{"id":12932,"date":"2006-10-12T22:19:35","date_gmt":"2006-10-13T03:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=12932"},"modified":"2026-03-28T16:35:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T21:35:33","slug":"the-canon-of-the-old-testament-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-old-testament-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Canon of the Old Testament \u2013 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament2.mp3\" \/><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-12932-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament2.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament2.mp3\">https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/CanonOfTheOldTestament2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\tI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In our prior lesson, we established the acceptance of the writings of Moses by a large\nnumber of people over a wide range of history.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The writings were not accepted because of some decree or because the documents\nwere old, but because they were recognized as the works of Moses who was\nknown to be a prophet of God.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Yet Moses was not the only prophet.  Some existed even in his day &#8211; Numbers\n11:29\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses said that other prophets would come after him &#8211; Deuteronomy 18:15-19<\/p>\n<p>II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What is a prophet?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The best definition is found in Exodus 7:1-2<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A prophet is a man who speaks on the behalf of another.  He does not\nspeak his own words, but delivers the other&#8217;s words.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In particular, a prophet of God brings the words of God to the people.<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A prophet is not allowed to say anything he wants<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;An interesting story is found in I Kings 22.  The kings of Israel and Judah\nwere planning to go to war, but they wished to have God&#8217;s word on the\nmatter.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Prophets were summoned and they spoke favorably of the endeavor\n&#8211; I Kings 22:10-12\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, wasn&#8217;t impressed.  He wanted to here a\nprophet of God &#8211; I Kings 22:7-9\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;c.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The prophet Micaiah was instructed to give a favorable statement,\nbut notice his reply &#8211; I Kings 22:13-14\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;d.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;At first the prophet told the kings what they wanted to hear, but the\nKing of Israel wasn&#8217;t fooled &#8211; I Kings 22:15-18\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Even when the message is unpopular, the prophet speaks only as the Lord\ndirects &#8211; Jeremiah 26:7-15\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But how is a person to know if something is from God and not from the prophet&#8217;s\nown devising?\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;After all, the kings of Israel and Judah had numerous prophets volunteering\nto lie to them. \n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Moses gave the people tests to see if a prophet was from God or not.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Deut.  13:1-5 &#8211; a true prophet will not lead the people away from\nGod.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Deut.  18:20-22 &#8211; a true prophet&#8217;s words will always come to pass.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A prophet&#8217;s message is not solely about future events, but\nwere an event is mentioned, it will always come true.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Example:<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A false prophet arose contradicting Jeremiah&#8217;s\nmessage &#8211; Jeremiah 28:2-4\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(b)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;At first, Jeremiah didn&#8217;t know what to make of this. \nIf it was God&#8217;s word, then he was thrilled &#8211; Jeremiah\n28:6\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(c)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But Jeremiah pointed out something to the people. \nThis prophet&#8217;s message contradicted the message of\nearlier prophets.  In other words, this prophet failed\nMoses&#8217; first test &#8211; Jeremiah 28:8\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(d)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jeremiah said the ultimate test will come when they\nsee if his words are true.  It would only take two\nyears to find out &#8211; Jeremiah 28:9\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(e)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God then told Jeremiah that the other prophet was\nfalse &#8211; Jeremiah 28:15-16\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(f)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jeremiah offers proof of his word by predicting\nwhen the false prophet would die.  Jeremiah&#8217;s word\nproved true. &#8211; Jeremiah 28:17\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;(g)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Because of this the people knew that the rest of\nJeremiah&#8217;s statements were from God and that\nHananiah&#8217;s words were false.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;As we go through the Old Testament, only verified prophets&#8217; words were accepted\nas God&#8217;s.  The priests were teachers of the words of God, but they were not the\nsource of God&#8217;s Law (unless they happened to be prophets as well as priests).\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Prophets not only spoke God&#8217;s Words, but like Moses they also wrote the words\nof God. &#8211; Jeremiah 36:1-8\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Joshua wrote God&#8217;s message &#8211; Joshua 24:26<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Samuel wrote God&#8217;s message &#8211; I Samuel 10:25<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The book of Chronicles lists the writers of Israel&#8217;s history<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Chronicles 29:29-30 &#8211; the history of David was written by Samuel,\nNathan, and Gad\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 9:29 &#8211; the history of Solomon was written by Nathan,\nAhijah, and Iddo\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;c.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 12:15 &#8211; the history of Rehoboam was written by\nShemaiah and Iddo.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;d.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 13:22 &#8211; the history of Abijah was written by Iddo<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;e.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 20:34 &#8211; the history of Jehoshaphat was written by\nJehu.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;f.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 32:32 &#8211; the history of Hezekiah was written by Isaiah<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;g.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Chronicles 33:19 &#8211; the history of Manasseh was written by\nunnamed seers.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The reason these histories were accepted was because they come from the\npens of recognized prophets of God.\nIII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Some books gain further verification because one prophet of God cites the work of\nanother prophet.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;For example, Daniel studied the works of Jeremiah &#8211; Daniel 9:2.  <\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;If Daniel is accepted as a prophet of God, then Jeremiah must also be a\nprophet.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Daniel&#8217;s book as so many detailed accurate statements about the future,\nthat it must be from God.  He passes Moses&#8217; test.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Even today, we have copies of Daniel which date 200 years before Christ. \nSome of Daniel&#8217;s prophecies were not fulfilled until the time of Christ or\neven after.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jeremiah quotes Micah &#8211; Jeremiah 26:18.  Note the emphasis that it was true\nbecause a prophet wrote the words.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Isaiah quotes Micah (or Micah quotes Isaiah) &#8211; Micah 4:1-4, Isaiah 2:2-4<\/p>\n<p>IV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;There were many other books, but they were not treated as God&#8217;s word.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;One book that the Catholic church wants in the canon, but has never been\naccepted by most religious groups are the books of Maccabees.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Maccabees 4:46 &#8211; &#8220;and stored the stones in a convenient place on the\ntemple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Maccabees 9:27 &#8211; &#8220;So there was great distress in Israel, such as had not\nbeen since the time that prophets ceased to appear among them.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Maccabees 14:41 &#8211; &#8220;The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon\nshould be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet\nshould arise&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The book itself says there were no prophets at that time.  Without a\nprophet, the book cannot be accepted as the word of God.  It might be a\ngood history book, but it is not God&#8217;s version of history.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Josephus &#8211; &#8220;It is true our history hath not been esteemed of the like authority with\nthe former by our forefathers, because there hath not been an exact succession of\nprophets since that time.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Talmud (the records of Jewish Rabbis) &#8211; &#8220;After the latter prophets Haggai,\nZechariah, and Malachi, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Do you see the pattern, books were considered inspired because they were done by\nrecognized prophets.\n<p>V.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The New Testament also recognizes the works of the prophets as inspired of God.<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Jesus refers to the Law and the Prophets on several occasions. &#8211; Matthew 26:56<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Notice the emphasis that the Scriptures were written by the prophets.<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Apostles also made similar statements &#8211; II Peter 1:20-21<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Men moved by the Holy Spirit (prophets) spoke the Scriptures.<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We don&#8217;t who wrote the books of Esther, Chronicles, and Job, but they are always\nlisted with the prophets.  The remainder have names associated with them that we\nrecognize as prophets of God.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The New Testament quotes from every book of the Old Testament as Scripture,\nexcept for Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.  This\ndoes not mean these five books were not inspired, just that the words they spoke\nwere not useful to the New Testament writers to support the topics they were\nwriting about.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Of all the books of the Old Testament, Esther is the only one in a weak position. \nWe don&#8217;t know who wrote it and it was never quoted.  However, knowing how\ncareful the Jews were about accepting only prophetic writings, we can feel\nconfident that the book was known by the Jews of that day to be written by a\nprophet of God.\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-bible\/\"  target=\"_self\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Canon of the Bible\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In our prior lesson, we established the acceptance of the writings of Moses by a large number of people over a wide range of history. &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The writings were not accepted because of some decree or because the documents were old, but because they were recognized as the works of Moses who&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[130,268],"class_list":["post-12932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-canon","tag-old-testament"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12928,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-canon-of-the-old-testament-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":0},"title":"The Canon of the Old Testament &#8211; Part 1","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 31:9-13 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As the last few years of a presidency winds down, people begin to discuss the legacy of the current President. How will the future remember him? What will historians say about him? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So what makes a President great? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Is greatest determined by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15179,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-have-some-books-been-left-out-of-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":1},"title":"Why have some books been left out of the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If the books in the Bible were written by apostles, was Moses considered an apostle? What of Isaiah and Samuel? Were they considered apostles? Is it not said in the book of Matthew that nothing was to be taken from the Old Testament? I'm just curious because if this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34328,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-inspiration-and-preservation-of-scripture\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":2},"title":"The Inspiration and Preservation of Scripture","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by George P. Estes Sentry Magazine, December 1999 That Scripture is the word of God is accepted by all who believe in God and in Jesus. This includes the sixty-six books we call the Bible. ln this age, some nineteen hundred years from the apostles of Christ, we need proof\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39522,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-sirach-inspired\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":3},"title":"Is Sirach Inspired?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Thomas There is confusion over whether or not the Apocrypha are inspired and whether or not they belong in the canon of the Bible. We can have confidence in knowing these books were not authored by God. In between the last book of the Old Testament and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7797,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/which-old-testament-prophet-did-jesus-quote-the-most\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":4},"title":"Which Old Testament prophet did Jesus quote the most?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Which Old Testament prophet did Jesus quote the most? Answer: I have not taken the time to make an exhaustive list of every quote Jesus made in the Gospels. But I have found several writers mention that the most quoted books in the Gospels are Deuteronomy and Psalms. Deuteronomy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86043,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-prophet-who-is-he\/","url_meta":{"origin":12932,"position":5},"title":"The Prophet: Who Is He?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson Who was Moses pointing toward when he said, \"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me . . . you shall listen to him\" (Deuteronomy 18:15 NASB)? The Jews of the first century were expecting this Prophet (John 1:19-21; 6:14; 7:40). 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