Reference: Prophecy, Prophets
Hastings
Hebrew prophecy represents a religious movement of national and worldwide importance, not paralleled elsewhere in history. Most significant in itself, it has acquired deeper and wider import through its connexion with Christianity and the philosophy of religion generally. The present article will deal in brief outline with (1) the history, (2) the inspiration, and (3) the functions and specific teaching, of the prophets of the OT; also (4) with the special topic of Messianic prophecy and its fulfilment in the NT.
1. History and prophecy.
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Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you do not restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."
Moses said, "I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."
The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. read more. I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
The LORD shall reign forever and ever."
Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin?and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written."
The LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders: and it happened that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. But two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested on them; and they were of those who were written, but had not gone out to the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp. read more. A young man ran, and told Moses, and said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, "My lord Moses, forbid them." Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them."
The LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. He said, "Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.
He said, "Hear now my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house. read more. With him I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see the LORD's form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?"
If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder,
If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" (which you have not known) "and let us serve them";
and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods" (which you have not known) "and let us serve them";
There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices sorcery, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. read more. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you. You shall be perfect with the LORD your God. For these nations, that you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice sorcery, and to diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you so to do. The LORD your God will raise up to you a prophet from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
If you say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?"
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
But the Spirit of the LORD came on Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.
The child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
(In earlier times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say, "Come, and let us go to the seer"; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
"After that you shall come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall happen, when you have come there to the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tambourine, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: and the Spirit of the LORD will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.
When they came to Gibeah, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.
When they came to Gibeah, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.
When they came to Gibeah, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them. It happened, when all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, "What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" read more. One of the same place answered, "Who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" When he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.
"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me. His word was on my tongue.
When David rose up in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
Wasn't it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
The hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" They said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."
The LORD said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' He said, 'You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.'
Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the history of Gad the seer,
He made the most holy house: its length, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, aren't they written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
'If evil comes on us?the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine?we will stand before this house, and before you, (for your name is in this house), and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.'
He set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of the LORD by his prophets.
God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
We see no miraculous signs. There is no longer any prophet, neither is there among us anyone who knows how long.
"Do not touch my anointed ones. Do my prophets no harm."
Then they said, "Come, and let us make plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words."
"Behold, the days come," says the LORD, "that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you: they teach you vanity; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return everyone from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people."
the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there on him.
So will I break down the wall that you have plastered with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in its midst: and you shall know that I am the LORD.
It came about when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me someone who appeared to be a man.
The days of visitation have come. The days of reckoning have come. Israel will consider the prophet to be a fool, and the man who is inspired to be insane, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great.
I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn't this true, you children of Israel?" says the LORD.
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, "Peace." and whoever doesn't provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:
Her prophets are arrogant and treacherous people. Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
It will happen in that day, that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision, when he prophesies; neither will they wear a hairy mantle to deceive:
Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne,
Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.