Prophets of the Bible

PROPHETS OF THE BIBLE

artist drawing showing a scribe in his office with books all around him

Art copyrighted and used courtesy of Artist Alex Pokos

After the Israelites came into the land of Canaan, they were a group of lose knit tribes trying to coexist with one another. Unfortunately, they also tried to coexist with their neighbors which God had told them to stay away from. This mingling of culture and belief led to the loss of any spiritual qualities that identified them as separate and unique. They not only took on the evil practices of pagan gods they also became enticed with being like them and eventually wanted a king.

Samuel was a transition for the Jews from their isolated individual tribes to the point of their unification under a king. God had intended for them to serve Him as the only king but this did not happen. Samuel had been born and dedicated to serve God 1 Samuel 3:19-20 as prophet.

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.”

Samuel only spoke what God told him to say. Giving only advice that was God driven and inspired. He became known as a man in tune with the will of God.

This influence did not last long as seen in 1 Samuel Chapter 8, the people rejected God for an earthly king and the history of the nation is changed. The nation would spend most of the next 500 years going down the path of rule by wisdom of man and not God. There were a few kings in the history of the Jewish people that chose to follow God. The number that chose to turn their back on God greatly outnumbered the Godly. Each time God would speak to them through men of God called Prophets who were called to remind the king and the people of their need to return to the God of their fathers.

The books of Kings and Chronicles record the history of these kings. The need for the Prophet would long outlast that of the king that the people so desired. The prophet would live a life set apart but yet not in the manner we think of monks today. It was more of a retired lifestyle only being seen when they had a message from God. If they were seen then people could expect that there was a message being sent. Many prophets were called to speak to a specific king or group of people. Often during a king’s reign he would receive more than one prophetic visitor.

See a list of the Kings and the Prophets that lived during his reign.

Many would pay the price for speaking for God as the Apostle Paul says in Hebrews 11:32:40:

“…and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

SCHOOL \ COMPANY \ SONS OF PROPHETS

A study of the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles will lead to insight on the growth of “schools” of prophets. Men that chose to dedicate themselves to God. Such phrases as “sons of prophets” or “company of prophets” exist throughout those books.

These terms are first seen in stories relative to Saul who was anointed the first king of Israel.

1 Samuel 19:20 –“And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.”

We have a gathering of “prophets” confronting the messengers from Saul who are attempting to get David. In verses 21-24, these messengers themselves begin to prophesy! Three times Saul sent messengers and each time they began to prophesy (joined the opposition). Eventually Saul came himself and he too began to prophesy!

Hebrew word for company = “lahaqah” – to gather, an assembly

Hebrew word for Prophesying = “naba” – speak or sing by inspiration in prediction or simple discourse.

What made a Prophet?

In ancient times the term “seer” was used when people would look for wisdom or insight into the future. The word “prophet” coming into use later.

The “Prophet” was a normal human man. Normal in the sense that he was not a supernatural being. He was a man given a message from God. The message being intended for a nation or a particular king or individual. These were men who saw events through the eyes of man as we as humans do.

However, they were also given prophecies related to the future. Often the future that they were told about was not a period that the Prophet would live to see in his lifetime. These Prophets wrote and spoke what they were given by God, even if it was regarding events and things they could not see with their physical eyes, but were seeing with the spirit as God gave them the blessed opportunity to do so.

Prophets often saw events that occurred in the future. They were not always told the sequence of those events. Their writings would convey the information as they were told, often moving forward and back in time. However, the events are always future to the day that the Prophet is writing in. Some Prophets saw the Second Coming of the Messiah even though they had not lived yet to see His First coming! Some wrote details of both events.

Clarence Larkin in the early 1900’s depicted this in this excellent diagram.