As we strive to Know His Word more deeply in 2018, we’ll be reading the Bible together in genres. Our hope is that together we will see how each book of the Bible fits into the overarching story of Scripture. On the first day of each month, we’ll walk through a new biblical genre together. This month, we’ll be looking at the books of the Major Prophets.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel make up the books of the major prophets. The prophets were seen as God’s spokesmen and servants. God often spoke through the prophets words of both warning and hope. The books of the major prophets are so called due to their length and perhaps also their more universal messages.
The books of the major prophets can be difficult to read at times. God asked His servants to do strange things, to deliver difficult news. They often told of doom and destruction, but also often pointed toward the One who would someday make everything right and good. When we read and know the major prophets, we read of a people who never lost their hope, of a God who never forgot His promises, and of a world in dire need of a Savior.
We love how the CSB Study Bible puts each book in light of the rest of Scripture:
It might be argued that without Isaiah, the New Testament could not have been written. There is nowhere else in the Old Testament the message is declared and the stage is set for the Davidic King to bring about a new exodus and establish God’s kingdom on earth by means of the sin-bearing Servant.
The best known passage in Jeremiah is the new covenant text in 31:31-34. Arguably better than any other passage it links God’s ancient promises to Eve (Gen. 3:15), Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), and David (2 Sam. 7:16-19) with New Testament assurances that God grants believers new hearts, salvation, and fellowship with Him through Christ.
Few things contrast religious and humanistic traditions more than their respective responses to suffering. How can God’s love and justice be reconciled with our pain? Lamentations gives no easy answers to this question, but it helps us meet God in the midst of our suffering and teaches us the language of prayer. Instead of offering a set of techniques, easy answers, or inspiring slogans for facing pain and grief, Lamentations supplies: (1) an orientation, (2) a voice for working through grief from “A” to “Z,” (3) instruction on how and what to pray, and (4) a focal point on the faithfulness of God and the affirmation that He alone is our portion.
There are few quotations of the Book of Ezekiel in the New Testament, but there are some notable correlations. For instance, the structure of the Book of Revelation, which begins with a vision of Christ, corresponds to the appearances of God in Ezekiel’s visions. The end of the Book of Revelation also reflects the end of Ezekiel, where the river flows from the presence of God (Ezek. 47:1-12; Rev. 21:1-22:6). Finally, the depiction of the return of the exiles as resurrected from the dead is analogous to Paul’s concept of regeneration (Eph. 2:5).
Daniel emphasizes that the Lord has dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth, even in evil days when wicked empires reign. Two key words in the book are “king” (used over 150 times) and “kingdom” (used over 50 times). Above all, Daniel teaches that the God of Israel is the Sovereign of the universe, “for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation” (4:34).
We read the books of the Major Prophets to better understand the sovereignty, holiness, and love of our immutable God. The prophets point us to Him in the midst of a world that is changing every day. We see how His plan is sure, His word is true, and our hope is secure in Him.
Here is a reading plan with selected passages from the books of the Major Prophets to read this month. We aren’t reading every verse in these books, but we hope the passages we’ve selected will help us all see the bigger story of Scripture as we strive to know His Word even more. We can’t wait to read and learn alongside you. Here’s a PDF of the May reading plan to print!
We would love to hear what you’re learning as we read through His Word together. Share on social media with the hashtag #KnowHisWord18, so we can learn together! We’ve also included an image below, featuring a verse we’ll read this month, perfect for Instagram.
