The
Hebrew word, nabi, translated "prophet" in English Bibles, has
the connotation of "message bearer".
The prophets were men called by God to serve as His messengers to a
stubborn and unheeding people. They were
always careful to point out that they were not voicing their own wisdom. Their warnings, entreaties, and promises were
always prefaced by the awesome proclamation: "Thus says the
Lord..." When the prophets did
engage in prognostication, they usually were concerned with events which were
fairly close at hand, such as the Assyrian conquest of Israel and the
Babylonian conquest of Judah (both of which they foretold with deadly
accuracy). But occasionally a prophet's
vision ranged farther into the future, to the day when God would enter into a
new covenant with his rebellious children.
The hope of reconciliation was often linked with the coming of a very
particular person, a Messiah or Savior.
What
made the prophets so sure that they had a right -- nay, a duty, -- to speak in
the name of God? It is clear from their
writings that they were not megalomaniacs who confused their own thoughts with
the voice of God. On the contrary, they
were humble men, awe-stricken by the responsibilities thrust upon them... The prophets minced no words in their
indictments of the sins of Israel and Judah, and they trod especially hard on
the toes of the rich, the powerful, and the pious. The Establishment responded then as some [do
now]: "One should not preach of such things!" (Micah 2:6).
--
Louis Cassels (1922-1974) in “Your Bible”
#4189
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