PROPHET, PROPHETESS and PROPHESY --- PART 1

A prophet or prophetess was a man or woman chosen by YHVH to speak for Him and to tell of events in the divine plan. When Yeshua raised the widow’s son from the dead, the onlookers responded by saying, [A great prophet has arisen among us!] -- Luke 7:16; compare Mark 6:15; 8:28. In Jewish thought, the clearest religious happenings found their focus in the call and ministry of a prophet. That was how YHVH communicated His Word to His people. In their response to Yeshua, the people were in fact more correct than they knew. In him YHVH had visited them. Though Yeshua was much more than a prophet, He was in fact the climax of the prophetic order predicted by Moses -- Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

The Titles and History of Prophets:
The main words used to describe such individuals in the Old Testament are [prophet] -- see Judges 6:8, [man of YHVH] -- see 2 Kings 4:9 and [seer] -- see 1 Samuel 9:9; 2 Samuel 24:11. The word translated [prophet] has the idea [called] as its first emphasis. YHVH takes the initiative. He selects, summons, and sends the prophet (for example, -- Jeremiah 1:4-5; 7:25; Amos 7:14. [Man of YHVH] speaks of the relationship into which the prophet is brought by his call. He is now [YHVH’s man] and is seen as belonging to him -- 2 Kings 4:9. [Seer] indicates the new and remarkable powers of insight granted to the prophet. In Hebrew, as in English, the ordinary verb to see is used also of understanding [I see what you mean]. It also speaks of the power to understand the nature and meaning of things [He sees things very clearly]. In the case of the prophets, their powers of seeing were raised far above normal. Our Adonai inspired them to become vehicles of His message. The line of great prophets began with Moses. He is recognized as the greatest prophet -- Deuteronomy 34:10. All the distinctive marks of a prophet belonged to Moses. He understood his call -- Exodus 3:1–4:17; compare Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1:4-19; Ezekiel 1–3; Hosea 1:2; Amos 7:14-15. He was aware of the importance of historical events as the acts of YHVH in which He confirmed His Word -- Exodus 3:12; 4:21-23. Moses also showed ethical and social concern -- 2:11-13, and cared for the helpless -- 2:17. Deuteronomy 34:10 not only looks back to the greatness of Moses but also looks forward to the coming of a prophet like Moses. This accords with his own prediction -- 18:15-19, which anticipates a single, great individual prophet. Moses makes a striking comparison with himself. He says the coming prophet will fill just such a role as Moses filled at Mount Sinai -- 18:16. On that occasion, Moses acted as the prophetic mediator of the Voice of YHVH in a unique sense. At Sinai YHVH shaped the Old Covenant into its completed form. In expecting a prophet cast in this mould, Moses was looking forward to another Mediator, Yeshua Moshiach Himself. The expectation for this great prophet was kept alive as YHVH kept sending prophets to His people. In each case, such a prophet was known to be true by his likeness to Moses. In each case he would be viewed with excitement by genuine believers to see whether he was the great one come at last. In this light we can understand the excitement of the people who saw Yeshua raise the dead -- Luke 7:16. The Old Testament mentions the existence of prophetic groups. They were sometimes called [schools.] Elisha clearly had such a group under his instruction -- 2 Kings 6:1; see [sons of the prophets,] -- 2:3, 5; Amos 7:14. They were probably [prophets in training] under the care of a master prophet. [Guilds] or [associations] would be better descriptions of the groups in -- 1 Samuel 10:5-11. Such groups enjoyed an enthusiastic worship of Adonai. They were touched with a marked activity of the Spirit of YHVH. But at the heart of their devotion was [prophecy] -- that is, a declaration of the truth about YHVH Himself. After this early period, the prophetic groups seem to have lost their significance. A more direct ministry of the word could well lie behind the comment in -- 1 Samuel 9:9.

Inspiration:
The Spirit of Adonai lay behind the activities of these prophetic groups and people -- 1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 19:20, 23. The claim to divine inspiration is plainly registered from time to time -- for example, 1 Kings 22:24; Nehemiah 9:30; Hosea 9:7; Joel 2:28-29; Micah 3:8; compare 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 15:1; 20:14; 2 Chronicles 24:20. The Spirit inspired men and women to speak the very Words of YHVH -- compare 2 Peter 1:21. Ezekiel records how he was made to eat a scroll. That enabled him to receive the Words Adonai had written and speak what Adonai called [My Words] -- Ezekiel 2:7–4:4.
The miracle is stated in a nutshell at the beginning of Amos -- Amos 1:1, 3: [The words of Amos... Thus saith ADONAI.] Though the words were truly Amos’s words, the words were also Adonai’s.

True and False Prophets:
False prophets were to be separated from true prophets by means of three tests. The first test was doctrinal. In -- Deuteronomy 13 the motive of the false prophet was to draw the people away from YHVH who had revealed Himself in the Exodus -- Deuteronomy 13:2, 5-7, 10. Although the word of the false prophet might be supported by apparent signs and wonders -- 13:1-2, it was to be refused. This was not simply because it introduced novelty -- 13:2, 6 but because that novelty contradicted the revelation of Adonai at the Exodus -- 13:5, 10. The first test required that the people of YHVH have knowledge of the truth so that they could recognize error. The second test was practical and required patience. It is stated in -- Deuteronomy 18:21-22: the word of Adonai always comes to pass. This requires patience because, as -- 13:1-2 indicates, a false word may be supported by an apparent spiritual proof. The call of -- 18:21-22 is a call for patience. If there was any real doubt about whether a prophetic word is true or false, the people had to wait for the turn of events. The third test was moral, calling for watchful discernment. Jeremiah, of all the prophets, was most distressed in his spirit by the presence of false prophets. He gave the longest and most sustained consideration to the problem -- Jeremiah 23:9-40. His answer is striking and challenging. The false prophet will be found out as a man of unholy life -- 23:11-14. Thus, the message has no note of moral rebuke but rather encourages men in their sin -- 23:16-22.

The Function of the Prophet:
It is sometimes said that prophets are not fore-tellers but [forth-tellers.] As far as the Old Testament is concerned, however, the prophets are forth-tellers -- declaring the truth about YHVH -- by being foretellers -- predicting what YHVH will do. Prediction is not seen as an occasional or an unimportant activity in the Old Testament. It is the way the prophet went about his work. -- Deuteronomy 18:9-15 explains the function of the prophet in Israel. The surrounding nations are revealed as probing into the future by means of a variety of fortune-telling techniques -- 18:10-11. These things are forbidden to Israel on the ground of being detestable to Adonai -- 18:12. Israel’s uniqueness is maintained when Adonai gives Israel a prophet -- 18:13-15, while the nations look into the future by use of diviners. Elisha -- 2 Kings 4:27 was surprised when he couldn’t see the future; Amos teaches that Adonai reveals His plans to the prophets -- Amos 3:7. But prediction in Israel was totally unlike what other nations had. In no way was it motivated by a mere curiosity about the future. First, biblical prediction arose out of the needs of the present. In -- Isaiah 39 faithless Hezekiah undertakes a military arrangement with Babylon for security. That prompts Isaiah to announce the future Babylonian captivity. Isaiah does not snatch the name Babylon out of thin air. It is given to him within the situation in which he was called to minister. Second, prediction aimed at giving knowledge of the future was to result in moral reformation in the present. The moral calls of the prophets find their explanation in what Adonai is about to do -- for example, Isaiah 31:6-7; Amos 5:6. Third, the predicted course of events was aimed at stabilizing the faith of the true believer in dark times. For example, various passages in Isaiah -- Isaiah 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 40:1-3 have the effect of shifting the focus from the immediate tragedy to coming glory.

#daughtersofyah

Shut the whole world down until this insanity ends.

(And then do it again because tyrants never stop.)

https://notthebee.com/article/....it-spreads-watch-vid

It is legal to abort a child up to 24 weeks in the Netherlands.. Until last week, there was a mandatory waiting time of 5 days, but now this had been lifted. The lives of many more children are under threat. Mothers who are forced into an abortion, have nothing left to call for help.

This saddens me deeply and surely it is provoking the wrath of God over our country. Our politicians are celebrating and embracing the spirit of death.
Forgive us Father and protect the unborn. ?

On this date in history, 02/15/1783: A naval engagement off Guadalupe Island in the Caribbean, between a single French ship and a single British ship. #otd #tdih #americanrevolution

There is so much I could say about this, just be aware that the media will try to twist this in some strange way to sell advertising. https://www.foxnews.com/us/pas....tor-incorrectly-perf

Other than the enemy (Satan) who was the destructive person described in the Bible? Genesis 10;9, “He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” There is not much mentioned about Nimrod, but what we do know is that it was his actions that led to the people gathering on the plains of Shinar and the confusion of the language. The description of him in English doesn’t seem terrible, mighty hunter can be defined from the Hebrew as someone who gathers the people at the gate. Seems innocent until we learn that Nimrod did this in the face of the Creator, in other words he was in opposition to the Creator. That is just one reason he is the most destructive person in the Bible.

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

#Luke 6:27-28 #Bible #Gospels #ThingsYeshuaSaid #VerseOfTheDay #DailyBread #Scripture #ScripturePictures #scriptureart

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#GoodMorning and #happytuesday! February 15 #BibleStudy links to readings and study resources:

alittleperspective.com/february-15-bible-reading-2022/

#Bible #DailyBread #tuesdaytruth

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