OT-102
Old Testament Survey II: Prophets & Wisdom
Isaiah through Malachi, plus Psalms, Proverbs, and Job.
Topics: Prophecy, Poetry, Wisdom
Suggested resource: Blue Letter Bible's messianic prophecy cross-reference tool.
Week 1: The Poets and the Sage
Reading: Psalm 1, 23, 51, 119 (selections); Proverbs 1–3, 31; Job 1–2, 38–42; Ecclesiastes 1, 12
The wisdom books shift from Israel's national story to the individual heart before God. The Psalms give language for worship in every season — praise, lament, confession, confidence — and are still the church's primary songbook and prayer book two thousand years later. Proverbs offers practical wisdom for daily conduct, built on the premise that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Job wrestles honestly with undeserved suffering and ends not with a tidy explanation but with God Himself appearing and Job's humbled submission — a needed corrective for anyone who assumes faithfulness guarantees an easy life. Ecclesiastes, written “under the sun,” tests whether wealth, pleasure, wisdom, or achievement can satisfy apart from God, and concludes they cannot.
Key terms: Wisdom literature, Fear of the Lord, Lament, Theodicy
Discussion Questions
- Which Psalm most matches where you are spiritually right now, and why?
- What does Job's story teach you about how to respond when you don't get an explanation for suffering?
Challenge: Write your own psalm — four to six lines, honest about your current season, addressed directly to God.
Week 2: The Major Prophets
Reading: Isaiah 6:1–8, 9:6–7, 53; Jeremiah 1, 31:31–34; Ezekiel 36–37; Daniel 2, 6
The major prophets confront Judah and Israel's unfaithfulness while pointing forward to restoration through a coming Messiah. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most important verses in this entire institute: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” A child, born and given as a son, is directly named “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father” in the same breath — not two titles for two different divine persons, but one coming person who is Himself both the mighty God and the everlasting Father made known in a son. This is a foundational Oneness proof text, seven hundred years before the incarnation it describes.
Isaiah 53's suffering servant, wounded “for our transgressions” and bruised “for our iniquities” (53:5), and Jeremiah's promise of a new covenant in which God will “put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (31:33), are among the clearest Old Testament windows into the person and work of Christ. Ezekiel's valley of dry bones pictures national and spiritual restoration, and Daniel models unwavering faithfulness under a pagan empire, refusing food that would compromise Jewish law and, later, prayer itself under threat of execution.
Key terms: Isaiah 9:6 (Oneness proof text), Isaiah 53's Suffering Servant, Jeremiah 31:33's New Covenant, Daniel's faithfulness under threat
Discussion Questions
- Read Isaiah 9:6 slowly. Why does it matter that the same child is called both 'The mighty God' and 'The everlasting Father,' rather than two separate titles for two separate persons?
- What does Daniel's example teach you about staying faithful in an environment hostile to your beliefs?
Challenge: Read Isaiah 53 alongside the Gospel crucifixion accounts and list every specific detail that matches, then memorize Isaiah 9:6 in full.
Week 3: The Minor Prophets
Reading: Hosea 1–3; Amos 5; Jonah 1–4; Micah 6; Malachi 3–4
The twelve minor prophets are minor only in length, not weight. Hosea's marriage to an unfaithful wife becomes a living picture of God's covenant love for an unfaithful Israel. Amos thunders against empty religious ritual paired with injustice — worship God demands honest living, not performance. Jonah reveals a prophet more reluctant to see mercy shown to his enemies than to obey God, exposing a nationalism God refuses to share. The minor prophets close with Malachi's promise of a coming messenger to “prepare the way,” fulfilled directly in John the Baptist, bridging straight into the New Testament.
Key terms: Covenant unfaithfulness, Social justice, God's mercy to outsiders, Messianic forerunner
Discussion Questions
- Where do you see the tension between ritual and genuine obedience addressed by Amos showing up today?
- What does Jonah's attitude reveal about the danger of religious pride?
Challenge: Read Malachi 3:1 and 4:5–6, then Matthew 3:1–3. Write one paragraph connecting the two.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: What is 'the fear of the LORD' according to Proverbs 1:7?
Reveal Answer
The beginning of knowledge.
Q: How does Job's story end, and what does that teach?
Reveal Answer
Not with a tidy explanation but with God appearing and Job's humbled submission — faithfulness doesn't guarantee an easy life or explained suffering.
Q: What does Isaiah 9:6 call the coming child, and why does it matter for the Oneness position?
Reveal Answer
'The mighty God, The everlasting Father' — identifying the Son directly with God rather than as a separate divine person.
Q: What picture does Hosea's marriage represent?
Reveal Answer
God's covenant love for an unfaithful Israel.
Q: What does Malachi promise, and how is it fulfilled?
Reveal Answer
A coming messenger to 'prepare the way,' fulfilled in John the Baptist.