The Prophets: Messengers of God's Word in the Bible - Pt.1

Ever wonder about the mysterious world of biblical prophets and the impact they had on the people they encountered? Join us on this enlightening episode of the Bible Basics Podcast where we unravel the enigmatic world of these divine messengers, exploring their calling, functions, and the revelations they brought forth from God. 

Tune in and immerse yourself in the complex world of prophets and their significance in understanding the Bible. Plus, don't miss out on a chance to win a special prize by emailing your answer to the Bible Nerd question of the day.

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Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.

Transcript

Jacqui Adewole: 0:12

Have you ever wondered what a prophet is and what their role was in the Bible? With over 400 mentions in the Old and New Testaments, it's clear that the prophets played an important role in God's plan. While we often think of them as predictors of the future, their actual functions were far more complex and varied. But what else did they do, and how are they different from other figures in the Bible? If you're asking yourself questions like these, stay tuned to this episode of the Bible Basics Podcast for answers and we'll introduce you to the prophets and cover their calling and functions. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where, weekly, we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. When the subject of biblical prophets comes up, many of us think first of the men who wrote the last section of the books of the Old Testament and maybe a few others we've heard of, like Elijah or Elisha. However, the Bible identifies many more, some of them by name, some nameless, spread throughout the Old and New Testaments. The primary task of this teaching is to provide an overview of who those individuals were, what they did and how God used them for his overall plan.

Jacqui Adewole: 1:53

So what is a prophet? Well, simply put, a biblical prophet is a person who receives revelation from God and communicates his message to other persons, cities and nations. Another common Old Testament word for prophet is seer. This term emphasizes the way prophets receive their revelation, namely by seeing. These were men who saw the message God gave, whether that meant with the physical eye or seeing them in dreams or visions. In addition to prophet and seer, they were also referred to as men of God, servant of the Lord, preachers, God's messengers, watchmen and spokesmen. So we've covered what a prophet is.

Jacqui Adewole: 2:44

Let's explore their calling. How they became prophets. The office of prophet was not inherited, like that of a priest or king. Prophets were specifically called by God. They were chosen from many different walks of life and the call was not an invitation but a divine appointment. In some instances, the Bible describes the call in considerable detail and each account has distinctive features not found in the others. The call properly designated a prophet and gave them the authority for their work. For example, God told the prophet Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, i knew you Before you were born. I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Except for God's call. Prophets had no special qualifications. They appeared from all walks of life. They included sheepherders and farmers like Amos and Elisha, but also princes like Abraham and priests like Ezekiel. We'll get into even more detail about the prophets in future episodes.

Jacqui Adewole: 4:03

Now let's talk about the functions of a prophet. If we go straight to Google or Wikipedia, we may see the most common definition of a prophet is one who foretells future events, and the typical synonym is a predictor. While Old Testament prophets did speak about predictions of far-distant events, it's important to note that most of any predictions of the future were not about our time, but rather about the immediate future of Israel and surrounding nations, not our future. Where prophets did primarily was forth-telling, sometimes called preaching. They spoke to the people mostly Israel, but occasionally other nations about their current situation. They pointed out the sin of the people. They warned the people about the terrible and certain consequences of sin, the discipline and judgment of God. They encouraged the people to repent and wholeheartedly turn back to God, to worship Him and Him alone, and they also brought messages of consolation and pardon. Adding to the complexity of their role, they also had the responsibility for speaking of the future. These messages focused on Jesus, the coming Messiah. Descriptions of the New Covenant Age, which is the period after Christ's crucifixion and end-time events.

Jacqui Adewole: 5:32

Prophets did not only speak of God's messages. Sometimes they became quite dramatic and acted out their messages. Isaiah went naked and barefoot for three years. Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days and right side for 40 more days to communicate God's message. You gotta know those prophets were some special people.

Jacqui Adewole: 6:00

In their ministry, prophets not only spoke to the people of Israel, but were often directly speaking to the rulers and kings of Israel. The reason for this is important to understand. It was typically the behavior of the leader that influenced the behavior of the people. It was through the king that the prophet could best influence the nations regarding the truth of God. Like the priests, the prophets also interceded on behalf of the people before God. However, the key function of the prophet was to be a person in whose mouth God placed his words and who spoke those words to the people.

Jacqui Adewole: 6:38

It is important to note that the prophet did not act or speak independent of God. The prophets also did not take up the role on their own. God raised them up. The emphasis here is that the true prophet's message was God's, not their own. They communicated this by regularly prefacing or concluding or punctuating their speeches with, "thus saith the Lord. To sum it up, the true prophets in the Old Testament were chosen by God to deliver important messages to the people of Israel and to enforce the covenant God had made with them. They pointed out sin, warned of consequences of disobedience, encouraged repentance and faithfulness, and proclaimed messages of hope and restoration.

Jacqui Adewole: 7:30

As we continue to explore the prophets in the Bible, it is important to keep in mind that their messages have much to teach us about a wide range of issues for today. By studying the prophets, we can learn much about the nature and character of God, his plans for his people and how God's people, that's us, should live. Are you ready to explore the prophets? OK, then your Bible nerd question for today is, ":\re there female prophets? If so, who are they? The first subscriber to email me the correct answer will receive a special prize. Email me at info at Bible-basicsorg. Thank you for listening. If this has been beneficial to you, please subscribe or follow and tell someone else about the Bible Basics Podcast, and we'll talk again soon. Music.