The prophetic literature in the Bible is used for two purposes: to tell what is going to happen so that you have time to change, or to tell what is going to happen so that when it does happen you will know that it was God who did it.
The devotions are divided into the following sections.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of these kings of Israel:
Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea
Isaiah also prophesied during the reigns of these kings of Judah:
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh
Much of what Isaiah said about the captivity of Judah was during the good reigns of
Uzziah and Hezekiah. Times were good and prosperous. But that's where the seeds
of apostasy begin. That's the time to seek the Lord - while you are well-fed and
prospering.
Jeremiah prophesied beginning in the reign of Josiah and continued through the reign of
the last king, Zedekiah. The book of Jeremiah is difficult to follow because it is not
sequential. It'll have a prophesy to Zedekiah and then jump back to an earlier king, like
Jehoiakim. It is important to realize that Jeremiah is written in a huge chiasm, a Hebrew
literary device. For more information, read the book Literary Structure of the Old
Testament.
Lamentations is also credited to Jeremiah. It is truly a lamentation over what has
befallen Jerusalem because of her sins. It is written in a dirge pattern, to emphasize
the mourning. The first four chapters are also written as an acrostic poem. The most
hopeful of the chapters, chapter 3, is also the most intricately acrostic and has 66
verses. The acrostic pattern is three verses beginning with aleph (A), three verses with
beth (B), and so on through the Hebrew alphabet. The fifth chapter has no acrostic
pattern, symbolizing chaos. Indeed, chaos is what we reap when we turn from following God's ways.
Ezekiel, Daniel
Ezekiel was among the first of the captives from the Southern tribe to be taken to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. From there, God gave Ezekiel visions and prophecies for His people. So much of this book is dual in nature: at times, it's obviously talking about Ezekiel's time; other times, it makes no sense unless it's talking about the end times and the return of Jesus Christ.
Daniel was also among the first of the captives taken to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a member of the royal family in Judah. Because he chose to honor God, no matter what, God blessed him greatly in Babylon - even to the point of attaining a high position in the government. But Daniel, the one called "greatly beloved," never forgot who is really in charge. It's a great encouragement and witness to us today - those of us who may truly be living those days about which Daniel say great visions.
The minor prophets are so called, not because they are unimportant, but because their writings are not very long. In this section, you'll find devotions from the following books: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. This finishes the Old Testament.
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum
Hosea - a prophet whom God told to marry a prostitute. It is a very repugnant reminder that just as Israel was worshiping pagan gods, we, too, can worship pagan gods - and it affects every aspect of our lives, just as marrying a prostitute would have affected Hosea very profoundly!
Joel - one of the earliest of the prophets, Joel prophesied during the reigns of the Israel kings Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash, as well as the Judah Queen Athaliah and her grandson King Joash. This book looks at the plague of locusts as a warning of further judgment much worse than the locusts.
Amos - a prophet who had been a shepherd, one of the lowest classes of occupation. Yet, other famous shepherds include King David and Jesus, the Great Shepherd.
Obadiah - This is the shortest of the books of the Old Testament. It tells of the judgment on Edom and the restoration of Israel. Obadiah means "servant of Jehovah."
Jonah - This book tells of God sending Jonah to warn Ninevah of impending destruction if they didn't repent immediately. Subsequent to Jonah's warning, Ninevah did repent. God relented. Jonah was not happy. This book seems to hang - to just quit without resolving. But if you apply the chiasm literary feature to it, the center of the book becomes Jonah's pleas for salvation. The literary midpoint of the book is Jonah's ascertion that salvation belongs to the LORD (Jonah 2:9), which is exactly the point of preaching, even to the terrible people of Ninevah.
Micah - Micah means "Who is like God?" Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (kings of Judah). He preached from about 735 B.C. to 715 B.C. against mistreating the poor, dishonest business dealings, and unjust rulers.
Nahum - This Old Testament prophet preached against Ninevah and Assyria around 620 B.C. This was after Israel was already in exile and Josiah was king in Judah.
Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Habbakkuk - This Old Testament book shows a prophet asking God why the wicked seem to win and the righteous suffer. God answers Habakkuk that all accounts will someday be settled because God is faithful!
Zephaniah - This prophet preached during the reign of Josiah; Israel was already in captivity. He foretold the consequences coming upon Judah for her faithlessness to God, the punishment of other nations, and the restoration of Jerusalem and those who are faithful to God.
Haggai - This book is a rebuke of the people coming back from captivity in Babylon. They'd built their own houses but had not restored the temple. He was a contemporary of Zechariah. His name means "festive."
Zechariah - This book records the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity. The rebuilding in Jerusalem represents the relationship with God. The first eight chapters deal with the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, as well as the purification of God's people. The last six chapters talk about the coming Messiah and the final judgment.
Malachi - This prophet focuses on Israel's sin and God's judgment. Malachi was written after both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were in captivity. This is the last book in the Old Testament.
The devotions are divided into the following sections.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of these kings of Israel:
Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea
Isaiah also prophesied during the reigns of these kings of Judah:
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh
Much of what Isaiah said about the captivity of Judah was during the good reigns of
Uzziah and Hezekiah. Times were good and prosperous. But that's where the seeds
of apostasy begin. That's the time to seek the Lord - while you are well-fed and
prospering.
Jeremiah prophesied beginning in the reign of Josiah and continued through the reign of
the last king, Zedekiah. The book of Jeremiah is difficult to follow because it is not
sequential. It'll have a prophesy to Zedekiah and then jump back to an earlier king, like
Jehoiakim. It is important to realize that Jeremiah is written in a huge chiasm, a Hebrew
literary device. For more information, read the book Literary Structure of the Old
Testament.
Lamentations is also credited to Jeremiah. It is truly a lamentation over what has
befallen Jerusalem because of her sins. It is written in a dirge pattern, to emphasize
the mourning. The first four chapters are also written as an acrostic poem. The most
hopeful of the chapters, chapter 3, is also the most intricately acrostic and has 66
verses. The acrostic pattern is three verses beginning with aleph (A), three verses with
beth (B), and so on through the Hebrew alphabet. The fifth chapter has no acrostic
pattern, symbolizing chaos. Indeed, chaos is what we reap when we turn from following God's ways.
Ezekiel, Daniel
Ezekiel was among the first of the captives from the Southern tribe to be taken to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. From there, God gave Ezekiel visions and prophecies for His people. So much of this book is dual in nature: at times, it's obviously talking about Ezekiel's time; other times, it makes no sense unless it's talking about the end times and the return of Jesus Christ.
Daniel was also among the first of the captives taken to Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a member of the royal family in Judah. Because he chose to honor God, no matter what, God blessed him greatly in Babylon - even to the point of attaining a high position in the government. But Daniel, the one called "greatly beloved," never forgot who is really in charge. It's a great encouragement and witness to us today - those of us who may truly be living those days about which Daniel say great visions.
The minor prophets are so called, not because they are unimportant, but because their writings are not very long. In this section, you'll find devotions from the following books: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. This finishes the Old Testament.
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum
Hosea - a prophet whom God told to marry a prostitute. It is a very repugnant reminder that just as Israel was worshiping pagan gods, we, too, can worship pagan gods - and it affects every aspect of our lives, just as marrying a prostitute would have affected Hosea very profoundly!
Joel - one of the earliest of the prophets, Joel prophesied during the reigns of the Israel kings Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash, as well as the Judah Queen Athaliah and her grandson King Joash. This book looks at the plague of locusts as a warning of further judgment much worse than the locusts.
Amos - a prophet who had been a shepherd, one of the lowest classes of occupation. Yet, other famous shepherds include King David and Jesus, the Great Shepherd.
Obadiah - This is the shortest of the books of the Old Testament. It tells of the judgment on Edom and the restoration of Israel. Obadiah means "servant of Jehovah."
Jonah - This book tells of God sending Jonah to warn Ninevah of impending destruction if they didn't repent immediately. Subsequent to Jonah's warning, Ninevah did repent. God relented. Jonah was not happy. This book seems to hang - to just quit without resolving. But if you apply the chiasm literary feature to it, the center of the book becomes Jonah's pleas for salvation. The literary midpoint of the book is Jonah's ascertion that salvation belongs to the LORD (Jonah 2:9), which is exactly the point of preaching, even to the terrible people of Ninevah.
Micah - Micah means "Who is like God?" Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (kings of Judah). He preached from about 735 B.C. to 715 B.C. against mistreating the poor, dishonest business dealings, and unjust rulers.
Nahum - This Old Testament prophet preached against Ninevah and Assyria around 620 B.C. This was after Israel was already in exile and Josiah was king in Judah.
Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Habbakkuk - This Old Testament book shows a prophet asking God why the wicked seem to win and the righteous suffer. God answers Habakkuk that all accounts will someday be settled because God is faithful!
Zephaniah - This prophet preached during the reign of Josiah; Israel was already in captivity. He foretold the consequences coming upon Judah for her faithlessness to God, the punishment of other nations, and the restoration of Jerusalem and those who are faithful to God.
Haggai - This book is a rebuke of the people coming back from captivity in Babylon. They'd built their own houses but had not restored the temple. He was a contemporary of Zechariah. His name means "festive."
Zechariah - This book records the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian captivity. The rebuilding in Jerusalem represents the relationship with God. The first eight chapters deal with the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, as well as the purification of God's people. The last six chapters talk about the coming Messiah and the final judgment.
Malachi - This prophet focuses on Israel's sin and God's judgment. Malachi was written after both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were in captivity. This is the last book in the Old Testament.