The Prophetic Tradition

Paper Summary:

In understanding the importance of the prophet in shaping the relationship between God and his chosen people, the idea of covenant is central. The words and acts of the prophets spoke to individuals as well as national governments using harsh criticism, wonderfully complex illusions and metaphors and always concluding their message with reconciliation and covenant love. Several prophets are also examined to identify the continuity of God's message and the prophetic style.

From the Paper:

"An inner compulsion to speak that is unique to all other experiences was seen to be a direct result of God's intervention. He goes on to describe visions he saw and how they represented the conflict of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The Lord promises to deliver Jerusalem from the attack by the Northern Kingdom of Judea. Later in chapter 20, Jeremiah describes how painful it is to speak out against his own people. He is a laughingstock and many people denounce him. He says to himself that he will speak no more and then, "it becomes like a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it."(v.9). Jeremiah knows that God is with him through all of this like a best friend. A very powerful best friend who he asks to take vengeance on his persecutors as the Jews perceived God to have done in Egypt.
Within the Deuteronomic theology of retribution, the final word is of compassion. As Jeremiah felt the prophetic call in his heart as an uncontrollable fire, so God is presented as one who is in love with Israel as we would be in love with another. "

More papers on The Prophetic Tradition:

• Essay # 138007 : "Jesus the Messiah and the Prophet Muhammad "
• Research Paper # 96640 : "Messiah in the Old Testament"
• Book Review # 52488 : "The "Book of Haggai"

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