Covenant Compass Plus

  The book of Jeremiah takes pains to depict Jeremiah as a legitimate prophet of the Israelite god Yahweh. In Jeremiah’s time, Judah was a nation divided over foreign policy and religion, and prophets with opposing messages claimed to speak for Yahweh (Jer 28).  According to the book of Jeremiah (our only source of information about him), it was Jeremiah’s determination to preach the word of Yahweh despite opposition that established his authenticity. He forcefully asserts the truth of his denunciatory prophecies against the optimistic predictions of other prophets, whom he accuses of prophesying lies (Jer 23:9-40).  Yahweh designates Jeremiah a “prophet to the nations” (Jer 46-51) and commissions him to pronounce judgement against not only Judah but also other nations. “See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer 1:10).  When appointed, Jeremiah, like many biblical fi...

  The book of 1 Samuel gives a history of Israel after the time of the judges. There is an emphasis on the kingdom of Israel. Though the prophet Samuel is not included in the book of Judges, his role is that of a judge. He is used to anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. The book opens with the birth of Samuel. He was a child born to a family who loved God. Samuel’s mother, Hannah, begged God for a son. Apparently, as many faithful Jewish mothers did, she asked that her son could be the Savior promised throughout Old Testament history. (Chapters 1-3) As part of her promise to return the child Samuel to the Lord, Hannah took him to live with Eli the priest. Samuel grew up in the service of the God learning the Law from Eli. Though Eli seemed to teach Samuel well, his own sons brought grief to the family. The believed they knew a better way to serve the Lord and went against the requirements of God. Judgment followed in the house of Eli and upon the nation of Israel. ...