A Truth to Believe

    How Can We Summarize the Major Prophets of the OT?

The Major Prophets do not primarily advance the storyline of the Old Testament. Instead they fill in some of the details of Israel's history. As messengers of God, these prophets proclaim God's present judgment and future salvation.

These books declare that God upholds his word as a holy and righteous God and will punish his people for their sin. They also reveal that God is merciful and has a wonderful future in store for his people because of his coming Promised One.

Here is one way we could summarize each book:

Isaiah declares God's judgement upon Israel because of their sin as well as his promise of future salvation through his Servant King.

Jeremiah is a collection of sermons warning that God will exile Israel out of the promised land but then encouraging that he would bring them back into the land to create a new covenant through a new David.

Lamentations is a collection of sorrowful poems that mourn Israel's sin, the siege of Jerusalem, and the exile while petitioning God for his mercy.

Ezekiel is a collection of sermons and visions after the exile that declare how Israel's Idolatry has driven away God's presence. Yet there is hope because God will send his Shepherd Prince to usher in a new creation with his presence at the center.

Daniel is a collection of stories and visions that declare God reigns over every earthly kingdom and will one day rescue the world and exalt the Son of Man as he establishes his kingdom over all.

Truths to Believe Archive

Something about Living

Sometimes old truths are so familiar that we pass over them in such a way that they do not affect us. I encourage you to slowly read over Matthew 6:19–34, especially as the holidays approach.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Jesus teaches that if we make the right choices about where we put our hope then we have no reason to be anxious. This doesn't mean we don't have cares (1 Cor 12:25) or concerns (Phil 2:20). Even Paul details how he experienced "the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches" (1 Cor 11:28). Yet, when our anxiety shifts to a worry that causes our minds to disproportionately dwell or fixate upon pressures or problems, we fail to live out of faith in God.

Jesus tells us, "look at the birds" and "consider the lilies." If God cares for these, how much more will he care for us, his children. At the root of it, to be anxious demonstrates a lack of trust in God even when he has promised to meet our needs. The antidote to anxiety is to trust in the character of our God. May he help you do so today.

A Quote

Corrie ten Boom once said, "Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength––carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow––it empties today of its strength."

A Booklist

One of greatest sources of encouragement that we have found are biographies of those who have run before us.

There are many great biographies that could be added, but here is our list of favorite biographies.