What was a prophet in the Old Testament?

The man thus signalised by God's grace was Enoch — the first prophet. A few words as to this term, so often misunderstood. The common notion is that a prophet was a foreteller of things to come. But this will not do. Many passages in which the word "prophet" is found are altogether inexplicable upon this principle. Concerning Abraham, Jehovah said to Abimelech: "He is a prophet" (Gen. 20:7); the same is said of all the patriarchs in Ps. 105:15. Yet it was not given to them (generally speaking) to foretell the future. When Moses demurred with Jehovah about going before Pharaoh, he was told, "Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet"; and again, "he shall be thy spokesman to the people" (Ex. 4:16; 7:1). Here we get the divine thought. The prophet was God's spokesman to the people; he was rather a "forthteller" than a "foreteller." This exactly explains the words of the woman of Samaria to the Lord Jesus: "Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet" (John 4:19). He had so manifestly spoken to her from God, and had so laid bare her heart that she could not but say this to the Saviour. But while a prophet was thus not necessarily a herald of coming events, we shall find that Enoch did speak of things which have not had their complete fulfilment to this hour.

Let us now turn to the first verse of the first chapter: "And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai." It is worthy of note that in the little Book before us, Jonah is never called a "prophet." The Holy Spirit uses the writer of 2 Kings to give him this title. We might pause for a moment to ask what meaning the word "prophet" has in Scripture. The Chinese characters which are generally used to translate prophet, give us to understand that a prophet is one who tells us what will happen in the future. Truly this is very often so, but if we read the Books of the Prophets in the Bible, we will find that this is only a small part of God's work for these men. Perhaps we will find God's own definition of this word by comparing Exodus 4:16 and 7:1. In the first Scripture God says of Aaron, "He shall be thy spokesman unto the people;" and in the latter Scripture, God says, "Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." Perhaps this gives us the clearest definition of a prophet according to the Word of God: he is God's "spokesman unto the people." Very often God speaks of judgment or blessing to come, and then the spokesman speaks of what will happen in the future. But his first duty is to be God's spokesman, which very often includes rebuke, or exhortation. Let us always remember that the most important thing for a prophet is that he speaks for God, not for himself, or of himself. The Greek word "prophetes" from which we get the English word "prophet," has exactly this meaning. Liddell & Scott's Greek Lexicon says of it, "Properly one who speaks for another, especially one who speaks for a God, and interprets his will to man, a prophet." From this we may see that the characters generally used in the Chinese Bible to translate "prophet" are misleading, and do not tell out the true meaning of the original Scriptures.

Prophecy involves a man (or, in the right context, a woman) speaking on behalf of God. The prophet receives a message from God and passes it on to the people concerned (Deut. 18:18; Jer. 1:9:17), frequently introduced by the words: ‘thus saith the Lord' (e.g. Isa. 7:7; 10:24; 28:16 etc.). In many cases, prophecy discloses future events, but not always. However, it does disclose God's mind at a given moment in time with regard to a specific issue or problem or person(s). Haggai, for instance, spoke primarily about present issues: lack of interest in, and zeal for, the house of God. But he also mentions the future glory of the house of God (in the millennium, Hag. 2:9) in order to encourage those who were building the temple at the time (see Q 2).

The scriptural use of the term 'prophecy' is in no way confined to foretelling events, nor is that its primary significance. It included any communication which God saw fit to make either to His own people or to any of the nations. God said to Abimelech concerning Abraham, "He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee." Gen. 20:7. Aaron was called the prophet of Moses. Ex. 7:1. God's power came at times upon individuals who were not recognised as prophets, and they prophesied, as for instance Saul in 1 Sam. 10:10-11. Prophecy became in Israel the means, through mercy, of God's communication to the people when the priesthood with Urim and Thummim had utterly broken down. It came in by Samuel. Elijah and Elisha prophesied in the midst of apostate Israel. Nathan, John the Baptist, etc., were also prophets. Of some of the prophets no prophecies are recorded, while others are only known to us by what they wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament knows nothing of a mere seer of the future. The prophet was one who spoke for God. Thus "a man of God" is so often the beautiful and significant designation of a prophet. In days of darkness and apostasy they stood forth on His part whom men had forgotten, and brought His word and will to them. Their predictions were but a part of these utterances, which dealt with the moral condition of those addressed, calling them to repentance; encouraging, warning, comforting, exhorting, instructing in righteousness. Of such the most distinctive feature was that they were "God's men." Very significantly the apostle Paul speaks as if "all Scripture" were written for such. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16-17.) Here was the necessary condition of prophesying, that truth and devotedness to the living God which enabled them as living near Him to know His mind. This underlay that saying of Amos, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth it to His servants the prophets." Like that again in Revelation, "to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass,"

As is well known, the ministry of the prophets did not begin till the failure of the people and of the priesthood made it necessary. Thus Samuel began his work after the failure of Eli and his sons. We find that the primary work of the prophet was not to predict future events, but to speak for God, and to call back the people to a true judgment of their ways. We do indeed get most wonderful and glorious predictions: the destiny of the nations, the recovery of Israel and its future glory; above all, the kingdom of Christ our Lord — we shall find these themes dwelt upon on many a bright page of the Prophets. But the dark, sombre background upon which all these pictures of glory are projected is the abundant witness to the people of their sin, and solemn threats of coming judgment. These predominate: "Cry aloud, spare not … show My people their transgression" (Isa. 58:1).

Hence arose a new kind of ministry, called prophetic, the purpose of which was to act on the consciences of the people, to recall them to their allegiance to the Lord their God. This ministry was instituted by God, who provides the means of communicating with His people when and how He pleases. So when priesthood had failed in Israel in the person and house of Eli, the Lord commences to open up communications with Israel by prophets, at the head of whom stands Samuel (Ps. 99:6), he being the instrument especially chosen by which to communicate the divine mind to the people, after judgment had been pronounced on the house of Eli. (1 Sam. 3:20-21.) The grace of this was manifest. The failure on the high priest's part, the representative before God of the people, was not to hinder communications from God as often as occasion might call for them, whether unsought by the people, or as answers to their requests. For the prophet was not one who merely foretold the future. Rather he was one who had the mind of God, whether for that which was wanted for the present, or to reveal things future.

Prophets, as the name (prophetes) implies, and as the examination of their ministry throughout the word makes clear (e.g. John 4:19), were speakers on the part of God, who gave out His mind directly from Himself and with His authority, reproving, exhorting, rebuking, instructing, or foretelling the future, as the case might be.

The fact that the prophetical service became a necessity among the earthly people of God is a proof of their spiritual decline. Again and again we find serious calls to repentance and return in the prophetical books in order that Jehovah could turn to His people again. Therefore most of the prophets were callers who stood before the face of God (as did Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1) and spoke the Word of God for the actual time and its circumstances.

Prophets were people who uttered a message that came directly from God. Already during Old Testament times it was the Spirit of Christ who testified in the prophets (1 Pet. 1:11). The Holy Spirit gave the prophets verbal as well as written utterances, both equally inspired. This still occurred in the early days of Christianity until the New Testament scriptures (the ‘prophetic scriptures’ of Rom. 16:26) were completed (Col. 1:25).