What do you think of when you see the word Prophet? If you look at the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary you get the following definitions.
1. one who utters divinely inspired revelations, such as:
a. the writer of one of the prophetic books of the Bible
b. one regarded by a religious group as the final authoritative revealer of God’s will
2. one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; especially: an inspired poet
3. one who foretells future events
Did any of those fit the picture you had in your mind? Some people have the idea that prophets, especially Bible prophets, were wild fanatics dressed in strange clothes. Others imagine wizard-like sages peering into crystal balls. It would be fair to say that many of us misunderstand exactly who the prophets were and what they did. As we spend the next several weeks look at some of the OT Prophets I want us to remember that in the biblical sense, a prophet was someone specially prepared by God for a very special ministry. They brought divine words to people who desperately needed to hear it. Even though they lived many years ago and were speaking to a group of people who are no longer here, I believe their words are still valuable to us today and we can see the present day applications of the messages they delivered.
In Deuteronomy 18:18-22 (NASB) we see God speak to Moses concerning those who prophecy in the name of the LORD.
18 I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. 20 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
God took the idea of prophecy seriously and He expected those called to do the same. He also expected those receiving the words of a prophet to listen and obey. Notice, the prophet who abused his calling was worthy of death. God also told those hearing that they could be sure and know when a prophet was speaking His words. How? They always came true. That was the test of a true prophet.
There are three Hebrew words used to refer to a prophet: hozeh, ro’eh, and nabi. The OT uses these words interchangeably but they do have slightly different meanings. The first two (hozeh and ro’eh) come from root words that mean “to see, gaze, or look on.” These individuals saw the very things of God. God Himself gave these people special insight. Some English translations will use the word “seer” when these are used. The third word (nabi) is the one used most in the OT (over 300 times). It carries the connotation of one who has been “called” by God to deliver a divine message to the people.
The group of individuals and books we normally think of when say The Prophets is only part of the picture. These men lived and prophesied from around 800 to 450 B.C. They are commonly referred to as the classical prophets. These are the books beginning with Isaiah and going through Malachi.
In our completed Bible we have these books divided into two sections: The Major Prophets and The Minor Prophets.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel are The Major Prophets.
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are The Minor Prophets and are sometimes called The Twelve. Remember, they are not “minor” because they are less important. They’re just shorter books.
We do need to remember that there were other prophets:
Moses functioned as a prophet of God by leading the people out of Egypt and then receiving the law from God on Mount Sinai. In the passage we looked at from Deuteronomy we God telling Moses that there will be more who speak in His name.
Sometime around 1100 B.C. we see Samuel begin his ministry as a prophet and priest. He traveled from town to town proclaiming God’s word to the people. He even called kings out when they disobeyed.
1 Samuel 13:8-14 (NASB)
8 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” 13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Around 870-860 B.C. the prophet Elijah began his ministry in Israel. He was called to challenge the people in their worship of Baal. His triumphant victory on Mount Carmel is recorded in 1 Kings 18.
Moses, Samuel, and Elijah set the stage for the classical prophets.
As we finish up this background information on The Prophets I want us to briefly consider a few more things. First of all, I want us to look at a couple of common misconceptions about prophets.
They were NOT hysterical babblers. Some scholars have tried to paint many of the OT prophets as men who went into trances and spoke uncontrollably while the Spirit was with them.
They were NOT fortune tellers. While it is true that many of them did reveal God’s future plan for the people, they were palm readers or psychics.
They were NOT religious fanatics. While it is true that some of them may seem eccentric to us, these men were deeply devoted to God’s truth. They were often grieved by the sins of the people and held very strong convictions.
Next, I want to look at a few ways they were all alike.
They were devoted to God. They loved the LORD and put Him before all else, even if it mean persecution. They weren’t perfect men but they served God whole-heartedly.
They had a strong sense of calling. They did not choose to be prophets. God picked them and enabled them. Sometimes this was early on (Jeremiah 1:4-5) and sometimes God moved them from one profession to another (Amos 7:14-15).
They were messengers. We see the phrase “This is what the LORD says” over 350 times in the books of prophecy. They were not out there giving the people their own ideas. They were speaking God’s words.
They were forthtellers. This simply means that they were telling forth God’s truth to their own people. They pointed out evil and called people to repent. Although they focused mainly on their own generations, God’s word does not change and many of the truths they told still apply today.
They were foretellers. God did reveal the future to them. Sometimes it was near and sometimes it was far but they revealed it to their own generations. They spoke of judgment AND restoration. All of this was done to encourage faithful living in the present.
They were creative individuals who used different literary and oral techniques to communicate. We find parables, songs, and sermons. There is anger, sadness, and even sarcasm.
The last two things I want us to quickly look at are some common themes in the Prophets and the three main periods in which they were active.
There are three themes the prophets clearly emphasized: Covenant Obligations, the Day of the LORD, and the Messiah.
Prophets reminded the people that they were in a Covenant with God therefore they needed to return to Him and His word. Prophets also stressed personal holiness among the people. They also stressed the concept of being at peace (shalom) with one another.
The Day of the LORD sometimes refers to the immediate judgment of the people but it also can refer to future judgment at the end of time. The punishment of unbelievers, the cleansing of God’s people, and the salvation of the righteous are all addressed.
Thirdly, the Prophets pointed a future individual known as Messiah (Anointed One). Even though kings, priests, and prophets received anointing, this individual would surpass them all and perfect each one of those functions. We understand (thanks to the NT) that Jesus was the fulfillment of all those prophecies.
I mentioned earlier that the Prophets lived and ministered sometime between 800 and 450 B.C. There was a lot of political activity and upheaval during those centuries. God chose to work in His people. The three major powers that we see in play are: Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. We will look at these three in more depth as we encounter them in the individual books. I just wanted to mention them in our opening.
sources:
Encountering The Old Testament (Baker Books) Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer
Old Testament Survey (Eerdmans Publishing) William Sanford Lasor, David Allan Hubbard, and Frederic William Bush
