Biblical Analysis

Chapter 15
 Question One: Prophecy is a concept that has been in existence for time and memorial. It is a speech from the mouth of the prophet about future as declared by God. The prophecy was and still is not a unique entity in the land of Israel. Israelites familiarity with prophecy is based on the fact that their ancestors lived as per the prophecies and guided by the prophets even in the times they were given a human king.

Question Five: After the magnificent reign of David and his Son Solomon, the empire was split into Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah) Kingdoms. The division of the David and Solomon’s empire was birthed by the variation in the interpretation of the traditions of Israel. Judah was made of Jews from tribes of Judah and Benjamin while Israel was made of the remaining ten tribes. Israel’s capital city was Samaria and was ruled by five dynasties with independent kings. All the kings of Israel were evil and only Ahaziah and Ahab worshiped Baal. Assyria captured Israel in 721 BC, and they failed to return home. Judah, on the other hand, had Jerusalem as its capital city and ruled by only one dynasty. The Kings were unstable with some good and others bad. Judah was in exile in Babylon and the end they returned to their land.

Chapter 16
Question Two: The existence of prophets and prophecies dates back to the origin of mankind. Worldwide, prophets are considered to be the mouthpiece of God. They are deemed with the responsibility of conveying God’s reaction, intention and opinion as well as God’s messages to man. It is then proper for one to argue that the prophets are an instrument to announce God’s agenda. The variation in the era that prophets served has led to different categories of prophecies such as pre-classical and classical. Classical prophecies are prophecies of 6th-8th centuries that were recorded on the oracles based on the future development of society. They are an evolution of the pre-classical prophecies.
Classical prophecies were spoken by prophets such as Amos, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel and Haggai. They are characterized by recording on oracles with the names of the prophets. The prophecies were founded on societal and kingly shifts as they passed messages of morals and ethical monotheism. The prophecies were a warning to the society over the impending judgments of God. Unlike the pre-classical prophecies, classical prophecies do not have any form of miraculous workings by the prophets. Despite the division over prophecies, a prophet can have both pre-classical and classical characteristics.
Question Nine: The prophet Amos, Micah, Hosea and Isaiah lived in different eras in Israel. The prophets spoke out of the ills and breaking of God’s covenant with the Israelites and their kings. The prophets pointed to the Israelites the harsh judgments coming upon them if they fail to repent and return to the standards of the Lord. The four seers also were sent by God to Israel through dreams, revelations and visions. Moreover, they were commanded by God to go through terrible and embarrassing acts as a way of what was to happen to the rebellious Israelites. For example, Hosea was to get married to a prostitute. Out of the four, it is only Isaiah who had a prophetic background as he was related to the King Uzziah. However, Amos, Micah and Hosea had no prophetic credentials but were mere ordinary civilians in Israel community. Despite the similarity of the four in objecting the actions of the Israelites and the Kings, it is only Isaiah who spoke about the coming of the Messiah who will save the world. In a nutshell, the similarities and variations among the four demonstrate how God employs different mechanisms to speak to men.
Chapter 17
Question Two: Zephaniah was the son of Cushi born in the lineage of King Hezekiah. The prophet lived in the reign of Josiah and his evil predecessors Manasseh and his sons. Zephaniah warned Judah of their evil deeds that would make them be wiped out like the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He spoke in hard tones to Judah about the coming Judgment of God (Zephaniah 3: 1-2). The faithful remnant who will be left during destruction of Judah are those who obey the commands of God as well as those who will repent and return to the Lord in response to Zephaniah’s prophecy (Zephaniah 2: 3). The remnants had to be spared for God’s continuation of Abraham’s descendants.
Question Four: Moses developed the book of Deuteronomy before the Israelites entering the Promised Land. Similar to the Pentateuch books it has Mosaic authorship. Deuteronomy consists of the three sermons by Moses to Israel on the plains of Moab. It is of importance to the children of Israel of all generations as it restates the laws of God given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Deuteronomy has its words for all the 12 tribes of Israel, building a sense of unity. Additionally, it restates the Ten Commandments to encompass even the generations to come. Therefore, it expresses a continuous existence of the law among the children of Israel in all ages.
Question Seven: Nahum and Habakkuk have been considered to be small prophets in the land of Israel. Nahum speaks of the coming destruction of Nineveh. Nahum mentioned on the ills of Nineveh in verse three. The book of Nahum is quite far from prophecy as he used the poetic form to portray the message. The book of Habakkuk expresses a spirit distinct from Nahum. Habakkuk’s speech is far from hatred towards foreigners or rebuke of the evil doers in his land. Habakkuk is bothered over the prosperity of the evil while those who fear the Lord perish. He then points out the issues to God through prayers in all the verses. The two prophets have their books developed in the settings of evil and injustice.