Toward a Biblical Theology of Marriage and Family Part two: Poetical and Prophetical Books

Symbolism is the key to the use of family references in the Poets and Prophets. After having taught His people the essentiality of the family and its basic role in human society, Jehovah now uses the concept with its many social and theological ramifications to develop a descriptive history of the nation's dealings with its God. Family analogies abound, particularly in the Prophets. And to a striking degree they focus on perversion and deviation, notably adultery and prostitution. Hidden amidst the symbolism, however, are gems of direct family teaching, too often overlooked by evangelicals in their quest for genuinely biblical answers to family problems.