Prophets
“So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground (or, fail). And all Israel…knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 3:19-20
God called certain men and women in the Old Testament to be prophets. Prophets are those who proclaim or tell a message from God. They are commissioned by God to be His spokesmen and announcers. (Yes, I said men AND women. Six times women are mentioned as prophets: Miriam, Deborah, Huldah (two times), Noadiah, and Isaiah’s wife*.
About 300 times, prophets are mentioned in the Old Testament. This means that about 300 times God had a specific message He wanted to give to the people. The prophets literally had access to God’s words, God’s thoughts, and God’s will.
God didn’t talk to just anyone. He chose and pursued certain ones to speak for Him. They weren’t always willing, either. Remember Jonah, who argued with God about the message he was told to speak? Moses, certainly the most famous of all prophets, also argued with God. Usually the messages they were to give were difficult and unpopular. The messages were of doom, of repentance, of fearful things to come. Death. Destruction. Obliteration.
Although we do not all have the “gift of prophecy,” all believers are, in a sense, prophets today. Haven’t all believers been commissioned to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ? As Jonah, Moses, and so many others in the Old Testament were given the commission to go out and proclaim a specific message of repentance, we, too, have been sent out to give forth the message of repentance: that Jesus Christ has come to save us from our sins, that He died and resurrected, that He offers cleansing and forgiveness to all who believe and call upon His Name, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.
Furthermore, Old Testament prophets were called upon to live their lives manifesting specific words from God. They literally had to “live God’s Word” without regard to the reaction of the people. For us today, we have this same call, and again, the call is to all believers.
In ancient days, God pursued only certain ones who then had access to His word, thoughts, and will. But Jesus opened the door to the Father’s path for ALL to walk on. Walk His way. Go forth and proclaim the Good News! Live a life that shows forth the Living Word that has been given to you.
Lord, we acknowledge the responsibility we’ve been given to proclaim Your Word to an unbelieving generation. Help us go forth as prophets in the power and authority of the call You have placed on each of us. In the Name of Jesus we ask these things. Amen.
Acts 2:17-18