Old Testament Final

State who God held responsible for Israels division

Solomon

Briefly describe why God selected Jeroboam as Israel’s king

Because of Solomon's idolatry and disobedience, God chose Jeroboam to lead the ten northern tribes because he was a competent and faithful man, promising him a lasting dynasty if he followed God's commandments.

Describe the sin of Jeroboam

-Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry by making two golden calves and establishing unauthorized worship sites, causing the people to sin against God.

-Instituted his own holy festival to take praise away from God.

-Appointed non-levitical priests

Describe Rehoboam

Rehoboam was the Son of Solomon and therefore a descendent of David which is why he was made king. He is known for his harsh policies, which led to the division of the united kingdom of Israel, causing the ten northern tribes to rebel and follow Jeroboam. He took pride in being crueler than his father was as leader.

Explain Rehoboam’s role in dividing the kingdom

Rehoboam's refusal to lighten the heavy yoke imposed by his father Solomon resulted in the rebellion of the ten northern tribes, leading to the split of the kingdom into Israel and Judah. As result Rehoboam drafted an army from the remaining two tribes to start a war to reclaim the people but God prevented the war from happening, leading to the divided kingdoms.

State and explain at least three differences between Israel and Judah

Israel was the northern kingdom that had zero Godly kings and 4 different dynasties. They were completely destroyed by the Assyrians and never restored. This is because they were a secular kingdom of no faith and rebelled against God.

Judah was the southern kingdom that had several Godly kings and one dynasty, the Davidic dynasty. They were captured by the Babylonians but were ultimately restored because they were a Godly kingdom. The presence of God was believed to lie with them.

Link Israel with Assyria and date Israel’s fall

Assyria completely destroyed Israel in 722 B.C.

Describe the “mixed” nature of Judah’s kings

Out of their 20 kings, only 8 were Godly. They were part of the Davidic dynasty which meant that they were typically more of a religious nature, but many led the people into idolatry and sin. There became a cycle of a secular king leading Judah to sin and a Godly king coming to restore them.

Explain the term “reformer king” and name three kings who functioned as reformers in Judah

A "reformer king" in Judah was a ruler who brought the nation back to faithful worship of God. Three kings who functioned as reformers include Hezekiah, Josiah, and Uzziah.

Link Judah and the Babylonians and date Jerusalem’s destruction

The Babylonians captured Judah and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

Describe the differences between Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian treatment of defeated nations and explain how these differences affected Israel and Judah

Assyrians would completely destroy the land, culture, and identity of the nations they conquered in order to keep their empire the most powerful. This resulted in no possibility of restoration, as we see with the Assyrian demolition of Israel.

The Babylonians did not completely kill or destroy the nations they conquered, leaving the people with their culture and identity, leaving room for restoration like we saw with Judah.

The Persians allowed the people to continue living in their own land with their own culture and identity under their rule and governing. We see this when the Persians defeated the Babylonians they were allowed to return home to rebuild their lives and temples and restore their worship practices. This showed Judah that the messianic line is still alive and hope of a savior was still intact.

List the OT books associated with the fall, exile, and reconstruction of Judah

Name and describe significant characters of the destruction/reconstruction era

Reconstruction Destruction

Nehemiah- Built wall Ezekiel- Prophesied Gods presence leaving Israel to go to Judah/Jerusalem

Ezra- Built Temple

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

Name and date the decree that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem

Cyrus’s decree issued in 536 B.C

Name the governor who led in rebuilding the temple

Zerubbabel

Give the two part outlines for Ezra and Nehemiah

Rebuild and revive

Define Prophecy

One who is inspired by God. Talk about fore and fourth

Explain why studying prophets is important

They contribute enormously to doctrinal study where ¼ of scripture is prophecy.

They also show Gods character because he uses imperfect people to convey direct messages from Him, making the messages forever relevant to all generations.

Give the book and the chapter where the prophetic ministry is explained

Ezekiel 3

Describe what a prophet “is”

A prophet is a person chosen by God to speak to Gods people as God has spoken to them. In Ezekiel 3, God tells Ezekiel directly the importance of being a prophet and delivering Gods message to the nations in order to fulfill Gods plan.

What’s the theme of Jonah-

Salvation to the Gentiles

What’s the theme of Amos-

Israel’s sin and God’s justice

What’s the theme of Hosea-

God’s loyal love

What’s the theme of Micah-

Judah’s Injustice and YHWH’s justice

What’s the theme of Nahum-

Doom of Nineveh

What’s the theme of Zephaniah-

Judgment to blessing

What’s the theme of Habakkuk-

Problems of faith

What’s the theme of Joel-

The day of the Lord

What’s the theme of Jeremiah-

Warning of judgment

What’s the theme of Isaiah-

Judgment and comfort

What’s the theme of Daniel-

God is sovereign over the nations

What’s the theme of Ezekiel-

That they may know that I am the Lord

What’s the theme of Obadiah-

Doom of Edom

What’s the theme of Haggai-

Rebuilding the temple

What’s the theme of Zechariah 1-8-

Future blessing for Israel

What’s the theme of Zechariah 9-14-

Messiah’s return

What’s the theme of Malachi-

Appeal to the unfaithful

Describe each prophet in a way that identifies each of them in a unique way (Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel)

Jeremiah- He was of priestly descent and was appointed a prophet before he was born. God had a direct plan for him.

Isaiah- He was cleansed of his sins and came in contact with one of Gods divine creatures.

Ezekiel- He used role playing and dramatization to act out his prophesies as God intended them. In doing so he showed his complete faith in God.

Daniel- LIONS!!!!!!!

Describe each prophet’s call to ministry (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel)

Isaiah- After he came in contact with a divine creature and became cleansed, he volunteered to be a prophet of the Lord.

Jeremiah- Jeremiah was declared a prophet by the Lord before he was born. His call came from birth.

Ezekiel- In Ezekiel 3 God spoke to him and told him he was going to be a prophet and needed to speak his word to the people.

Daniel- He saw 4 visions that the Angel Gabriel explained to him and Daniel shared his knowledge with the people for their betterment.

Summarize the major message each prophet proclaimed (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel)

Jeremiah- God used Jeremiah to warn God’s people of judgment and exile, but offered salvation for repentance

Isaiah- God warned his people of judgment and presented hope for salvation

Ezekiel- Although the city and temple were destroyed, God is not defeated
Daniel- God is not defeated, his power is not limited. He will protect those who are faithful to him and has glorious plans for Israel

Identify the two problems facing the authorship of Isaiah

1- He specifically named Cyrus when he was not alive to know him

2- His writing styles changes throughout the story

Describe the two minor prophets (Hosea and Amos) in one distinguishable sentence

Hosea married a wife of promiscuous background and demonstrated a faithful relationship with God for Israel.

Amos was a shepherd called by God to deliver messages of impending judgment and social justice, emphasizing the need for true worship.

Indicate how followers of Christ need to be like Amos

As a messenger for God, Amos was not afraid to tell people the harsh realities of their actions in a loving way to bring them closer to God in the end. We should always do the same and bring people closer to God by making them aware of sins they might be oblivious to.

Provide the major idea for Amos and Hosea

Amos- God’s messengers must represent God as he is: the God of justice and compassion

Hosea- In unmistakable imagery, God commanded His prophet to re-enact the history of His love and Israel’s unfaithfulness through his own marriage.

Name the poetic books

Psalms and Song of Solomon

Name the wisdom books

Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes

Define the four types of parallelism

Synonymous- The second line repeats the thought in the first.

Antithetic- The second line expresses an opposite thought to the first.
Synthetic- the second line expands or enhances the thought in the first. Complete the thought in the first.
Climatic- The lines progress to a climax of thought.

Explain the major characteristic of Hebrew poetry

Main characteristic is parallelism. It is a style of expression to strengthen, reinforce, and develop each others thoughts.

Explain what each book contributes to the biblical message (Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Psalms)

Proverbs- Records wise sayings

Job- Addresses a question that requires great wisdom to grapple with, Why people suffer?

Ecclesiastes- Explores the folly of defining wisdom from a completely human perspective

Song of Solomon- Celebrates love, desire, and the beauty of romantic relationships.

Psalms- A collection of lyrical poems and hymns that express a wide range of emotions, including worship, praise, lament, and thanksgiving, contributing to the Hebrew understanding of faith and devotion.