foretelling events that were indeed prophetic for them, but that for us fall into the realm of ancient history. Furthermore, the role of foretelling the future was often secondary to the role of forth-telling; that is, preaching the heart of God to his people. When the reader understands this distinction, a whole new world opens up as the words of the prophets take on a relevance much more in line with their role in proclaiming the word of God to a stiff-necked, obstinate people.