I. THE SHEPHERD OF TEKOAH.
1. An End to War
2. In the Days of Prosperity
3. The Man Who Dared
4. Treason and a Fight
5. Priest Against Prophet
6. The Prophet in Tekoah
II. THE MAN WHO LEARNED HIS LESSON.
1. An Eventful Night
2. The Tragedy with a Purpose
3. The Repentant Returns
III. THE STATESMAN PROPHET.
1. The Vision in the Temple
2. The Parable of the Vineyard
3. A Coward on the Throne
4. On Deaf Ears
5. The Survival of the Fittest
6. Working with the Remnant
7. Like Father, Like Son
8. The Prophet Triumphs
9. The Fruit of His Labor
IV. THE COMMONER.
1. His Awakening
2. The Cause of the Common People
3. When Samaria Fell
4. Judah Learns Its Lesson
V. THE PROPHET OF WOE AND HOPE.
1. The Escape
2. The Boy King
3. Jeremiah's Call
4. The Seething Caldron
5. The Great Discovery
6. A New Covenant
7. To the Fore Again
8. The Shadow of a King
9. The Temple of the Lord
10. A Narrow Escape
11. A Taste of Martyrdom
12. The Woe of the Prophet
13. Teacher and Pupil
14. Baruch's First Venture
15. The King Hears and Acts
16. Beginning of the End
17. The First Deportation
18. In Exile and in the Homeland
19. A Friend in Need
20. In the Midst of Despair
21. Lamentations and a Vain Hope
22. Cowardice and Treachery
23. Jeremiah, the Martyred
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"_The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz._"--Isaiah I, 1
"_Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel._"--Amos IV, 12
"_Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in
judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercy._"--Hosea II, 21
"_Here am I, send me._"--Isaiah VI, 8
"_And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning-hooks._"--Isaiah II, 4
"_For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of
the house of Israel._"--Micah I, 5
"_I sat alone because of Thy hand._"--Jeremiah XV, 17
"_And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thy house shall go into
captivity._"--Jeremiah XX, 6
FOREWORD
The company of inspired men, commonly known as the prophets of Israel,
were the unique product of the Jewish religious genius. They were
pre-eminently preachers of righteousness. Fearless and undaunted, they
told the house of Israel their sins and the house of Jacob their
transgressions. They contemplated the facts of life from the highest
point of view. For them religion and morality were blended, ethics and
politics were one. Theirs was peculiarly a social message; the demand
for justice underlies all their thinking and speaking. They had a
veritable passion for righteousness; through all the ages their words
have been torches lighting the way of men struggling upward towards
the truth.
Though living over twenty-six hundred years ago, these men are very
modern. As a great thinker has well said, "The spirit of the prophets
of Israel is in the modern soul." The foremost workers for the welfare
of their fellowmen to-day posit social justice as the first article of
their program. The world to-day, as never before, is filled with cries
for social righteousness as the indispensable foundation for the
structure of society. What is this but harking back to the eternal
message of the ancient prophets? "Let justice flow as water"
passionately and unreservedly demanded Amos of old; for him and his
brother prophets this was the sine qua non for society's welfare; the
same may be said of the thousands and tens of thousands to-day of
every creed and every nation who are toiling for the social salvation
of their fellowmen the world over. Ages meet; the words of the ancient
preachers of righteousness are still the inspiration for the seekers
after justice everywhere.
