I tried to find definitions of prophecy on the internet, but was overwhelmed by extreme Calvinist websites each trying to prove their own eschatological interpretations.
McConville3 does not seem to contain a definition as such. His book covers those canonical books generally referred to as ‘prophecy’, but points out that some might fit more comfortably in ‘the writings’. A valid point that he makes is to distinguish between the life, work and words of the prophet himself, and the book recorded in his name. He may have written it, or it may have been recorded subsequently by others, particularly where there are elements of biographical narrative.
General usage of the word ‘prophecy’ in common English implies that it is the foretelling of the future, but this is only part of its dictionary definition: -
Prophecy n. faculty of a prophet (the gift of prophecy); prophetic utterance; foretelling of future events. [ME, f. OF profecie f. LL f. Gk propheteia (as PROPHET; see –CY)]4
So it also includes ‘prophetic utterance’, which following through the definitions in the same dictionary leads one to:
Prophet n 1. inspired teacher, revealer or interpreter of God’s will….etc.
Thus prophecy is not just about foretelling future events, although that can be and is often included. In Scripture it is more often in its first sense, a matter of revealing God’s will in the present tense, through inspiration by the Holy Spirit. It proclaims God’s word.2 (note on Luke 1:67)
Q2 Who were/are the prophets?
There are various groups of people that one might term ‘the prophets’
The company of the prophets. This appears to have been a known group of prophets who would ‘perform’ in public together. Their behaviour may have been eccentric – see 1 Samuel 11 and 19 when Saul was overcome by the Spirit of God and joined the company temporarily, causing comment. It is likely that Samuel was their leader.
During the monarchy, there would be prophets included amongst the King’s advisors. This practice may have followed on from the role of Samuel with Saul and David, or may have been a copy if practices in adjacent kingdoms, or both. Some of these were clearly true believers, some were clearly pagans, and some may have been part of the religious establishment, nominally prophets of Yahweh but actually speaking their own mind (perhaps unwittingly, perhaps from secret paganism) eg Zedekiah in 1 Kings 22 v 19 to 25
Other prophets mentioned in narrative books, eg Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah (in 1 Kings 22 v 19 to 25), Nathan, etc. They may have been part of the groups above or may have been independent.
The prophets who have books named after them. Some may have been part of the above groups. Note that some are post exilic, which would imply that the company of prophets continued to this time.
Prophets in the New Testament - these would be anointed with the Holy Spirit, perhaps to a greater and more constant level than their predecessors. Eg Agabus and the seven sons of Sceva. John could also be included here for writing Revelation.
Modern times. I was brought up to understand that the verse in 1 Cor 13 v 9,10 meant that on completion of the Bible there was no further need for prophecy, as the will of God is fully proclaimed in the Bible. I agree with that in the context of developing Scripture – I don’t expect more prophecies to be recorded and taken to be of equal authority as the scripture. But I believe there is also a role for modern day prophets to speak the will of God into particular situations, though this must always be subject to the Bible and tested against it. I am sceptical of people who start off with “Thus saith the Lord…”, but if someone humbly and sincerely feels that God has put an idea in their heart, I will listen with interest.. It is important also to recognise different forms of prophetic speech. It may be a ‘thus saith the Lord’ thing, an inspired message that comes apparently from nowhere. It may equally come from someone who has studied the scriptures over a period of time and come to see truths therein which he/she then proclaims to the congregation. It can come unwittingly, words spoken as part of a normal conversation which have a deep impact on the hearer. Once I was washing dishes at the age of 18 when my elder brother bounded into the kitchen. “Hail, mighty man of God!” he said, and bounded out again. It changed my life; years of self-doubt and self-deprecation fell away as I realised that Christ didn’t save me to be a miserable worm but a man in his own image.
Q3 What is the purpose (i.e. role and significance) of the Bible’s prophetic writings?
The Word of the Lord came originally to speak to his people about the current situation in which they found themselves.
This has been taken down in writing, in some cases at a slightly or significantly later date, sometimes by a different person, and in some cases re-interprets the original message to speak to a new situation.
The prophetic writings also predict the future at several different levels
a. The first coming of the messiah
b. The church age
c. The second coming of the messiah, eschatology, and the end of the world.
Some prophecies have multiple fulfilments.
The reason that predictive prophecies arise is not that someone has found out how to discover what the future is, as if it is ordained by fate. Predictive prophecies are inspired by the God who not only sees the future in his timelessness, but actually writes the future and determines what it will be. He wants us now to know what he says about it so that we will recognise it when it comes. He doesn’t want us to be surprised by it, but more importantly he wants us to recognise that it is his doing, that it is not chance, it is in fact the fulfilment of the purposes he commenced in Genesis chapter 1. So when we read “there will be earthquakes in many places, but do not fear, the end is not yet” (OK yes, that is New Testament, not the subject of this session, but the same principle applies) we are not surprised by the boxing day tsunami. God is saying he is in control – nature has not run amok. And by the way, bigger disasters will come. If you listen to me I will keep you safe through them. And in the end the world will be completely destroyed but my remnant will be kept safe.
Q4 What relevance does prophecy have to twenty-first century Christianity? Where might we find it today?
It tells us about God’s relationship with his people in Biblical times.
We can assume that he continues to be the same God and therefore relates to his people today in a similar manner
The predictive element if the prophetic writings works on several levels: -
a. It told the people of the time about events in their immediate future
b. It told the people of the time about the coming of the Messiah
c. It told the people of the time about the end of the world.
d. For the people in the time of the New Testament, point ‘a’ above confirmed the reliability of the prophecies, giving the people confidence in the Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in their time, and also confirming those prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
e. Similar to point ‘d’, the fulfilments of points ‘a’ and ‘b’ confirm to us the veracity of these messages, and give us confidence in the reliability of those prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
Sadly, knowing that a prophecy in the Bible is true and reliable is very different from knowing what it actually means. As I indicated in my first paragraph under Q1, people are very inclined to make interpretations of the prophecies based on intimate studies of the detail, and having made their conclusions hold on to them vigorously, using strong language to defend their own view and vilify anyone who thinks differently. This is true both in terms of events surrounding the second coming of Christ and in terms of the role of the modern nation and ethnic group of Israel. I am reminded of John 7v 52 – “Look into it and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee”. They were knowledgeable students of the law, but got it wrong. (Jonah was from Galilee2, God can raise a prophet wherever he feels like it, and where the prophecies predicted the coming of ‘the branch’, this apparently shares a common root with the name ‘Nazareth’ which is of course in Galilee). So in interpreting prophecy it is important to avoid getting too dogmatic about the details.
Q5 Sketch a timeline to show how the prophets/prophetic writings may have fitted with events of Old Testament history.
See Appendix 1
Note the difficulty in dating the prophets. It is natural for different scholars to lean towards dates that fit their own interpretations. My table attempts to date the life of the prophet rather than the book, which may have been recorded later.
Q6 Consider a pair of Minor Prophets and prepare brief introductions to each
Couplings are: -
Hosea/Malachi
Joel/Zechariah
Amos/Haggai
Obadiah/Zephaniah
Jonah/Habakkuk
Micah/Nahum
Joel | Zechariah | |
Who they were | Unknown. | Well Known. Grandson of Iddo, the priest that worked alongside Zerubabel. i.e a priest as well as a prophet, and possibly the head of Iddo’s priestly family (Neh 12:163) |
In which Kingdom they lived | Judah, pre exile | Judah, post exile |
To whom were their messages addressed | Presumably the local people under threat from the problems mentioned below. | Returning Exiles rebuilding the temple. |
When they lived | Dating of Joel is very uncertain owing to the lack of specific external references. NIV study Bible2 prefers an early date in the 9th century BC, at a time of natural threats from locusts and political threats from emerging superpowers, but acknowledges the possibility of it being post-exilic. McConville3 prefers a late date of 587 BC. Balchin at al1 suggest he was one of the earliest of all OT prophets and might have known Elisha and Elijah. | Post Exile. McConville’s dates3 lie between those in my other sources at 522-515BC. However, the second half may have been written later. |
What were their messages | The day of the Lord is coming, like a locust swarm. The Day of the Lord will bring judgement on the hearer/reader, not just his enemies. God is at work in international evnts. The only hope is to repent, and receive God’s mercy. A call for Religious revival, and proclaiming the source of true hope in a time of crisis. | Go on believing that God is at work. There is an unseen spiritual battle going on. There will be judgement and salvation, and a hope of the ultimate triumph for God over the powers of darkness. |
Suggest what (for you) is the key verse or verses in each book | I will pour put my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy … and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. | Ch3 v 4 See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you. |
References
Balchin et al, The Bible in Outline, Scripture Union, London, 1985
NIV Study Bible, Hodder and Stoughton, 1987
G McConville, Exploring the Old Testament Vol 4 Prophets, SPCK, 2002
The Concise Oxford Dictionary, seventh edition ED JB Sykes, Oxford, 1981
Appendix 1 Timeline of Prophets
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