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Prophets in the Bible
Defining the Role of Prophets in the Bible
Meet the men
(and women!) called to guide God's people through troubled waters.
By Sam O’Neal
Because I'm an editor during
my day job, I sometimes get annoyed when people use words in the wrong way.
For example, I've noticed in
recent years that many sports fans get their wires crossed when using the terms
"lose" (the opposite of win) and "loose" (the opposite of
tight).
I
wish I had a dollar for every Facebook post I've seen where someone asked, "How could they loose that
game when they were winning by two touchdowns?"
Anyway, I've learned that
these little foibles don't bother normal people. It's just me. And I'm okay
with that -- most of the time.
But I do think there are
situations where it's important to get the right meaning for a specific word.
Words matter and we help
ourselves when we can refer to important words in the right way.
Take the word
"prophet," for example.
Prophets played a major role
throughout the pages of Scripture, but that doesn't mean we always understand
who they were or what they were trying to accomplish.
Thankfully, we'll have a much
easier time understanding the prophets once we settle on some basic
information.
The Basics
Most
people make a strong connection between the role of a prophet and the idea of
telling the future.
They believe that a prophet
is someone who makes (or made, in the case of the Bible) a lot of predictions
about what's going to happen.
There is certainly a lot of
truth to that idea.
Most
of the prophecies recorded in Scripture that deal with future events were
written or spoken by the prophets.
For
example, Daniel predicted the rise and fall of several empires in the ancient
world -- including the Medo-Persian alliance, the Greeks led by Alexander the
Great, and the Roman Empire (see Daniel 7:1-14).
Isaiah
predicted that Jesus would be born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and Zechariah predicted that
Jewish people from around the world would return to Israel after its
restoration as a nation (Zechariah 8:7-8).
But telling the future was
not the major role of the Old Testament prophets. In fact, their prophecies
were more of a side effect of their main role and function.
The primary role of the
prophets in the Bible was to speak with the people about the words and will of
God in their specific situations.
The prophets served as God's
megaphones, declaring whatever God commanded them to say.
What's interesting is that
God Himself defined the role and function of the prophets at the beginning of
Israel's history as a nation:
“18 I will raise up for them a prophet
like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in
his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who
does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.” Deuteronomy
18:18-19
That's the most important
definition. A prophet in the Bible was someone who spoke the words of God to
people who needed to hear them.
People and Places
To fully understand the role and function of the Old
testament prophets, you need to be familiar with Israel's history as a
nation.
After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the
wilderness, Joshua ultimately led the military conquest of the promised
land.
That was Israel's official beginning as a nation on the world stage.
Saul eventually became Israel’s first king, but the nation experienced
its greatest growth and prosperity under the rule of King David and King
Solomon.
Sadly, the nation of Israel was split apart under the rule of
Solomon's son, Rehoboam.
For centuries, the Jews were divided between the northern kingdom,
called Israel, and the southern kingdom, called Judah.
While figures like Abraham, Moses, and Joshua can be considered
prophets, I think of them more as the "founding fathers" of Israel.
God began to use prophets as
the primary way of speaking to his people during the period of the judges
before Saul became King.
They
remained God's primary way of delivering His will and words until Jesus took
the stage centuries later.
Throughout Israel's growth
and regression as a nation, prophets arose at different times and spoke to the
people in specific locations.
For example, among the
prophets who wrote books now found in the Bible, three ministered to Israel's
northern kingdom: Amos, Hosea, and Ezekiel. Nine prophets served the southern
kingdom, called Judah: Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
There were even prophets who
served in locations outside of the Jewish homeland.
Daniel communicated God's
will to the Jews taken captive in Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem.
Jonah and Nahum spoke to the
Assyrians in their capital city of Nineveh.
And Obadiah declared the will
of God to the people of Edom.
Additional Responsibilities
So,
the prophets served as God's megaphones to declare the will of the Lord in
specific regions at specific points in history.
But, given the different
circumstances each of them encountered, their authority as God's emissaries
often led to additional responsibilities -- some good, and some bad.
For example, Deborah was a
prophet who also served as a political and military leader during the period of
the judges, when Israel had no king.
She was largely responsible
for a huge military victory over a larger army with superior military
technology (see Judges 4).
Other
prophets helped lead the Israelites during military campaigns, including Elijah
(see 2 Kings 6:8-23).
During the high points of
Israel's history as a nation, the prophets were subtle guides who provided
wisdom to God-fearing kings and other leaders.
For example, Nathan helped
David get back on course after his disastrous affair with Bathsheba, (see 1 Samuel 12:1-14).
Similarly, prophets like
Isaiah and Daniel were largely respected in their day.
At other times, however, God
called prophets to confront the Israelites about idolatry and other forms of
sin.
These prophets often
ministered during times of decline and defeat for Israel, which made them
singularly unpopular -- even persecuted.
For example, here's what God
instructed Jeremiah to proclaim to the people of Israel:
“6 Then the word of the Lord came to
Jeremiah the prophet: 7 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel,
says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army,
which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to
Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians will return and
attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.’" Jeremiah
37:6-8
Not surprisingly, Jeremiah
was often accosted by the political leaders of his day. He even ended up in
jail (see Jeremiah 37:11-16).
But Jeremiah was lucky
compared to many of the other prophets -- especially those who ministered and
spoke boldly during the reigns of evil men and women.
Indeed, here's what Elijah
had to say to God about his experiences as a prophet during the rule of evil
Queen Jezebel:
“14 He replied, ‘I have been very
zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,
torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the
only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’” 1 Kings 19:14
In summary, the prophets of the Old Testament
were men and women called by God to speak for Him -- and often lead on His
behalf -- during a chaotic and often violent period of Israel's history.
They were dedicated servants who ministered
well and left a powerful legacy for those who came after.
Sam O'Neal is
a professional writer and editor with a life-long passion for and appreciation
of the Bible. Sam is coauthor of The Bible
Answer Book and Managing Editor of The Quest Study Bible (3rd
edition).
Experience
Currently a Content Editor with LifeWay
Christian Resources, Sam O'Neal has also worked for Christianity Today and
Wheaton College. Sam is an experienced writer who has authored or coauthored a
number of books, including:
Education
Sam graduated from Wheaton College in 2002 with
a B.A. in English Literature. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Christian
Studies from Union University in Hendersonville, TN.
Sam O'Neal
I love the Bible. It's not only the best-selling
and most-influential book in human history, but the Bible has literally changed
my life as I've sought to honor God and live according to His principles.
I hope you're excited about the Bible as well.
Sure, the Bible is a little intimidating; it can even seem overwhelming for all
of us at times, myself included. But it's worth it. Please join me as we seek
to engage, explore, and apply the life-changing truths of God's Word.
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