Topical Bible: The Jews: had a Series of Prophets to Promote National Reformation

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Throughout the history of Israel, God raised up a series of prophets to call His people back to righteousness and covenant faithfulness. These prophets served as divine messengers, urging national reformation and spiritual renewal. Their messages often included calls to repentance, warnings of impending judgment, and promises of restoration.

Moses
Moses is considered the first and greatest of the prophets. He led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Law at Mount Sinai. Moses' role was foundational, establishing the covenant relationship between God and His people. In Deuteronomy 18:18, God promises, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him."

Samuel
Samuel was a pivotal figure during the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy. He anointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. Samuel's prophetic ministry emphasized obedience to God over ritualistic practices. In 1 Samuel 15:22, he declares, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams."

Elijah and Elisha
Elijah and his successor Elisha were prophets during a time of rampant idolatry in Israel. Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, demonstrating the power of the one true God (1 Kings 18). Elisha continued Elijah's work, performing miracles and advising kings. Their ministries were marked by a call to return to the worship of Yahweh.

Isaiah
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of several kings of Judah, calling the nation to repentance and foretelling the coming of the Messiah. His messages included both warnings of judgment and visions of future glory. Isaiah 1:18 invites the people, "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Jeremiah
Known as the "weeping prophet," Jeremiah ministered during the final years of Judah before the Babylonian exile. He warned of the coming destruction due to the people's persistent sin but also spoke of a new covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-33 promises, "The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts."

Ezekiel
Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles in Babylon, offering both judgment and hope. His visions included the valley of dry bones, symbolizing the restoration of Israel (Ezekiel 37). Ezekiel's ministry emphasized God's sovereignty and the need for individual responsibility in repentance.

Daniel
Though primarily known for his role in the Babylonian court, Daniel's prophetic visions provided hope for the future. His prophecies included the rise and fall of empires and the coming of God's eternal kingdom. Daniel 7:14 speaks of the Son of Man, "And to Him was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him."

Minor Prophets
The twelve minor prophets, from Hosea to Malachi, each contributed to the call for national reformation. They addressed issues such as social injustice, religious hypocrisy, and the need for genuine worship. Malachi 3:7 calls the people to return to God, "Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts."

These prophets, among others, were instrumental in guiding Israel through periods of apostasy and renewal. Their messages continue to resonate, reminding believers of the importance of faithfulness to God and His covenant.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 7:25
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day I have even sent to you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
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Jeremiah 26:4,5
And you shall say to them, Thus said the LORD; If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
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Jeremiah 35:15
I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.
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Jeremiah 44:4
However, I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
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Ezekiel 38:17
Thus said the Lord GOD; Are you he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring you against them?
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Library

A Traveler's Note-Book
... suffice for our purpose if from this series we touch ... Ancient Persia had in its own
form a like ... form of Greek culture while the Palestinian Jews encountered its ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

Tendencies of Religious Thought in England, 1688-1750.
... the late Act for the admission of the Jews to Parliament.2 ... of evidence, which consists
in a long series of things ... of the Church upon which Revelation had so long ...
/.../tendencies of religious thought in.htm

The Religious Revolution
... appearance of organised Christian bodies, completely national in character ... his attention
once more to the Jews, upon whom ... ill in Eisleben, where he had come to ...
/.../chapter ii the religious revolution.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... Charles I, whether to promote Popery"to divert his subjects ... their sports and pastimes,
as they had been in ... of his sport, was one of a series of convictions ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
... In fact the whole is a series of pictures drawn by a most ... and all on a dung sweat,
as if he had run for ... not as it was given in particular to the Jews, but as ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the life and death of.htm