JESUS CHRIST:
GOD’S REVELATION TO
THE WORLD
CHAPTER 5
KINGS AND PROPHETS
AWAITING THE MESSIAH
The Bible on Friendship
Putting others first
Confidentiality
Dependability
Humility
Positive influence
Conquest of the Promised Land
Joshua
The Lord fought for
Israel, and without
his help, the
Israelites would
never have settled
in the “land flowing
with milk and
honey.”
Joshua led the
Israelites into the
Promised Land.
Judges
In ancient Israel, judges were those who acted as
temporary military leaders, as well as arbiters of
disputes within and between tribes.
Judges were also expected to remind the people
of their responsibility to God.
 DEBORAH
 GIDEON
 JEPHTHAH
 SAMSON
Cycle of Apostasy
Israelites
sinned
Judge
died . . .
YHWH
pitied
them
God’s
discipline
Israelites
repent
The Monarchy of Israel
Israel’s Final Judge
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Samuel was Israel’s last
and most significant
judge.
Toward the end of his
life, the people clamored
for a king.
Samuel warned against
this.
Choosing a King
Saul was selected king
but lost the kingship
because he disobeyed
divine commands.
 David was anointed by
Samuel to replace Saul.
 Saul fell on his sword in
despair.

Israel’s
Greatest King
David became the sole king
of Israel, uniting all tribes
into a single nation.
David brought the Ark of
the Covenant to Jerusalem
to show YHWH’s abiding
presence to the new
nation.
David had has faults for
which he begged
forgiveness.
Solomon succeeded his
father as king.
A Divided Kingdom
Solomon was known for his
wisdom.
Solomon was corrupted by his
office.
After his death, Israel was split
into the Kingdom of Judah
(south) and the Kingdom of Israel
(north).
Assyria’s destruction of the
northern kingdom in 721 BC
Babylonian captivity of the
southern kingdom in 587-586 BC
God Sends Prophets
Prophet—
”one who
speaks
for
another”
1. There is
only one
true God—
YHWH
2. The one
God is holy,
and God
demands
that we
renounce
sin
3. God
would not
abandon
His
promises
to send the
Messiah
Prophets of the
Northern Kingdom
Elijah and Elisha
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Elijah taunted the king’s
pagan prophets
Next to Moses, Elijah is
the greatest of the OT
prophets.
He was present at Jesus’
Transfiguration
Elisha succeeded Elijah
Prophets of the
Northern Kingdom
Amos

Message: Worship of God
must show itself in
concrete deeds of mercy
and justice to the weak
and the poor.
Hosea

Message: To accuse
Israel of sin and infidelity
to God but show that God
still loved the Chosen
People
Prophets of the
Southern Kingdom
Isaiah
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Largest of all the
prophetic books
The Chosen People must
imitate God’s holiness by
righteous living and true
worship.
Compared the nation to a
vineyard that God
cultivated
Prophets of the
Southern Kingdom
Jeremiah
Shouted the love of a
God who desperately
wanted the Chosen
People to repent
 Became a living symbol of
God’s message
 Compared YHWH to a
potter who would mold
the nation in his hands

Prophets of the
Southern Prophets
Micah

Message: Foretold a
coming Messiah who
would lead Israel to
peace and justice
Ezekiel

Message: keep the
Sabbath and follow the
law of holiness
The Babylonian Exile
Living in a foreign land and
intermarriage led to a loss of identity.
Without a Temple, Jewish exiles
gathered in synagogues where they
studied and prayed together.
The Message of
Second Isaiah
SUFFERING SERVANT
SONGS
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Speaks of God’s Chosen
One who will bring justice
to the world and treat the
bruised reed tenderly
Tells how God chose the
servant before his birth
Describes how God’s
special messenger runs
into resentment
Parallels to Jesus Christ’s
suffering—lamb led to
slaughter
Return and Recommitment
After the return to the Holy Land, a purified
Judaism was more faithful to its vocation of
witnessing to the nations by keeping the Law.
Jesus Christ—the Messiah—was born in
Bethlehem while Herod the Great ruled as
king of Judea.