Hoping for the Mercy of God—The Prophets

This chapter of The Mercy of God in the Old Testament continues an outline of how an Old Testament theology based on the mercy of God might be constructed, looking now at the prophetic corpus. Israel’s prophets are deeply conscious of the mercy of God as the basis of their hope for restoration beyond judgement, particularly the exile. Elements of Israel’s Compassion Creed (Exod 34:6–7) are worked through the prophets, notably (and in surprising ways) in Joel and Jonah. The prophetic messages of judgement are often best seen as implicit calls for repentance, and explicit calls for a turning back to God are not lacking. Returning to God can be both the prerequisite for, and outcome of, forgiveness. There is a growing realisation that only if God himself gives effect to a repentant spirit, a new heart, will restoration be possible.