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Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord's Divine Favor

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Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor
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Book

The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament

Donald W. Parry

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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
The Lord Jesus Christ Controls the Nations: Book of Judges Case Study
Old Testament Passages Cited by Jesus Christ
Messianic Prophecies in the Psalms
Psalm 22 and Its Fulfillment in Jesus Christ
Isaiah’s Prophecies of the Mortal Messiah
The Messiah in Isaiah 53: Four Recurring Themes
Names, Titles, and Metaphors of the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord (Jehovah): The Most Frequently Used [Content] Word in the Hebrew Bible
Equivalent Designations of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testaments
God: Compound Names
Lord: Compound Names
The Lord Is Our Savior
The Lord (Jehovah) Is Our Redeemer
The Lord Is Our Atoner
Jesus Christ Is the Messiah
Jesus Christ Is the Lord
One, Three, and Seven: Sacred and Symbolic Numbers
Seven and Sacred Time
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers
Eve: Life and Help: A Type of Christ
Adam: “The Figure of Him that Was to Come”
Melchizedek: Type of Christ
Isaac: Type and Shadow of Christ
Joseph of Egypt: Foreshadow of Christ
Moses: Type and Shadow of Jesus Christ
Elijah: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Job: Suffering Servant, A Type of Jesus Christ
Hosea’s Family: Symbols of the Lord for Ancient Israel
The Sign of Jonah: Pointing to Christ’s Death
Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
The Lord Reveals Cycles of Sacred Time
Striking Blood on the Doorposts: The Passover Anticipates Jesus Christ
The Day of Atonement: Messianic Foreshadowing
“A Feast to the Lord”: Sacred and Secular Meals
Parallelisms: Teaching About the Lord Jesus Christ Through Poetry
Chiasmus: Unique Presentations of the Lord’s Word
The Psalms: Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ
Lord: Focused Prophetic Speech Forms
Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor
Worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ through Music and Song
Law of Moses: Anticipated Jesus Christ and His Atonement
Manna: Symbol of Jesus Christ
Symbols of Christ in the Tabernacle of Moses
Sacrifices Under the Law of Moses: Six Acts
Sacrifices: Symbols of Jesus’s Atoning Sacrifice
Diet Code: Unclean and Clean Animals
God Is a Holy Temple: Temples and Sacred Space
The Atonement-Focused Earthly and Heavenly Temples
Jesus’s Royal Ancestry: Rulers of the Kingdom of Judah
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Contents

Introduction
Prophecies of Jesus Christ’s Mortal Ministry and Atonement
Symbols that Testify of Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ: Conquering Hero
Jesus Christ is the Lord of History: Nine Major Historical Eras
The Lord Jesus Christ: Potter, Captain, Shepherd, and More
1 2 … 10 Next »

Donald W. Parry, “Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 118–120.

Old Testament prayers were heartfelt and offered by men and women, prophets, kings, laypersons, servants, and others. They were generally addressed to the lord, to God, or to the lord God; but some prayers have additional expressions such as “lord God of Israel,” “the lord God of heaven,” “the lord God of my master Abraham,” and “lord, the great and dreadful God.” Prayers were offered for one’s personal needs, such as Jeremiah praying for deliverance from his afflictions or David pleading for forgiveness. They were also offered on behalf of others, such as Abraham praying for Sodom’s inhabitants, Abraham’s servant seeking a wife for Isaac, or Ezra praying for members of the house of Israel.

The purposes for offering prayers varied during ancient times just as they do in our own day—to be blessed with a baby, to find a spouse for a loved one, to ask for forgiveness or mercy, to confess one’s sins, to plead for deliverance from one’s enemies, to praise the lord’s name, or to dedicate the temple.

Even the posture of prayer is God-focused, which included bowing down (Gen. 24:52; Ps. 95:6), bowing the head (Isa. 58:5), and kneeling (1 Kgs. 8:54; 2 Chr. 6:13; Ps. 95:6)—each posture points to the humility of the one uttering the prayer. Gestures of prayer also include raising the hands to heaven (1 Kgs. 8:38–39; Ps. 28:2; 63:4; 134:2; Isa. 1:15; Lam. 2:19; 3:41).

With regard to frequency, the scriptures record that Daniel prayed three times a day; Daniel 6:10 records that he “kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God.”

The chart sets forth several prayers from the Old Testament; the columns indicate the name of the supplicant (column 1, listed alphabetically), the opening words of the prayer (column 2), the prayer’s chief purpose (column 3), and the scriptural reference (column 4).

 

Prayers: Mortals Seeking the Lord’s Divine Favor

Supplicant

Opening Words

Chief Purpose

Reference

Abraham

“Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”

For the righteous of Sodom

Gen. 18:23–33

Abraham

“lord God, what wilt thou give me”

For childless Sarai

Gen. 15:1–9

Abraham’s servant

“O lord God of my master Abraham”

To seek a wife for Isaac

Gen. 24:12–14

Asa

“lord, it is nothing with thee to help”

For deliverance

2 Chr. 14:11

Daniel

“O lord, the great and dreadful God”

For supplication, blessing, and forgiveness for Israel

Dan. 9:4–19

David

“Blessed be thou, lord God of Israel our father”

To praise the lord for His greatness and goodness

1 Chr. 29:10–13

David

“The lord is my shepherd”

To details the lord’s greatness and deeds on behalf of individuals

Ps. 23

David

“Have mercy upon me, O God”

To ask forgiveness

Ps. 51

Ezra

“O my God”

To confess Israel’s sins and mention God’s mercies

Ezra 9:5–15

Habakkuk

“O lord, I have heard thy speech”

To set forth the greatness and majesty of the lord

Hab. 3:1–19

Hannah

“My heart rejoiceth in the lord”

To praise the lord and His power, greatness, and great deeds

1 Sam. 2:1–10

Hezekiah

“O lord God of Israel”

For deliverance from the Assyrian invasion

2 Kgs. 19:15–19

Jacob

“O God of my father Abraham”

For deliverance from Esau

Gen. 32:9–12

Jeremiah

“O lord”

For his afflictions

Jer. 20:7–18

Joshua

“Alas, O lord God”

A wish that the Israelites had not entered the promised land

Josh. 7:6–9

Levites

“Stand up and bless the lord your God”

To praise the lord for His great deeds on behalf of Israel

Neh. 9:5–38

Moses

“lord”

To plead on behalf of Israel after they make a golden-calf idol

Ex. 32:11–13, 31–32

Nehemiah

“I beseech thee, O lord God of heaven”

To confess the sins of the children of Israel

Neh. 1:4–11

Solomon

“Blessed be the lord God of Israel”

To dedicate temple

1 Kgs. 8:15–53

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