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NONE of us come to the Bible without presuppositions, biases, and preunderstandings – “no not one, no not one”! We cannot avoid it – it’s irresistible! An example of this is what comes to most of our minds when we hear the word “prophecy” (or its related words, eg. prophets, prophetic, etc). Most of us are not new to the concept of “prophecy.” Here in the Caribbean, it’s esteemed highly by not a few persons; others, on the other hand, are unconvinced of its divine origin and trustworthiness; an “open but cautious” stance has been adopted by others who are at times embarrassed by what happens in the name of “prophecy.” Irrespective of the differences in commitment, it seems to me that most persons share a common definition of “prophecy,” namely “the prediction of a future event” or “futurology” – it’s got little or nothing to do with the present time of the speaker/listener(s)/addressee(s). It is with this presupposition that most of our Caribbean Christian youths approach the “prophetic” portions of the Bible - consciously or unconsciously.

In this long overdue article, we shall make brief notes on the nature of biblical prophecy, its function, and its interpretation.

Firstly, WHAT ARE THE PROPHETIC BOOKS OF THE BIBLE?
The prophetic books include four major prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and twelve minor prophets which were written in ancient Israel between over a period of about 300 years (760 – 460 B.C.) These twelve books are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi. (The terms “major” and “minor” refer to the length of the books; not to their importance. The Jews, from whom we got our Old Testament, call Joshua, Judges, Samuels, & Kings “the former” or “earlier prophets.”)

Secondly, WHAT IS THE NATURE OF PROPHETIC LITERATURE?
Primarily, each prophetic book is the compilation of a prophet’s sermons, delivered either in Judah or Israel. (After Solomon’s death, the kingdom was divided into two nations – northern tribes went by the name “Israel” and southern tribes went by the name “Judah.”) And what was the prophet’s text? Answer – the Law of Moses! Yes, according to some students of the Bible, only a small fraction of the prophetic writings (less than 10%) contains prediction of the end times. The prophets spent the vast majority of their time expounding the law God had given them through Moses, reminding the people of the covenant between God and themselves. If they broke the covenant, God will punish them (cf Leviticus 26:14-39; Deut 4:15-28; 18:15-32:42); if they kept it, God will bless them (cf Leviticus 26:1-13; Deut 4:32-40; 28:1-14). It is because of this that some Old Testament scholars believe God used the prophets to “enforce” the covenant. Thus, the prophet’s message isn’t original, but is essentially identical to that of Moses. The form in which the prophet’s message is delivered is different however; this is one of the things that give the prophetic writings a sense of “freshness” and perhaps “novelty.” The prophets use a lot of figurative language: symbols, figures of speech, allegories, and parables.

That the prophets predicted future Events is not being denied here. They did. What they did however was to blend together “both the near and the distant aspects of the prediction in one and the same vision.” Take for example Joel’s prophecy in 2:23, 28-31 and compare it with Acts 2:16. Thus, we can say that some of the prophecies have already been fulfilled while some are yet to be fulfilled. Another example would be prophecies re God’s chosen man (the Christ/Messiah) who will die for the sins of God’s people, do away with sin completely, and destroy God’s enemies. Do you see how this has an “already-fulfilled” and a “not-yet-fulfilled” aspect?

Thirdly, WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES FOR INTERPRETATING THE PROPHECY
1. Recognise the genre. They should not be interpreted as you would narratives.
2. Recognise the basic message of the prophets. This relates to what has been said about the prophets reminding God’s people of the covenant especially as it is stated in Deuteronomy.

a. Unu nat keeping God covenant – too much idolatry, social injustice, religious ritualism; unu beta repent!
b. If unu no repent, judgment fi unu! Foreign powers (eg Assyria & Babylon) gwain invade unu land.
c. Anyway, there is hope beyond the judgement for a glorious, future restoration. Yea man, a new exodus, a new covenant, a new presence of God’s indwelling spirit, new deliverer – the Messiah.
(So it would be to your benefit to read the passages from Leviticus and Deuteronomy before reading an Old Testament prophet.)
3. Remember what the text meant for the original audience. (See # 2 above).
4. Recognise the differences between the original audience and us. (We are no longer under the old covenant; we are not living under a theocracy; the Caribbean is not equivalent to Israel; we are not facing invasion by Babylonians or Assyrians.)
5. Recognise timeless principles evident in the text you are studying (Eg, in the case of idolatry, a timeless principle would be “God desires our undivided devotion.”)
6. Reflect on how the timeless principles could be applied to us. (Eg in the case of idolatry, how could you apply the fact that God desires our undivided devotion? In what ways are you, your youth group, and you church not taking this principle seriously? Do you pay more attention to wealth, fame, yourself, etc? There is an infinite amount of application.)

References:
Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics - by Walter C Kaiser,Jr., Moisés Silva
Grasping God’s Word - by J. Scott Duvall, & J. Daniel Hays
How to Read the Bible for All its Worth - by Gordon D. Fee, & Douglas Stuart:

bertramgayle This article was written by bertramgayle and added 9 months, 1 week ago to Perspective-Pop off the word.
bertramgayle says... 25... Married... Co-ordinator, Jamaican Creole Translation Project Employer: Wycliffe Bible Translator, Carubbean.