The Purpose of the Old Testament Prophecies

[Guest]

In general, were the Old Testament prophecies proclaiming judgement, or were they warnings? If the Israelites had repented like the people of Nineveh did when Jonah preached to them, would God have changed his mind? Could they have avoided captivity? Or were they punished for what they had already done and there was no hope?

[Guest]

I usually get the sense that it's a warning. Like in this passage:

Ezek 33:7-11
7 "So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 "Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: 'Thus you say, "If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?" ' 11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'
NKJV

But in other instances, the opposite seems to be true. Like in the book of Amos, Israel and Judah (among other nations) seem to be doomed for destruction:

Amos 2:4-8

4 Thus says the LORD:

"For three transgressions of Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have despised the law of the LORD,
And have not kept His commandments.
Their lies lead them astray,
Lies which their fathers followed.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem."

6 Thus says the LORD:

"For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they sell the righteous for silver,
And the poor for a pair of sandals.
7 They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And pervert the way of the humble.
A man and his father go in to the same girl,
To defile My holy name.
8 They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge,
And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
NKJV

But most of them seem to include, and look forward to, a restoration after the chastening (New Covenant).

So my guess is "yes" to both of your questions.

However, I'm not as familiar with the OT prophets as I'd like to be (and hopefully will be one day). So maybe someone else might have a better answer.

[Guest]

Michelle,

Jeremiah 18:7-10 might address the matter you raised.