The Everyday Prophet

And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?…” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD…the LORD has declared disaster for you.” Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,  and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”… So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. 1 Kings 22:13-16, 18-19, 23-28, 37-38 ESV

Sorry for the long introduction passage, but I feel like it’s helpful to see what a prophet looked like in Scripture. I’m amazed that in American Christianity prophecy and prophets are glorified in their acts and positions. We make the Biblical prophets out to be superheroes, wielding their powers to fight evil, like a crime fighter in a comic book, and this is the job of prophecy today. This was not the case for the Biblical Prophet.

What was a prophet? 

In Scripture, a prophet was much like a messenger carrying an edict from a King to His people, or in some instances (like the example above) to a king. Prophets did, at times, show incredible acts from the power of God but with the intention of showing God’s power and judgment (not the prophet’s power and judgment, that’s important to understand), calling people to repentance (1 Kings 18:20-40). This was not power on their part! Oh, how we’ve gotten this wrong in America today and thinking that God’s power can be used like Batman’s belt!

For the majority of the views of the prophets revealed in Scripture, their role is to call the king and the people to repentance from turning from Yahweh, or else judgment will occur. Often, the people would not listen to the warning, thus judgment would occur. But then also, the prophets gave many glimpses of hope of God’s restoration, with God as the acting agent (1) (Also known as the “New Covenant“).

Contrary to the view of being a glorified fortune teller or superhero in the American Church today, being a prophet was a thankless task with repercussions that came from opposing the king and the cultural norms of the time. Prophets were often ridiculed, beaten, and left for dead (Jeremiah 38, and the above section). The task of a prophet was not a glorified position: it was a call to lose your status with friends, family, culture, and society. It was a call to potentially die (as we see with John the Baptist in Matthew 14:1-12). In the opening verses from 1 Kings 22, we don’t get to see the outcome for Micaiah, although we hope that he actually got out of prison. Being a prophet was not a glorious position. 

The Everyday Prophet

Christians are called to oppose evil (Romans 12:9), to give our allegiance to the one true King (Matthew 22:36-40), to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and to call the society and culture to repentance. Like the prophets, this is often a thankless task. Christians often face ostracization from their culture, society, friends, family, and coworkers. And I say that it’s real: the pressure and hate you can have from coworkers can sting so much. In cultures around the world, death is a reality. The question is, “is the payoff worth it?” Revelation 2:10 ESV states that whoever perseveres the tribulations that face Christians will receive the “crown of life.” That’s true life, life in abundance! This life can offer some cheap thrills and experiences, but I want real life! Life in abundance (John 10:10)! Pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11)! Don’t sell me something cheap, I want more!

Stand strong in the faith. Although we’re not all prophets in the biblical sense, our calling is similar. Persevere in whatever your calling and situations are.

-Austin

 

 

Footnotes

J. Daniel Hays and Tremper Longman III, The Message of the Prophets, (Michigan, Zondervan, 2010), 146.

Bibliography

Hays, J. Daniel, and Longman, Tremper III, The Message of the Prophets, (Michigan, 

Zondervan, 2010).