Term 2 has been all about the prophets. We've covered 6 so far - going in chronological order rather than the order you'll find them in the Bible.
The prophets can seem a little depressing - Repent!, Turn Back!, Judgement is Coming! - it would be easy to see God as an angry guy who likes to send terrible consequences on everyone - even though He knew they were unable to do the right thing all the time. But there is much more to the prophets then that.
Sure, God tended to send prophets as wake-up calls to Israel and Judah - when His people were disobeying rules they had promised to keep - and sure the prophets were warning the people of terrible disasters that God was going to send on them. But consider this - He was warning them, a warning means a second chance. Anyone with kids knows that you have to lay out the consequences now and then to remind your children that you can't get away with bad behaviour forever. God's people were doing terrible things, and in the Old Testament covenant of an eye for an eye God was telling the people "If you keep doing terrible things I will do to you what you are doing to others." God's punishments can look harsh to us these days, but actually they were pretty fair considering what the Israelites were doing to the people around them.
But even in promising punishment God never stopped there. Look through the books of prophecy and you will always find tucked in there somewhere that punishment will not be the end. We put our kids in time-out because we love them and want them to stop unhealthy behaviours. God puts the Isrealites into exile - into whole-country time out - because He loves them and wants them to live in the way that is best for everybody. And just like we take kids out of time-out, give them a hug, and remind them they are still our children; God promises to bring His people back from exile and restore their damaged relationship with Him.
Teaching the kids about the prophets hasn't been difficult, because they have an inbuilt sense of fairness and justice. Israel broke their promise and disobeyed, so God has every right to punish them. What has surprised and excited the kids is digging out the messianic prophecies - the things that foretell the arrival of Jesus. So far we've discovered God's special saviour will come from David's line, and that he will be born in Bethlehem. It's amazing to see all the clues that God planted hundreds of years before He sent His son.
We'll be continuing studying the prophets for the next few terms, before moving on to the return from exile. It looks like we will finally hit the New Testament next year!
The prophets can seem a little depressing - Repent!, Turn Back!, Judgement is Coming! - it would be easy to see God as an angry guy who likes to send terrible consequences on everyone - even though He knew they were unable to do the right thing all the time. But there is much more to the prophets then that.
Sure, God tended to send prophets as wake-up calls to Israel and Judah - when His people were disobeying rules they had promised to keep - and sure the prophets were warning the people of terrible disasters that God was going to send on them. But consider this - He was warning them, a warning means a second chance. Anyone with kids knows that you have to lay out the consequences now and then to remind your children that you can't get away with bad behaviour forever. God's people were doing terrible things, and in the Old Testament covenant of an eye for an eye God was telling the people "If you keep doing terrible things I will do to you what you are doing to others." God's punishments can look harsh to us these days, but actually they were pretty fair considering what the Israelites were doing to the people around them.
But even in promising punishment God never stopped there. Look through the books of prophecy and you will always find tucked in there somewhere that punishment will not be the end. We put our kids in time-out because we love them and want them to stop unhealthy behaviours. God puts the Isrealites into exile - into whole-country time out - because He loves them and wants them to live in the way that is best for everybody. And just like we take kids out of time-out, give them a hug, and remind them they are still our children; God promises to bring His people back from exile and restore their damaged relationship with Him.
Teaching the kids about the prophets hasn't been difficult, because they have an inbuilt sense of fairness and justice. Israel broke their promise and disobeyed, so God has every right to punish them. What has surprised and excited the kids is digging out the messianic prophecies - the things that foretell the arrival of Jesus. So far we've discovered God's special saviour will come from David's line, and that he will be born in Bethlehem. It's amazing to see all the clues that God planted hundreds of years before He sent His son.
We'll be continuing studying the prophets for the next few terms, before moving on to the return from exile. It looks like we will finally hit the New Testament next year!