A10IMMERSE•PROPHETSIsrael—and the world—based solely on God’s good promises and hiscovenant faithfulness.The prophets themselves were more street preachers than the authorsof books, normally proclaiming the Lord ’s messages at the gates ofJerusalem and the Temple. They usually spoke in oracles, which wererecorded and serve as the basic literary unit for most of the propheticbooks. Prophetic oracles are poems that convey a single idea throughseveral strategies.The prophets often used visual metaphors from the natural worldto help their listeners imagine or picture their messages. Sometimesthe metaphors came directly from the prophets’ dramatic visions fromGod, which cannot easily be described in human terms. At other times,the metaphors were drawn from the prophets’ own circumstances orexperiences.Some oracles were based on the repetition of key ideas—“litanies”(or lists) that drive home an essential point. Amos, for example, describes five different misfortunes that God had brought upon his peopleand says after each one, “But still you would not return to me.” Prophetic language is typically strong and evokes powerful emotions because so much was at stake in these interventions with Israel.Some of the prophets set their oracles to music. This was anotherway they could ensure that their message would spread and be remembered. Isaiah, for example, introduces one oracle with, “I will sing forthe one I love a song about his vineyard.” This particular oracle presentsan extended metaphor, describing Israel as a well-tended vineyard thatfailed to produce the fruit the Keeper wanted: the justice and righteousness that God had been cultivating in them.We present these books of the prophets in an order that follows theirgeneral historical sequence. As Israel journeys from the time of theempire of Assyria, through the period of the rule of Babylon and thenPersia, to the return of the people to their homeland, the prophetsare present to speak into Israel’s various historical situations. The collections cannot all be dated precisely. Jonah and Joel are particularlydifficult to locate historically, so they are placed last and can be read inview of the larger prophetic tradition.As Israel’s wayfaring continues through the centuries, the prophetsrelentlessly remind the people of their true calling. Even through thedark abyss of exile and the loss of land and home, their hope for thefuture remains. This story is God’s, and at the end of the day he will actto save his people—and his world.
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