THE
INTER-RELATION
OF THE
PROPHETICAL BOOKS.
Appendix
78 To The Companion Bible.
PAGE
1 |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In the Hebrew Canon
(Appendix 1)
we have The five
books of the "Law".
This is the number of Grace.
(2) The eight books of the "Prophets"—this is the Dominical number. (3) The eleven books of the Hagiographa—this is the remarkable number (the fifth prime) which plays so important a part in the works of God. (See Appendix 10.) In the Law, the grace of God was shown to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:31-37, etc.); but true grace came by Jesus Christ. (See note on John 1:16, 17.) In the Prophets, we have Jehovah's special dealing with Israel. In the "former prophets" we see the law-principle; and in the latter prophets we see faith-principle; the two together presenting us with a wonderful picture of the failure of man on the one hand, and the faithfulness of Jehovah on the other. THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS. Through the changing of the order of the books of the prophets, by the Translators of the Septuagint, the Church has lost sight of the one grand illustration of the great principle of Old Testament teaching, which is currently supposed to be taught only in the New; namely, that law-principle brings in "the curse", whereas faith-principle brings in "the blessing".The non-recognition of the fact that this is Old Testament teaching has obscured the specific doctrine of the New: namely, that over and above belief on the Lord Jesus Christ, a "mystery" or "secret", which had been hid in God "from the beginning of the world" (Ephesians 3:9), was made manifest after Pentecost, and after the Dispensation covered by the Acts of the Apostles, to the apostle Paul. See notes on Ephesians 1:9; 3; and 5:32. There is another Structure, differing from that given in Appendix 1. but equally true, namely:— |
THE
FORMER PROPHETS.
|
|||||||
A |
JOSHUA. Israel brought into the Land. God keeps His covenant. Israel under priests. |
|||||||
B |
JUDGES. Israel in the Land. Man breaks the covenant. Failure of the priesthood. |
|||||||
B |
SAMUEL. Israel in the Land. God shows mercy in appointing prophets, and a king whose throne shall be established for ever. |
|||||||
A |
KINGS. Israel ejected from the Land. Man breaks the covenant as before; the ten tribes and the kings break the one made with David. |
|||||||
Here,
in the "former"
prophets
(Zechariah
7:7),
we see,
arranged in an Introversion,
the whole of Israel's
failure in the Land,
set forth by the Lord.
Now we are shown in the "latter" prophets how God's faithfulness was going to secure His own purposes, and Israel's blessing.
THE
LATTER PROPHETS.
|
TOP PAGE 1 PAGE 2 APPENDIX INDEX HOME |
THE
INTER-RELATION OF THE PROPHETICAL BOOKS.
(cont.).
PAGE
2 |
||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
He is both
rejected and accepted.
The Nation went back
to the land to try
that question under
Divine auspices
(Daniel
9:24-27).
When they rejected Him,
they were not established,
but again scattered.
But when they accept Him
they will be regathered,
and never again rooted out.
They can come back only through David (from whom their second breach of covenant referred to was a departure), before the first breach of covenant can be healed up; for the character and form of the Structure (here, as elsewhere) corresponds with the subject-matter; and, in this, the Introversion of the Structure is the same as the principle on which God works: namely, by introversion. The Law must go forth from Zion. We find then that the following is the Structure, showing THE INTER-RELATION OF THE PROPHETIC BOOKS. |
The New Covenant of
Jeremiah
31:31-34
has indeed been made
(Matthew
26:28);
and can never be made again:
for His "blood of the
Covenant" has been shed,
once for all.
Had the nation repented on
the proclamation of Peter
(Acts
2:38;
3:19-26),
all would have been fulfilled;
in the same way as
John the Baptist
would have been taken
for Elijah the prophet
(Malachi
3:1;
4:5, 6.
Compare
Matthew
11:10-15)
had the nation,
through its rulers,
repented at his
proclamation
(Matthew
3:1, 2)
and that of Messiah
(Matthew
4:17,
etc.).
But,
seeing that these great calls to
"repent" were not obeyed,
both fulfillments stand in abeyance,
until this one great condition of
national restoration and blessing
shall have taken place.
The modern doctrine,
in certain circles,
that that New Covenant holds
good with Gentiles now,
or with the present-day
"house of Israel",
would bestow justification
on unbelievers.
This is not the teaching
of Hebrews 8 and 10.
This does not affect the
position of those who are
"in Christ" in
this Dispensation of the
"Mystery".
They have all,
and more than all,
in that
"New Covenant"
which will yet bring back
blessing to Restored Israel.
When that national
repentance does take place,
the time will come for the
travailing woman to bring forth
(Isaiah
66:8;
John
16:19-22).
But that is still future.
What is true,
is the declaration of Jehovah by Micah:
"Therefore will He give them up,
until the time that she which
travaileth hath brought forth;
then the remnant of his brethren
shall return unto the children of
Israel"
(Micah
5:3).
|
|||||||
C |
ISAIAH. Restoration of the throne of David through the priestly work of Messiah, from the standpoint of the two tribes. |
|||||||
D |
JEREMIAH. Political disruption, and final restoration of Judah and Ephraim (the twelve tribes) by a new Covenant. |
|||||||
D |
EZEKIEL. Ecclesiastical disruption, God ceasing to rule the Land in demonstration; and final restoration of the same, re-establishing all the twelve tribes. |
|||||||
C |
THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS. Restoration of the throne of David through the priestly work of Messiah, from standpoint of the ten tribes. (See the Structure of these, preceding HOSEA.) |
TOP PAGE 1 PAGE 2 |
Appendix Index |
![]() |
TheRain.org |
|