edom | David Solomon

July 15, 2021May 16, 2023

#93 The Twelve Minor Prophets (4)

David Solomon examines the prophets who lived during the period after Israel’s return to Zion, following the Babylonian exile, namely:

Hagai
Zechariah
Malachi.

David Solomon podcast on the prophets Hagai,Zechariah, and Malachi. — Zechariah as depicted by James Tissot. Public domain.

With their unique post-exilic messages, these three prophets addressed the concerns of a population grappling with rebuilding Jerusalem after generations away. Some of the ideas expressed in their powerful prophetic books include:

the need to rebuild the leadership of Israel
the importance of building a new temple in Jerusalem
a call to do teshuva
rebuilding oneself through dialogue with God
the failure of previous generations
creating righteous leadership
ecstatic visions
the implications of changing geopolitical realities
false prophecy
the end of the prophetic epoch.

David closely examines key passages of these biblical texts, explaining their meaning and the implications of their messages.

As always, he places the prophets, their lives, and their words in historical context. He also emphasises the lasting importance of their ideas for the Jewish people as a nation and for us all as individuals.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:10 — 85.0MB)

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July 1, 2021May 16, 2023

#91 The Twelve Minor Prophets (2)

This second instalment of David Solomon’s series on the Trei Asar, the twelve “minor” prophets, explores the lives and books of:

Ovadiah (Obadiah),
Yonah (Jonah), and
Michah.

David Solomon's podcast lecture on Ovadiah (Obadiah),Yonah (Jonah), and Michah. — Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1866) by Gustave Doré. Public domain.

David examines the historical contexts of all three prophets and how they are reflected in the texts. He also discusses the key themes in these three prophetic books, including:

national and individual teshuvah
the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel
false prophets and prophecy
Edom and its spiritual and geo-historical connections
destinations of exile
messianic visions
the importance of ethical and just behaviour.

In exploring these themes, David also delves into the words of these prophets. He examines, line-by-line, some of the key passages of the books and reveals the remarkable power and substance of these fundamental sacred works.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:29:47 — 84.1MB)

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August 15, 2019August 26, 2019

#3 Players upon Thrones: Kings and Queens of Israel part 3

The houses of David and Omri in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel are the focus of this episode. David provides a geo-political picture of the region at this time, including what was happening with Aram, Moab, Edom and Assyria as well as the prophets Elijah and Elisha and the spread of the Baalist cults. As he warns, this lecture is complex – with a number of kings of the same name in different kingdoms at different times. It also contains a lot of battles, assassinations, and general bloodshed.

Jezabel-and-Ahab-Meeting-Elijah-in-Naboth-s-Vineyard — Jezabel and Ahab Meeting Elijah in Naboth’s Vineyard Giclee. Print by Sir Frank Dicksee (1853-1928) [Public domain]

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