How would you define a Biblical prophet?
If I asked most people that question, they’d say a “prophet” is a person who has divine power to predict the future with 100% accuracy.
And then famous prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel would probably come to mind.
But here’s the thing.
The Jewish sages categorized the books of Samuel and Kings as being part of a type of Scripture called the “Early Prophets”.
In other words, Samuel was viewed as a prophet in some sense.
Isn’t that interesting?
Because he doesn’t really fit the mold of what we’d consider to be a prophet.
Well, here’s what you should know…
Just as Israel’s understanding of who God was and how He operated changed over time, so did the concept of a prophet.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Because a lot Bible characters who aren’t normally thought of as prophets are referred to as “prophets”.
Like Moses for example:
“Since then, no prophet
has risen in Israel like Moses,
whom the Lord knew face to face”
-Deuteronomy 34:10
And Yeshua as well.
The crowds often referred to him as “the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee”.
So what can we make out of all of this?
A couple of things.
First, a prophet of God possesses multiple attributes…
NOT just uttering divine oracles.
In fact, if I was to break it down, I’d say a true prophet functions in three ways.
FIRST, he predicts future events through divine revelation (this is our typical understanding of a prophet).
SECOND, he performs miracles and healing.
THIRD, he acts as a spokesman for God (this was Moses’ main role).
In other words, a prophet was a chosen instrument of God to bring about His will on earth.
And notice that Yeshua fulfilled all three functions of a Biblical prophet.
He predicted the future.
He healed and performed miracles.
And he was God’s ultimate spokesman mediating between the Father and Israel.
So which function of a prophet did Samuel operate under?
I’d say role number 3, that of a spokesman.
My point is the office of a prophet was established before the times of Samuel, Saul and David.
And then over time the idea of a prophet being a God-ordained fortune teller began to take shape and crystalize.
Alrighty, it’s late and I’m going to bed.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“And the crowds said,
‘This is the prophet Yeshua,
from Nazareth of Galilee.'”
-Matthew 21:11
“Fear seized them all,
and they glorified God, saying,
‘A great prophet has
arisen among us!’ and
‘God has visited his people!'”
-Luke 7:16
“The woman said to him,
‘Sir, I perceive that you
are a prophet.‘”
-John 4:19
“And Yeshua said to them,
‘A prophet is not without honor,
except in his hometown and
among his relatives and
in his own household.'”
-Mark 6:4
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