Prophets. Document #: TX004709

Transcription

1 Prophets Document #: TX004709

2 What Is a Prophet? Individuals God called to speak to the people on His behalf. They reinforced that God wanted a close relationship with his people, which meant the people must be faithful to him alone and treat one another with justice. They gave the people hope when they had strayed from God and were in trouble. God calls us today to hear the words of the prophets, apply them to our lives, and be prophetic ourselves. Public Domain

3 God creates or enters into a Covenant and it is good. Peace and God s healing return to the people. Humanity falls into idolatry, resulting in disease, war, and grief. Public Domain Prophets and the Cycle of Redemp4on The people return to following the Covenant. God sends teachers, kings, prophets, or others who lead the people to repentance.

4 The Prophets in the Bible Writing Prophets Each of the writing prophets has a book of the Bible named after them. Major Prophets have longer books. Minor Prophets have shorter books. Major Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Minor Prophets Micah Nahum Hosea Habakkuk Amos Zephaniah Joel Haggai Obadiah Zechariah Jonah Malachi

5 The Prophets Non-writing Prophets They do not have books of the Bible named after them. They are major characters in the stories in the two Books of Samuel and the two Books of Kings. Samuel Nathan Elijah Elisha Gad Other people who lived prior to the monarchy are considered prophets because they also spoke for God. These include Moses, Miriam, and Joshua.

6 What Do Prophets Have in Common? Public Domain They obeyed God. They knew that God wanted his people to treat all people with justice. They understood that God wanted his people to come back to Him with their whole selves. They lived good, moral lives themselves. Were they perfect? NO, they were human.

7 Read Jonah 1

8 David: The smallest or seemingly least can be great with God

9 Miriam: Courageously live and celebrate your faith in God! Miriam knew what it was like to experience hope and despair, terror and deliverance, slavery and freedom, unimportance and prominence. She was both a good example and a bad example; she was like us, human J

10 Read the following scripture to discover import facts about the Prophetess Miriam. a. Exodus 2:1-10- who does Miriam save? b. Exodus 15: why does Miriam sing and to whom? c. How does Miriam (and Aaron) anger God? What is her punishment? How long does it last?

11 Samuel: Sometimes we need others to help us discern God is calling us! (Crossword)

12 The Crazy Prophets of the Old Testament STEPHEN BEALE (Article and Questions)

13 Ezekiel s Visions Sketch Assignment Ezekiel 1(Scripture) (Video) Ezekiel s Visions Step 1: Listen to the reading of Ezekiel 1: Play video for the students. (Sound only) Step 2: Read the passage individually and create drawing. This activity invites the student to sketch living creatures in order to gain a sense of creation s awe-inspiring presence.

14 Ezekiel's Visions

15 God s Story- Summary of Prophets The Prophets- Summary

16 Summary: What Is a Prophet? (Student Notes) a spokesperson for God. reports to the community what God speaks to him or her. community played a role in determining whether prophets claim were true. messages warn the people when they are sinning and tell them how God will punish them if they continue to sin. Facing Our Own Problems with the Prophets Seen as ranting and raving, as if they were a little nuts. we live in a society where people tend to put down those who claim to be prophets. we bring our current attitudes with us. We read biblical texts from a twenty-first-century perspective which makes it hard to take the prophets seriously. the Israelites were very accepting of prophets.

17 What do we know about the Israelite prophets?

18 Israel had hundreds of different prophets. the prophets who were around in ancient Israel were the not just the ones named in the Bible. The Bible tells us there were hundreds of other prophets. Some worked for the king. Some worked in groups, at temples, were solitary or roaming the country and living off donations. Some were prophets their whole lives and some only for a while Some had visions, while still others were possessed by a spirit sent from God. Some spoke and others acted out oracles They were both male and female

19 Other cultures also had prophets. All ancient near-eastern countries had prophets who acted in much the same way as Israelite prophets. Prophets are a common part of many cultures even today. Some performed miracles The prophets spoke to their own community about issues facing them in their own day. these prophets were some of the most important, learned, and respected people of their day, their words were valued. Some of their oracles while they addressed events in their own day, they also hinted at events in days far beyond their own.

20 Moses: God commissions us to do His work. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Reluctant at first, Moses followed God s instructions. Read Exodus 4:1 In response to Moses fear that people would not believe that God had appeared to him, God gave Moses three miraculous signs: Changing a rod into a snake and then back into a rod. Making his hand leprous and then healthy once again. Turning water into blood.

21 One of the most significant prophecies that God gave through His servant Moses was that in the future, He would raise up a Prophet like Moses. Read Deuteronomy 18:15 As Moses explained: The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear The prophet Moses spoke of was Jesus! Moses told the people to sacrifice a lamb so that the angel of death would pass-over their homes and save their children from death. Jesus IS the lamb who is sacrificed for us on the cross so we can pass-over death and have eternal life!

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25 Modern Day Prophets: St. Theresa of Calcutta

26 Mahatma Ghandi

27 False Prophets There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. 2 Peter 2:1 How would we recognize a False Prophet? What is the substance of the prophet's message? What result does the message have in people's lives? Where does the message ultimately lead you? Who would you consider to be a modern example of a FALSE prophet? Explain.

28 A True Prophet Versus a False Prophet The two lists below contrast the characteristics of a true prophet and a false prophet. Examine the lists. A True Prophet usually is reluctant to speak for God 2. listens to the authentic voice of God within him or her and then communicates God s message 3. tells people the truth, even if it hurts 4. is a realist 5. conveys a message that is consistent with the faith of Israel, the Sinai Covenant 6. is unpopular, holds no official position, and suffers Journal for telling the truth 7. offers people hope and a means of surviving suffering and devastation 8. lives the message preached 9. has a message that stands the test of time A False Prophet eagerly takes on the job of speaking for God 2. listens to his or her own opinions and wishes, communicating those as God s thoughts 3. says what people want to hear 4. is an optimist 5. conveys a message that is consistent with most people s inclinations 6. is popular, often holds an official position, and leads a comfortable lifestyle 7. offers people no way to make sense of suffering and loss 8. talks a lot without taking action 9. has a message that does not hold up over time is not confirmed by historical developments

29 RESEARCH PROJECT Using the internet or personal knowledge of someone you know well, find an example of: 1 modern-day True prophet and 1 modern-day False prophet. It may not be clear cut in all cases but you must give evidence/reasoning explaining how they don t quite fit in one category or the other. Use the above lists to prove your examples.

30 Example: Mother Theresa was a true profit because: 1. She was very humble and said she didn t always have strong faith but she kept doing what she knew was right. 2. Jesus told her to help the poor in CalcuEa and she gathered sisters to help her 3. She finds joy in the lowly and makes us feel bad about our 1 st world problems 4. She knows there is poverty and she can t save the world BUT she can comfort the sick and dying 5. She follows the golden rule 6. She didn t suffer for telling the truth but she did suffer with the people she served and lived in poverty herself 7. She offers the sick and dying hope that God loves them through her loving kindness 8. She lives with the poor in poverty herself 9. She lives the greatest commandment- Love one another- it s what we all search for in life

31 Journal Ques4on 1 Page MLA Format In what situauons is it easier for you as a teenager to tell people what they want to hear rather than the truth? How does that make us False prophets? How is the True profit you discussed a sign of hope for you and for our world?