Description

Since God’s revelation is primarily through the word, there develops in Israel the unique office of the prophet, the divine spokesman. The prophet is the man to whom the word of the Lord (Yahweh) comes and who then declares this word to the people. Attempts have sometimes been made to find a stronger ecstatic and visionary element in early prophecy. That it has a visionary side is incontestable, for right down to the great prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel the word often comes in visions. There is also a plastic side to prophecy, for signs and images often accompany the spoken word as a guarantee that the word itself will be “seen” in its fulfillment. On the other hand, it is highly significant that from a very early period the oral aspect is predominant. The heart of prophecy is that God speaks to the prophet and through the prophet. The patriarchs already are addressed by God (Gen 22:1; 46:2). Moses is the prototype of all the succeeding prophets (cf. Exod 3:4, et al.). Samuel is called by Yahweh (1 Sam 3:1ff.), and when he expresses his readiness to hear, a message is given to him which he is then to pass on to the people. The process is exactly the same in 1 Samuel 15:10ff., where the word of judgment on Saul is first given to Samuel and then delivered by him to the king. Saul, in turn, is rejected because he has rejected the word of the Lord. The tradition of Samuel is magnificently maintained by Nathan, Elijah, and Micaiah. Throughout this period the word of the Lord comes to the prophets, is declared by them, and then, as the word of truth and power, comes infallibly to fulfillment in forgiveness, salvation, or judgment. The difference between the true prophet and the false prophet is that the latter has no real word from God, so that he can speak only human words which will inevitably be discovered to be false by events. The true word of the Lord comes to pass (2 Kings 22:16, 18). It cannot be withstood (1:17).