Hosea, Amos, Micah, Title

THE PROPHETS
EB505 English Bible
Homer Heater, Jr. Capital Bible Seminary
Revised 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Historical Background of the Eighth Century 3 Amos 3 Hosea 3 Jonah 3 Micah 3 Isaiah 3 Historical Background of Seventh/Sixth Centuries 3 Jeremiah 3 Lamentations 3 Obadiah 3 Habakkuk 3 Zephaniah 3 Joel 3 Nahum 3 Ezekiel 3 Daniel 3 Haggai 3 Zechariah 3 Malachi 3 Selected Bibliography 3 Works Cited in Notes 3
Interpreting Prophecy There are a number of difficulties in
interpreting OT prophecy. The reasons for this are several. The first is
the question of the type of literature. Much of the prophetic literature is
in poetic form, and one is always struggling to sort out what is to be
taken literally (normal, expected meaning) and what is figurative. We will
try to stay as literal as possible in the interpretative process. Even
where symbols, metaphors, and parables are employed, there is not too much
difficulty understanding the literal meaning behind the figure. An even larger difficulty is ascertaining when
the prophecy will be fulfilled. As a rule of thumb, we should look back
into history to see if an event has happened. If so it may well be that was
the fulfillment. If the language of the prophecy is such that it has never
been fulfilled, we should look to the eschatological future for its
fulfillment. (Cf. Chapter 20 of Isaiah which is a prophecy concerning
Egypt. The first part was no doubt fulfilled in the attack and conquering
of Assyria. The language of the second part is stereotypical and
eschatological. A similar pattern is found in Matthew 10. There Jesus sends
out the seventy. The first part of the chapter pertains to that time, but
the second part is eschatological.)
Historical Background of the Eighth Century Five writing prophets ministered during this
important century: Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah. This century was
dominated politically by the Assyrians, but the far-reaching spiritual
impact came from little known men from fairly obscure kingdoms called
Israel and Judah. Historical background is essential for a
proper understanding of the setting and message of these prophets. There
are times when that background cannot be ascertained, but to the extent
that it can be known, the understanding of the prophet's message is
enhanced. Amos is the first writing prophet who directs his message to
Israel. Hosea follows on his heels; then the great statesman-prophet Isaiah
and his contemporary, Micah. The upper Euphrates valley has a very complex
history. Many different peoples over many centuries intruded, settled,
mixed and fought with whoever preceded them. These people came to have a
very important influence on God's covenant people. To better understand the
events affecting the OT people and the prophets who spoke to them for God,
two major groups will be discussed: the Arameans and the Assyrians. The period of the transition from judges to
kings in the history of Israel (c. 1100 B.C.) was a significant period in
the entire Mediterranean area. Smith says of this period: "The last two centuries of the second millennium B.C.
[1200-1000] had witnessed in western Asia and the Levant ubiquitous
disturbances which caused a new distribution of political power. The
Egyptian empire had declined, the Hittite had collapsed. Troy had fallen,
the days of Cnossus and of Mycenae were over. When things have settled down
and the scene-shifting is complete, we find Assyria (which had relapsed
into obscurity after a brief emergence) occupying the centre of the stage.
Phrygia, and Lydia, and Greek Ionia become the important powers in western
Asia Minor. In European Greece the Achaeans have ceased to be the principal
power; they have been replaced by the Dorians. In Syria and Palestine we
meet with a number of minor peoples and states-Phoenicia, Damascus, Israel,
Judah, Moab, Edom, and others."[1]
The new Assyrian power that came to "occupy
center stage" arose again about 1000 BC. This new kingdom period of
Assyrian history (900-600) dramatically affected the eighth century
Israel/Judah and the message of the prophets. Before going on with Assyrian history, it is
necessary to examine a group that began to show up in the North West about
this same period of time. These people were called Arameans by Semites but
the Greeks referred to them as Syrians (perhaps from the Semitic word for
Tyre, Tsur, hence Tsuria). (Likewise the languages will be referred to as
Aramaic and Syriac.) The presence of Aramaic names for rivers and
mountains argues for their presence north of Syria from early times.
Sometime at the beginning of the first millennium, they began to move in
large numbers into the NW area of the Euphrates and even made their way
down to the Persian gulf. This was not a cohesive movement, but a drifting
of nomadic tribes with a similar dialect and religion. They posed a large
threat to the Assyrians and probably should be credited with bringing the
Middle Assyrian period to a close. They settled around the Khabur river, as
far south as the border of Babylonia, and the Chaldean tribes (Bit Yakin),
who are also Aramean, settled in the marsh lands north of the Persian Gulf
(see map, p. 3). These Chaldeans eventually infiltrated the Babylonian
peoples and founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 625 B.C. One group of Arameans consolidated their power
and made Damascus their capital. These are the ever-present Syrians in the
Bible. David conquered the Aramean coalition that came against him, placed
garrisons in Damascus, and probably thereby unwittingly contributed to the
ability of Assyria to rise again. The Aramaic language became the lingua
franca (trade language) from about the eighth century because the people
were so widely spread throughout the area (Cf. Isa. 36:11). Even during the
Indo-European Persian period, Aramaic was the official language of the
empire (hence, sections of Daniel and Ezra are Aramaic, and the script used
for the Hebrew Bible is Aramaic). As the Aramaic groups settled down and formed
solid political entities, the Assyrians began to reassert their control of
the west. During the ninth century, they conducted almost yearly campaigns
over a period of sixty years and established dominance around the Khabur
and Balikh rivers. Biblical contact with the Assyrians came in
the ninth century when a coalition of kings (Arameans and others) which
Ahab joined fought Assyria. This coalition was an effort to assert
independence in the west from the Assyrian overlordship. The account of
this battle is found in Shalmaneser III's annals and is dated at 853 B.C.
The Assyrians claimed victory, but they did not return for some time and it
took several battles before they were completely triumphant. This happened
in 841 B.C. and Jehu, king of Israel, and other kings were forced to come
to Nahr el-Kelb to pay tribute. This event was recorded on Shalmaneser's
black obelisk.[2] Assyria declined somewhat at the end of the
ninth century, but Adad Nirari III (810-783 B.C.) marched west in his fifth
year and defeated Damascus.[3] This removed for a time the pressure of
Syria on Israel. Later, the Assyrians were too occupied to keep up the
pressure, but Damascus and Hamath were battling for control of their area
allowing Israel and Judah a respite for new growth.[4] The mighty Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727)
brought his country back to great heights. He campaigned in the west from
743-738. There he encountered a certain Azariah in Syria, defeated him and
destroyed much of his territory.[5] Some scholars have a problem accepting
Azariah as the biblical one, but Bright says that it would be exceptional
to have two kings and two territories with the same name in the same
period of time.[6] The devastation spoken of in Isaiah 1 is therefore
probably the result of this attack from Assyria, and so, early on, Judah
came under the shadow of this eastern scourge.[7] Tiglath-Pileser III put pressure on the
northern kingdom of Israel as well. Of King Menahem, the Bible says, "There
came against the land Pul [Tiglath-Pileser, Pul was his Babylonian
name],[8] the King of Assyria, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of
silver, that his hand be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand" (2
Kings 15:19). Tiglath-Pileser III's annals say, "[As for Menahem, I
ov]erwhelmed him [like a snowstorm] and he . . . fled like a bird, alone,
[and bowed to my feet(?)]. I returned him to his place [and imposed tribute
upon him, to wit:] gold, silver, etc. Israel [Omri land], all its
inhabitants (and) their possessions I led to Assyria."[9] When Pekah allied
himself with Rezin, King of Syria, against Ahaz of Judah, Ahaz sent to
Tiglath-Pileser for help (2 Kings 16:5-8). Another deportation of Israel is
mentioned in 1 Chron. 5:5,6. Apparently a number of incursions were made
against Samaria and people were carried off each time.