The LORD said to_____, "See, I have delivered _____ into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse…." …When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and …the wall collapsed…and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Blanks- Joshua, Jericho. Israelites are conquering Canaan, the promised land. Passage illustrates “holy war”, the belief in Yahweh and obedience to Yahweh’s ritual instructions are more important than military skill and power. Obey Yahweh= win war. Also illustrates Herem- the ban- everything taken in war is dedicated to God and destroyed.

“When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.' "

God speaking to David. This is the Davidic covenant establishing the Davidic dynasty, states that an ancestor will hold the throne forever. Solomon will build the Temple. The king is considered a “son” of God- YHWH’s representative on earth. This promise is part of the pro-monarchy tradition and represents royal theology.

…the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan….The commander of his army was Sisera….Because he…had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.  _____, a prophetess…was leading Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of _____…and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.  She sent for Barak…and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men….  I will lure Sisera, with his chariots and his troops …and give him into your hands.' "  Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." "Very well," _____said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman."

Blank- Deborah (the Judge). She speaks for God as a prophetess. God has her direct general Barak to go to battle, but he is hesitant to obey a woman, which costs him the credit for the success.

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary,
"I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.”  … When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to [the priest and secretary]: "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."

Book of Law is Deuteronomy. Read to King Josiah, a good king who initiates religious reforms so community can re-commit to covenant. Centralizes worship at the Temple; later scribes use this new rule as the critical measure of kings. Yet Josiah’s fidelity can not make up for the infidelity of kings before him, Israel must still be punished (exile).

…the LORD spoke through _____.  He said to him, "Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet." And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. Then the LORD said, "Just as my servant _____ has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt's shame. Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame. In that day the people who live on this coast will say, 'See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?' "

Blank- First Isaiah. Symbolic act by prophet. Nakedness of Isaiah symbolizes humiliation that will result if Israel allies itself with Egypt or other nations.

Then _____ said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him _____. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. "

Blank- First Isaiah, Immanuel. YHWH gives this sign to King Ahaz to reassure them that he does not need to join military coalitions but should trust in YHWH alone. The sign is that a virgin shall bear a child called Immanuel. The countries threatening Israel will be laid waste before the child is old enough to tell right from wrong. Historical situation: good king Hezekiah is born. Theological significance: later interpreted by Christian tradition as prediction of Jesus.

The LORD said to _____, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.”

Blank- Hosea. Wife of whoredom= Israel and its infidelity. Prophetic denouncement of apostasy, one of two main sins of Israel. Symbolic act of prophet meant to demonstrate YHWH’s meaning to His people. If Israel repents, YHWH will ‘marry’ the covenant community again.

So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. …Then _____ said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken." …Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God." And _____ said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." …And _____… slaughtered them...

Blank- Elijah, prophet in northern kingdom of Israel. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (Northern Kingdom) not keeping covenant by worshipping Baal. Elijah challenges prophets of Baal to sacrificial showdown that YHWH wins. Denouncement of infidelity or apostasy: worshipping idols, one of Israel’s two main sins. The slaughter seems to be divinely sanctioned, as in holy war.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Second Isaiah, prophesying during time of exile as prophet of hope and comfort. He provides reassurance that YHWH has forgiven the exiles and will help them return home. Language about making a way in the wilderness comes from Exodus tradition—YHWH delivers His people.

I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? …Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. …if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.'

Jeremiah, prophet of impending doom. Main message= Israel must accept its punishment. Like a Potter re-throwing a bad pot, YHWH will destroy Israel, the bad covenant community. Punishment required so that they can start over in renewing their covenant relationship. Babylon is instrument of YHWH.

 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

God speaking through Amos. Amos criticizes the sacrificial cult because it allows people to go through the motions of worship so that they believe they’ve met their covenantal obligation. However, if they are practicing social injustice, then they are breaking the covenant no matter how many sacrifices they make. Prophetic denouncement of injustice, one of the two main sins of Israel.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! …I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "  …Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD…. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. '

Ezekiel speaking, a prophet of Babylon exile, provides oracles of hope. Vision of the valley of dry bones, a metaphor for the restoration of Israel. God will breathe new life into them and return them to the promised land.

_____ loved many foreign women….They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, _____held fast to them in love…. his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.   …So the LORD said to _____, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant…I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

Blank- King Solomon. Illustrates religious error: infidelity must be punished according to Deuteronomic theology. This is the theological reason for the division of Solomon’s empire into two kingdoms, although one tribe (Judah) remains under his son’s rule in honor of the Davidic covenant.

The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge'? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. If a man is righteous and does what is just and right…and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live,” declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel speaking. Change from YHWH will no longer punish sons for the sins of their fathers (now individual responsibility) Therefore, exiles can have hope that their repentance will be accepted by YHWH. A newly faithful generation, they will be restored to the promised land.