Called, My People (1 of 12)
Series: Return and Seek: The Minor Prophets
Patrick Edwards
Hosea
Introduction
''The task of the prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us,'' (Walter Brueggemann). Think about this picture that Brueggemann gives us of the Old Testament prophets. They were to serve as God's mouthpiece to both Israel and to the nations and confront the major idols of the day. They were to present a portrait of God's Kingdom of justice that stood in stark contrast to the earthly kingdoms of injustice. But their purpose wasn't simply to condemn. Rather, the function of the prophet was to call Israel and all the nations to faith in Israel's God. By forming an alternative community that reflected the righteousness of Yahweh, the prophets forced the unbelieving people of their day to acknowledge the vanity of their lives and flee to the gracious arms of the Lord. Put another way, the prophets said, 'Look at the emptiness and futility of your worldview, your way of life, and see here a better way, a fuller way, God's way.'
The role of the prophet was principally as mediator. Initially, the prophets were involved in national affairs and served the king directly, as we see with prophets like Samuel and Nathan. But over time we see them shift their focus more toward the people and society as a whole. They spoke out against immorality and social injustice, particularly the oppression and exploitation of the weak by the strong. Again, in doing so they sought to bring the words and tradition of the Lord into an effective interface with the wayward values of their society.
You see, as we concluded last time in the book of Exodus, God may have changed the physical circumstances of His people, He may have brought them out of physical bondage and into the physical promised land, but Israel still remained in spiritual bondage. From ne ...
Series: Return and Seek: The Minor Prophets
Patrick Edwards
Hosea
Introduction
''The task of the prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us,'' (Walter Brueggemann). Think about this picture that Brueggemann gives us of the Old Testament prophets. They were to serve as God's mouthpiece to both Israel and to the nations and confront the major idols of the day. They were to present a portrait of God's Kingdom of justice that stood in stark contrast to the earthly kingdoms of injustice. But their purpose wasn't simply to condemn. Rather, the function of the prophet was to call Israel and all the nations to faith in Israel's God. By forming an alternative community that reflected the righteousness of Yahweh, the prophets forced the unbelieving people of their day to acknowledge the vanity of their lives and flee to the gracious arms of the Lord. Put another way, the prophets said, 'Look at the emptiness and futility of your worldview, your way of life, and see here a better way, a fuller way, God's way.'
The role of the prophet was principally as mediator. Initially, the prophets were involved in national affairs and served the king directly, as we see with prophets like Samuel and Nathan. But over time we see them shift their focus more toward the people and society as a whole. They spoke out against immorality and social injustice, particularly the oppression and exploitation of the weak by the strong. Again, in doing so they sought to bring the words and tradition of the Lord into an effective interface with the wayward values of their society.
You see, as we concluded last time in the book of Exodus, God may have changed the physical circumstances of His people, He may have brought them out of physical bondage and into the physical promised land, but Israel still remained in spiritual bondage. From ne ...
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