “Prophetic Fiction”: Describing the Genre of a Written Work that Reinvigorates Older Oral Speech Forms”, in The Book of the Twelve and the New Form Criticism, edited by Mark J. Boda, Michael H. Floyd and Colin M. Toffelmire, (Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2015), 206.
[7] Ibid.
[8] R. Kessler, “The Crimes of the Nations in Amos 1-2”, Acta Theologica 38 (01, 2018): 206.
[9] Carroll R. and McComiskey, Hosea, Amos, Micah, 18 of 25, Perlego.
[10] Peter J. Gentry, How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 12 of 20, Perlego.
[11] Bullock, Prophetic Books, 37-38.
[12] Schart, “Book of the Twelve”, 141.
[13] Walton and Hill, Old Testament Today, 22 of 35, Perlego.
[14] Schart, “Book of the Twelve”, 147.
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