Chronological
Arrangement of the Old Testament Prophets
Historical
Observations in a Short Narrative
Dr. Jay A. Quine
Before
722 BC (to Israel)
As Israel's rebellion became
increasingly acute, the Lord sent messengers to deliver warnings of certain
judgment unless they repent. Reminding Judah (Israel) of the
absolute sovereignty of God who controls not only the affairs of nature
(drought and locust plague) but also of nations (Gentile armies), the prophet Joel
was the Lord's first spokesman (c. 830 B.C.; 2Ch 23:1--24:27 assuming Obadiah
is later and not 845 B.C.). The Lord
provided an example of a people moved to repentance by the preaching of a
prophet sent not to Israel,
but to a Gentile city state. Jonah (Jeroboam II's reign, 793-753
B.C.; 2Kg 14:25) was
commissioned to Nineveh
to proclaim its destruction. Ironically
Nineveh responded to God's servant, but the Northern Kingdom did not even
though they heard the message from both Amos (c. 760 during Jeroboam II),
who wrote during a time of great prosperity and described the Lord as a Lion
roaring against them for their abandonment of the Covenant, and Hosea
(during the time of Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmaneser, Sargon II, and
Sennacherib of Assyria, and Jeroboam II of Israel; c. 750-721 B.C.), who saw Israel's final
days and whose marriage pictured her adultery against the Lord.
Before
586 BC (to Judah)
During this time Judah's
spiritual integrity continued to rise and fall.
Summoning Judah
to "hear" the indictment against them, Micah began his ministry
to the south before the north's fall (began about 735 - 679 B.C.). His preaching with Isaiah's (his 58 year
ministry began just prior to Uzziah’s death in 740 B.C.), who called them to be
the servant the Lord intended, may have in part contributed to the
miraculous deliverance Jerusalem and Hezekiah experienced from Sargon's army
(701 B.C.). Yet they both maintained
that God would judge Judah
just as He had Israel.
After Israel fell to Senacharib of
Assyria in 722 B.C. the Lord sent Nahum (c. 663 the fall of Thebes - 612 the fall of Nineveh) to predict Nineveh's own destruction
and provide comfort to Judah
(during Manasseh's reign in Judah;
Ashurbanipal in Assyria). Yet soon thereafter Zephaniah began his
ministry (c. 628 - 612 B.C.) to stress the inevitable judgment on Judah for her
evil (such as Manasseh's evil reign) in his day and in the future as part of
the day of the Lord. Recording his own
dialogue with the Lord, Habakkuk (612-590 B.C.) asks how
evil Gentile empires can be used as instruments of God's judgment? The Lord promised that they will in turn be
judged for their evil, and God's people living by faith will be extended mercy.
Echoing this promise, Obediah (586 B.C.) illustrates by
proclaiming judgment against Edom
who, rather than come to the aid of his "brother," joined forces with
Babylon and
looted Jerusalem. Using Edom's fall as a prototype for the
future, he concludes by looking to the ultimate day of reckoning when the
Lord's judgment will fall on all of His enemies and His eternal Kingdom will be
established.
Just
before and after 586 BC (to Israel/Judah)
First warning of the coming of the
Gentile armies and explaining the New Covenant God will make with his people,
the prophet/priest Jeremiah (from 605 - 584 B.C.) witnessed the destruction of
Jerusalem and was carried to Egypt with those who fled. As part of the first exile to Babylon, Daniel (605 - 562 B.C.) served as an example
of how God could bless His people even in exile. Trusting in God's sovereign control of his
life, he is shown God's sovereign plan for world history into which will erupt
the Son of Man and His Kingdom. Taken as
part of the second wave of captives to Babylon
(597 B.C.) Ezekiel writes and illustrates God's judgment not only on Judah but also
those Gentile nations who believed they escaped the Babylonian threat. He encourages the captives by reminding them
of the New Covenant and the reunification and resuscitation of the dead bones
to the Land.
As the Lord promised Jeremiah, the
return from exile came 70 years after Jerusalem's
destruction. The mission of the first
returning group to rebuild the Temple
(under Zerubabbel, 538 B.C.) was frustrated for 17 years. The Lord sent Haggai (520 B.C.) with
four messages of challenge ultimately reminding them of the eschatological hope
connected with their own faithfulness.
Returning as part of this first group as a boy, Zechariah (writing 520 -
518 B.C. and 485 B.C.?) grew up to also encourage its construction through ten
visions of the Temple and the end of resistance from Jerusalem's
neighbors. Extending his message to the
future, he concludes with two apocalyptic messages describing deliverance from
Gentile domination upon the Messiah's return.
The importance of obedient living in light of this hope is addressed by
the Lord's last prophet of this era, for Malachi (438 B.C.) explains to a
despondent generation nearly 100 years after the first return that their
indifference to the Law of the Lord must change in view of His coming day.
Some
Historical Background to the Exilic / Post Exilic Prophets
In 626 BC the great
neo-Caldean/Aramean/Assyrian Empire begins to fall (“neo” because it follows
the Chaldean Emipre of the second millennia of which Hammurabi was a part). The Chaldean[1]
Nabapollassar begins to rise up against the Assyrian Empire.[2] Finally in 612 BC the Medes, Cynthians,
Elomites and Chaldeans unite together to destroy the great city of Nineveh. The Assyrians flee to Harran
(west). Nebuchadrezzar pursues to fight
the Assyrians, who are joined by Pharaoh Necho (who has defeated Josiah at
Medeggo along the way). They are routed
from Harran in 609 BC, and suffer final defeat
at the Battle of Charcemish in 605 BC.[3]
The Assyrians never again rise to power.
Nebuchadrezzar reigns from 605 – 562 BC
(approx. 43 years). He is succeeded by
his son Labashi-Marduc who reigned only a few years. Naraglisis enjoyed only a short reign, but
Nabonidus ruled from 556 – 539 BC, although from Temah (likely exiled there by
the powerful priesthood) for 10 years.
In his absence from Babylon,
Belchazar reigns. Cyrus becomes leader
of the Medes (559 or 550 BC) and topples the Babylonian Empire under
Belchazar’s reign (539 BC).
During the Babylonians supremacy there
were three main contacts with Judah. In 605 BC Jehoiakim submits to Babylon. The Chronicles state that he was seized and
taken to Babylon
(2Ch 36:6). In 597 Jehoiakim is murdered, and Jehoichin (then 8 years old) is
placed on the throne (2Ch 36:10). He is
exiled to Babylon
(2Ch 36:10) with many others, including Ezekiel. Zedekiah is set up as their last king. In 586 BC Jerusalem falls (2Ch 36:11-21).
It is during this time period in which
Ezekiel prophesied and Daniel served.
Before the fall of Jerusalem
in 586 BC yet after his own exile to Babylon
in 597 BC Ezekiel condemned Judah
for their idolatry and warned of the judgment from God’s instrument, Babylon. Afterward he spoke / wrote of the future
restoration of Jerusalem
and re-institution of the Levitical priesthood.
In 538 BC Cyrus issued a decree allowing
the Jews exiled by Nebuchadrezzar to return to Jerusalem and reconstruct their religious
shrines. Zerubbabel led the return in
537 BC alone with some 50,000 people with hopes to rebuild their homes and the Temple (Ezra 1:1-4). Shortly after beginning the reconstruction of
the Temple
(having laid the foundation, Ezra 3:11-13)
the work was hindered by the Samaritans (Ezra 4:5). Work was halted until 520 BC when the
document authorizing the project had been found by Darius the Great (522 – 486)
who then forbid any more interference.
It was at this time that Haggai and Zechariah began their prophetic
ministries.[4] A simple timeline of these events is as
follows:
Cyrus (550 – 527 B.C.)
539 B.C. The Fall of Babylon
537 / 538 Decree allowing the return to Jerusalem
537 B.C. Zerubbabel, et. al., leave Babylon
536 B.C. Temple
construction begins
Cambysis (527 – 522 B.C.)
Gaumata (522 – 521? B.C.)
Durias the Great (522 – 486 B.C.)
520 B.C. Haggai’s and Zechariah’s Ministries begin
516
B.C. Temple Completed
Xerses (486 – 465
B.C., aka, Ahasuerus; cf. Ezra 4:6)
Artexerxes I (465 –
424 B.C.)
454
B.C. Ezra Returns
445
B.C. Return under Nehemiah; building of
the city
[1]
In Daniel, it appears that “Chaldean” refers both the ethnic designation as
well as to denote the court wise men.
Nebopollassar was ethnically Chaldean.
[2]
Part of the agitation against the Assyrians may be seen as far back as 702 BC
when a delegate is sent to Palestine
to stir up trouble with Hezekiah in Isaiah’s day.
[4]
See generally R.K. Harrison, ”Zerubbabbel,” Zondervan
Pictoral Encyclopedia, 5:1057.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.