Prophet
In the Old Testament, a prophet was a messenger called by God to speak His word to the people, serving as a spokesperson and a reminder of God’s covenant and expectations. Their roles included preaching and applying God’s law, calling people to repent, and sometimes predicting future events. These figures were not simply fortune-tellers, but were deeply concerned with the relationship between God and Israel, rebuking injustice and idolatry while also offering a message of future hope and restoration.
Role and purpose
- Divine messenger: Prophets were individuals chosen by God to convey His messages, often beginning their pronouncements with phrases like “thus says the Lord” to indicate they were not speaking their own words.
- Covenant enforcement: Their primary concern was the covenant between God and Israel. They reminded the people of their obligations under this agreement and held them accountable for breaking it through actions like idolatry and injustice.
- Preachers of the law: Prophets functioned as preachers who applied God’s law to the social, political, and religious issues of their time.
- Call to repentance: A key part of their message was a call to repent from sin and return to God, with the promise of mercy if they did so.
- Predictors of the future: While not their only role, prophets also had the ability to foresee future events as revealed by God.
- Harbingers of judgment and hope: They announced consequences for disobedience, such as the “day of the Lord,” but also pointed toward a future of restoration, hope, and peace.
Characteristics of a prophet
- Called by God: Prophets did not choose their role; they were called by God to serve.
- Spoke for God: They consistently claimed their authority came from God, not themselves.
- Persecuted: Because they delivered difficult messages that challenged the status quo, prophets were often persecuted, rejected, and stood against popular opinion.
- Deep spiritual insight: They possessed a profound ability to see the world from God’s perspective, understanding injustice and suffering in a way others did not.
- Men and women: While most prophets were men, the Old Testament also mentions prophetesses like Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah.
- Tested by their message: The Bible provides a test for true prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:22, which states that if a prophet’s prediction does not come true, it is a message not spoken by the Lord.
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[2] https://bibleproject.com/videos/the-prophets/
[5] https://biblehub.com/topical/p/prophet.htm
[7] https://accessibleprophecy.com/2020/01/31/making-sense-of-the-old-testament-prophets/
[8] https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/understanding-prophets-unfolding-biblical-eschatology
[9] https://www.gotquestions.org/prophet-Old-Testament.html
[10] https://breakinginthehabit.org/2016/01/18/dr-king-old-testament-prophet/
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