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C.R.E NOTES
FORM THREE

SUMMARIZED FORM THREE NOTES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 . 4
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 4
Teachings of Jesus on the role of the holy spirit 4
Peters message on the day of Pentecost 5
Paul teaching about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 6
Criteria for Discerning the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 7
The fruits of the Holy Spirit 7
Manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the church and Christians today 8

CHAPTER 2 9
THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 9
Teachings of The Unity of Believers in Selected New Testament texts 9
The people of God 9
The body of Christ 9
The Vine and the Branches 10
The Church or Assembly of God 10
The Bride 10
Causes of disunity in the early church and solutions Paul offered 10
Causes of disunity among believers and church in Kenya today 11
Possible Solutions to disunity 12

CHAPTER 3 13
SELECTED OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS AND THEIR TEACHINGS 13
Definitions of a prophet, and prophecy 13
Categories of prophets 13
Importance of prophets in Israel 13
Characteristics of true prophets 14

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The Characteristics of false prophets. 14

Writing messages of the prophets 15
Content of the Prophetic messages 15
Relationships between Prophesies in the Bible 15
Similarities between prophets in the African traditional society and the Old Testament. In both
traditions, prophets: 16
Differences O.T. between prophets in the African traditional society and the Old Testament 16

CHAPTER 4 18
PROPHET AMOS 18
Religious background 18
Social — economic — political background 18
The call of Amos 18
Visions of Amos 19
Teachings of Amos 19
Relevance of Amos teachings to Christians today. 21
Gods judgment against Israel and other nations 22
Israels Election 23
The Remnant and Restoration 24
The Day of the Lord. 24

CHAPTER 5 26
PROPHET JEREMIAH 26
Social background 26
Religions background. 26
Political Background. 26
The Call of Jeremiah. 26
Jeremiahs visions 27
Evils addressed by Jeremiah 27
The temple sermon 29
CHAPTER 6 30
JEREMIAHS TEACHINGS ON JUDGMENT AND PUNISHMENT 30
Symbolic acts of Jeremiah related to judgement and punishment 30

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CHAPTER 7 32
JEREMIAHS TEACHINGS, SUFFERING AND HOPE 32
The sufferings and lamentations of Jeremiah 32
Jeremiahs teachings on hope and restoration 33
Jeremiahs teaching about the new covenant 34
The fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Israelites 34
Relating the teachings of Jeremiah to the New Testament and Christian life today 34

CHAPTER 8 36
PROPHET NEHEMIAH 36
Background to Nehemiah 36
Political and historical background. 36
Social background 36
Religious background 36
Prayers by Nehemiah 37
Leadership qualities of Nehemiah 38
Building the wall of Jerusalem 39
Problems faced by Nehemiah. 39

CHAPTER 9 40
RESTORATION OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY 40
Renewal of the covenant 40
Ezra reads the Law 40
Agreement of the people 40
Final reforms of Nehemiah 41
Comparing teachings of Nehemiah and St. Lukes Gospel 42
Relating Nehemiahs teachings to Christian life today 42

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CHAPTER 1

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Teachings of Jesus on the role of the holy spirit
John 14:15-26, 16: 5-15, and Acts 1: 7- 8

Introduction
The Holy Spirit is the third person in the trinity.

There is the power of Christ, the power of God, and the Holy Spirit who gives gifts
such as prophecy and healing.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned several times in the Bible;

 During creation in Genesis.

 At the annunciation of the birth of Jesus,

 At the beginning of the ministry of Jesus,

 During baptism,

 Revelation of Jesus in the temple,

 Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit during his mission or ministry, after resurrection
and before ascension.

The role of Holy Spirit as taught by Jesus

John 14:15-26 and John 16: 5-15, Acts 1: 7- 8
Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would:

i Teach Christians on a daily basis messages of Jesus

ii Live in the hearts of believers of Christ

iii Be an advocate, a counsellor, helper and a comforter to those who love Jesus Christ
and obey Gods commandments.

iv He would remind the disciples the words said by Jesus Christ and introduce them to
their deeper meanings.

v Interpret the deeper meaning of the messages of Jesus Christ.

vi Reveal the truth and mysteries of and about God.

vii Affirm the right of Jesus as the Son of God.

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viii Reveal the glory of Jesus death.

ix Reveal what is right and wrong

x Give the disciples of Jesus power to become witnesses of Christ.

xi Give courage to the disciples of Jesus to face prosecution on the account of

following Jesus.

xii Enable the disciples to expose the secret lives and heart of sinful people.

xiii Guide Christians; help believers to cast away evils spirits, to heal, to preach the word
of God, to encourage, and to condemn evil in the society.

Peters message on the day of Pentecost

Acts 2: 14-41

Introduction
Jews commemorate Pentecost day. This is the day that God gave Moses his laws on
Mount Sinai. It is also referred to as the festival of weeks. Pentecost day was
celebrated 50 days after the Passover. It was compulsory for all Jews. On this day,
Jews brought offering, the first fruits of harvest, to the temple in Jerusalem.

Pentecostal day
On the Pentecostal day, the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem awaiting the
promise of the Holy Spirit. And as promised, the Holy Spirit came in the form of a
strong wind, and tongues of fire. The Holy Spirit rested on the head of each disciple.

The disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They spoke in new tongues. Some of
the observers mistook this experience. They thought that the disciples were drunk
with wine.

Peter stood up to explain what was happening and defend the disciples. He told
those who saw the experience that the disciples were not drunk. It was in the
morning.

Peters Message
Joel 2: 28 — 32
Peter told the onlookers that

What was happening is fulfilment of Joels prophesies about the outpouring of Gods
spirit. He said that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God. This was proved by the
miracles that Jesus performed. He emphasized that the suffering and death of Jesus
was according to Gods plans. Jesus is a descendant of David. Death and the
resurrection of Jesus fulfilled prophesies in the Old Testament.

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God raised Jesus from the dead. He taught that Jesus had both the nature of God and
Man. The apostles are the living witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus has
been exalted and sits on the right hand of God where He is Lord and Judge. They holy
Spirit is a gift from Jesus

Peter then invited the listeners to repentance so that they could be forgiven and
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand souls accepted salvation message
and were added to the fellowship of the disciples.

The disciples. They did many wonders and signs. They continued to live in unity,
worshiping God, fellowshipping together, and breaking the bread.

Relevance of the Pentecostal Experience

(i) Speaking in diverse tongues signified that Christianity is a universal religion. It
pointed out the importance of all languages when communicating to God.

(ii) Christians should be bold in their preaching. They should not be afraid as they have
the counsel and helper, the Holy Spirit.

(iii)Christians should understand that God chooses anyone as a leader, preacher, and
witness of Christ.

(iv)Pentecostal experience signifies that Christians need to receive and be filled with
the Holy Spirit

Lessons Christians learn from Leadership of Peter.

Christians should be:

(i) Courageous and stand up for Jesus Christ all the times.

(ii) Ready to spread the Gospel of Christ.

(iii)Win new converts to Jesus by inviting them to repentance.

(iv)Have faith in the risen Christ.

(v) Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit like Peter

(vi)Those in church leadership should take their roles seriously.

Paul teaching about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13&14.
Spiritual gifts are extra-ordinary favours, talents, abilities, and dispositions given to
Christians by God for the benefit of all believers.

The gifts are used for the service of others and not for self-glorification and
gratification.

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These gifts are:

1) Gift of wisdom: — having deep understanding of issues- seeing far, being

perceptive.

2) Gift of knowledge: — ability to understand the basic facts about Jesus, His
mission and knowledge about spiritual issues.

3) The gift of faith: — refers to the confidence in Gods help. It is deep trust in God.

4) The Gift of healing: — ability, and power to heal all forms of sickness by calling
upon the name of Jesus Christ.

5) The gift of performing miracles: — gift of healing miracles, creative miracles for
example, raising the dead, healing etc.

6) The gift of preaching

7) The gift of prophecy: — the ability to interpret Gods word. The ability to foresee
what will happen in the future as revealed by God.

8) The gift of distinguishing spirits or discernment: — the ability to know whether a

spiritual gift is from God, the Holy Spirit or from the evil spirit

9) The gift of speaking in tongues. The ability to utter, speak in a tongue, language
unknown to the believer. Tongues are used when addressing God for
self-edifications. It is personal growth.

10)The gift of interpretation of tongues: — the ability to understand and interpret

the messages of those speaking in tongues.

11)The gift of love. (1 Corinthians 13)

Paul stressed that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be demonstrated with love.

He stressed that love, a fruit of the Holy Spirit is supreme over other spiritual gifts
possessed by Christians.

Its the greatest of all. Speaking in tongues, preaching without love is useless.

 He said that love is patient and kind

 Its not jealous or boastful.

 It is not arrogant or rude

 It does not hold grudges or ill-mannered or selfish

 It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful

 It does not rejoice at wrong doings but rejoices in the truth

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 Love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things

 It is ready to deep firm its faith, hope and its patience

 Love does not succumb to pressure but always perseveres

He justified that love is the greatest gift of the spiritual gifts because in prayer, the
gift of tongues becomes nothing but meaningful when accompanied by love.

On faith, Paul says that even if one has faith that can move mountains but has no
love, he is nothing

Charity or generosity including sacrificing own life is nothing without love

Criteria for Discerning the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Mathew 7:15-20 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Galatians 5:15-26
The gift must glorify Jesus so that one who is under the influence of

The Holy Spirit will be able to recognize Jesus as Lord and saviour

The test of love. The gift must bear the fruits of the spirit

One who is user the influence if the Holy Spirit is known by his or her way of life.

He/she will act and behave in accordance with the teachings of Jesus.

Should always in agreement with the scripture the Holy Spirit cannot contradict what is
written

The gift must be subject to the word of God

The true gift will be guided by principles of sincerity and honesty

The true gift will humbly submit to God

The gift should encourage the growth of the church

The fruits of the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26
Paul taught that the fruit of the spirit are:

 Love showing compassion to one another

 Joy deep happiness when one has a good relationship with God

 Peace being at peace with all people

 Patience being to wait in difficulties

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 Kindness being caring and helpful towards others

 Goodness seeking to do best in their lives

 Faithfulness having confidence in God

 Gentleness being calm and avoiding violence

 Self-control have strong control over their emotions

Manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the church and Christians today

Gifts of the Holy Spirit have been manifested in churches today through:

i Leaders in church have displayed the gift of wisdom.

ii Preachers and Christians ministers have been casting out demons and
performing healing.

iii There cases of interpretation of tongues and gift of prophecy in churches today.

iv Through healing, healing and casting out demons among others

v Christians helping the poor by giving generosity and in

kindness.

vi Through singing, dancing, shouting (fruit of joy)

vii Through unity of believes and fellowships.

viii Through praying in order to overcome temptations

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CHAPTER 2

THE UNITY OF BELIEVERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Teachings of The Unity of Believers in Selected New Testament texts
Unity of believers refers to oneness of those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

The early Christians in Jerusalem demonstrated their unity by.

 Holding joint prayer sessions

 Sharing the Lords supper, that is Eucharist.

 Sharing their possessions with the poor.

They showed oneness and unity as believers by expressing their oneness using
various terms, images and symbols.

They regarded themselves as the people of God, the church and an Assembly of
God. When they celebrated the last supper, eating of bread was a symbol of the
body of Christ. They saw themselves as belonging to one tree with the vine and
branches.
As followers of Christ, the early Church saw itself as the Bride of Christ.

Symbolic Expressions

The people of God

1 Peter 2: 9-10.
Peter has outlined the characteristics of the people of God. He says that the people
of God are

The Chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a chosen people

Those who stand out from the rest because they live a holy and righteous life.

Form a Holy nation chosen to proclaim the works of God.

Not just the descendants of Abraham but people who follow Jesus Christ and His
teachings.

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The body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 4:1-12.
The Holy Spirit is the one who brings Christians together as one body of Christ to
serve the church. Christians are given gifts for the purpose of sharing the body of
Christ.

Jesus Christ is the head of the church. And just as the body has many parts, playing
different roles, so has the Church. Every member of the church plays a vital role
because different members have different spiritual gifts and callings. Some are
Apostles, Teachers, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Miracle performers,
Administrators and those who show mercy to others and encourage (exhort) others.

All church activities should be directed to the welfare of the church, just as the
function of each part of the body is necessary for the well-being of the whole body.
To have a united body, members should be meek, and patient in order to bear the
fruit of the Holy Spirit. For a church to be united, or to be considered as one body,
Christians should have faith in God the father, one Lord Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit
and have faith in God through Jesus Christ.

The Vine and the Branches

John 15:1-10
The vine represents Jesus. Vine tree was a tree that bore grapes. The vine tree
was a symbol of prosperity and peace. Jesus is the vine and the Father is the
vinedresser. Christians/ believers are the branches. They are expected to
produce good fruits by remaining faithful and united in Christ. Faithful branches
bear fruit like good Christians while unfruitful branches are like unfruitful
Christians.

Christians should remain united to Christ who is the vine so as to bear fruits. The
teachings of Jesus purify the Christians. The dead branches of the Vine trees are
cut off and the livings ones are trimmed or pruned. This is done so that the vines
may produce high yields. Likewise, unfaithful Christians, believers are rebuked and
corrected so as to bear high yields.

The Church or Assembly of God

Ephesians 5: 21 — 32
Church is a Greek word ekklesia, which means people. People who belong to the
Lord. Assembly of God is the coming together of people of diverse social and
cultural backgrounds who recognize lordship of Jesus.

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The church is likened to the relationship between a husband and a wife. Christians (the
church) are expected to be united with Christ just as a husband and wife are united in
marriage. Just as husbands and wives are expected to love one another, so too, are
Christians called upon to express love to one another and to love God.

A husband is the head of a family; Jesus is also the head of the church.

The Bride
2 Corinthian 11: 2, Revelations 21: 1 — 12
In the Old Testament, God calls Israel a bride. In the New Testament, Christians are
referred to as “a bride in the New Jerusalem. God or Jesus Christ is the bridegroom.

Christians are reminded that the life on earth is a temporary home. Their real home is
in heaven, the Holy city of God. Just as a bride is expected to be faithful to her
husband, so are Christians expected to be faithful to God by observing the covenant
way of life. Deviation from the covenant was portrayed as adultery.

John, in his book of revelations, sees a vision of a new heaven and a new earth in
which faithful Christians will be rewarded. Christ will come to take His bride to
eternity to live there forever.

The relationship between Christians and Jesus/ God is like a marriage. It is a

covenant. It is a relationship where the church (bride) is expected to submit to God.
Jesus died for the church, a show of His or Gods love. Likewise, Christians should
be committed in their relationship to God.

Causes of disunity in the early church and solutions Paul offered

The early church experienced some challenges, which led to divisions among the
early disciples and Christians.

 Disputes, over leadership of the Church. Christians wanted different leaders:

Paul, Apollos, Cephas or Christ. Paul told them that Christ couldnt be divided (1
Corinthians 1:10 -21).
 Sexual immorality Some Christians were doing or having irresponsible sexual
behaviours. These were incest, fornication, and prostitution. Paul condemned such
behaviours and told Christians to stop sinning and honour God with their bodies.
The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthian 5: 1-13, 6:12 —
20).
 Christians settling disputes in civil courts. Paul advised they ought to talk over
issues among themselves and agree to solve problems on their own (1 Corinthians
6).

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 Dispute over marriage and divorce. Some Christians were opposed to marriage.
Others were encouraging divorce. Paul addressed these issues in 1 Corinthian
71-16. Paul advised Christians that it was okay to marry or not to marry. But
marriage was needed to stop immorality.

 Eating of meat offered to idols. Some Christians were eating meat offered to idols
while others were against it. Paul advised Christians not to eat anything that will
cause their faith to weaken or fail. 1 Corinthians 8, 10: 14 — 20.

 Disputes about dressing during worship. If women were supposed to cover

their head during worship and shave hair whether men were to keep long hair?
(1 Cor 11:1-16).
 Lords Supper, (1 Corinthians 11:17 — 33). Some Christians were overeating and over
drinking during the Holy Communion

 Misuses of spiritual gift especially the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul taught that
all gifts are equal 1 Corinthians 12.

 There was a misunderstanding about the resurrection of the dead. Some were
saying there is no resurrection. Paul preached that if there is no resurrection then
their preaching was in vain as they were witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus
Christ 1 Corinthians 15.

Causes of disunity among believers and church in Kenya today

 Leadership differences. Some Christians are struggling for power. This has led to
formation of splinter groups, divisions and enmity between these groups.

 Cultural differences. Christians are divided by their African cultural beliefs from
their backgrounds. This culture is merged with Christianity and Western cultural
practices forming a unique mixture of beliefs.

 Some Christians are permissive while others are conservative. This has led to
disunity, for example in the areas of dressing.

 Discrimination. There is inequality within the church between the rich and the
poor, the whites and blacks. Some Christians are viewed as more spiritual than
others, on basis of the tribe, gender, wealth and social status among others.

 Misuse of freedom of worship. Christians are starting sprinter churches, probably

because they want to control church finances without supervision by the wider
church. To justify their departure, they spread propaganda against the mother
church, and other churches in order to attract followers. The more followers a
church has the more tithe it collects.

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 Misuse of church funds. Some church leaders and followers misuse church funds

 Differences in the practice of baptism

 Arrogance and pride by some Christians.

 Sexual immorality in the church, divorce and marriage issues.

Possible Solutions to disunity

i The church should settle issues that divide its members by Christians:

ii Learning to appreciate and respect the practices and belief of other Christians
denominations.

iii Having or forming a common goal on church matters.

iv Striving to be guided by the principle of love in solving problems facing them.

v Observing the teachings of disciples, prophets, apostles, God, laws, Jesus and the
Bible.

vi Avoiding doing wrong to a fellow Christian that would cause suffering and
disharmony.

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CHAPTER 3
SELECTED OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS AND THEIR
TEACHINGS
Definitions of a prophet, and prophecy
The word prophet comes from a Hebrew word Rabii meaning one who is called or
one who announces Gods message. A prophet is also referred to as a seer.

A prophet is a person sent by God to teach and give people messages about things
to come in future from God. Prophets received divine messages from God and
communicated them to the people.

A prophet is therefore a person who foretells events as revealed to him or her by

God. Examples of prophets include Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah and prophetesses
(female prophet) Deborah, and Huldah.

Prophecy is a statement, a message of something that is going to happen in the

future. The action of giving future messages is called prophecy.

Categories of prophets
There were many categories of prophets. These were:

a) Major Prophets. These were Prophets whose messages covered a long period of
time. Their messages were long and detailed. For example, Prophet Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and Daniel.

b) Minor prophets. There are 12 books of the Minor Prophets examples They are called
minor because their messages are short, brief and do not contain detailed
information. The Minor Prophets are Amos, and Hosea, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

c) Canonical prophets the term canon means law. Canonical prophets are law
prophets. The individual utterances of these prophets are laws. Both minor and
major prophets are canonical prophets,

d) The early prophets are Moses, Nathan Elijah, and Elisha. These prophets belonged
to guilds schools. Their prophecies are not recorded under their names. Their
prophecies are written in books, which do not bear their names.

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e) Cultic prophets like Hannah (New Testament.) served in the places of worship. They
assisted the priest officiating worship

f) Professional / court prophets like Samuel, Micah, and Gad lived together in the
temple and in groups. They earned their living through their work. They did not work
elsewhere

g) False prophets are pretenders to speak in the name of Yahweh but God did not call
them. They spoke lies in accordance with the messages people wanted to hear.

Importance of prophets in Israel

i They communicated Gods will to the people of Israel.

ii They foretold Gods judgments and punishment for sinners.

iii They condemned the behaviour of the rich towards the poor.

iv Through their messages, people reformed their lives since they condemned all forms
of evils

v They contributed to the writing of their messages leading to the compilation of the
Bible.

vi Prophets guided and gave people hope.

vii They taught people the laws of God.

viii They warned people of dangers to come.

ix They condemned idolatry and stressed the worship of one true God, Yahweh.

x They anointed the Kings in Israel.

xi Kings consulted the prophets before any major undertaking such as war among
others.

xii They acted as conscience of kings. They advised them when they went wrong.

Characteristics of true prophets

i They experienced God dramatically when He called them and in their ministry.

ii They were Gods spokesmen/women.

iii They responded in faith to their call.

iv God gave them specific tasks in their commission and His and support in their
ministry.
v They urged people to repent and turn back to God.

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vi In their messages, they taught that God demands sincere worship and not
elaborate rituals.

vii They understood God and taught about God righteousness, goodness, and loving
care.

viii They condemned evil in the society and proclaimed Gods judgment and
punishment

ix They spoke with authority and acted with courage.

x They upheld God as a universal God for all nations.

xi Their utterances were true because they were fulfilled

xii They spent a lot of their time in prayers.

xiii All the true prophets received opposition from their audiences

The Characteristics of false prophets.

i Some of the prophecy of false prophets contradicted prophesies of the true prophets.

ii False prophets followed their own imaginations, and gave false hopes.

iii They told people what they wanted to hear.

iv They had no personal knowledge of God.

v They used evil forces such as magic, and divinations to call upon the spirits of the
dead.

vi They were paid for prophesy and benefits materially from their clients.

vii They served Baal and were mainly immoral.

Writing messages of the prophets

God communicated to Prophets through visions, voices that were audible and clear,
events, prayers, dreams, signs, ordinary things, and words which came to their
minds with great power.

The canonical prophets had their works and prophecies recorded under their names.
Canonical prophets are referred to as writing prophets.

1) They wrote what God spoke to them as He dictated. An example is Jeremiah who
wrote what he was told …Get a scroll and write on it everything that I have told you
about Israel, Judah and all nations….”. Jeremiah 36:2, Isaiah 30:8
2) The prophets message was probably written by other people. These were their
assistant, secretary, scribe, and disciples or followers as the prophet prophesied.

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3) Some of the prophetic messages could have been preserved as oral traditions and
later written as books. A good example is 2 Kings.

Content of the Prophetic messages

Prophetic messages contained lessons from God to Israel. For example, the:

1) Prophetic sayings were and still are oracles or poetic passages spoken by God
himself through prophets. The prophecies were addressed to different nations. They
carried specific teachings to the people, for example predicting future occurrences

2) Narratives in the first person give an account of the prophets testimony. They spoke
of their experiences with God, and responses to the call of God. They tell us about
prophets impelling compulsion to speak Gods word. The narratives are written in the
first person. They have a format The Lord said to me… The year that King Uzziah died,
I was the Lord…”
3) Narratives in the third 3rd person have messages written by a third party, i.e. not the
prophet but another person. For example, “Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to
your master, thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words.” (Isaiah 37:6). The
message recounts the prophets personal life, and political background.

Relationships between Prophesies in the Bible

Several Old Testament prophecies were and are fulfilled in both the Old and New
Testament in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Law of Moses is used in both
the Old Testament and the New Testament. However, Jesus gave the law a deeper
meaning.

The teachings and prophecies of the prophets provided the foundation for the
message in the New Testament. The prophecies of Prophet Nathan to King David
that God would raise up an offspring from the lineage of David was fulfilled in Jesus
Christ, the expected messiah.

Jesus disciples in the New Testament referred a lot to messages in the Old
Testament. The teachings of Jesus in the New Testament are based in the Old
Testament prophecies. They are therefore similar to each other because New
Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament.

The New Testament is the new covenant spoken of by Prophet Jeremiah and other
Prophets like Isaiah, Micah, and Nathan. Their prophecies about Messiah are
fulfilled in the New Testament.

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Similarities between prophets in the African traditional society and the Old
Testament. In both traditions, prophets:
Were endowed with divine powers and they dealt with religious matters.

Acted as intermediaries between God and people

Warned people of impending dangers and disasters due to disobedience

Had supernatural experiences

Encouraged morality and discouraged evil ways

In some cases, could heal

Withstood oppression and opposition by the political rulers

Encouraged people to fight injustices in society

Foretold future disasters such as drought and wars by explained why they were going
to occur.

Were consulted when things were not well in the society.

Received revelations through dreams, visions and thoughts

Were gender sensitive male prophets and female prophetesses.

Differences O.T. between prophets in the African traditional society and

the Old Testament.
The Old Testament prophets had a personal relationship with God. They
communicated Gods messages to Israelites.

The prophets in the African traditional society communicated and received messages
from the ancestor spirits

Old Testament prophets were Gods spokesmen While the prophets in the African
traditional society predicted what would happen to individuals, and communities.

The authority of prophets in the Old Testament came from God while the authority of
prophets in the African traditional society came from their ancestors spirits

In the Old Testament prophets were called directly by God while in some African
traditional communities the prophetic office was hereditary.
The African traditional prophets dealt with family and local community issues while
Old Testament prophets dealt with national issues, and crises.

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African traditional prophets were diviners while Old Testament prophets consulted
God.

Relevance of Old Testament prophets to Christians today

i Christian should be ready to be messengers of God. The call has a prophetic role.

ii As Gods spokesperson one should always stand for the truth. Christian should
proclaim Gods will even if the message is not pleasant to the people.

iii Once appointed as a prophet, one should pass the messages to whoever they are
sent to without fear or favour. Gods messengers should always condemn the social
political economic evils in the society.

iv As Gods messengers Christians should live exemplary lives. They should stand for
what they preach and should expect persecutions because of their works as Gods
messengers. They should be ready to suffer for the sake of the gospel.

v Christians should pray to God to give them guidance, wisdom, and inspiration to be
able to handle hardships in their lives. They should provide hope for the people in
times of suffering.

vi Christians should realize that God calls both men and women to His service. They
should be ready to obey Gods prophetic call and not run away e.g. Jonah.

vii They should be concerned and take care of the welfare of the poor community
members.

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CHAPTER 4

PROPHET AMOS
Background to prophet Amos
Amos is one of the canonical or writing prophets. The book of Amos is a temptation
of oracles spoken by the prophet on different occasions.

Religious background
Worshipped Yahweh and other gods. Idolatry was also present. This form of worship is
called Syncretism. There was religious hypocrisy. Like today, there was an
emphasis on external observances of religious practices and less concern for internal
observances.

The priests were paid for religious work. Those who couldnt pay did not have religious
ceremonies. They were offered at the expense of the poor. The prophets of God
were rejected.

Social — economic — political background

When Amos prophesied, King Jeroboam ruled Israel, the northern kingdom while King
Uzziah ruled Judah. Amos was sent to prophesy to the people of Israel in the
northern kingdom. He concentrated his work mainly in Bethel and Samaria — the
capital city of Israel and the main centres of worship.

When Amos started his prophesy, there was peace and prosper in Israel and Judah.
Both kingdoms were wealthy. However, the wealth did not reach the poor. This was
because the wealth and power were in the hands of the king, his family, his officials,
and wealthy merchants. As a result, Israel citizens were divided into two classes; the
rich and the poor.

Unfortunately, the rich people owned big luxurious houses. They drink wine, and used the
most expensive perfumes. They acquired their wealth at the expense of the poor. They
oppressed and exploited the poor.

The merchants of trade for example, were dishonest in their trade businesses. They
sold bad wheat to unsuspecting customers and overcharged customers by
measuring with false scales. Because of the inflated prices, the poor borrowed
money from the rich at high interest rates to buy basic things like food. Hence, there
was massive bribery and corruption in society and law courts.

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As a result, the poor lacked basic necessities or needs like food, shelter, and clothing.
It was at this time when God sent Amos to give prophesy to Israel.

The call of Amos

Amos 1:1,3:8,7:10 — 15
Prophet Amos was born in a village called Tekoa in Judah, the southern kingdom.

Before his call, Amos was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees.

He was not a professional prophet. But God called him to be a prophet. He received
his call in form of a vision around 758 BC.

Amos responded to Gods call with obedience. He felt a deep compulsion to prophesy
(Amos 3:8). God directed him to give his message to the people of Israel, the northern
kingdom (Amos 7:15). He was asked to speak the will of Yahweh.
He was also to fore tell punishment if Israelites did not repent their sins. His message
was opposed, and challenged by Amaziah the priest of Bethel.

Visions of Amos
Amos 7: 1 — 9, 8:1 — 3. 9:1 — 4)
Vision is a picture we have in our mind. It is a future to come. Amos was shown many
visions by God.

The vision of the locusts (Amos 7:1 — 3)

Amos saw a swarm of locusts being sent by God to destroy all plants and food crops
in the land. The locusts were a sign of disaster; which God was going to send to
Israel as a punishment for their disobedience. Amos cried to God to forgive the
people. God heard and changed his mind.

The vision of a great fire (Amos 7:4 — 6)

Amos saw a vision of a supernatural fire that burnt up the land. He asked God to
forgive the people and God listened. The punishment was stopped.

The vision of a crooked wall/ the plumb line (Amos 7:7 — 9)

Amos saw the Lord standing beside the wall checked it with a plumb line. The wall
represented the Israelites. They stopped observing the laws of their covenant with
God. God found Israelites disobeying the covenant. God promised to destroy holy
places of Israel.

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The vision of a basket of ripe fruits (Amos 8:1 — 3)

In this vision, Amos saw a basket of ripe fruits. Fruits are harvested at the end of the
summer. This meant that Israel was ripe for punishment for her refusal to turn to God.
Amos did not pray for forgiveness. God would no longer withhold His judgment. Time
for repentance was over.

The vision of the destruction of the altar (Amos 9:1 — 4)

Amos saw the Lord standing by the altar. The Lord ordered the destruction of the
temple. The shrines of Dan and Bethel were destroyed because they were the centres
of idolatry. No one would escape punishment no matter where they hide.

Teachings of Amos
Social justice and responsibility
There was lack of social justice and responsibility by the king of Israel.

Social justice means dealing with other people fairly. It implies showing concern for
the needs of others.

Responsibility means doing ones duty and fulfilling ones obligation to God and
others.

Oppressions of the poor by the rich

God condemned King Jeroboam rule of Israel because of the oppression of the poor,
government corruption and bribery of kings officials. These officials sold the
righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals (shoes) i.e. its like practising
slavery.
The rich trampled on the poor, despised them and placed no value on the poor. The
poor gave their garments as security for loan. This was contrary to Gods
commandments. The garment was supposed to be returned back to the owner
before sunset. The Samaritan women were fat like the well fed cows of Bashan led
luxurious lives and were very unkind to the poor.

The rich took an excessive share of the harvest from the farmers. Rulers loved luxury
and were arrogant. They loved material things and showed pride in material
possessions. They used expensive perfumes.

Corruption and bribery.

The judges were corrupt. They accepted bribes. There was a conspiracy between the
rich and the judges against the poor

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Pride in materials possessions

The capital city of Israel was Samaria. It was built on a mountain called Bethel, which
was also a place of worship. There was prosperity in the land. The Israelites prided
themselves in their riches and materials possessions. Amos told them God would
destroy their wealth.

Dishonesty.
This is telling lies, cheating or using unjust means to get certain things. The wealthy
merchants waited impatiently for the end of the holy days so that they could engage
in lucrative businesses. They cheated the poor by using false scales.

They sold bad wheat to the poor. They mixed good and bad grains and sold them to
unsuspecting people.

Sexual immorality
Sexual immorality was prevalent or common in Israel. For example, a father and son
would have sex with the same girl. There was temple (cultic) prostitution. There was
dishonesty; sexual immorality. This sexual behaviour made the temple unholy.

Drunkenness
They Israelites spent time drinking when the poor lacked the basic needs. They
engaged in excessive drinking of wine. They even forced the Nazarites to drink wine.
They accepted drunkenness.

Drunkenness
Israelites did not respect the name of God. They committed sin. They forced Nazirites to
drink wine Nazirites were not supposed to drink wine or cut their hair. Israelites did this
to show their respect to the Lord,

Hypocritical Religion and Idolatry in Israel

Hypocrisy is pretending to be something different from the person one is. It is also
saying one thing, and doing another thing. For example,

Israelites did a lot of religious rites according to the laws of Moses and yet majority
of them were unjust, corrupt and oppressed the poor. They observed the external
religious activities while their hearts were corrupt and insincere.

Amos condemned Israelites for this hypocrisy, characterized by insincere worship, and
mixture of religious beliefs leading to diverse practices of religion i.e. syncretism.
This is a combination or mixture of Israelites monotheism and worship of idols and
other gods especially Baal, the gods of their neighbours.

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Empty sacrifices
The Israelites made elaborative offerings and sacrifices. Yet God was interested only in
sincere worship and free will offerings and not mere sacrifices, and tithes. Take away
from me the noise of your songs (Amos 5:21 — 23).

Relevance of Amos teachings to Christians today.

The messages of the prophecy of Amos are relevant to Christians today. i

Justice. Christians should be just / fair in dealing with others.

ii Self — Indulgence. Christians should not pursue luxury and self-indulgence when
others lack the basic needs.

iii Bribery. Christians should condemn bribery and corruption, and uphold justice.
Punishment. Christians should bear in mind that God will punish every evil.

iv Wealth. When Israel became wealthy, they departed from the covenant with God.

v Christians should share their wealth with the needy and acquire their wealth justly

vi Hypocritical religion. Amos taught about hypocrisy in religion. This was for example
offering empty sacrifices. Christians have to learn to be sincere, to be concerned
about their internal well-being and soul more than outward observances of religion.

vii Drunkenness. Christians should not engage in activities that can divert their faith
from God. If that happens, they should learn to be Repentant.

Gods judgment against Israel and other nations

Amos chapter 1 and 2

Israel.
She committed several crimes, which were condemned by Prophet Amos. Israel
committed crimes of injustice, disobedience to God, breaking their covenant with God,
idolatry, hypocrisy among other sins mentioned above. Israel was punished for these
crimes.

Judah. Their crimes were, failure to obey Gods commands and, despising gods
teaching.

Punishments were severe. Israelites would be exiled forcibly and painfully.

Earthquakes, famines, fires, oppression from foreign kings, epidemics and divine
silence, would destroy their kingdom and holy places.

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Syria.
Its capital was Damascus. Syria committed war crimes. The soldiers were
excessively cruel in times of war. They murdered their prisoners brutally. For this
cruelty,

Their punishment was to be severe. Their palaces would be destroyed by fire and the
people would be exiled in Kir.

Gaza and philistines.

Their crime was capturing other people and selling them into slavery.

For this sin, Gods punishment was destruction of their city by divine fire. It would burn
down the wall of Gaza city and destroy it. God would have no more association with
them.

Tyre.
Their Crime was violation of a treaty of friendship they had made. They broke it by
capturing a “whole nation into exile in the land of Edom”.

The punishment was God would send fire to destroy city of Tyre and its fortress
(Amos 1:9-10).

Edom.
Her people were descendants of Esau. Yet Edom was ruthless to the Israelite to
whom they were closely related.

For this crime of ruthlessness, the punishment was … God would destroy them by
fire

Ammon
Committed crime of brutal killings. The people of Ammon attacked and killed their
neighbours. They “ripped open pregnant woman in Gilead” (vs. 13).
Gods punishment was destruction of the fortress and wall of the city of Rabbah by
fire. “Their king and his officers will go into exile: (vs. 15).

Moab.
The people of Moab; their crime was mishandling the body of the king of Edom. They
burned his bones to ashes.

Gods punishment was destruction of the city of Kerioth by divine fire. The people,
their rulers and leaders would be killed in battle.

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Samaria, Egypt and Ashdod.

Their crime was dishonesty and “filling their mansions with things taken by crime and
violence” (Amos 3:10). Women of Samaria committed the crime of drunkenness,
oppressing the weak and poor.
The punishment for all these countries is destruction of their land, mansions and
army. But a remnant will not go to captivity, and shall not be destroyed. (Amos 3:12)
Amaziah the priest of Bethel. He strongly opposed Amos and told him to go back and
prophesy in Judah. Amos told Amaziah God sent him to Israel. His punishment for
opposing Gods messenger was. Amaziahs wife would be a harlot, his children will die
in the war, his land will be given to others, and Amaziah will die in a foreign land
(Amos 7: 14-17).

Lessons to learn from Gods judgment of Israel and other nations

Christians learn that God is:

i Universal,

ii God hates sin

iii God is concerned about the welfare of his people

iv God is merciful and spares a remnant

Israels Election
Amos 2:9 — 11, 3:1 — 2, 9:7
Election: is an act of choosing a person or group of people for a purpose or action.

Israels election refers to Gods choice of the Israelites out of the entire human kind to
be his people.

God chose them to serve him, be a Holy nation and to be the light of the world. God
made a covenant with the Israelites. In the covenant they agreed to live a holy life.

In return, God looked after them. He led them out of Egypt to the wilderness and
finally to Canaan. God chose His prophets from the Israelites and raised Nazirites.

Lessons Christians learn from Israels Election

i Christians are the people of God: The New Israel

ii They are chosen to proclaim the wonderful works of God

iii Christians should not assume that its a guarantee to inherit the kingdom of God like
the Israelites believed

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iv They should understand the moral responsibility that goes with elections

v They have entered into a special covenant with God through His son: Jesus and
therefore should implement Jesus teachings

The Remnant and Restoration

Amos 9:8-15
Remnant means a small number of survivors. These are the Israelites who will
remain after the entire nation is punished. They are also those who returned to
Jerusalem after the exile.

Restoration is an act of reinstating things /persons to their former state or position.

Amos informed the Israelites that God was still looking after them, and waiting for
their repentance.

The nation of Israel would not be destroyed completely. God would preserve the few
righteous ones. He would raise the fallen dynasty of David. People would be restored
back to their land to rebuild their cities. There was to be a great harvest and grapes
shall overflow.

The relevance of Amos teachings on Remnant and Restoration to Christians

today i Christians are the selected people of God.
ii As the chosen ones, they should one, live holy

iii use their position to serve God and others.

iv Christians have a moral responsibility to spread Gods word,

v care for the needy and

vi be the light of the world.

The Day of the Lord.

Amos 5:18-20, 6:3-5, 8:7-13.
In the Old Testament, the day of the Lord is the day that Yahweh would make Israel
victorious against other nations.
On this day the Israelite believed that God would establish his rule over and with
Israel.

The day of the Lord was also believed to be the day when Israel would be prosperous,
would have favour with God, and the just would triumph over the wicked.

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The day of the Lord Amos taught that the day of the lord would be a day of severe
judgment for sins. It is not a time of happiness, joy or victory. It is a day of darkness,
terror, disaster, gloom, wailing, flooding, mourning, defeat, punishment, famine for
food and Gods word.

In the New Testament, the day of the Lord is also the Day of Judgment (Parousia).

It is the day of the second coming of Christ everyone will be judged.

Despite Gods favour, the Israelites rebelled and sinned against God. And although
Israelites were reminded that God cared for other nations equally and are to be
punished if they disobeyed God; and that they were neither superior, nor better than
other nations, they disobeyed God several times.

Lessons Christians learn from Amos teachings on the Day of the Lord
i Christians believe that it is the day that Christ will come for His bride (the church).

ii Those who had obeyed the laws of God shall be received by Christ and given the
reward of the eternal life.

iii On that day, Gods kingdom shall be established and Christ will reign forever.

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CHAPTER 5
PROPHET JEREMIAH
Israel had not taken heed to Amos prophecies. So, God sent another prophet to
continue with the same work. Jeremiah was therefore appointed as a prophet.

Social background
The people of Judah were divided into three social classes. At the top were the
Aristocrats. These were the ruling class, which consisted of the king, his family, royal
officials, princesses, priests, and professional prophets. This class of the rich
oppressed the poor.

Below them was the class of technical professional such as stonecutters,

carpenters, builders, masons, blacksmiths, masons, and others craftsmen (2 Kings
12:12). Below them was class made up of poor people such as slaves, widows,
orphans, and foreigners. All these poor people were mistreated.

There was moral degradation. They committed adultery, prostitution, murder, false
witness, and corruption.

Religions background.
The Kings and people of Judah worshipped idols. They practiced human
sacrifice, divination and magic, and listened to false prophecies. They
abandoned their covenant with God and their way of life and practiced
syncretism, which is worshipping God and other false gods like Baal.

King Josiah tried to restore true worship by carrying out several reforms.
Prophetess Huldah prophesied that Judah would be punished after Josiahs death
since he humbled before Yahweh.

Political Background.
Prophet Jeremiah lived in the 7th century BC and prophesied when Judah was ruled by
King Josiah, and later his sons Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah; and king Jehoiachin. Judah
was conquered and ruled by Assyrians who were conquered by Egyptians who ruled
Judah up to 605 BC. Egyptians; were conquered by Babylonians under King
Nebuchadnezzar. This was according to the prophecies of Jeremiah.

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The Call of Jeremiah.

Jer 1: 19.
Jeremiahs father was a priest called Hilkiah. He was born in the territory of Benjamin;
in Anathoth, He was well educated.

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet in 627 B.C during the reign of King Josiah. He
received his call in form of a dialogue with Yahweh.

God told him that he had appointed him to be his messenger; even before he was
born,

Jeremiah said he was too young and did not know how to speak.

Jeremiah was warned of the hostility he would encounter in his prophetic career.
God told him that He would protect him and not to fear.

God touched Jeremiahs mouth. This symbolized that God is the one who shall put
words in his mouth.

Jeremiah responded to Gods call in faith and obedience.

He was given a message that God was going to bring judgment upon the Kingdom of
Judah.

God promised to make him a fortified city, an iron pillar and bronze wall for protection.

He was commanded by God not to marry, neither have children.

During his call, Jeremiah saw two visions.

Jeremiahs visions
A branch of an almond tree
 The tree seemed dead, bare, yet life was in it. This vision meant that that God was
watching over Judah to see if they will obey Him.

A pot boiling in the north, and it is about to tip over this way
 The boiling pot tilted away from the north signified that the destroyers of Judah
would come from the north.

 The pot was ready to boil over and spill its contents. This meant that Judah was soon
going to have trouble. Babylon would pour horrifying disasters on Judah.

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Lessons from the call of Jeremiah

i God has a purpose for each person and He can call anybody to do His work.

ii He calls the unborn, the young, old, rich, and poor.

iii God prepares people for His work, through specific experiences

iv A person who is called to serve God should be ready to meet opposition.

v God protects His servants and promises to be with them.

vi Christians should not let their human weakness hinder them from performing their
tasks.

vii Christians should respond to Gods call in obedience.

Evils addressed by Jeremiah

Jeremiah 2, 3, 4, 5,7, 9, 10, 23, and 28.

Necromancy.
Other words are divinations, magic, sorcery, Necromancy is the art of seeking hidden
knowledge from the mysterious world of spirits: using magic, and divination, which is
invoking the dead.
Prophet Jeremiah condemned necromancy. because it was a deception and
therefore an evil practice.

This practice polluted the true worship of Yahweh and indicated Israelites lack of
faith in God.

By trusting in divination, and magic, the Israelites showed their lack of knowledge of
God.

By consulting the mediums, the Israelites disobeyed God (Jer 27:8-10).

Deception and Dishonesty

Dishonesty is lack of moral integrity or moral uprightness. Deception is cheating, and
telling lies intentionally, giving false and misleading information.

The Israelites were dishonest because they worshiped God and at the same time
committed social injustices

Jeremiah condemned deception. This was because it led to syncretism, and

hypocrisy in worship; and breaking down of the covenant way of life.

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False prophesy by Hannaniah. Jer 28

During the reign of King Zedekiah, Hannaniah broke the yoke that Jeremiah was
wearing. Hannaniah spoke in the name of Yahweh. He lied to the people as he spoke
from his imagination and dreams. Jeremiah denounced Hannaniah. He predicted and
prophesied the death of Hannaniah in the same year. and it came to pass.
Jeremiah had also prophesied that the captivity of Judah should be long contrary to
Hannaniah who said Judah will be exiled for 2 years.

Human sacrifice.
The people offered human sacrifice to idols. The Israelites copied this from the
Canaanites.

Human sacrifice was an act of idolatry. It indicated infidelity of the Israelites to God.

It demonstrated Israels disrespect for the sacred gift of life.

It showed their lack of knowledge of the true nature of Yahweh.

Human sacrifice defiled the land for life is in the blood.

Human sacrifice was a sign of lack of love of God and love for one another.

It is a demonstration of disregard for human life. Only God has the right to take away
life

Idolatry
The Israelites practiced syncretism, which we said was the worship of Yahweh and
idols.
The people of Israel were worshipping Baal the Queen of heaven, sun, moon, stars,
and also Yahweh (Jer 8:2).
Idols were placed even in Yahwehs sacred places. The temple was defiled by idols.

Jeremiah condemned it. (Jer 2: 11-13).

Why did Jeremiah condemn idolatry?

Jer 2: 20, 2:1- 3, 5: 7- 8.
 It defiled people and was a sign of lack of faith in Yahweh.

 It defiled the land. Idolatry led to divine judgment and punishment.

 By worshipping idols Judah broke the covenant and their relationship with God.

 There is only one true living God to be worshipped and obeyed.

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False sense of security

People of Judah trusted that the temple was secure, holy and cannot be destroyed.

Jeremiah denounced this false belief about the temple.

He warned them that God would destroy the temple because of the many evils
committed in it.

The temple sermon

Jer 7:1-8:1-3
God commanded prophet Jeremiah to speak in the temple.in response to
the people of Israel to stop idolatry and other social evils

At the gate to the temple, Jeremiah proclaimed that the people of Judah had to
change their way of life and stick to the covenant they made with God.

They had to stop defiling the temple of placing idols in it.

They had to stop committing social injustices and as murderer/exploitation of

the weak, orphans, widows and foreigners.

The practice of human sacrifice was murder and displeasing to God.

Hypocrisy was bad.

The Israelites believed that the temple was secure from destruction because of its
holiness was not true.

God would destroy Israelites/Jerusalem through invasion of a foreign nation.

If the people stopped their evil ways, God would not bring judgement upon them.
God would destroy the temple of Jerusalem and send the people to exile.

The Relevance of Jeremiahs teachings to Christians today.

i Christians are called to preach Gods gospel as Jeremiah did.

ii Christians should accept suffering like Jeremiah did.

iii They should learn to distinguish between false and true prophets.

iv Like Jeremiah, they should condemn evil in society.

v They have a duty to call people to repentance as Jeremiah did.

vi They should be good examples to the people by living, holy and upright lives as
Jeremiah

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vii People should be able to know the nature of God through the lives of Christians.

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CHAPTER 6
JEREMIAHS TEACHINGS ON JUDGMENT AND PUNISHMENT
Jeremiah 5:12-18, 6;1-30, 7:30, 8:1-17, 10: 17-25, 15;1-9, 17:1-13, 25: 1-38
Punishment is a penalty, for an offence or a crime committed.

The purpose for Gods judgement is to correct the Israelites

Symbolic acts of Jeremiah related to judgement and punishment

The Linen Waist Cloth. Jer.13
Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy a linen waistcloth and wear it around his
waist without dipping it in water. He was told to hide the cloth in a hole near river
Euphrates. Afterwards he was told to take the cloth. He found it spoilt for wearing.

Significance.

It symbolized Israels holiness. The unwashed cloth represented Judahs sinful pride.
Israel used to cling close to God but now Israel / Judah were spoilt, rebellious,
arrogant and pursued foreign gods.

God was going to destroy them if they did not repent. The spoilt linen waistcloth
was a symbol for future Gods action.

Jeremiahs personal Life. Jer 16.

His life was a symbolic act. He was told not to marry, have children, nor attend
funerals, social gatherings, feasts and wedding parties.

Significance.

The personal life of Jeremiah was one of suffering. This signified the suffering that
the people of Judah would be subjected to. Judah was punished because of their
wickedness and rebellion.

Jeremiahs loneliness signified the perishing of families through the sword, famine
and disease. It would be a time of terror for the families of Judah.

Their normal social life of feasting, merry making would come to an end. There would
be no weddings and no one to bury the dead. Hence Jeremiah was forbidden from
mourning for the dead.

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Jeremiahs at the potters house Jer.18

Jeremiah was told to go to a potters house. He found the potter making a clay vessel.
Whenever a piece of pottery turned out imperfect, he would take the clay and make it
into something else The potter made a better pot, more perfect vessel than the spoilt
one.

Significance.

God is the potter. People of Judah are the clay. As the potter destroyed to vessel, God
intended to destroy Judah because of their wickedness and mould those who
repented into better people.

God was going to shape them into faithful people. Gods judgement was to be a
corrective punishment.

The broken clay Jar. Jer.19.

i. God told Jeremiah to buy a clay flask He then took some elders and priests to the
valley of Valley of Hinnon. He delivered a sermon condemning the people of Judah
for their idolatry and other evils.

Jeremiah then broke the clay jar in their presence and announced to them that
Yahweh would destroy Jerusalem and Judah as Jeremiah had destroyed the jar.

Significance.

The kings, priests and prophets of Judah would be shattered like the clay flask
because of their sins. Sine, they brutally sacrificed their children; they are to suffer
horrifying experiences at the hand of their enemies.

They shall suffer starvation and turn into cannibals; eating their own children and
neighbours
Broken pieces of a clay pot cannot be moulded. No one was to escape judgment.

However, there is hope after punishment.

Two Baskets of Figs Jer.24.

Jeremiah received the visions, after the deportation and exile of leading citizens of
Judah and Israel to Babylon. Two baskets of figs were placed in front of the temple.
One basket had very good figs, which had ripened. The other basket had bad figs
unfit for human consumption.

Significance.

The basket of good figs signified the first exile. God would renew their hearts; use
them to fulfil his promises to the Israelites. He would recreate them to a new people.

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The basket of the bad figs represented people living in Jerusalem and Egypt. Since
they were not exiled they had a self-righteous attitude. They thought that God spared
them because they were truthful but it was not so. They shall also be destroyed
through famine, and diseases. This vision signifies hope and restoration of the
Israelites.

Jeremiah Wears an Ox Yoke. Jer. 27.

Jeremiah was instructed by God to make for himself a yoke out of leather straps and
wooden crossbars and to wear it around his neck

Jeremiah moved around in the yoke for quite some time in public. He was also given a
message for ambassadors of kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, who
were coming to see King Zedekiah in Jerusalem.
They were to give Gods message to their kings.

Any nation that accepted this message shall not suffer; but if any nation will not
submit to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia rule, God will punish that nation by war,
starvation and disease

Jer 27:6-8.
The message for King Zedekiah was to surrender to the Babylonian rule and live, if he
resists he would perish.

Significance.

The yoke represented the Babylonians rule. Nebuchadnezzar was used by God to
bring judgment to all nations. Yahweh is a universal God and his judgment is
universal.

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CHAPTER 7

JEREMIAHS TEACHINGS, SUFFERING AND HOPE

The sufferings and lamentations of Jeremiah
Jer 11, 12, 17:14 — 18, 18:18- 23, 20: 1 — 6, 27, 37, and 38.
Jeremiah sufferings were experiences that were painful; physically and emotionally.
In suffering there is loss and grief.

Lamentations are strong emotional expressions of pain and grief. Jeremiah suffered in
the following ways
i Rejection by his own family and relatives. This grieved Jeremiah.

ii Anathoth planned to kill him but God protected Jeremiah and pronounced judgment
upon him

iii Jeremiah suffered when he was accused falsely. He was accused of blasphemy
after the temple sermon.

iv He was accused of treachery. That he was planning to leave Jerusalem and join the
Babylonians. This led to Jeremiah being arrested and put in an underground jail.

v Jeremiah received death threats because of speaking for God. King Jehoiakim
plotted to kill Prophet Uriah. The prophet escaped to Egypt but he was followed to
Egypt, arrested and killed by king Jehoiakim. The king had planned to accuse
Jeremiah of Uriah death. Ahikam and other elders defended Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 26)
vi Jeremiah suffered loneliness and solitude. He was not marred and didnt attends
social gathering and celebrations. This made Jeremiah lonely
vii Jeremiahs prophesying judgment caused him emotional pain and agony. His
messages were mainly of severe judgment and punishment.

viii He felt frustrations, doubts, self-pity and despair. He wondered why God made him
suffer.

ix Jeremiah suffered physical assault, imprisonment and an attempt on his life.

Pashhur, the chief temple priest ordered beating and chaining of Jeremiah to the
temple gate.

x Jeremiah was thrown in a muddy cistern. Here he was rescued by Ebed- melech an
Ethiopian Eunuch.

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Relevance of the suffering and lamentations of Jeremiah to Christians today

i Christians learn to be ready to face opposition and rejection fs for the sake of the
gospel.

ii Christians should be prepared to suffer persecution for the Lord.

iii Christians should be ready to make sacrifices for the sake of God.

iv Be ready to lead humble lives.

v Jeremiahs open confessions to God encourage Christians to be open to God.

vi Christians should let God avenge for them their enemies just like Jeremiah prayed

vii Christians should not lose hope in times of difficulty.

viii Christians learn that tribulations strengthen their faith.

ix Christians should learn to deal with negative emotions such as self — pity, grief and
trust God.

x Jeremiah was told by God to repent of his negative utterances. Christians should do
the same as they are assured of divine security and protection against their
persecutors.

Jeremiahs teachings on hope and restoration

Symbolic acts related to hope and restoration.

The symbolic acts were one hope and restore. Hope is to expect something that is
desired; while to restore is to bring back as nearly as possible the former or original
state or condition.

The symbolic acts were:

Vision of 2 baskets of figs.

Refer to the symbolic act related to judgment.

Jeremiah buying a field.

God instructed Jeremiah to buy a field from his cousin Hanamel of Anathoth.
Jeremiah bought the field for 17 cents of silver. He then handed the title deed and
open copy to Baruch to keep

Jeremiah prophesied the restoration of the exiles to their homeland.

The significance of this symbolic act is the assurance of restoration of Judah and
Israel after suffering. People will be restored to their homeland. After 70years people

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of Judah would reconstruct their homes, cultivate their land, and own property (Jer 32;
1 -15).

Jeremiah letter to the Jews in Babylon

Jeremiah wrote to the people of Judah a letter of encouragement while in exile. The
contents of the letter included;

 They were to settle down, build houses,

 Marry and have children,

 Live in peace with the Babylonians.

 They were to pray for the welfare of their masters

 Ignore false prophets who lied to them about the safety of Jerusalem

 God would restore them back to their land after 70 years of exile were over.

 The exiles were to trust in God and not give up (Jer.29).

A wooden ox yoke.
The yoke represented captivity and suffering of Jews in exile. It was also a sign of
hope if the people of Judah were willing to submit to the Babylonian rule.

God would restore them back to their land. Their yoke would be broken and they
would be set free.

Visit to the porters house

Refer to the symbolic act related to judgment.

Jeremiahs teaching about the new covenant

Jer 23:5-6, 30-33
Jeremiah taught that the new covenant was to be written in peoples hearts.

The covenant was to be made between God and the remnant community after exile.

The people were to have a personal knowledge of God in the new covenant.

God was to forgive their sin and remember them no more.

Each individual was responsible for his own sins.

The new covenant was to be initiated by God.

The new covenant was to last forever.

It was as a result in the emergence of a new people of God or new Israel.

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The fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Israelites

Jer.39
Jeremiahs prophecy came to pass. Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in the ninth
year of King Zedekiah in 587BC.

The Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and seized it. King Zedekiah fled but; he was
captured by the Babylonians army. He witnessed the execution of his sons. His eyes
were gauged out. He was then taken in chains to captivity in Babylon.

Solomons temple was looted and destroyed. Villages, Jerusalem and the palace
were destroyed and burnt down.

The priests, court officials, army officials, people in the upper class, craftsmen were
executed. City people were taken to Babylon as captives. The poor, aged and a few
people were left behind and given vineyards to farm.

Nebuchadnezzars army was brutal to the Israelites. Many Israelites were killed.

Judah became a province of Babylon. Gedaliah was appointed governor of Judah.

He stayed at Mizpah, the headquarters of Judah. Ishmael killed Gedaliah.

Later Jeremiah was forced to go to Egypt by the Israelites. Jeremiah died in Egypt, an
old man, and still faithful to his call.

Relating the teachings of Jeremiah to the New Testament and Christian

life today
i Jeremiah was rejected by his; relatives, friends and the Israelites.

 In the New Testament, Jesus was rejected in his hometown of Nazareth: and by the
religious leaders of Israel.

 Jeremiah compared himself to a lamb being led to the slaughter. Jesus in the New
Testament is referred to as a lamb led to the slaughter.

ii Jeremiahs suffering symbolizes divine judgment over Judah.

 However, Jesus sufferings were to bring salvation to all mankind.

 Both Jeremiah and Jesus experienced spiritual agony. Jeremiah experience agony
and felt left alone by God. Jesus too felt agony when praying in the garden of
Gethsemane and when on the cross.

iii Jeremiah taught that God is universal and a just judge.

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 The gospel of Jesus is universal and everybody is judged according to his or her faith
in God. Jeremiah and Jesus accused the Israelites of turning the temple into a “den
of robbers”.

 Jeremiah and Jesus were both accused of blasphemy. Both challenged false beliefs
about the temple. Both Jeremiah and Jesus spoke of the coming judgment of God.

iv The new covenant was fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ

 Jeremiah spoke of hope and restoration.

 Jesus gives hope of eternal life in the New Testament.

Relationship of Jeremiahs teaching to Christian today.

i Christians are to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

ii They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to endure suffering and to grow spiritually.

iii Christians like Jeremiah face false prophets who speak in Jesus name.

iv Christians are to be watchful and obey Yahweh

v Like Jeremiah Christians should call people to repentance.

vi The new covenant is fulfilled in Christians individual relationship with God.

vii Christians are the new people, the new Israel as prophesied by Jeremiah.

viii His teachings reveal that God is universal. Christians are from all corners of the earth.

ix Christians should prepare for judgment by practicing love, righteousness, and faith in
God.

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CHAPTER 8

PROPHET NEHEMIAH
Background to Nehemiah
Political and historical background.
From 587 BC to 538 BC, Israelites were in exile. In 538 B.C., the first group of
Israelites was set free and returned to Judah. Cyrus the Great, of Persia ruled his
subjects through governors. They were led out of Babylon by Joshua the high priest
and Zerubbabel who became the first governor of Judah.

Some Jews remained in Babylon. They were referred to as Jews in Diaspora or

dispersion. Other Jews remained in other lands including Egypt, and Mediterranean
lands

Nehemiah. was a cupbearer in the palace of the Persian king Artaxerxes I. He later
became a governor of Judah. Even after the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem,
Israelites remained subjects of the Persian king.

The Wall of Jerusalem was important to Israel and Judah. The Wall represented a
sense of pride, ownership, privacy, independence and Security.

The Greeks conquered the Persians; who were later conquered by Romans.

Social background
The Jews in foreign lands retained their Jewish way of life. The land of Israel was
partly occupied by foreigners.

The foreign cultures of neighbouring rulers influenced Israelites who returned. They
for example, intermarried with foreigners, a custom that God did not allow. Israelites
were not to intermarry with other people according to the Mosaic Law. In spite of this
however, Jews maintained their separated identity.

Some of the foreigners despised Jews. The wealthy Jews oppressed the poor Jews.
In Jerusalem there was starvation. Nehemiah condemned oppression of the poor.

Religious background
Jews returned to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem and the altar of God for sacrifices.

While in exile, Jews were allowed by the Babylonian king to practice their religion.
They worshipped Yahweh, practiced circumcision, obeyed Gods laws and observed

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the Sabbath. The exiles could not however observe all the religious practices for
example offering animal sacrifices.

Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild its the wall. The temple of Jerusalem was
rebuilt, cleared and dedicated to God.

Prayers by Nehemiah
Occasions when Nehemiah prayed to the Lord.
i When he learnt about the suffering of Jews who remained in Judah and the
ruined state of Jerusalem; He prayed for forgiveness on behalf of his people
(Neh.4: 1 — 11).
ii Making a request to King Artaxerxes to be permitted to return to Judah Neh.2: 4

iii When his enemies ridiculed the Jews and planned to discourage them from
rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Tobiah Nehemiah requested God to punish the
enemies who were mocking temple builders Neh.4:4 — 5.

iv When he learnt that his enemies were conspiring to attack Jerusalem to stop the
construction work, he prayed and organised people to provide a guard of the wall
Neh.4: 7 — 9.
v For his good work, he prayed for his works Neh 5:19.

vi When his enemies plotted to destroy him, he prayed God for strength and courage to
overcome his enemies Neh 6: 19.
vii When Shemaiah attempted to frighten him to hide in the temple claiming that there
was a plot to kill him, Nehemiah prayed and asked God to punish his enemies Neh
6:14.
viii When he organized contributions for Levites and musicians; and people to distribute
them. He asked God to remember his work for the house of God Neh 13:14.
ix He stopped trade on the Sabbath day, and organised rest on the day. He warned
traders against violating the Sabbath law. He asked Lord to remember him for these
actions Neh.13: 22.

x Nehemiah prayed for punishment of the son of Joiada. The son of Joiada had
brought disgrace to the priest hood by marrying a foreigner, the daughter of Sanballat
from the town of Beth Horon, Neh 13:29.
xi After cleansing the Israelites of foreign influence, he forbade mixed marriages

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xii He prepared duty regulations for priests and Levites. He allocated them duties. He
then organized Jews to bring offerings for maintaining priests and Levites.

xiii He prayed God to remember his work for the temple, priests and Levites Neh 13:31

Importance of prayer in Christian life

Through prayer, Christians;

i Christians express their faith in God and praise God for his greatness, goodness,
holiness,

ii Christians closer to God; it strengthens their relationship with God.

iii Christians request for their needs, blessings, success, good health, and protection

iv Prayers help Christians to listen to God and to seek his will.

v It gives Christians courage to face and overcome lifes challenges.

vi Christians seek guidance, comfort and support in times of trials.

vii Christians intercede for the sick, poor, hungry, prisoners, friends, family and
community.

viii The communal/public prayers unite Christians together.

ix Christians ask for forgiveness and the ability to forgive others. In prayers, Christians
trust that God listens and answers their prayers.

Leadership qualities of Nehemiah

 God fearing man. Nehemiah feared God, relied and depended on God.

 Prayerfulness — he prayed constantly before and after making decisions.

 Courageous — He displayed courage even when his life was in danger

 Hard work and commitment. He was dedicated to the rebuilding of the wall of the
temple and Jerusalem.

 Team spirit — he was a team leader, motivating people to work.

 He had planning and organizational skills

 He was visionary

 He had compassion for the needy especially the poor, Levites and priests

 He was patriotic loved his country

 Wisdom. He made wise decisions at the right time.

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 He led by example, a role model

 He was honest and sincere in his prayers

 He was shrewd and impartial

 He was decisive. He told God about decisions he had made and asked for their
recognition.

 He was humble. He asked to be allowed to return to Jerusalem and oversee the

repair of its wall and temple.

 He believed in law and punishment of wrong doers. He asked God to punish

lawbreakers especially Jews who married foreigners.

Relevance of Nehemiahs leadership to Christians today

Christians should copy all the leadership qualities of Nehemiah.

They should trust in God and seek his guidance in all their activities and needs.

1. Christians should live a life of prayer

2. Christians should be courageous, be ready to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. Christians should be dedicated to their work. Work diligently and honestly

4. Christians should set realistic goals and organize their activities.

5. Christians should seek wisdom from God to be able to choose appropriate

6. Christians should care for the needy and be compassionate to all

7. Christians should be patriotic and ready to defend their country against

8. Christians should need to fight for the rights of the helpless children, widows etc.

9. Christians should seek God first, view themselves as servants of God and be good
role models.

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Building the wall of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 2:9-7
The wall of Jerusalem was destroyed when Babylonians conquered Judah. After
finishing the wall, he dedicated it to the Lord. Dedication is to devote something in
honour of a person held dear or to set aside something for some special purpose.

The rebuilt wall had several gates with different names. The gates were the entrances to
Jerusalem. Their names were Dung gate, Potsherd gate, Fountain gate, Water gate,
Horse gate, East gate, Sheep gate, Fish gate, Watch gate and Ephraim gate.

Problems faced by Nehemiah

1. When Nehemiah was building the wall of Jerusalem, he faced many challenges.

2. There was lack of cooperation by the nobles of Tekoa.

3. Nehemiah faced opposition from enemies such as. Sanballat, and Tobiah, the Arab
who tried to thwart the progress of Nehemiahs work.

4. As he built Jerusalem, the rich oppressed the poor.

5. The priests misused the temple and the offerings.,

6. The Levites were not getting their share of the offerings and the Sabbath was violated.

7. There was laxity in observance of the Sabbath. because Sabbath day should be kept
holy.

8. There was a lot of foreign influence e.g. intermarriages

9. Nehemiah received death threats.

Relevance of Nehemiahs experience to Christians today

i Christians should expect opposition, as did Nehemiah.

ii They should not be afraid of being ridiculed, mocked and despised.

iii Christians should persevere in Gods work.

iv They should put their trust in God like Nehemiah did.

v They should also fight for the welfare of the disadvantaged groups and not exploit
them.

vi They have a moral obligation to condemn injustice in the society

vii They should be in the forefront fighting HIV/ AIDS and drug abuse.

viii Christians should not be influenced by evils that may corrupt morals of the society

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ix They should learn that leadership involves suffering, persecution, and sacrifices.

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CHAPTER 9

RESTORATION OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Renewal of the covenant
Neh 7-13

Stages of the renewal of the covenant.

Israelites were the chosen people of God. They had suffered many hardships.

There was therefore a need for the renewal of the covenant between God and
Israelites.

The ceremony to renewal the covenant was held in Jerusalem and was led by Ezra,
the Levites and other religious leaders.

The renewal of the covenant can be discussed in 3 main stages:

 Stage 1. A great public assembly was held in the square of Jerusalem inside the
water gate. Gods law was read and expounded to the people. The people of Israel
praised and worshipped God. They cried and grieved. They were sad because they
realized that they had failed to observe the Mosaic Law. They were instructed to go
and celebrate, as it was a holy day of God and an occasion for joy not sorrows.

 State 2. The feast of booths/tabernacle was celebrated for 7 days. It was a reminder
of the days in the wilderness when the Israelites dwelt in tents. The Law of Moses
was read each day during the celebrations.

 Stage 3. There was a public confession of sin. People fasted, prayed and praised
God. The public confession was followed by the renewal of the covenant vows and
a promise to keep Gods law in future.

Ezra reads the Law

Neh 7:72-8:12
Ezras prayer closed the celebrations. In his prayer, he recalled Gods acts of
creation.

He then recounted the history of the Israelites. He mentioned the previous acts
of God; where the Lord had demonstrated His love and mercy for the Israelites.

He then confessed the sins of their ancestors and the present Israelites. These
were the sins of rebellion and disobedience.

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Agreement of the people

Neh 10:1-28
Israelites promised God that they would

i Live according to Gods law, by obeying all his commands and requirements

ii Stop intermarrying with foreigners living in their land.

iii Cancel debts every 7th year

iv Contribute annually towards the temple expenses to ensure that the house of God
was not neglected.

v Provide sacrifices and offerings for the temple and arrange for provision of wood for
burnt sacrifices according to the law.

vi Offer first fruits of their harvest and dedicate the first born and flocks as required by
the law.

vii Pay for their tithes as required by the law.

Lessons learnt from the renewal of the covenant

i God is good, loving, merciful, and faithful to his promises. God forgives all people and
we are all sinners.

ii We fail in our moral obligation to God and to one another.

iii Since we are sinners, we should repent our sins and strive to live according to Gods
law.

iv Christians should be forgiving and avoid situations that lead them to sin.

Dedication of the wall of Jerusalem

Neh. 12:27 — 47
The rebuilt wall was dedicated to God. The wall restored security and prestige of
Gods people. The wall of Jerusalem was set-aside for God in a solemn ceremony.
There was a dedication ceremony in which people sung with symbols, harps, lyres,
trumpets and other instruments. The priests and Levites purified themselves.

The people led by Ezra, Nehemiah, the priests and other leaders of Judah walked
around the wall. They divided themselves into two groups. One group walked from
the right side and the

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Final reforms of Nehemiah

Nehemiah carried out during his stay in Judah, where he was the governor (Neh 5:14).
The major reforms were

i. Rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem as well as its gates.

ii. Cleansing of the temple: Nehemiah threw him out Tobiah a foreigner who was living
in the temple quarters.

iii. Reinstatement of the Levites and other temple workers. Levites and musicians had
left the temple duties to work in their farms to earn a livelihood. They were
supposed to work in the temple and be supported by member contributions.
Nehemiah organized Jews to make offerings and tithes to support temple workers.
With these contributions, Nehemiah reinstated and redeployed Levites, priests,
musicians and other temple workers.

iv. Reform of the Sabbath observance. The Israelites were told by the Lord to work for
6 days and rest on the Sabbath day. The Jews started working on the Sabbath day.
The merchants camped outside waiting for the reopening of the gates of the temple
to do business. When Nehemiah started rebuilding Jerusalem, he ordered closure of
the gates of Jerusalem from the eve of Sabbath to the end of the Sabbath.

v. Separations from foreigners (Neh.13: 23 — 30). It was against Gods law to marry
foreigners. Nehemiah cursed the men who had married foreign wives. He beat Jews,
pulled their hair and forced them to take oaths that neither they, nor their sons nor
daughters shall intermarry.

vi. Purification of priesthood and the office of the Levites. Nehemiah cleansed the
priesthood. He sent away Eliashib, a grandson of the High Priest Joshua, because
he had given Tobiah a foreigner, a room in the temple.

Comparing teachings of Nehemiah and St. Lukes Gospel

i Nehemiah lived a prayerful life while St. Lukes gospel emphasizes importance of
prayer. Jesus taught the role of prayer in Christianity.

ii Nehemiah fasted, St. Lukes gospel records that Jesus fasted.

iii Nehemiah prayed for forgiveness of sinful Jews. Jesus in St. Lukes gospel being a
leader who prayed for the forgiveness of his enemies.

iv Nehemiah cared for the needy. Jesus showed compassion to the needy and taught
his followers to follow His example.

v Nehemiah condemned evil so did Jesus

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vi Nehemiah is seen as a reformer of the Mosaic Law. In St Luke Gospel, Jesus was
also a reformer. He insisted on inner holiness.

vii Nehemiah cleansed the temple of traders so did Jesus.

viii Nehemiah was very strict on the Sabbath observance. St. Lukes gospel teaches that
Jesus is lord over Sabbath. He healed and “Worked” on Sabbath.

ix Christianity kingdom of God in St. Lukes gospel is for all, not just the Jews.

x Nehemiah had good leadership skills and wisdom. These are demonstrated in St
Luke Gospel.

Relating Nehemiahs teachings to Christian life today

i. Prayers and fasting are fundamental to Christians just like they were to Nehemiah

ii. Nehemiahs example teaches Christians to face all forms of opposition with courage,
wisdom, and firmness.

iii. Nehemiah cared for the needy. Christians should learn to give spiritual food, physical
food and clothing to the needy, orphans, widows.

iv. As Nehemiah renewed the covenant, Christians should seek spiritual renewal publicly
and privately. They should seek for communal as well as individual forgiveness.

v. Nehemiah cleansing the temple. Christians should learn to use the church buildings
and contributions rightly

vi. Nehemiah was guided by the Law of Moses and land just like Christians are
guided by the scriptures (Bible) and the law of the nation.

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