The transition from literal Israel to spiritual Israel, or the Christian church, is the subject of Romans 9-11. He is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8). He probably died in the Nile country. He should not be confused with Micaiah, the son of Imlah, a prophet of Israel in Ahabs time (9th century B.C.). Obedience to the law of God would make them marvels of prosperity before the nations of the world, living witnesses to the greatness and majesty of God (Deuteronomy 8:17, 18; 28:11-13). answer. Nehemiah 12:12, 16). Eventually Gods purposes will prevail and the plan of salvation will succeed, irrespective of the failure of any person or group. The modernist school of interpretation bases its position on the a priori assumption that any knowledge of the future is impossible, and ignores all evidence to the contrary. Inasmuch as it is possible to date the kings of Judah and Israel, especially the later ones, with comparatively high accuracy, the various reigns during which these sixteen prophets ministered have been entered in this chart according to the tentative chronology used in this commentary. Discover what the message meant to the people of that time. The sons of the stranger [or Gentile, 1 Kings 8:41; see on Exodus 12:19, 43] would join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord (Isaiah 56:6; Zechariah 2:11). He dies while in Egypt. The sanctuary became Gods dwelling place among them (see Exodus 25:8), its priests were ordained to minister before Him (Hebrews 5:1; 8:3), its services provided an object lesson of the plan of salvation and prefigured the coming of the Messiah (1 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 2:16, 17; Hebrews 9:1-10; 10:1-12). Encouraging Hezekiah and the people through his own trust in God, he was instrumental in saving Jerusalem. It is impossible to date the devastating plague of locusts that the prophet so vividly describes and compares with the terrors of the coming day of judgment. Mark 7:9). answer. Christianity is a historical religion, and its inspired messages are anchored to the hills and valleys, the deserts and rivers, of the ancient world, and to literal men and women who once walked the earth. 5. WebIn Isaiah, we read about God's unbroken relationship with His people both the promise and its fulfillment in an ongoing pattern that's visible throughout history. However, there is no valid reason why Malachi should not be considered a proper name. All the visions of Daniel recorded in chapters 7-12 were received during the last years of his life, the first one (chapter 7) in Belshazzars 1st year (552 or possibly later), and the last one (chapters 10-12) in the 3rd year of Cyrus, 536/35 B.C. Had Israel as a nation preserved her allegiance to Heaven, Jerusalem would have stood forever, the elect of God (Jeremiah 7:7; 17:25). The ministry of Amos may therefore have fallen in the years 767-753 B.C. This leaves Ezekiel with a ministry of at least 22 years, from 593/92 to 571/70. It was last of all that God sent unto them his son, according to Christs own words (Matthew 21:37), but they caught him and slew him (verse 39). ), success must and will comethrough Israel after the spirit. There, he spent an unknown number of years before his return to Judea and his discovery of the abuses described in chapter 13. When the siege of Jerusalem was temporarily lifted at the approach of an Egyptian force, Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of the tribe of Benjamin. It is ever the privilege of those who witness the fulfillment of prophecy to remember and believe (John 13:19; 14:29; John 16:4). Ezekiel 38:16, 18-23; 39:1-7). The kingdom was overturned (Ezekiel 21:25-32) and the people removed from the land, which had been theirs only by virtue of the covenant relationship (Hosea 9:3, 15, Micah 2:10; cf. WebIsaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations 82 cards. God may reject one nation or group of people in favor of another if those first summoned persistently refuse to cooperate with Him (see Jeremiah 18:6-10; cf. No, there were three prophets of God who followed Isaiah. The late date is taken here, without prejudice toward an early one. Israel would reply, Accept our God as your God, love and serve Him as we do, and He will do the same for you. The blessings thus assured Israel were, on the same conditions and in the same degree, assured to every nation and to every individual under the broad heavens see Acts 10:34, 35; 15:7-9; Romans 10:12, 13; etc.). Which division of Isaiah is the outline used in class. However, 2 Kings 14:25 states that Jonah also pronounced a prophecy concerning the expansion of Israel that was fulfilled by Jeroboam II. Jer 31:35. The prophets vivid description of the catastrophe that had befallen Thebes leaves the impression that the event was still fresh in the memory of the people, whereas Assyrias power, although waning, was not yet near its end. Between the return from Babylon and the rejection of the Messiah, Israel was to have its second and final opportunity as a nation to cooperate with the divine plan (see Jeremiah 12:14-17). Prophecies that fall into the latter classification are to be fulfilled in principle but not necessarily in every detail, owing to the fact that many details of prophecy were concerned with Israel as a literal nation situated in the land of Palestine. They rejected the Light of the world, and henceforth their lives were surrounded with darkness as the darkness of midnight. In one way or another each of these attempts at interpreting the messages of the Old Testament prophets neglects significant teachings of Scripture, evades fundamental principles of exegesis, and provides a distorted picture of the predictive sections of prophecy. Dead sea scrolls. But here, as in all exposition of Scripture, we should avoid affirming as the explicit teachings of the Bible that which is our private, finite view, however plausible it may appear to be. Literal Jews may still find salvation by being grafted into spiritual Israel, in precisely the same way that Gentiles are to be grafted in (verses 23, 24). Desiring the same blessings for themselves, they would make inquiry as to how they too might acquire these obvious material advantages. Thus it had been with Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Abraham (chapter 26:5), and Joseph (chapter 39:2-6). By divine appointment the sacred writings were preserved, century after century, and Israel became their custodian (Amos 3:7; Romans 3:1, 2). To the very last, Christ would have averted the doom of the Jewish nation if the people had received Him. Isaiahs whole ministry from Uzziah to Manasseh must therefore have lasted more than half a century. Technical know-how would render products made in Israel superior to all others. It would become an object lesson of the results of acting in harmony with moral, as with natural, law. A comparison between some of his prophecies and those of Amos indicates that Hosea was a younger contemporary of Amos (cf. Another reason to trust God is there is nothing too complicated for Him. Jeremiah 1:7 But the LORD told me: "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' These repeated Messianic predictions were designed to lift the eyes of the people from the transitory events of their own time to the coming of Messiah and the establishment of His eternal kingdom, in order to afford them a view of the things of time in the light of eternity. Many others, including Lehi and Jeremiah, lived at the same time. Feebleness and disease were to disappear entirely from Israel as the result of strict adherence to healthful principles (see Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 7:13, 15; etc.). Remember that the record of Gods dealings with His people in ages past has been recorded for the benefit of all later generations to the end of time. 2. They were to be far in advance of other nations in wisdom and understanding. The promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional. It should be remembered that God does not force the human will, and that Israels cooperation was essential to the success of His plan for the nation. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God warned them not to forget that the blessings they were to enjoy there if they cooperated with Him would come as divine gifts (see Deuteronomy 8:7-14), not primarily as the result of their own wisdom and skill (verses 17-19). They blindly overlooked those scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christs first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the glory of His second coming. It is possible that he was a Temple singer, since his third chapter is dedicated to the chief singer on my stringed instruments (chapter 3:19). Jeremiah 32:17 highlights this point by stating, "O Sovereign Lord! Copyright 2008 - http://www.BibleChronologyTimeline.com. 2. So early a date for Jonah1s ministryabout 790 B.C.fits well into Assyrian history. WebIsaiah 65:12 I will destine you for the sword, and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight." Whatever the Jews, as a nation, may do, now or in time to come, is in no way related to the former promises made to them. On the other hand, the destruction of Nineveh is described as an event still future (chapter 3:7). 5. Isaiah was a prophet of the southern kingdom, living in a critical period of his nation. Hence, the year 603 can be considered as the beginning of Daniels ministry as a prophet. Accordingly, the covenant promises and privileges were all permanently transferred from literal to spiritual Israel (Romans 9:4; cf. It was Gods design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second coming. did Isaiah primarily live? In an age when every wind of doctrine is blowing it is well to make certain that our understanding of Bible prophecy rests upon a positive Thus saith the Lord (see Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 50:11; Jeremiah 2:13; Matthew 7:24-28; 1 Corinthians 2:4, 5, 12, 13; Eph. The blessings of health. Having begun his ministry in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel (chapter 1:1), Hosea continued until the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah (chapter 1:1). 1-39 40-55 56-66. Any idea that the return of the Jews to their ancestral home, that is, to the new state of Israel, may in any way be related to Bible prophecy is without valid scriptural foundation. Hosea. Note by whom it was spoken, to whom it was addressed, and the circumstances that called it forth. His book contains no direct to establish the time of his mission to Nineveh. Malachi 3:12), and their God the only true God (Isaiah 45:14). Nothing is known of the prophet Joel beyond the fact that he was the son of Pethuel (chapter 1:1). The present-day return of the Jews to Palestine and the establishment of the modern state of Israel do not imply reinstatement as Gods people, present or future. The people might approach God personally and through the ministry of a mediating priesthood, their representatives before Him; He would direct the nation through the ministry of prophets, His appointed representatives to them. New King James Version Aha was used as an expression of malicious joy. During the siege, reprobate Israelites would be slain by their foes (Zechariah 13:8; 14:2). WebBut the words of Isaiah live with the Jewish people to this day as fresh and as relevant as ever. God designed that Israels experience should prove to be a warning to Judah (see Hosea 1:7; 4:15-17; 11:12; Jeremiah 3:3-12; etc.). It was Gods design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second coming. Its messages show that it was written after the time of the kingdom of Judah, when a governor ruled over the country (chapter 1:8), a fact that points to the Persian period. The Christian church is a spiritual nation scattered all over the world, and such details obviously could not apply to it in a literal sense. WebEzekiels use of dramatic prophetic signs, his rejection of collective divine punishment and assertion of individual responsibility are discussed. 1 Kings 8:41-43). Higher than the highest human thought can reach is Gods ideal for His children. Promises not already fulfilled to literal Israel either would never be fulfilled at all or would be fulfilled to the Christian church as spiritual Israel. Jesus own verdict was, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Matthew 21:43; cf. For two of them (Joel and Obadiah), however, no conclusive evidence as to the time of their work exists, and scholars differ widely in their views concerning this matter. Its people were given no promise of complete restoration to their former power in Palestine. The 9th-century view.The great empires of Assyria and Babylonia do not appear within the horizon of the prophet. This division, though tragic, served to insulate, for a time, the southern kingdom, Judah, from the tide of idolatry that soon engulfed the northern kingdom, Israel (see Hosea 4:17). Accordingly, the book can probably be dated about 425 B.C. chapter 9:7; Isaiah 66:23). It was their unwillingness to submit to the restrictions and requirements of God that prevented them, to a great extent, from reaching the high standard which He desired them to attain, and from receiving the blessings which He was ready to bestow upon them. 2. In Him I have placed my trust, and He is the Lord of the Great Throne. (Q. Nothing is known concerning the prophet Habakkuk beyond his name. They would have no part in all that Christ stood for (see on Matthew 3:2, 3; Mark 3:14). He played an important role during two momentous periods: (1) under Ahaz, during the war between Syria and Israel (chapters 7-11), and (2) under Hezekiah, during a siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib chapters 36; 37). The sixteen prophetsIsaiah to Malachiwhose writings have come down to us lived during four centuries, from about 800 to 400 B.C. The glorious promises originally made to literal Israel are meeting their fulfillment today in the proclamation of the gospel to all men (Revelation 14:6, 7). When the catastrophe came, he lamented the terrible fate of his people in the Book of Eichah (Lamentations) which we read on Tisha B'Av. Isaiah 2:2-4). He had told them that He would progressively diminish their strength and honor as a nation until they should all be carried away into captivity (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; 2 Chronicles 36:16, 17). Following this line of interpretation, some have gone to the extreme of proposing a Christian migration to Palestine. With the call of Abraham, God set in operation a definite plan for bringing the Messiah into the world and for presenting the gospel invitation to all men (Genesis 12:1-3). God placed His people in Palestine, the crossroads of the ancient world, and provided them with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Joel 1:15; 2:1, 32) can hardly serve as evidence for either a late or an early date. WebIsaiah lived about 100 years before Jeremiah. Similarly, the ways in which God dealt with men in crises of the past are often cited as examples of the manner in which He will deal with all the world in the last day (see on Deuteronomy 18:15). Amos presents himself to his readers as a herdsman and a gatherer of sycomore fruit (chapters 1:1; 7:14). WebThe great prophet Jeremiah lived during one of the most critical periods in Jewish history. Baruch, son of Neriah. Weblived and were active as prophets during a time of great catastrophe for the people of Israel, the conquest of Judah and the destruction of the First Tem-ple. One column provides a list of certain special events of this periodsome of a political nature, concerning the nations surrounding Israel and Judah, others of a domestic nature. Hence, 640 B.C., about midway between the two limits, marked by the destruction of Thebes and the fall of Nineveh, would seem to be a reasonable conjectural date for Nahums prophetic ministry. His early ministry seems to have coincided with the last years of King Uzziahs reign (see Introduction to Isaiah), but his official call to the office of a prophet came in 740/39, the last year of King Uzziah (chapter 6:1). However, there is also no reference made to Persia, which would be expected if the book was of so late a date. Isaiah 3:12; 9:16) meant the permanent, irrevocable cancellation of their special standing before God as a nation (cf. They looked for Messiah to reign as a temporal prince (cf. Furthermore, Old Testament prophecy must first be examined in terms of its historical application to literal Israel before the validity of a derived application to spiritual Israel may be undertaken. For example, the judgment that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah, literal cities of the ancient past, is used by Bible writers as descriptive of the judgment God will eventually bring upon all the world. King James Bible At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. 740-700 B.C. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. chapter 11:9, 10). The fundamental principle by which we can tell unerringly when any particular promise or prediction of the Old Testament made originally to literal Israel is to meet its fulfillment with respect to spiritual Israel iswhen a later inspired writer makes such an application of it. The fickle, human will is the weak, unstable factor in conditional prophecy. But to go beyond that which is clearly set forth by Inspirationin the immediate context of the passage concerned, in the New Testament, or in the Spirit of prophecyis to substitute personal opinion for a plain Thus saith the Lord. Where Inspiration has not thus clearly spoken it is our privilege to compare scripture with scripture in an endeavor to understand more perfectly the mind of the Spirit. Jeremiah had been chosen by God for his office before birth (chapter 1:5), and was called to be a prophet at a tender age (chapter 1:6, 7). Furthermore, the repeated mention of Judahs wickedness, described as enormous in his day (see chapters 1:4-6, 8, 9, 12; 3:1-3, 7), points to the time before Josiahs reform, which began in 623/22. Zephaniah 1:17 Observe the conditional aspects of the prediction and ascertain whether or not, or to what extent, the conditions were met. Predictions of national disgrace, rejection, and woe that were to result from apostasy would never have been realized. Eventually, all the nations would call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord and be gathered unto it, not to walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart (Jeremiah 3:17). This period spanned the reigns of five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Beth Hamikdosh, after his warnings and prophecies fell on deaf ears. All rights reserved. Jeremiah blames the people for ethical misbehavior. Furthermore, the rise of the Chaldeans and their invasion of the West is predicted, but this seemed at that time completely incredible (chapter 1:5-7). Isaiah was a prophet for the kingdom of Judah, ca. Yet many of the promises, particularly those concerning the giving of the gospel to the nations and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom, could not be fulfilled to them because of their unfaithfulness, but would be fulfilled to the church on earth preparatory to Christs return, particularly to Gods remnant people, and in the new earth. Four verses, Isaiah 45:12; 48:13; and Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15 use the Qal perfect form. Then Gabriel came to reassure him of the restoration of his people and the eventual coming of the Messiah (verses 24, 25). 6465). See Exodus 31:2-6; 35:33, 35. The success of Israel was to be based on and to include: 1. For these reasons Daniels extended prophetic ministry can be dated approximately from 603 to 535 B.C. Uzziah was sole king over Judah from 767 to 750, and Jeroboam over Israel from 782 to 753. It is true, he says, that national Israel stumbled at the stumblingstone, Jesus Christ (Romans 9:32, 33; 11:11; cf. Josiah was also still a young king, having reached the age of but 21 years at that time. Through Israel of old, God planned to provide the nations of earth with a living revelation of His own holy character and an exhibit of the glorious heights to which man can attain by cooperating with His infinite purposes. In Isaiah We shall be protected against the grossly literal explanation of some expositors concerning the return of literal Israel to literal Palestine to rule the world for a thousand years prior to the close of human probation, and also against other equally unscriptural interpretations that propose to apply allegorically to the church all the details of the promises originally made to literal Israel. Seventy weeks490 years of literal timewere determined upon the Jews, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24). Both of these extreme methods wrest the obvious intent of the Scriptures and render a sound understanding of the messages of the prophets for the church today unattainable. Jeremiah lived afterwards during a time leading up to the carrying away of the southern two tribes of Judah into bondage in Babylon. It ignores the plain statements of the Old Testament that Gods promises to Israel were all conditional. 4. From generation to generation these holy men of God (2 Peter 1:21) called Israel to repentance and righteousness and kept alive the Messianic hope. With Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17). To pray by faith for God to fulfill His promises, we must be obedient to Gods difficult commands. It is an undeniable historical fact that, to this day, the majority of these predictions have not been fulfilled. The British-Israel movement teaches that the Anglo-Saxon peoples are the literal descendants of the ten so-called lost tribes of the northern kingdom and that the promises will, in large measure, be fulfilled to their modern posterity. Finally, it was demonstrated before the universe that, apart from God, humanity could not be uplifted, and that a new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who made the world. However, he is again found playing a role on the night of Babylons fall, as interpreter of the mysterious handwriting on the wall (chapter 5). What archaeological evidence implies Isaiah was a unified book? In a mysterious way known only to God the prophets words were sometimes intended to meet their fulfillment in the then far-distant future. In Abraham God found a man ready to yield unqualified obedience to the divine will (Genesis 26:5; Hebrews 11:8) and to cultivate a similar spirit in his posterity (Genesis 18:19). WebThe major prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the other twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) are minor. Theoretically, the word minor signifies not lesser moral or religious or literary stature but only lesser length. WebEmphasize that when God prompted Isaiah to write about the Lord Jesus it was way before Jesus was born. But he will listen also for the further import the prophets words may have for later times, particularly, our time. In Israel, there was sometimes more than one prophet, and sometimes there were many prophets. Few passages of Scripture are more commonly misunderstood and variously interpreted than those containing the divine promises made to ancient Israel through the prophets. This chart shows only those events that are mentioned in the Bible and that are of importance to an understanding of the prophetic messages. According to tradition, how was Isaiah killed? It ran from the last year Judah's King Uzziah ruled (740 B.C. While it is thus known that he began his work in 520 and continued until 518 B.C., the end of his prophetic ministry must be left open. Had Jerusalem known what it was her privilege to know, and heeded the light that Heaven sent her, she would have stood forth in magnificent prosperity, the queen of kingdoms, the mighty metropolis of the earth, and would, like a noble vine, have filled the face of the world with fruit (Isaiah 27:6). At times they had an import, not only for the age in which the prophet lived, but also for a day far future; in other words, they had a dual application. Although no chronological data are found in the book, certain statements permit a comparatively exact dating of Habakkuks prophecies. Unparalleled prosperity. Jeremiah 32:17 highlights this point by stating, "O Sovereign Lord! He purposed to make them an honor to His name and a blessing to the nations about them. In Egypt, Jeremiah raised his voice against the idolatries the Jews practiced there (chapters 43; 44). The student of the Bible who hopes to secure from it the greatest help will first proceed to reconstruct the historical context of each passage. ), through the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, to the end of King Hezekiah's rule in 686 (Isa. To their own question, What nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them? the Gentiles would answer, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people (Deuteronomy 4:7, 6). Since no conclusive evidence for any of these three views exists, all are presented here: 1. No chronological data are given, but the prophet speaks of the fall of No (chapter 3:8) as an event of the past. During the reign of Jehoiakim he nearly lost his life for his bold messages, and hence went into hiding (chapter 36:26). [1] The prophet received his call while still a young man, during the thirteenth year of King Josiahs reign, about 627 or 626 B.C. Ninevehs destruction, which came in 612, is referred to as a future event, indicating that Zephaniahs work preceded this date. But maybe it wasnt at that spot. The prophetess Huldah was a relative and contemporary of Rabbinic tradition has it that Isaiah's father, Amoz (not the same as Amos the prophet), was a brother of King Amaziah. Paul states the same truth in Romans 9:30, 31, where he makes it plain that the Christian church has replaced the Hebrew nation in the divine plan. If Jeremiah had been writing a novel, he would have been the hero of his own story. Many years later, in writing to the strangers, or Gentiles (1 Peter 1:1: see on Exodus 12:19, 43), as the elect of God (1 Peter 1:2), Peter refers to them as the chosen ones of God, a holy nation, a peculiar people (chapter 2:9), formerly not a people, but now the people of God (verse 10). Upon His final departure from the sacred precincts of the Temple, Jesus said, Your house is left unto you desolate (Matthew 23:38). 4. Those who think that chapter 52 was added as an inspired postscript by Jeremiahs secretary or one of his disciples, believe that he died some 20 years earlier, about 580 B.C. He quotes Hosea 2:23. Then, two months later, the latter died, doubtless unexpectedly; it was the same month when there would have been a septennial reading of the law of Deuteronomy.11 Human traditions came to be honored in place of the revealed will of God (see on Mark 7:6-9). But the manner in which it is carried out may change because man may change. Who served as Jeremiah's scribe? It is certain, however, that he lived and labored in the southern kingdom, and that his main prophecy dealt with Assyria in general and Nineveh in particular. Earlier commentators attempted to equate the two men, because of the use of similar expressions in their utterances (Micah 1:2; cf. Foskey, however, is far from a lock to be selected with one of the 31 first-round selections. He played an important role during two momentous periods: (1) under Ahaz, during the war between Syria and Israel (chapters 7-11), and (2) under Hezekiah, during a siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib chapters 36; 37). Eventually, however, it became apparent that the Jews would never measure up to the standard God required of them, as Malachi makes evident (chapters 1:6, 12; 2:2, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17; 3:7, 13, 14). Far from becoming the light of the world, the Jews shut themselves away from the world as a safeguard against being seduced into idolatry (see Deuteronomy 11:26, 27; cf. (2 Chron. Several of the prophets messages are dated exactly, and the last of these dated prophetic messages was received in the 27th year of Ezekiels captivity (chapter 29:17), 571/70. Indeed, this secondary application is for us today the more significant. the ideal selection is option C. Learn more about the Book of Micah here: Though the prophet looked at events about him, he also could see far beyond his own day. But Judah failed to learn the lesson, and a little more than a century later her apostasy, also, was complete (see Jeremiah 22:6, 8, 9; Ezekiel 16:37; 7:2-15; 12:3-28; 36:18-23). Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 B.C., during the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar (see on chapter 1:1). The prophet Hosea was a citizen of the northern kingdom of Israel, whose ruler, Jeroboam II, is called by the prophet, our king (chapters 1:1; 7:5). These promises of prosperity and a successful mission were to have met fulfillment in large measure during the centuries following the return of the Israelites from the lands of their captivity. Jeremiah sank into the mud, according to the biblical account. These are followed by chapters 7, 8, 9, 10. Instead of becoming light bearers to the world they absorbed its darkness and reflected that darkness instead. Several prophecies followed a few months later (Zechariah 1:7 to 6:15). A date, possibly about 630 B.C., but before the Chaldeans had become a power of some importance, would seem most appropriate for the period of Habakkuks prophetic activity.