The latter Prophets talk about the coming of Christ in a more mystical way than others before them and focus on certain aspects of this coming which leans on the heir apparent to God who will come to save the world. In fact Bandstra analyses Isaiah’s message rather succinctly and with great detail especially when he talks about the prophet’s ascent to Heaven in the chariot. This may also mean that there is some symbolism in what is going on with the ascent of Isaiah and the coming of Christ. At first the prophet was also not accepted properly in the whole scheme of things but as matters improved Isaiah also became an important symbol in everything especially to those who wished to be saved from the flames of Hell.
The plan of salvation is also apparent in the writings of Zechariah who is also a hugely important figure in the Old Testament. Here Flanders discusses how God intervened through this prophet to speak to the leaders of the Jewish people where he explained that the coming of Christ was something which was not only intrinsically important but which also revealed certain truths which perhaps were being kept by the wayside in more ways than one. Anderson also focuses on the message of Malachi who is perhaps the least understood of all the great prophets and who attempts to focus on the importance of God in the great scheme of things. Perhaps the prophets are all underrated in the depth of the message which they portray and which moves ahead accordingly without much ado.
However the strong message of Isaiah remains the most reflective of them all as he was truly inspired to create a message from God himself and this message intrinsically demonstrated that God was present amongst the Jews and he would send his own Son to save them. This unfortunately was not understood by the Jewish ruling classes and culminated in what eventually happened in the New Testament. However the message imparted by God through his prophets can certainly not be denied.
The reading also teaches one that such situations can be applied to everyday life and that salvation is certainly part and parcel of the whole equation.
The Book of Job:
Here the writer creates a fictitious character who is called Job and who suffers incredibly from torments and misfortunes to test his resolve. It is important to note that Job takes everything which comes to him in his stride but he is almost broken by the terrible misfortunes which he has to endure. It is a book which reveals the indirect mysticism of God in the sense that one’s life is constantly punctured by struggles and torments but at the end the rewards are great as Job was enlightened and blessed by God’s divine mercy. Yet again we are meant to believe that suffering is intrinsically part and parcel of our salvation although this is something which I do not agree with and have had problems accepting.
The Psalms:
Here the writer concentrates on the importance of hidden messages which demonstrate an inner beauty and an appeal to the heart of the matter. There is indeed much to learn from these Psalms as they create fictitious situations which show us the beauty of God’s love and his unalienable power to make us feel at one with ourselves. Perhaps the Psalms which describe situations of lost love and reason are the most attractive for teaching accordingly but there are also other less significant psalms which demonstrate certain aspects which are perhaps overlooked. Again Bandstra focuses on these aspects when he views the whole equation accordingly and focuses on the love of God which is extremely strong in these Psalms.
The Proverbs:
Here there is also a deep aspect from the writer with regards to the message being imparted accordingly. The Proverbs are perhaps the deepest methods through which the writer attempts to convey God’s message of salvation. Anderson focuses on the wisdom of the teachings and writings which also come out as very wonderful and beautiful.
Ecclesiastic’s:
Here again one focuses on the mystical message of God who comes out with Parables to describe certain mystical aspects of his message. The book is very profound and deeply spiritual as it tends to focus on what might have been and what is coming for all of us when we accept God’s grace as our salvation.
Songs of Solomon:
These are wonderful songs which praise the greatness and wisdom of God and which explain that if one succumbs completely to Him then all will be well and salvation will be achieved. Again we have several parallels and literal meanings which also espouse the wisdom of Solomon the Great who was a king of great power and fine magnanimity. Anderson focuses on the message of beauty which comes out of the Songs and which are an important focus of everything which moves along with intrinsic beauty and wonderment. God is definitely portrayed as being magnanimous and empathic with life’s situations but the main crux of the matter is that when one trusts in Him, all will be well.
All readings were very much in keeping with my future work as a lay leader.
Works Cited:
Anderson, Bernhard W. Understanding the Old Testament. 4th edition. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1987.
Bandstra, Barry L. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Grand Rapids, New York. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1995.
Flanders, Henry J., Robert W. Crapps and D. A. Smith. People of the Covenant: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
SDA Bible Commentary,Volumes 1 and 2
