THL Paper

THL 217-N Spring 2019

Gordon Brubacher

Revised Wed Mar 6 with new date for the extra credit assignment

INTRODUCTION

The nation has divided into two kingdoms, each of them apparently subject to the Mount Sinai covenant, and the South Kingdom has the Davidic Covenant as well.  Now what?  The mission is of course still on, and probably more vital than ever.  However, you would never guess it from reading the story.  Human nature, especially in the form of the temptations of power and nationalism for the kings and the ruling class, will now play a major role in counter-weight to leadership responsibilities.

So how will this work out?  We will see the parallel story of a God who continues to work with His people through thick and thin, sending guidance and instruction through messengers called prophets, to bring the wayward people of God back on track, if only they will listen.  Always the goal is working for human well-being.  As a result, we will begin to see an expansion of the story interests to the international world—it will no longer be only about the nations Israel and Judah.  Prophetic messages will begin to say explicitly that the same standards apply to all nations and peoples, and in the process they will speak with enduring voices which apply to this day. 

Tragically, both nations will crash and burn.  The South Kingdom will however have some survivors in exile in Babylon, a ray of hope beyond the day of doom.   And the mission will live through the voices of the prophets.

Historical Dates.  At this point in the story it becomes important to know when things are happening.  We need a sense of proportion--a sense of how long things are taking or how fast they are happening--to understand the story especially when it starts to speed up.  Not many dates are important for this course, but some are.  For the Unit 4 exam, the main dates are need-to-know.  See the online document “Key Dates for the Period of the Monarchy” for a handy list.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this unit, the successful student will be able to do all of the following.

1.  Describe issues of force, violence, and social justice in the story of the Northern Kingdom.

2.  Describe issues of force, violence, and social justice in the story of the Southern Kingdom.

3.  Describe the nature of prophecy in ancient Israel.

4.  Articulate the prophetic voices and messages in response to specific issues and situations in both kingdoms.

DAILY SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

Reminder: find and read the relevant section of the Meta each day.

Tues Mar 19 Day 1  ..................................................................................................................

The Northern Kingdom: Initial Problems (1 Kgs 12:25-16:28). 

1. Read 1 Kgs 12:25-16:28; plus begin a new section in the Meta, “Part Five. The Northern Kingdom And Its Fall.” Read the first section there: “Initial Problems (1 Kgs 12:25-16:28).”

King Ahab, the Prophet Elijah, and Life under Baal.  Read these interesting stories in 1 Kgs 16:29 through chapter 19, plus chapter 21; and continue in the Meta with the section “Life Under Baal Worship: Ahab, Jezebel, Elijah, The Lord, And Baal.”

1. How should we understand the contest at Mt. Carmel and its aftermath?

1. How should we understand Elijah's trip to the desert?

1. How should we understand the story of Naboth's vineyard?  For a good take on this episode, read Donahue, 72-73.

1. How should we understand the death of King Ahab?

The Prophet Elisha, King Jehu, and the Common People.  After the career of Elijah, an intense series of episodes takes place in short order involving his successor, the prophet Elisha.  Their names are similar specifically to confuse students if possible.

1. Read 2 Kings chapters 2 and 410 (but skip 8:1629), plus the section on Elisha in the Meta.

1. What happens in general in the continuing story?

1. What do you notice of interest in the career of Elisha?

1. What is the meaning of the Naaman episode?

1. How would you assess the career of King Jehu and his policies?

Prophets in Ancient Israel.  From this point onward, prophets will play an increasingly important role in the storyline and content of the Old Testament.

· For a valuable explanation of their varied nature and functions, read Birch 74-79, the section “Messengers to the Nations”; and in short form, Donahue, 73d-74a.

Jeroboam II and the Prophet Amos.  King Jeroboam II (788-747) brings a time of prosperity and expansion, perhaps the greatest of the N. Kingdom.  But the prosperity is mostly for the ruling class, while the common people suffer oppression and social injustice.

1. Read 2 Kgs 14:23 to the end of the chapter; plus the Meta on Jeroboam II and the prophet Amos.

The Prophet Amos.  Read the online document "Amos-Introduction, by Gregory Mobley"; and also Donahue, 74-75. Then read the Book of Amos itself, straight through, and absorb the literature.  It's short, easy for you guys.

1. For selected messages and explanations in Amos, read the online document “Amos: Notes on Selected Messages.”

1. What can we learn about conditions in and around the Northern Kingdom by reading Amos?

1. What are the main messages of Amos?

1. What happens to him at Bethel?

1. What might have enduring value in this collection of messages? 

Tues Mar 26 Day 2  ..........................................................................................………………….

The Game of Nations.  What is the relationship between empires and smaller nations in the time of the OT?  From this point onward, Israel and Judah will live in the shadow of, or under the rule of, empires--first the Assyrian, then briefly the Egyptian, and then the Babylonian.  The dominant issues for foreign policy will be decisions whether to submit or not submit, whether to try to go independent or not (i.e., rebel or not rebel) after submitting, or whether to look to a competing empire for security and/or better terms for submitting.  The way they made those decisions can be called “the game of nations,” as played by the smaller nations in relation to empires.

Through one crisis after another, the prophets delivered messages from the Lord on what to do and not do in the game of nations.  Some of those messages may surprise us, and challenge us, with enduring principles which run counter to our cultural formation to this day.

To learn about this and understand the message of the OT on some important themes of force, violence, leadership, and national values, see the online reading “The Game of Nations and Its Ethics in OT Perspective.”

Vassal to Assyria: 738.  In 745 King Tiglath-Pileser III of the mighty Assyrian empire comes to power.  Boom!  He campaigns westward to the Med. Sea, subdues all the countries of the region, and makes them his vassals.  By 738 this includes the Northern Kingdom, and also Aram.  The prophet Hosea has the unhappy assignment of trying to call the kingdom back on track during this disastrous period.

The Doom of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 15 and 17).  See the Meta, along with the passages in 2 Kings listed there.  What happens?  Why?

The Prophet Hosea (750-720).  Read the online document "Hosea-Introduction, by Gregory Mobley"; Donahue, 75-76; and the Meta on Hosea.

1. Now read the Book of Hosea itself, straight through, and absorb the messages in light of the situation at the time.

1. How is the book structured?  How does it end?

1. What are the primary messages of Hosea, and what might have enduring relevance?

1. For selected messages and explanations in Hosea, read the online document “Hosea: Notes on Selected Messages.”

Reasons for the Destruction of the N. Kingdom.  What does the OT say about why this happened?  See the Meta.

Enduring Voice.  What might be some enduring ideas or messages from the story of the Northern Kingdom?  For a possible list, see the Meta.

The Story of Judah, the Southern Kingdom.  We now go to the S. Kingdom, back-tracking in time to before the fall of the North.  To understand this period, we need to watch what the prophets say about faith and national policies--both foreign and domestic.  Usually the prophets evaluate things by the standards of the covenant and the desert experience, which stay relevant to the end of the story in the Promised Land.  For an introduction to the general situation, see the Meta.

The Kingdom of Judah (S. Kingdom) in the 800’s and 700's.

1. For main events in this period, see the Meta, along with the readings in Kings and Isaiah mentioned there.

1. Note especially the section in the Meta on “Isaiah (739-687), King Ahaz (735-715) and the International Crisis.”

Isaiah, King Hezekiah (715-687), and the Assyrian Crisis (2 Kgs 1819; Isa 3637).

1. What happens in the time of King Hezekiah, and what is the role of the prophet Isaiah?  See the Meta.

1. In particular, what is the changing message of Isaiah?

1. What might be a possible result of the fact that Jerusalemand only Jerusalemsurvived the devastating destruction of the S. Kingdom by the Assyrian army?

Meet the Book of Isaiah.  Our study of the Book of Isaiah has a special issuea mysterywhich we want to look at first.  What should we do about the apparent difference in historical periods and audiences addressed in the book?  When we read straight through Isaiah at one sitting (people do this all the time, right?), and do it with extra attention to whom the audience might be, we notice something interesting.  It seems that three different parts of the book address three different audiences in three different time periods and situations. This makes it look like we can do a basic outline of Isaiah in three parts:

1. Part I, called First Isaiah, chapters 139: To the Southern Kingdom, especially in the time of King Hezekiah plus several other kings.  For convenience, we call the prophet who delivered these messages “Isaiah of Jerusalem.”

1. Part II, called Second Isaiah, chapters 4055: To the Judahites in Babylonian Exile.  We call the unknown prophet who delivered these messages “Isaiah of the Exile.”

1. Part III, called Third Isaiah, chapters 5666: To those who have returned from Exile.  We call the unknown prophet who delivered these messages “Isaiah of the Return.”

Reading First Isaiah. At our stage in the OT story, First Isaiah (Part I) is the relevant section. 

· Read a good take on the prophet (“Isaiah of Jerusalem”) and his messages in Donahue, 76-80.

· For selected messages and explanations in First Isaiah, read the online document “Isaiah of Jerusalem (First Isaiah): Notes on Selected Messages.”

We will begin this today and finish it next class session.

Mar 31 Extra Credit Assignment .......................................................………………….

Details in the Extra Credit module

Tues Apr 2 Day 3  ...............................................................................................…………………

Reading First Isaiah. Continued from last class session.

The Prophet Micah.  Overlapping with the prophet Isaiah in this period was the prophet Micah.

1. Read the brief online document “Micah, Introduction, in The Oxford Study Bible”; plus a good take on Micah and his messages in Donahue, 80-81.

1. Now read the Book of Micah itself, straight through, and absorb the messages in light of the situation at the time.

1. What are the primary messages of Micah, and what might have enduring relevance?

1. For selected messages and explanations in Micah, read the online document “Micah: Notes on Selected Messages.”

King Manasseh (687-642), the Villain of Judah (2 Kgs 21).  See the Meta.

Jeremiah and King Josiah (640-609): Reforms, Foreign Policy, and the Fall of Assyria.

1. For main events in this period, see the Meta, along with the readings in Kings and Jeremiah mentioned there.

1. Read also the online document “Jeremiah, Introduction, in The Oxford Study Bible,” to meet the man and his mission as important prep. for the rest of Unit 4.

Jeremiah and the Fall of the Southern Kingdom (609586). 

1. For main events in this period, see the Meta, along with the readings in Kings and Jeremiah mentioned there.

1. Read a good survey of the messages of Jeremiah in their historical setting in Donahue, 81-87.

Jeremiah’s Messages in Specific Situations.

· For selected messages and explanations in Jeremiah, read the online document “Jeremiah: Notes on Selected Messages.”

Enduring Voice.  What might be some enduring ideas or messages from the story of the Southern Kingdom?  For a possible list, see the Meta.

Unit 4 Online Exam Worth 20 points = 20% of final grade

See “Exam Instructions for Unit 4” in the Unit 4 module.

Sat Apr 6 Open 10.00 - 11.30am

Instead of doing this exam in online form, you can choose to do a paper.

· See “Optional Paper for Unit 4” in the Unit 4 module.

Or you may even do both, and receive the highest grade of the two.

This assignment will assess:

· Unit 4 Learning Objectives 1-4 as listed above

· Magis Biblical Tradition Learning Objectives 1, 2, 4, and 5