Chapter 3

Prophets

Christian Perspective

What Is Prophecy?

Tendency to think of prophets as foretellers who predict the future; but in reality they seem to be more focussed on the here and now and issues to be confronted in the present moment.

The Hebrew word for prophet nabi, is translated in the Greek as prophetais, meaning interpreter; an interpreter of events and the consequences that flow from being unfaithful to God's ways.

In Israel, unlike the priesthood, which was hereditary, prophets were people called by God, sometimes reluctantly, to proclaim his word to the people. (It is believed nabi means "one who is called")

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Who Are Prophets?

Prophets are interpreters of God's Word to issues within contemporary society. They tend to be especially concerned with issues of injustice, with a bias for the poor, and are therefore frequently critical of those in positions of authority; including religious leaders indifferent to the needs of their people.

A distinctive feature of the Biblical prophets is their ability to hold God and humanity in a single thought. They have the ability to hear God's word and mediate it to the people.

Prophets are presented as ordinary human beings who, at times, even question their ability to respond to God's call, or may become disillusioned by the events that overtake Israel and their personal lives.

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Historical Background to the Prophets

Unlike Islam, which, I understand, includes Abraham and Moses as prophets, those who are considered by Christians to be prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures are those in the period from around 1000BCE to 580BCE covering the period of the monarchy in Israel; especially the period of the Divided Kingdom (Israel & Judah) when the political and religious leaders frequently ignored or broke God's laws. This period came to a sudden end with the Babylonian Exile in 587.

The Prophets tend to be classified in two groupings:

Major Prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel (major because of the length of their prophecy rather than the significance of its content)

Minor Prophets—Amos, Hosea, Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, Obadiah, Malachi, Joel and Jonah, with each prophet responding to the particular context and issues of their time.

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Significance of the Prophets to Christians

To Christians the Hebrew Scriptures are an account of God's revelation to his people through history and therefore helpful in understanding the nature of God, his will for the world he created, and a guide as to how he expects his people to live.

Consequently, when God speaks to the Hebrew people through the prophets, their proclamation becomes important for us as a guide on how to respond to situations and challenges in our own time and place.

The prophetic works are therefore studied and interpreted within the particular context of those Biblical times, and then the lessons learnt applied to the contemporary situations we now face in our own lives. For example, Jeremiah's hard words to the religious leaders of his time serve as warning to religious leaders here and now.

There is, however, a tendency by some Christians to simply consider the Hebrew Scriptures as a prelude to the Christian revelation in Jesus Christ, failing to acknowledge the individual integrity of the Hebrew Scriptures.

This is reflected in the Christian Canon being divided into the 'Old Testament' and 'New Testament.' Against this background the Covenant established by God in the Hebrew Scriptures is seen to be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. (New Testament or Covenant)

The revelation of Christ is then read back in to the Hebrew Scriptures with Biblical prophecy being re-interpreted as a promise now fulfilled in the person of Jesus. The image of the 'Suffering Servant' of God in Isaiah, prepared to suffer for his people, for example, may therefore be seen by some as a prophecy fulfilled in Christ.

Even Jesus seemed to view himself in this light when he says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but fulfil." (Matthew 5:17)

This emphasis on Jesus Christ as fulfilment implies there is no longer need for new prophets; for everything is now finally revealed in the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus Christ. Instead we have writers like Paul who seek to interpret the revelation of God in Christ and the implications for those who believe. Christians believe Paul's letters to the early churches, many of which were located in what is now modern Turkey, were divinely inspired; albeit divinely inspired interpretation rather than prophetic word.

There is an interesting character in the Gospels—John the Baptist—who preached a message of repentance and the need for radical change. Some suggest John was the last in the model of the 'Old Testament ' prophets; and certainly John saw himself as 'preparing the way of the Lord' who had been promised by the prophets. (In Matthew and Mark the prophecy of Isaiah is specifically referred to.)

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Conclusion

The great prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures have great significance for Christians for the ways in which they:

  • affirm God's continuing concern for the world he has created and the people who populate that world;
  • their proclamation provides insight into the nature, will and living presence of God in the world;
  • affirm God's concern for a just, compassionate and peaceful world;
  • their proclamation assists us in determining our own response to the world in which we live; and
  • the ways they confirm the consistency and constancy of God's will which, for a Christian, becomes profoundly revealed in the person, life, ministry and teaching of Jesus Christ.