©2004, P & R Publishing,  553 pages including indices in hardback.

I approached this book thinking that the author would simply examine the Christ-centeredness of the prophets and their proclamations.  This book is far more than I expected.

Dr. Robertson begins by explaining the need for prophets and the origin of prophets in Israel.  He focuses on God’s covenant with His people and His compassion for them.  Recognizing that Moses was a prophet, the author devotes several chapters to examining his call and commission, the characteristics of true and false prophets, the use of the covenant in critiquing the culture, and the call of contemporaries to a life of repentance, faith, and obedience.  Throughout these chapters, liberal critics are noted and biblically answered.  Also, numerous applications are made to the reader’s life.

Having established the purpose and passion of the prophet’s calling, the author further outlines a chronological account of each prophet prior to, during, and after Israel’s captivity in Babylon.

Important to the story is the cultural context which Dr. Robertson lays.  A concise summary of the message of each prophet is extremely helpful.  It is easy to think of their messages as critical and negative for the nation; however, the writer discerns that their messages are full of hope. The hearers would realize God’s omniscience and omnipotence when the exile occurred just as God said that it would.  Encouragingly, the prophets pointed to a restoration after the completion of the captivity.  Most important, the Old Testament saints looked for the coming of a greater Prophet.  That Prophet could do what they could not.  They could point out Israel’s sins against the law, but they could not atone for those sins.  This greater Prophet could and did.  Israel would be brought back from captivity where they seemed to be dead as a nation.  Years later, Christ would be resurrected as a more superior resurrection than the Israelite nation.  As we focus on these facts, we better understand how to study the major and minor prophets.

Throughout this book Robertson makes many references to the New Testament.  This underlines the unity of scripture.

I disagree with the author’s statement that the prophets seldom judge foreign nations on the basis of the ten commandments.  He singles out Habakkuk as an exception.  He further points out that they center on pride, idolatry, and violence in the foreign nations.  I believe all of these are closely tied to the moral law.  Pride and idolatry are forbidden by the first and second commandments.  Violence is specifically condemned in the sixth commandment and select other commandments depending on the type of violence.  Clearly, foreign nations failed to love their Creator.  They, also, did not love their neighbor as themselves.

My criticism at this one point does not negate the importance of this fine work.  The footnotes provide opportunity for detailed study and understanding of textual points.  A scripture index and an index of subjects and names greatly enhance this volume.  Pastors and laymen can confidently use this work and profit from it.  It is a marvelous resource in helping to grasp the role of the prophet in Israelite history and how these prophets differed from their pagan contemporaries.

 Review ©2006 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia