旧约研究6——他赐给我们先知 HGP——第六课   先知书的文体分析

• 目录

• 一、引言

• 二、历史叙述

• 叙述的类型

• 传记

• 自传

• 叙述的内容

• 先知的呼召

• 象征的动作

• 异象的报告

• 历史的背景

• 三、与上帝的沟通

• 诉求的祷告

• 百姓的罪

• 审判

• 赞美的祷告

• 审判

• 祝福

• 四、与百姓的沟通

• 审判的讯息

• 审判的谕令

• 咒诅的谕令

• 起诉

• 祝福的讯息

• 仇敌的审判

• 祝福的谕令

• 混合的讯息

• 审判－救恩谕令

• 召唤人悔改

• 召唤人去争战

• 先知的争辩

• 比喻

• 五、总结

一、引言

我有好一些朋友决定要在一年之内把《圣经》读过一遍。可是他们经常对我说：「理祺，当我开始读旧约先知书的时候，我就好象迷失在一个黑暗的大森林里面那样。」的确，我们很多时候也有同样的感受。当我们以为我们开始明白先知书的时候，我们却很快发现其实我们是在漫无目的地徘徊，原因是由于我们不熟悉旧约先知书的领域。

在这一课里面，我们将要熟悉这一部分《圣经》的领域。所以我们称这一课为『先知书的文体分析』。我们在这一课里面要集中来看在旧约先知书中出现的三种不同文体：第一种文体是历史叙述，那就是发生在先知服侍时期的历史事件的记录；第二种文体是先知与神之间沟通的记录，那就是先知对神的祷告和赞美神的经文；第三种文体是先知与人之间的沟通，那就是先知直接对人们所说的话。我们如果能够了解这几种不同的文体怎样在先知书里面出现，这就会为我们提供一张寻宝地图，而这张地图会带领我们寻找这部分《圣经》中有待发掘的宝藏。让我们首先看看历史叙述文体。

二、历史叙述

每个人都喜欢听好故事，所以我们喜欢看书和看电影。因为故事不单单传达资讯，故事同时也唤起我们的想像力，往往在意想不到的地方改变我们。当我们看《圣经》的时候，我们知道《圣经》里面有许多故事或者记叙文。我们常常以为记叙文只出现在创世纪、出埃及记和民数记这些书卷中。可是，我们也应该知道在旧约先知书中同样有很多记叙文。

在好几本旧约先知书中，历史叙述是其中最主要的文体。先知书中最主要的历史叙述就是约拿书，因为书中从头到尾都在陈述约拿和他在尼尼微城的事工。但以理书也是历史叙述。但以理的异象和预言都是放置在历史事件的背景里面。还有，耶利米书和以西结书，这两卷书也是由历史叙述所组成的。在何西阿书、阿摩司书和以赛亚书的好一些章节里面，在某程度上也散布了记叙文。当我们学习旧约先知书的时候，我们必须注意到其中的历史叙述。许多书卷的重要部分都是由历史叙述所构成的。

我们要从两方面去探索历史记叙文在先知书中的角色：首先，我们要看记叙的类型；其次，我们要看这些记叙的内容。让我们先看看在先知书里面的记叙类型。

叙述的类型

旧约的预言包括了两个基本的记叙类型，那就是传记和自传。按照一般的定义，传记是第三者的叙述，自传是第一人称的叙述。

传记

在某些情况之下，在同一卷书中同时出现了传记和自传两种叙述。譬如在但以理书头六章里面，但以理的一些事迹是以第三人称的传记方式记载的。在第1章里面，我们看见了但以理在巴比伦接受训练。在第2章，我们看到尼布甲尼撒梦见了一个大雕像，但以理为他解梦。第3章里是我们都很熟悉的火窑的故事，第4章报告了尼布甲尼撒梦见大树的故事，又记载了但以理如何解梦。然后，在第5章里是伯沙撒在墙上见字的故事。第6章是但以理在狮子坑中的记载。这些章节都是以传记形式出现的，在旧约中这都是有关先知但以理的第三人称记叙。

自传

虽然但以理书第1章到第6章都是以传记形式写成的，可是从第7章到第12章却采取了自传的形式出现。在每一个段落的开始都有一段简介，这些章节主要是以第一人称写成的。但以理亲自报告了发生在他身上的事情。第七章记载了但以理梦见四兽。在第八章里，但以理陈述了绵羊和公山羊的异象。第九章包含了但以理的祷告，祷告的内容是祈求神让他的子民从被掳之地归回到应许地去。第10章到第12章记载了但以理所看见神子民的未来的异象。

当我们研究旧约先知书的时候会见到许多传记和自传，所以，我们必须留意观察这两种文体。旧约的作者以记叙方式写作，这样他们就能够间接地把讯息教导给我们。如果我们没有注意到这些文体，我们就会错过先知们要传达的重要讯息。

我们从先知书的主要部份中看过历史性记叙之后，我们现在就要问以下的问题：「这些记载的基本内容是什么呢？」

叙述的内容

我们发现在先知书中的记叙有四个基本的方向：第一是先知蒙召；第二是象征行动；第三是异象记述；第四是历史背景。

先知的呼召

先知蒙召是神差遣先知代表他说话的方式。这种纪录出现在好些关键的经文中。譬如在以赛亚书第6章里面记载了神怎样呼召以赛亚。耶利米书第1章告诉我们神如何呼召耶利米去代表神的恩约。同样地，在以西结书第2章里面，我们看到神呼召以西结，叫他以特别的方式去事奉神。在每一段经节里，我们都看见故事或者记叙的出现，我们见到先知们怎样在神面前谦卑，又看见神向先知们作出保证，保证他们这是神亲自授权他们去做的事工。

呼召先知的记述在《圣经》中出现的目的，是要显示是神差派先知去遵行神的命令的。这是十分重要的一点，因为旧约中经常提及到先知是不受欢迎的、是不被接受的。我们也必须记得，这些记述确认了是神呼召这些先知去事奉他。当我们去听旧约先知的话的时候，我们会听见我们不喜欢听的话、不想接受的事情，只是我们要记得先知是神亲自呼召的仆人。

象征的动作

先知书中的历史记叙也集中在先知象征行动上。神一次又一次地告诉他的发言人以行动去象征他们事工的价值。例如，在耶利米书13章里面，神叫先知耶利米去埋他的麻布腰带，直到腰带烂掉，这是为了要说明犹大的腐败。在第19章里，神叫耶利米去买一个瓦瓶，并且要在长老面前把瓦瓶打破，这是要象徵将要发生在犹大国的事。在第32章里，神又指示耶利米去买一块田又要保存田契，这是要象徵神有一天要领他的子民回到应许地去。

耶利米书中的这些记载只是先知书许多象征行动中的几个例子。何西阿书和以西结书中有很多这类的事件发生。在旧约里面，神的子民亲眼看见神怎样透过先知的话去传达讯息。当我们读这些记载的时候，我们也能够从我们的角度去看见神透过先知所传达的讯息是什么。

异象的报告

除了先知的呼召和象征行动的纪录以外，在先知书中也出现了第三种历史记叙，那就是异象的记述。异象的记述是先知描述他们亲自遇见神的经文。在阿摩司书第7章1节到9节里，出现了一系列非常重要的异象记述。这段经文其实是由三个不同的异象描述组成的。第一个异象是在第7章1到3节里，神让阿摩司看见蝗虫毁坏北国以色列，阿摩司对这个异象作出回应，他在第7章第2节说：

「主耶和华啊，求你赦免！因为雅各微弱，他怎能站立得住呢？」（阿摩司书第7章2节）

阿摩司担心属神的残余子民在这一次可怕的蝗虫灾中活不下来。然后在第3节神的态度改变了，决定免他们受蝗虫之灾。

在阿摩司书第7章第4到6节里又出现了相似的情况，神允许阿摩司看见消耗北国以色列土地的火和乾旱。阿摩司又再作出回应，他在阿摩司书第7章第5节中向神呼求说：

「主耶和华啊，求你止息！因为雅各微弱，他怎能站立得住呢？」（阿摩司书第7章2节）

在第6节里，神再次改变他的决定。

第三个异象记载在阿摩司书第7章第7到9里。这一次阿摩司看见神站立在一堵墙壁上，手中拿著准绳。他在测量墙壁，看墙壁有没有歪曲，如果墙壁不直的话，就要被拆毁。准绳象征神要个别地审判他的子民，他只会灭绝那些背叛他的人。阿摩司对这个异象没有作出任何回应。他知道神会在残余子民中找到公义的人，这批人要存活下来。

先知书中充满了这类型的异象记述。你还一定记得在以西结书第1章中我们见到神荣耀的战车宝座，你也记得先知但以理所陈述的许多异象。先知异象的记述让我们知道预言是从上而来的。

历史的背景

除了先知的呼召、象征行动和异象的记述以外，先知书中许多历史记叙明显地为我们提供了历史背景。这种记叙零碎地散布在先知书里面。其中一个提供历史背景的重要例子，出现在以赛亚书第7章到8章里。这两章《圣经》为以赛亚书7章14节著名的预言提供了历史背景。在以赛亚书7章14节中，我们读到这些话：

「必有童女怀孕生子，给他起名叫以马内利...。」（以赛亚书第7章14节）

很多时候基督徒犯了个错误，我们很少注意到这段记叙的上下文，就是以赛亚书第7章和第8章中的记述，这段经文为以赛亚书的预言提供了历史背景。

在以赛亚书第7章第1和第2节中，我们知道以赛亚与亚哈斯讲话的时候，正是亚哈斯惧怕叙利亚和北国以色列入侵的时候。这两个国家要求亚哈斯王与他们联盟，对抗亚述帝国。在第7章第3至11节的记述中，我们看到以赛亚对亚哈斯提出了警告。他警告亚哈斯不要惧伯这些国家，要信靠耶和华为他的拯救。可是在第7章第12节里，我们看见亚哈斯王拒绝信靠神。然后在7章13节到8章18节中解释了以赛亚怎样斥责亚哈斯王，又宣告神要藉亚述帝国的手审判犹大。这段历史记叙的目的，是要为以赛亚书这段预言提供历史背景。只有当我们把以赛亚的预言放在这段历史背景中，我们才有希望正确地了解以赛亚的预言。

每当我们读到旧约预言中的一个记述的时候，我们要问以下的问题：这是呼召的记叙吗？又或者是象征行动的记载呢？这是一段异象的记述呢？还是为预言铺垫历史背景的记叙？当我们问这些问题的时候，我们就能够了解这些经文，不然的话，这些讯息对我们来说依然是隐藏起来的。

我们在先知书文体分析这一课中，看见了先知们在写作的时候包括了历史记叙在其中。现在我们要转去研究这部分《圣经》的第二种主要文体类型，那就是先知与神之间沟通的记录。

与上帝的沟通

旧约的先知们是爱神的人，因此，他们过的是充满祷告的生活。他们也爱读《圣经》，所以也学会了怎样从《圣经》中作祷告。我们发现旧约先知的祷告就像诗篇中向神的祷告那样。你可以想得出来的祷告题材都出现在先知书之中。

为了简化讨论，我们会指出先知祷告内容的两个极端。我们首先会谈「哀歌祷告」，然后再看「赞美祷告」。当先知与神说话的时候，他们的心完全地向神倘敞开，把心中的哀痛和喜悦毫无保留地向神倾吐。让我们先来看先知怎样以祷告向神表达哀伤。

诉求的祷告

很不幸的是今天许多基督徒对我们称为哀歌的祷告类型不太熟悉。哀歌是向神表达失望、悲伤和困惑的祷告。在我们这个年代，许多基督徒认为这样的祷告是不适当的，可是我们发现旧约先知告诉我们，这种祷告是与神同行的生活中非常重要的一部分。先知以祷告向神表达他们的困惑、失望和忧伤。哀歌文体在好多卷先知书中出现：耶利米书、耶利米哀歌和哈巴谷书都是特别有名的长篇哀歌，但是这种祷告同时出现在好多先知书里面。哈该书是唯一没有稍稍包含与哀歌文体相以的先知书。先知书中哀歌祷告的频率显示了这是先知事工的主要部分。

先知们以哀歌在神面前表达他们关注的事情，因为他们正面对神子民有史以来最可怕的时代。要考究哀歌如何在旧约先知书中出现，我们要知道先知通常哀悼两种不同的题目：第一是神子民的罪恶；第二是神对罪的审判。要说明哀歌中这两项关注点的最佳方式，就是去看哈巴谷书中的哀歌。哈巴谷是在巴比伦危机期间和危机发生之前在犹大国服侍的先知。哈巴谷与神谈论两类问题。第一类问题出现在第1章2到4节中，哈巴谷在这里哀悼以色列的罪和背叛神的行径。然后，在第1章里，他哀悼神将要降下的可怕审判，那就是巴比伦的入侵。我们先来看先知如何哀悼神子民的罪恶。

百姓的罪

在哈巴谷书开头的经节里，哈巴谷回想神子民的罪恶，并且向神呼求。在哈巴谷书第1章第2节中，我们读到这样的话：

「耶和华啊，我呼求你，你不应允，要到几时呢？我因强暴哀求你，你还不拯救。」（哈巴谷书第1章2节）

哈巴谷感到十分困惑，因为神没有听他为犹大道德情况所作的祷告。象许多其它先知那样，哈巴谷特别关注在犹大国中所发生的不公义的事情。我们在第1章第4节中读到这样的话：

「因此律法放松，公理也不明显；恶人围困义人，所以公理显然颠倒。」（哈巴谷书第1章4节）

哈巴谷对于神不审判他子民的罪感到十分困惑。他感到挫败和无能为力。哈巴谷书中开头的祷告说明了先知如何向神表达他的心，这是先知们所使用的主要方式之一。当他们看见神子民所遭受的痛苦的时候，他们所能够做的，就只有向神呼求，又叫其他人以哀歌向神呼求。

我们看见哈巴谷呼求神，要求神为犹大的罪的原故而降下惩罚。当我们读哈巴谷书的时候，我们在第1章第5到11节中见到神怎样回应哈巴谷的祷告，神说他将要惩罚犹大的恶行。让我们读第1章第6节：

「我必兴起巴比伦人，就是那残忍暴躁之民，通行遍地，占据那不属自己的住处。」（哈巴谷书第1章6节）

神应许要应允先知的呼求，在犹大国中审判那些行不公义的人。神履行了他对哈巴谷的回应，他让巴比伦人进行了约的审判。巴比伦征讨犹大，并且残暴地对待神的子民。

审判

神一旦开始审判，哈巴谷再一次观察情况，更进一步地表达我们在先知书中看见的第二种主要哀歌类型，那就是哀悼神审判的哀歌。让我们听听他怎样为遭受巴比伦残酷地对待犹大的祷告。在哈巴谷书第1章13节里，哈巴谷说了这些话：

「你眼目清洁不看邪僻，不看奸恶；行诡诈的，你为何看著不理呢？恶人吞灭比自己公义的，你为何静默不语呢？」（哈巴谷书第1章13节）

先知知道神子民犯了可怕的罪，可是他现在意识到巴比伦的罪比犹大的罪更大。外邦暴君带来的痛苦和苦难驱使哈巴谷向神呼喊，表达他极深的哀伤。神对哈巴谷的呼喊作出回应，他在2章2到20节中告诉哈巴谷，他有一天要惩罚巴比伦的恶行。在2章8节里，我们读到神针对巴比伦所说的话：

「因你抢夺许多的国，杀人流血，向国内的城并城中一切居民施行强暴，所以各国剩下的民都必抢夺你。」（哈巴谷书第2章8节）

哈巴谷哀悼神审判的严重性，他的哀声达到天上，神向他保证巴比伦必定会被毁。

在先知书中我们见到神的仆人向神发出哀伤的祷告，在神面前表达他们心中的重担。我们偶尔也会发现他们哀悼外邦，目的是向以色列民保证他们的敌人必定会被毁灭。但是，先知一般会把重担放在神面前，让神的子民知道他们的罪是多么的严重，同时又呼召他们悔改。

哀歌是先知与神沟通的方式之一。现在我们要去看先知书中第二种主要的祷告类型，那就是赞美的祷告。

赞美的祷告

就如诗篇中有许多赞美神的祷告的例子，先知也采用了这种方式与神对话。他们赞美神，因为神赐给他们恩约的祝福。当先知看见神将要赐下的福气，他们就赞美神。对神的赞美出现在很多先知书里面。对先知来说这是一个非常重要的主题。我们要以哈巴谷书结尾的章节，就是哈巴谷对神的赞美去结束我们对哈巴谷书的观察。

我们看到哈巴谷书中主要在表达先知的哀伤和神对他的哀求的回应。但是这卷书的最后一章却由哀伤转为赞美。当神应许因为巴比伦残酷地对待神子民而要毁灭巴比伦的时候，哈巴谷就因此向神发出极大的赞美。我们在哈巴谷书中见到怎么样的赞美呢？在先知书中，对神的赞美有两个主要的主题。当先知以赞美荣耀神的时候，他们是为了神的审判和祝福而赞美他。哈巴谷书第3章就是采用了这种方式作出赞美的。

审判

在哈巴谷书第3章第11和12节中，先知这样说：

「因你的箭射出发光，你的枪闪出光耀，日月都在本宫停住。你发愤恨通行大地，发怒气责打列国。如同打粮。」（哈巴谷书第3章11-12节）

先知在这里以赞美荣耀神，哈巴谷赞美神审判列国、毁灭列国的大能。

赞美审判这个主题出现在许多先知书中。先知以赛亚在以赛亚书40章22节中赞美神说：

「神坐在地球大圈之上，地上的居民好象蝗虫。他铺张穹苍如幔子，展开诸天如可住的帐棚。他使君王归于虚无，使地上的审判官成为虚空。」（以赛亚书第40章22节）

当我们读到赞美神审判的经节，我们经常感觉到怪怪的。因为现代的基督徒认为我们只应该赞美神在地上的祝福。可是，这个世界迫害神的子民，这是事实。所以，当神审判迫害他子民的人的时候，神的子民就应该赞美他。先知了解到这一点，所以他们为了神的审判而赞美他。

祝福

审判和祝福的互联关系带领我们到达先知赞美的第二个焦点。先知不仅经常为了神的审判而作出赞美，他们也为了神赐给他子民的许多祝福而赞美他。先知哈巴谷明确地陈述了为什么他为了神审判的大能而赞美他。在哈巴谷书第3章12和13节中，我们读到这话：

「你发愤恨通行大地，你发怒气责打列国，如同打粮。你出来要拯救你的百姓，拯救你的受膏者。」（哈巴谷书第3章12-13节）

哈巴谷看见有一天神要审判恶人，拯救以色列国，又要复兴大卫家。哈巴谷看见了这一切，所以他为了神的审判而赞美神。

同样的，先知以赛亚也是这样尊荣神，先知用神亲口说的话赞美他。在以赛亚书44章24节中出现了这些话：

「从你出胎，造就你的救赎主耶和华如此说：『我耶和华是创造万物的，是独自铺张诸天、铺开大地的。』」（以赛亚书第44章24节）

然后在44章26节里，先知继续说：

「我耶和华论到耶路撒冷说：『必有人居住。』论到犹大的城邑说：『必被建造，其中的荒场我也必兴起。』」 （以赛亚书第44章26节）

先知不单只发出哀伤和悲痛的祷告，他们也对神献上兴奋的、奇妙的赞美。当原来的读者读这些话的时候，他们也受到感动而赞美神。当我们听见这些赞美神的祝福和审判的话，我们也应该与原来的读者一起向神发出赞美。

这一课到目前为止，我们看过了先知书中包含了历史记叙和先知与神沟通的记录。现在我们要来看旧约先知书中的第三种主要文体类型，那就是先知与人的沟通。

与百姓的沟通

我们知道先知书的文体中有历史记述和祷告，这是十分重要的，可是，这两类文体对于神呼召先知的主要目的是没有关系的。神呼召先知作他的使者，向王和约中的有形群体说话。由于这样，大多数先知所讲的话实际上是神向子民传达的讯息。现在，我们必须转去看先知材料中与人的沟通这类文体。我们要把先知与人的沟通这个研究划分成三部份：第一部份是审判的讯息；第二部份是祝福的讯息；第三部份是混合这两项讯息的话，是介乎二个极端之间的讯息。让我们先去看旧约先知对约中子民宣告审判讯息的方法。

审判的讯息

在最近几十年来，有研究把先知书与其他文化的文学作品进行比较，这项研究清楚地显示出旧约先知通常是按照一定的形式或方法对人讲话的。这种讲话的方式是灵活的，又能够适用于生活在不同情况之下的人。虽然如此，恩约审判的宣告还是有三种主要的类型：第一是审判、第二是哀歌，最后是诉讼。让我们先看审判。

审判的谕令

审判是旧约先知书中最简单的讲话类型。典型的审判是由两个主要部分组成的。第一部分是先知的指控，先知首先唤醒神的子民，指出他们的罪行。第二部分是判刑，在判刑的讲话中，先知宣布由于神子民的罪，他们要经历怎样的约章诅咒。有时候这两个部分的顺序会颠倒，或者先知会交替地提到这两个部份。有些情况之下，审判预言也许会被简化，只包含指控或者判刑。可是，这样的情况不经常发生。先知一般来说都按照指控和判刑这基本的双重形式来表达讯息。

例如，先知阿摩司在阿摩司书第4章1到3节中，他对撒玛利亚宣告审判的来临。他开始先责备撒玛利亚中富有的人和贪吃的妇女。在第4章第1节中，我们读到这些话：

「你们住撒玛利亚山如巴珊的母牛的啊，当听我的话！你欺负贫寒的，压碎穷乏的，对家主说：『拿酒来，我们喝吧！』」（阿摩司书第4章1节）

阿摩司在这里斥责撒玛利亚的妇女危害北国以色列中贫寒的人，指责他们没有照顾贫寒者的需要，他们只管向他们的丈夫要吃的，以满足口腹之欲。

紧接阿摩司书第4章2至3节的，是神对于不遵守神恩约责任者的审判，这在审判预言中是常见的次序。听听阿摩司在第4章2到3节中所说的话：

主耶和华指著自己的圣洁起誓说：『日子快到，人必用钩子将你们余剩的钩去。你们各人必从破口直往前行，投入哈门。』这是耶和华说的。（阿摩司书第4章2-3节）

总而言之，阿摩司预言撒玛利亚要被毁坏，而且这些富有的妇女要被掳去。

咒诅的谕令

除了审判预言之外，旧约先知经常宣告约章的诅咒，他们所采取的形式一般被称为哀歌。哀歌与审判预言非常相似，因为一般来说两者都是先提出指控，然后再列举所判的刑罚。他们的主要分别是，哀歌经常以「哀哉」一词作为开始。

其中一个哀歌的例子出现在以赛亚书第5章第8到10节。先知在那里宣告神的子民买尽了所有贫寒者的土地，因此剥夺了他们应有的权利。先知在以赛亚书第5章第8节中表达了他的哀伤。以赛亚说「祸哉！」以赛亚将要说的不是祝福的话，而是从神而来的诅咒，是不受人欢迎的。以赛亚的指控随著哀歌而来，那是在第5章第8节：

那些以房接房、以地连地，以致不留余地的，只顾自己独居境内。（以赛亚书第5章8节）

我们要记住在摩西的日子里，神为每个家族建立了稳固的永久土地继承权。在以赛亚的日子里，富有的犹大人违反了这个约章的法令，收购每片他们可以购买的土地。因此，在以赛亚书第5章第9和10节里，先知宣告违反这约章的人要遭受的惩罚：

我耳闻万军之耶和华说：「必有许多又大又美的房屋成为荒凉，无人居住。三十亩葡萄园只出一罢特酒；只结一伊法粮食。」（以赛亚书第5章9-10节）

我们在这里看见惩罚与罪行是相称的，就如在许多预言中所看见的那样。富有的人收购土地，为的是寻求巩固他们的财力，但是神要确保他们的努力是白费的。这类型的哀歌经常在先知书中出现。

起诉

除了审判预言和哀歌之外，先知也以诉讼的形式宣告约章诅咒。希伯来话『rib』这个字经常与这类演说联系在一起。一般来说『rib』这个字指的是『争论』或『力争』，但是在先知书中它有另一种特别的意义。这个字所指的是法律上的争论，是法律上的术语，又可以说是在大君王耶和华天上法庭里的法律诉讼用语。

我们看到先知经常有从天而来的异象，看见神坐在天上的宝座上，很多时候他们看见神的宝座就是法庭。因此，我们看见法律术语的出现。神在这些异象中被看成为检察官和法官。在法庭上有证人作证，控告神子民的罪行，神的子民是被告，是被神控诉的对象。一般来说在先知书中我们不会发现全面的诉讼，可是我们常常看见称为修改了的诉讼。诉讼可以包含许多元素。就如我们会在法庭中看见的。先是宣召开庭，辨认证人。然后神数说他如何以恩慈对待被告。接下来书中会出现某种回应，有时候是先知本身会作出回应。再下来的是神的指控，最后就是判刑的阶段。

全面诉讼的其中一个最佳例子出现在弥迦书第6章1到16节里。在第1节中我们听见宣召开庭的经节。神这样说：

「要起来向山岭争辩，使岗陵听你的话。」（弥迦书第6章1节）

第2节是对证人说的话：

「山岭和地永久的根基啊，要听耶和华争辩的话！」（弥迦书第6章2节）

神对他的子民说完话以后，他就提醒法庭他是怎样恩待他的子民的。在第3节中，我们读到这些话：

「我的百姓啊，我向你做了什么呢？我在什么事上使你厌烦，你可以对我证明。」（弥迦书第6章3节）

先知弥迦这个时候就代表神的子民讲话，谦卑地在第6节到第8节中对神的问题作出回应。他在第6节中说：

「我朝见耶和华，在至高神面前跪拜。」（弥迦书第6章6节）

先知承认国民被指控的罪状，弥迦在第8节中总结说：

世人哪，耶和华已指示你何为善，他向你所要的是什么呢？行公义，好怜悯，存谦卑的心，与你的神同行。（弥迦书第6章8节）

在先知的回应以中，我们在第10到12节中看见指控，又在第13到16节中看见判刑的过程。先知书中与这段经文相似的诉讼，是神指控他的子民的方法之一，神然后以审判警诫他的子民。

祝福的讯息

我们看到先知不仅仅宣告神给他子民的审判，他们也宣布神要赐福给他们。先知基本上以两种方式宣布神赐给他子民的祝福。一方面，先知宣告神子民的敌人要得的审判。另一方面，他们宣告直接临到神子民身上的祝福。让我们先去看神子民敌人的审判怎样成为神子民的祝福。

仇敌的审判

在以色列的历史中，外邦国家经常困扰神的子民，神宣告赐给他子民恩典和祝福的其中一个方法，就是由他的先知去宣布在这些敌人身上要出现的审判。我们在先知书中看见针对外邦敌人的审判预言、哀歌和诉讼。在那鸿书第3章第1节中，我们读到有关尼尼微的话：

祸哉！这流人血的城，充满谎诈和强暴，抢夺的事总不止息。（那鸿书第3章1节）

审判预言、哀歌和对外邦的诉讼包含了两重的目的，它们既宣称神要毁灭以色列的仇敌，同时也正面地保证以色列神要释放他的子民。

祝福的谕令

除了宣告在敌人身上的审判之外，先知也宣告在神子民身上的祝福，为以色列带来希望的话语。祝福的宣告以非常灵活的形式出现，变化繁多，可是其中一个基本形式出现了好多次。首先出现的是引言，然后是祝福的原因。预言往往详尽地阐述那祝福的内容。例如，先知耶利米在耶利米书35章18到19节中宣布要临到利甲族的祝福。这预言的引言在第18节上：

「万军之耶和华以色列的神如此说...。」（耶利米书35章18节）

接著引言而来的是神祝福他子民的原因。在第18节下，我们读到这样的话：

「因你们听从你们先祖约拿达的吩咐，谨守他的一切诫命，照他所吩咐你们的去行。」（耶利米书35章18节）

祝福的宣告发表在19节中：

「利甲的儿子约拿达必永不缺人侍立在我面前。」 （耶利米书35章19节）

另一段有名的祝福预言出现在耶利米书31章31到34节。神先在31节到33节宣布祝福。在耶利米书31章31节中记载了这一段话：

「耶和华说：『日子将到，我要与以色列家和犹大家另立新约。』」（耶利米书第31章31节）

先知宣告当以色列复兴的时候，神要与他们订立新约，这就是祝福。然后在耶利米书31章34节里，我们看到祝福的原因：

「我要赦免他们的罪孽，不再记念他们的罪恶。」（耶利米书第31章34节）

神赦免的恩典是新约应许的基础。

混合的讯息

我们看到先知典型的宣告包含了神的祝福和诅咒。很多时候我们在先知书中看到称为混合讯息的宣告。混合讯息以许多不同的形式出现，我们只能去看其中几类。我们要记住的是，混合讯息所指的有可能是神的祝福和神的咒诅。

审判－救恩谕令

首先，我们先谈谈审判和拯救的预言，在同一段经文中，审判是对某一群体所说的警诫的话，而祝福是对另一个群体说的，这两种宣告在同一段讯息中出现。以赛亚书57章14到21节是混合讯息的好例子，当中有审判邪恶和拯救公义的讯息。

召唤人悔改

同时间，很多时候先知呼召人民悔改，作出审判的警告，又为悔改的人提供祝福的应许。呼召悔改的其中一个例子是在以赛亚书55章6到13节里，先知在那里呼召神的子民从罪中回转过来。

召唤人去争战

在别的地方先知呼召听者起来作战。同样地，这些呼召混合了打胜仗和打败仗的讯息。例如，在何西阿书第5章8到11节中，我们看到预备作战的呼召，准备接受神审判的攻击。

先知的争辩

混合讯息另一个例子是预言的争论。一位先知与另一位先知进行争论。例如在弥迦书2章6到11节里，先知与假先知争辩。争论同时也宣告祝福或审判来临。

比喻

最后先知以比喻文体宣告混合讯息。比喻可以是有关神的恩典的正面宣告，也可以是他的审判的消极宣告。以赛亚书第5章1到7节是先知书中比喻的强而有力的例子。在这里，先知以赛亚以葡萄园比作以色列。

在先知书中有多种混合讯息，当我们读到这些讯息的时候，我们要注意到这些讲话有可能是恩约祝福的宣告，又可能是诅咒来临的警告。

五、总结

我们看见了预言文体包含了许多类型的先知宣告。除了历史背景和与神之间的沟通以外，先知用了好多时间把神的话带给他的子民。我们强调先知书的读者要熟悉先知书中各种各样的文体，这是非常重要的。读先知书的时候我们经常感到迷失和茫然，那是因为我们不明白其中所包含的各种材料类型。我们在这一课中看了先知书记述中的历史背景、先知与神之间的沟通和与人的之间的沟通。我们读先知书的时候要在脑子里记住这些体裁，这样我们就能够理解先知的话在当时的意义，也能够明白这些话今天对我们有什么意义了。

He Gave Us Prophets: Literary Analysis of the Prophets

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INTRODUCTION

I have a number of friends who have committed themselves to reading through the whole Bible in a year. But on more than one occasion, these friends have come to me and said: "Richard, when I begin to read Old Testament prophecy, I feel as if I'm lost in a huge, dark forest." And that's the way it is for many of us. We begin to think that we know the prophets, but soon we see that we're wandering aimlessly because we're so unfamiliar with the terrain of the Old Testament prophets.

Well, in this lesson we're going to begin to get a familiarity with the terrain of this part of the Bible. So we've entitled this lesson, "Literary Analysis of the Prophets." In this lesson we'll focus on three different kinds of literature that we run into all through Old Testament prophecy: first, historical narratives, stories that record events that took place in the prophets' lives; second, communication with God, passages that record the prayers and the praises of the prophets as they addressed God; and, third communication with people, the speeches which the prophets directed to their fellow human beings. Understanding how these different kinds of literature appear in prophetic books will provide us with a map that will lead us to the treasures that await us in this part of the Bible. Let's take a look first at historical narratives.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVES

Everyone likes a good story. That's why we read books and go to the movies. It's because stories do more than inform us. They also awaken our imaginations and change us in ways that are unimaginable at times. Well, when we think about the Bible, we know there are many stories or narratives in the Bible, but usually we allocate the narratives to books like Genesis and Exodus and Numbers. But we must also see that there are many narratives even in the prophetic books of the Old Testament.

Historical narratives absolutely dominate the terrain of several Old Testament prophetic books. At the top of the list is Jonah. From the beginning to the end, it tells the story of Jonah and his ministry to the city of Nineveh. A large portion of the book of Daniel is also historical narrative. Daniel's visions and prophecies are set within the context of historical events. Beyond this, a number of chapters in books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel also form historical accounts. And to a lesser degree, narratives also appear interspersed here and there in books like Hosea and Amos and Isaiah. As we study Old Testament prophets, we must always be on the lookout for historical narratives. They form important parts of many books.

We'll explore the role of historical narratives in prophecy by focusing on two matters: first, the types of narratives we encounter; and second, the content of these narratives. Let's look first at the types of narratives we run into in the prophetic books.

Types of Narratives

Old Testament prophecies contain two basic types of narratives: biography and autobiography. Just as these terms normally indicate, biographies are accounts from a third person point of view and autobiographies are told from the first person point of view.

Biography

In some cases, both biographical and autobiographical accounts appear in the very same book. For example, the first six chapters of Daniel report a number of events in Daniel's life from a third person biographical point of view. In chapter 1, we learn of Daniel's training in Babylon. In chapter 2, we learn of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great statue and Daniel's interpretation of that dream. Chapter 3 is the story of the famous fiery furnace, and chapter 4 reports Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a tree and Daniel's interpretation. And then, chapter 5 reports the well-known time when Belshazzar saw handwriting on the wall, and chapter 6 is an account of Daniel in the lion's den. All of these chapters take the shape of biography. They form third person narratives about the Old Testament prophet Daniel.

Autobiography

Although the first six chapters of Daniel are biographical, chapters 7–12 take a turn toward autobiography. Short introductions begin each section, but the terrain is dominated by first-person accounts. Daniel himself reports what happens to him in his own words. Chapter 7 reports Daniel's own account of the dream of four beasts. In chapter 8 Daniel tells about his vision of a ram and a goat. Chapter 9 contains an autobiographical account of Daniel's prayer for the exiles to return to the land. And chapters 10–12 amount to an autobiographical record of Daniel's vision of the future for God's people.

As we study Old Testament prophecy, we're going to run into many biographies and many autobiographies, and we must always be aware of these genres when we come upon them. Old Testament writers wrote in narrative form so that they could teach their lessons indirectly to us, and if we miss these genres, we'll miss the important messages they have to give to us.

Having seen that historical narratives form a vital part of the prophetic books, we're now in a position to ask another question: what were the basic contents of these records?

Content of Narratives

Throughout the prophets we find that narratives focus in four basic directions: first, the prophetic call; second, symbolic actions; third, vision reports; and fourth, historical backgrounds.

Prophetic Call

A prophetic call is a report of the times when God commissioned prophets to speak on his behalf. This kind of record appears in a number of key passages. For example, Isaiah 6 reports God's call to Isaiah. Jeremiah 1 tells us how God called Jeremiah to represent God's covenant. And similarly, in Ezekiel 2, we learn that God called Ezekiel to serve him in a very special way. In each of these passages, we find stories or narratives, and we learn about the prophet's humility before God and how the prophets were assured that God had authorized their ministries.

The stories of a prophet's call were designed to validate or to demonstrate that God had called prophets to do his bidding. And this was important because Old Testament prophets often said things that were not very popular or easy to accept. And we must always remember that these stories validated that God had called these men to serve him. As we listen to the Old Testament prophets, we're going to hear things that we don't like and we don't want to accept, but we must remember that prophets were called by God.

Symbolic Actions

Historical narratives in the prophetic books also focus on the symbolic actions of prophets. Many times God called his spokesmen to perform certain actions that took on symbolic value for their ministries. For example, in Jeremiah 13, the prophet was told to go bury his linen belt until it rotted in order to illustrate the corruption of Judah. In chapter 19, Jeremiah was told to buy a clay jar and break it in the presence of the elders as a symbol of what was going to happen to Judah. And in chapter 32, God instructed Jeremiah to buy land and to keep the deed safe as a sign to assure the people of God that one day God would bring his people back to the land.

These examples in the book of Jeremiah are just a few of the many symbolic actions that take place in the prophetic books. Books like Hosea and Ezekiel are full of such events. In the Old Testament, the people of God were able to see with their eyes what God was saying through the words of the prophets. And as we read these records, we can see with our eyes what God was saying through the prophets as well.

Vision Reports

In addition to records of prophets' calls and symbolic actions, we run into a third kind of historical narrative in the prophetic books — vision reports. Vision reports are those passages where the prophet describes a visual encounter with God. One very important series of vision reports appears in Amos 7:1-9. This passage is actually a report of three visions. First, in 7:1-3, the Lord shows Amos a swarm of locusts about to destroy northern Israel, but Amos offered a response to this vision. In 7:2 he said these words:

Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small! (Amos 7:2).

Amos was concerned that not even a remnant of God's people would live through such a terrible locust plague. And so, in verse 3, God relented and decided not to send the locusts.

In much the same way, in chapter 7 of Amos, verses 4-6, God permits Amos to see him decreeing a fire or a drought to consume the land of northern Israel. Amos responded again and cried out to the Lord, in Amos 7:5:

Sovereign Lord, [forgive]! How can Jacob survive? He is so small! (Amos 7:5).

Once again, in verse 6, God relented.

Then a third vision is reported in Amos 7:7-9. This time, Amos saw God standing beside a wall with a plumb line in his hand. He was measuring the wall to see if it was crooked and if it needed to be torn down. Now, this plumb symbolized the fact that God was going to judge each individual among his people and destroy only those who had rebelled against him. Amos had nothing to say about this vision. He knew that a righteous remnant would be found and would survive.

The prophetic books are full of vision reports like these. You will remember the first chapter of Ezekiel where we see the great chariot throne of God. And you will also remember the many visions of Daniel the prophet. The prophetic vision reports let us know the heavenly origins of the prophetic word.

Historical Backgrounds

Now in addition to prophetic calls and symbolic actions and vision reports, a number of historical accounts in the prophets simply provide us with historical backgrounds. These kinds of narratives appear scattered here and there throughout the prophets. One very important example of a focus on historical background appears in Isaiah 7–8. These chapters provide the historical context in which the well-known prediction of Isaiah 7:14 appears. In Isaiah 7:14 we read these words:

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).

Now, often Christians mistakenly pay very little attention to the narrative that surrounds this verse, the narrative of chapters 7–8 in Isaiah. These chapters provide an historical context for Isaiah's prophetic word.

In Isaiah 7:1-2, we learn that Isaiah was approaching Ahaz at this time when he was terrified by the threats of Syria and northern Israel. These nations wanted King Ahaz to join their coalition against the empire of Assyria. So, in 7:3-11, the narrative tells us that Isaiah delivered a warning to Ahaz. He warned him not to fear any of these nations, but to trust Yahweh for his deliverance. But in 7:12 we learn that Ahaz refused to trust God. So, in 7:13–8:18 the narrative explains how Isaiah rebuked Ahaz and announced that God was going to judge Judah through the Assyrian empire. This historical narrative was designed to provide a context, an historical background for Isaiah's prophecies in this passage. We can only hope to understand Isaiah's predictions correctly when we set his predictions within the context of this historical narrative.

Whenever we read Old Testament prophecy and we come upon a story, we have to ask ourselves these questions: Are we dealing with a call narrative? Are we dealing with a report of a symbolic action? Or are we dealing with a vision report or simply a narrative that gives us historical background to a prophecy? As we ask these kinds of questions, we'll find ourselves able to understand passages that otherwise remain hidden from us.

So far in our lesson of prophetic literature, we have seen that the prophets included historical narratives in their books. Now we should turn to a second major type of material found in this part of the Bible — the prophets' communication with God.

COMMUNICATION WITH GOD

Old Testament prophets were men and women who loved God, and so their lives were full of prayer. But we also have to remember that they loved their Bibles and they learned how to pray from their Bibles. And so we discover that the prophets of the Old Testament prayed to God in the ways that the Psalms prayed to the Lord. The full range of every imaginable kind of prayer can be found within the prophetic books.

For the sake of simplicity, we'll point to two ends of the spectrum of prayers which we find in the prophets. We'll speak first of prayers of lament, and then second, prayers of praise. When the prophets spoke to God, they opened their hearts to him across the full range of sorrow and joy. Let's look first at how the prophets expressed themselves to God in prayers of lament.

Prayers of Lament

Unfortunately, many Christians today are unfamiliar with that type of prayer that we call laments. Laments are those prayers that offer disappointment and sadness and confusion to the Lord. In our day, many Christians think that it is inappropriate to pray that way, but we discover that the prophets of the Old Testament tell us that those kinds of prayers are a very important part of our lives with the Lord. The prophets offered their confusion, their disappointment, and their sadness to God in prayer. Laments appear throughout the prophets. Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Habakkuk are especially well known for their extensive laments, but these kinds of prayers appear in many prophetic books. In fact, the book of Haggai is the only prophetic book that does not contain a passage that's at least closely related to laments. The frequency of prayers of lament within the prophetic books indicates that this was a very central part of the prophetic ministry.

The prophets offered their concerns to the Lord through laments because they faced some of the worst times in the history of God's people. To explore how laments appear in the Old Testament prophetic books, it helps to realize that prophets usually lamented about two different topics: first, the sins of God's people; and second, the judgment of God against sin. One of the best ways to illustrate these two concerns of prophetic laments is to look at the laments contained in the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk ministered just before and during the Babylonian crisis in Judah, and for this reason, Habakkuk talked to God about two big problems. On the one hand, in 1:2-4, he lamented about the sins of Israel and the way that Israel had rebelled against God. And then in chapter 1, he lamented over the horrors of God's judgment in the aggression of the Babylonians. We should begin by looking at the prophet's laments over the sins of God's people.

Sins of People

In the opening verse of his book, Habakkuk reflected on the sins of God's people and cried out to God. In Habakkuk 1:2, we read these words:

How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? (Habakkuk 1:2).

Habakkuk was deeply distressed over the fact that God had not heard his prayers about the moral condition of Judah. Like many other prophets, he was especially concerned with rampant injustices in the land. And so we read in 1:4:

The law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted (Habakkuk 1:4).

Habakkuk was distressed that God had not reacted in judgment against the sins of his people. He felt frustrated and helpless. This opening prayer in Habakkuk illustrates one of the central ways in which prophets expressed their hearts to the Lord. When they saw the pain and suffering of God's people, they could do nothing but cry out to God themselves and call others to cry out in laments.

As we have seen, Habakkuk cried out to God to punish the people of Judah for their sins. And when we read through the book of Habakkuk, we find that in 1:5-11, God responded to Habakkuk's prayer by saying that he would soon punish the wicked of Judah. As we read in 1:6:

I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own (Habakkuk 1:6).

God promised that he would answer the prophet's cry for judgment against those who practiced injustice in Judah. Now, God was true to his response to Habakkuk, and he sent the Babylonians in covenant judgment, and they subjugated Judah and mistreated the people of God.

Judgment

Once God acted in judgment, however, Habakkuk looked at the situation again and raised a second major kind of lament that we find in the prophets — laments over God's judgment. Listen to the way he prays about Judah's suffering under the Babylonians. In 1:13 Habakkuk says these words:

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? (Habakkuk 1:13).

The prophet knew that God's people had sinned terribly, but now he realized that the sins of the Babylonians were even greater. The pain and suffering under foreign oppressors compelled Habakkuk to cry out to God with deep lament. And in response to Habakkuk's cry, God told the prophet in 2:2-20, that he would one day punish the Babylonians for their oppression. For instance, in 2:8 we read these words to the Babylonians:

Because you have plundered many nations, the people who are left will plunder you (Habakkuk 2:8).

Habakkuk's lament over the severity of God's judgment reached the throne of heaven, and God assured him that Babylon would be destroyed.

Throughout the prophets, we find that these servants of the Lord offered prayers of lament to bear their burdens before the Lord. We find occasionally that they offer laments on the behalf of Gentile nations to ensure the people of Israel that their enemies would be destroyed. But usually, they offered these burdens to the Lord to let the people know how severe their sins were and to call them to repentance.

Laments are one of the ways in which prophets communicated with God. Now we should turn to the second major type of prayer appearing in the prophets — the praise of God.

Prayers of Praise

Just as the Psalms have many examples of praise to God within them, the prophets also used this form of expression to speak words to the Lord. Usually they offered praise to God because of his great covenant blessings. When the prophets would see what good things God was going to do, they would come to him with praise. The praise of God occurs in many prophetic books. It was a very important theme to the prophets. We're going to complete our look at the book of Habakkuk by noting the praise of God that appears at the end of his book.

As we've already seen, most of the book of Habakkuk deals primarily with the prophet's laments and God's responses to his laments. But the last chapter of the book shifts from lament to praise. After God had promised that he would destroy the Babylonians for their severe treatment of God's people, Habakkuk offers a wonderful praise to the Lord.

What kind of praise do we find in Habakkuk? Throughout the prophets, two themes take center stage in the praise of God. When the prophets honor the Lord with praise, they praise him for his judgments and for his blessings. When we look at the third chapter of Habakkuk, we'll see that he also followed this pattern as well.

Judgment

In Habakkuk 3:11-12, the prophet says these words:

Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightening of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations (Habakkuk 3:11-12).

We see here that the prophet honored God with praise for his ability to strike the nations and to destroy them in judgment.

This theme of praise for judgment appears in many places in the prophets. For example, the prophet Isaiah praises the Lord in 40:22-23 in this way:

[God] sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing (Isaiah 40:22-23).

When we come to passages that praise God for his judgment, we often feel very strange. Christians today think that you should only praise the Lord for his blessings in the earth, but the reality is this — the world persecutes the people of God. And as a result, when God judges those who persecute his people, the people of God should praise him. The prophets understood this and so they praised the Lord for his judgments.

Blessings

This interconnection between judgment and blessing brings us to the second focus of prophetic praise. The prophets often praised the Lord not only for his judgment, but also for the many blessings that he gives to his people. For example, the prophet Habakkuk stated explicitly why he praised God for his power in judgment. In Habakkuk 3:12-13, we read these words:

In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one (Habakkuk 3:12-13).

Habakkuk saw that one day God would judge the wicked and so deliver the nation of Israel and restore the house of David. Habakkuk saw these things and he praised his God for his judgments.

In much the same way, the prophet Isaiah also honors God by quoting God's own words of praise to himself. In Isaiah 44:24 these words appear:

This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself (Isaiah 44:24).

Then in 44:26 the prophet continues:

[I am the Lord] … who says of Jerusalem, "It shall be inhabited," of the towns of Judah, "They shall be built," and of their ruins, "I will restore them" (Isaiah 44:26).

The prophets not only offered prayers of sadness and lament, but great, ecstatic praise to God. And when the original readers would read these words, they were moved to praise God as well. When we hear the prophets speaking words of praise to the Lord for his blessings and his judgments, we should join them in the praise of God.

So far in this lesson, we've seen that the prophetic books contain historical narratives and the prophets' communication with God. Now we come to the third major category of literature that we find in Old Testament prophets — communication with people.

COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE

As important as it is to know that the prophets had historical accounts and prayers within their materials, these genres don't deal with the main purpose for which God called prophets. God called his prophets to be his emissaries, to speak to kings and to the people of the visible covenant community, and as a result, the vast majority of their word is actually messages from God to the people. And so now we must turn to this kind of genre within the prophetic material. We'll divide our examination of the prophets' communication with people into three parts: speeches of judgment; speeches of blessing; and speeches that were mixed or in-between these two extremes. Let's look first at some of the ways Old Testament prophets announced the words of judgment to the people of the covenant.

Speeches of Judgment

In recent decades, research into the prophetic books and comparisons with the literature of other cultures has made it clear that Old Testament prophets usually delivered their speeches to people in typical forms or patterns. These patterns of speech were flexible and could be adapted to different situations by different people, but three major types of speech were used to announce covenant judgment — judgment oracles, woe oracles, and lawsuits. Let's look first at judgment oracles.

Judgment Oracles

Judgment oracles are the simplest type of speech that appears in the books of Old Testament prophecy. A typical oracle of judgment has two major components: first, there is an accusation in which the prophet calls attention to the sins of God's people; second, there is a sentencing, and in this sentencing the prophet announces what kind of covenant curse the people will experience because of their sins. Sometimes, these two components are reversed in order, or the prophet alternates between one and then the other. On some occasions, an oracle of judgment may be abbreviated so that it contains only an accusation or a sentencing. But more often than not, this basic two-fold pattern of accusation and sentencing is followed by the prophets.

For instance, the prophet Amos delivered an oracle of judgment against Samaria in Amos 4:1-3. He began with an accusation against the rich, gluttonous women of Samaria. In 4:1 we read these words:

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" (Amos 4:1).

We see here that Amos accuses the women of Samaria of harming the poor of northern Israel. Instead of meeting the needs of the poor, they simply called upon their husbands to satisfy their gluttonous appetites.

In a fashion common to judgment oracles, Amos 4:2-3 moves next to announce God's sentencing against those who have broken this covenant responsibility. Listen to what Amos 4:2-3 says:

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out towards Harmon," declares the Lord (Amos 4:2-3).

In a word, Amos predicted that Samaria would be destroyed, and these rich women would be taken away into exile.

Woe Oracles

In addition to oracles of judgment, Old Testament prophets often announced covenant curses in a pattern known as oracles of woe. Oracles of woe are very similar to judgment oracles in that they usually have an accusation followed by a sentencing. The major distinction that these oracles have is that they are introduced by an expression of woe at the very beginning.

One example of an oracle of woe appears in Isaiah 5:8-10. There the prophet announces that the people had disenfranchised the poor by buying all the land they could. The expression of woe occurs in Isaiah 5:8: "Woe to you," Isaiah says. What Isaiah is about to say will not be a welcome word of blessing, but a curse from God. The accusation of his oracle follows the expression of woe in 5:8:

You who add house to house and join field to field until no space is left and you live alone in the land (Isaiah 5:8).

We must always remember that in the days of Moses, God established that each family would have the security of a permanent inheritance. In Isaiah's day, however, the rich Judaites had violated this covenant sanction by purchasing every piece of property they could. So in Isaiah 5:9-10, the prophet declares a sentencing against these covenant violators:

The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: "Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions [will be] left without occupants. A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath of wine, a homer of seed only an ephah of grain" (Isaiah 5:9-10).

We see here that, as in many prophecies, the punishment fits the crime. The rich had sought to secure their financial advantage by collecting property, but God was going to make sure that their efforts would be in vain. Woe oracles like this one appear throughout the prophets.

Lawsuits

In addition to judgment and woe oracles, the prophets also pronounced covenant curses in the form of lawsuits. The Hebrew word rib is often associated with this form of speech. Normally, the term rib means "to contend" or "to strive," but it took a special significance in the prophets. It indicates a legal striving. It's a technical term for a legal proceeding or a lawsuit which took place in the heavenly court of Yahweh, the Great King.

We've already seen that the prophets often had visions of heaven, the heavenly throne room of God. And many times the throne room of God was seen as a courtroom, and as a result, legal terminology comes forth. God is seen as both the prosecutor and the judge. The witnesses are called against the people of God, and the people are the defendants who have been charged by God. Now, usually we don't find a full-fledged lawsuit within the prophets, but many times we find what may be called modified lawsuits. A rib, or a lawsuit, may contain many elements. First, just as we would expect in a court scene, there is a summons to court. Witnesses are identified. Then God reviews how kind he has been to the accused, and some kind of response is often given, sometimes by the prophet himself. And then God's accusation follows along with a sentencing.

One of the best examples of a full lawsuit appears in Micah 6:1-16. We hear the summons to court in verse 1. Listen to what the Lord says:

Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say (Micah 6:1).

Then in verse 2, the witnesses themselves are addressed:

Hear, O mountains, the Lord's accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth (Micah 6:2).

Following this address to the witnesses, God reminds the court of his kindness to his people. In verse 3, we read these words:

My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me (Micah 6:3).

Then Micah the prophet speaks on behalf of the people, responding to God's question in humility in verses 6-8. He says in verse 6:

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? (Micah 6:6).

Then, admitting the guilt of the nation, Micah concludes this in verse 8:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Following the prophet's response, we find accusations in verses 10-12, and the sentencing in verses 13-16. Lawsuits, similar to this passage, appear in the prophets as one of the ways God accuses them and then threatens his people with judgment.

Speeches of Blessing

As we have seen, prophets not only announce God's judgment against his people. They also declare that God would bring blessing to his people as well. There are basically two ways in which the prophets announce divine blessings for his people: On the one hand, prophets would declare judgments against the enemies of God's people. And on the other hand, they would announce blessings directly for the people of God. First, let's see how judgment on enemies becomes a blessing to the people of God.

Judgment of Enemies

Throughout the history of Israel, foreign nations troubled God's people, and one of the ways God announced great gifts and blessings to his people was by having his prophets declare judgments on these enemies. As a result, we find oracles of judgment, woe oracles, and lawsuits throughout the prophets that are directed toward Gentile enemies. For example, in Nahum 3:1 we read these words about Nineveh:

Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! (Nahum 3:1).

Oracles of judgment, woe, and lawsuits against Gentile nations had a two-fold purpose. They declared that God was going to destroy the enemies of Israel, but they also had the positive purpose of assuring Israel that God would deliver his people.

Oracles of Blessing

In addition to announcing judgments on enemies, the prophets also brought words of hope to Israel by declaring oracles of blessing. Announcements of blessings were very flexible in form and they vary greatly, but a basic pattern appears many times. First, some introductory address appears, and then some reason is given for the blessing to follow. Then the oracles often elaborate on what that blessing will be. For example, the prophet Jeremiah announced a blessing for the Recabites in Jeremiah 35:18-19. We find an introduction to this oracle in the first part of verse 18:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says… (Jeremiah 35:18).

This introductory formula is followed by the reason God is going to give a blessing to his people. In the second part of verse 18, we read these words:

You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered (Jeremiah 35:18).

The announcement of blessing then appears in verse 19:

Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me (Jeremiah 35:19).

Another well-known oracle of blessing appears in Jeremiah 31:31-34. First, God announces the blessing in verses 31-33. In Jeremiah 31:31 we read these words:

"The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31).

The prophet announced the blessing of a new covenant that would come when Israel is restored from exile. Then in Jeremiah 31:34 we find the reason for this blessing:

For I will forgive their wickedness and I will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34).

God's grace in forgiveness formed the basis of the new covenant promise.

Mixed Speeches

So we've seen then that the prophets had typical speeches that covered both the blessings of God and the curses of God. But many times we find in the prophets what we might call mixed speeches. Now these mixed speeches come in many different forms and we can only touch on a few of them. But what we have to remember is that these mixed speeches had the potential both for referring to the blessings of God and the curses of God.

Judgment-Salvation Oracles

First, we may speak of judgment-salvation oracles where judgment is threatened against some and blessings are offered to others within the same speech. Isaiah 57:14-21 is a good example of a mixed speech with words of judgment for the wicked and salvation for the righteous.

Call to Repentance

In addition, many times the prophets call people to repentance warning of judgment and offering blessings to those who repent. An example of a call to repentance can be found in Isaiah 55:6-13. There the prophet calls God's people to turn from their evil ways.

Call to War

At other times prophets will call their listeners to war. Again, these calls are mixed because they may be calls to victory or to defeat. For example, in Hosea 5:8-11 we find a call to war, to prepare to be attacked by the judgment of God.

Prophetic Disputation

Another example of mixed speeches is the prophetic disputation. Prophets entered into disputations or arguments with other prophets. For instance, in Micah 2:6-11 the prophet argued against the views of the false prophets. Disputations announce either blessing or judgment to come.

Parables

Finally, the prophets declared mixed messages in the genre of parables. Parables may be the positive announcement of God's grace or the negative announcement of his judgment. Isaiah 5:1-7 is a powerful example of a parable in the prophets. There, the prophet Isaiah likened Israel to a vineyard.

There are many kinds of mixed oracles that we find throughout the prophets, yet as we come upon them, we should always be alert to the fact that these speeches may serve either to announce covenant blessings or curses.

CONCLUSION

So it is that we have seen that the prophetic literature contains many types of speeches by the prophets. In addition to historical accounts and communication with God, the prophets spent much of their time bringing God's word to his people. It is hard to imagine that we could overemphasize becoming familiar with the various genres that appear within the prophetic books. Many times we feel lost and confused when we read the prophets because we're not aware of the different types of materials that we find there. We've seen that we find in the prophets narratives of historical accounts and communication with God, as well as communication with people. As we read the prophetic books and keep these genre designations in mind, we can go a long way for understanding what they meant in their day and what they mean for us today.

Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. (Host) is Co-Founder and President of Third Millennium Ministries. He served as Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary for more than 20 years and was chair of the Old Testament department. An ordained minister, Dr. Pratt travels extensively to evangelize and teach. He studied at Westminster Theological Seminary, received his M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary, and earned his Th.D. in Old Testament Studies from Harvard University. Dr. Pratt is the general editor of the NIV Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible and a translator for the New Living Translation. He has also authored numerous articles and books, including Pray with Your Eyes Open, Every Thought Captive, Designed for Dignity, He Gave Us Stories, Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles and Commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians.