Major Prophets
Alright everyone! Let’s talk major prophets.
Now, if you’re one of the people who skip the Old Testament, this is for you. Yes, the Old Testament is a little overwhelming. YES, the prophets are pretty depressing. BUT, they all point to the overarching story of God and what He’s done for us.
Without further ado, let’s jump into Isaiah.
Isaiah
Now this is what the Lord says— the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1 CSB)
The author of the book is pretty easy to spot: the prophet Isaiah, also known as the Prince of the Prophets. In Chapter 6 verse 1, Isaiah lets us know when this is: The year that King Uzziah died. This puts his time line around 742 BC, or the 8th century BC.
Now, if you’re like me, you’ve heard the term “themes” a lot, and it doesn’t mean a whole lot. In this context, I like to think of themes as the things I’m looking for. As I read the chapters, I’m looking for verses that speak to these things.
In Isaiah, key themes are judgment and hope, the coming of the Messiah (spoiler alert: that’s Jesus!), and God’s sovereignty.
The entire book can be divided into two distinct sections. The first (chapters 1-39) emphasizes sin and the call to repentance. It has a lot of focus on the judgment mentioned above. The second is the rest of the book (chapters 40-66) talks about hope in restoration, and reveals God’s plan for our salvation. Through this we see promises of Jesus’ coming and these words will later be used by Jesus (about 21 times) as he talks to people!
That in and of itself makes it a worthwhile (albeit long) read!
Jeremiah
“Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 CSB)
Again, it’s pretty easy to sort out who wrote this one. Say it with me: Jeremiah!
He discusses the last days of Judah in this book, placing it over a huge chunk of time: around 640 to 580 BC.
Some themes you can look for are similar to the book of Isaiah: judgement and repentance. Another one, as mentioned in the verse above, is the new covenant.
For those of us who aren’t up to date on all the cool theology lingo- a covenant is like a contract. An example of a covenant is the promise God made to Noah to never destroy the world again. That covenant even came with a rainbow!
Now, Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet” because man is this whole thing depressing. The people of Judah think that they are immune to any judgment God could dole out to them, to which Jeremiah says “No you absolutely are not.” And he has to say it A LOT.
He warns Judah of invasion (from Babylon) due to their disobedience. And because they don’t, Jerusalem (a city in Judah) has its final days- this is Chapter 37 for anyone following along!
Oh no! Luckily, it doesn’t end there. Through Jeremiah, God promises a new covenant: a promise of salvation through His Son!
Lamentations
Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23 CSB)
Now this one is a trick question! The author of this one is not lamentations, but instead (traditionally attributed to) Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem. This puts it at 586 BC. This is when, as stated above, Judah was taken by Babylon. But worse yet, King Nebuchadnezzar completely destroyed the city and its temple.
To lament about something is to express deep regret, grief, and sorrow. It makes sense that the man who tried desperately to get Judah to turn away from their sin, even amidst persecution from them, would feel this for his people!
We see a lot of mourning, repentance, and even hope in God’s faithfulness in this book! These are our themes.
This book is a collection of poetic laments, showing his mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. But, even though it expresses these deep sorrows, it emphasizes how wonderful God’s mercies are, hence the verse above!
Ezekiel
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 CSB)
Alright, no more trick questions in this post. The author is Ezekiel, and was written during Judah’s exile in Babylon, during the 6th century.
I read through Ezekiel a long while ago, and looking over my notes, the first few chapters are highlighted with the word “yikes!” written in the margins. It’s brutal, y’all!
Ezekiel was exiled along with the people of Judah, in Babylon. He had dramatic visions (maybe you know of the valley of dry bones? Chapter 37) He’s pretty brutal in his recount of Jerusalem leading up to its fall.
But after the fall, his message becomes one of hope, talking of restoration and God’s glory (peep those themes!) for the people. He even talks of a future temple and God’s renewed presence with His people! So much encouragement after the brutal fall of the nation!
Daniel
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. (Daniel 4:34 CSB)
Daniel wrote this book during the Babylonian captivity as well! This is also during the 6th century, and follows King Nebuchadnezzar (yup! That king).
The main themes of this one are a lot more positive: God’s sovereignty and faithfulness!
This is a historical narrative with stories you probably heard in Sunday School. He remains faithful to God even in the foreign country and winds up in the lions’ den. His friends get thrown into a fiery furnace. A lot of these were adapted into Veggie Tales if you wanna give them a watch!
In chapter 7, things take a weird turn as he switches from a narrative to prophesying about the future, also known as apocalyptic visions. These visions are about future kingdoms and the coming of God’s eternal reign! How exciting!
There is a lot to learn from the books of these prophets, even though they can be a little difficult to get into! If you need some help, She Reads Truth has lovely studies through them, and accountability makes it so much more bearable!