Prophets in Israel
Prior to his death Moses told the Israelites: “ ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear’ ” (Deut. 18:15, NKJV). The context indicates that this prophecy had an immediate application to the prophetic leadership of Israel in the years following the death of Moses (Deut.18; 34:9, 10; Hos. 12:10). The prophets from Joshua to Malachi were partial fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy.
Christ, however, only fully could meet the conditions set forth in Moses’ prediction (see John 1:21, 6:14, 7:40). He came as the second Moses, not to free His people from the power of earthly rulers but, to free them from the power of sin.
The writings of the prophets of the Old Testament from Isaiah to Malachi are well-known. In addition, there were many other prophets in the history of Israel. Samuel lived during the period of the judges (1 Sam. 3:20). Gad and Nathan continued his work (2 Sam. 12:1, 24:13). After the division of the kingdom in 931 B.C. we find the prophets Ahijah (1 Kings 11:29), Elijah (1 Kings 18:1), and Elisha (2 Kings 2:9–14) ministering to the people of God.
Prophets came from all walks of life: Jeremiah and Ezekiel were priests; Isaiah and Zephaniah were of royal blood; Daniel was prime minister of Babylon; Samuel was a judge; Elisha was a farmer, and Amos a shepherd. Whatever their backgrounds, all of them were God’s messengers through whom God tried to keep Israel from falling into sin. Some prophets wrote books (1 Chron. 29:29, 2 Chron. 9:29), others did not (1 Kings 17:1, 2 Kings 2:15); some were counselors to kings (Jer. 38:14), others preached to the people (Ezek. 3:17). After four centuries of prophetic silence, John the Baptist appeared as the last of the prophets of the old- covenant period (Matt. 3:1).
All through the sacred Scriptures we see the Lord speaking to His people through His servants, the prophets. The whole Bible itself is the work of these prophets, delivering the messages that God gave them. No matter how diverse their backgrounds, education, temperaments; no matter some of the flaws in their characters (with the radical exception of Jesus, of course), these human beings, flesh and blood like us, were used by the Lord to proclaim His messages, messages that still are being proclaimed today in almost every country in the world and will continue until the close of time.
| Which prophet can you relate to the most? Which prophet speaks the clearest to you, and why? What have you taken from that prophet’s life and message? How are you able to apply what you’ve learned from them to your life in a way that changes you for the better? |
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