Prophetic Insight, 1 Kings 22:1-40
INTRODUCTION
The stages of Israel?s history overlap a great deal. Priests served in the sanctuaries of Israel throughout her history, and Abraham was a prophet (Genesis 20:7). Yet, different offices come to prominence at different stages of that history. And prophets become especially prominent during the time of the divided kingdom (Elijah, Elisha, Jonah), during the crisis of the fall of Israel (Hosea, Amos, Isaiah), and during the exilic and post-exilic period (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zachariah).
THE TEXT
?Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel . . . .?E(1 Kings 21:1-40).
FORTUNE TELLERS?
We normally think of a prophet as someone who foretells things that are going to happen in the far distant future. At times prophets do that. In Daniel, there are several prophecies that stretch far beyond Daniel?s own time (Daniel 2, 7, 8, 10-12). But many prophets tell mainly of things that are more immediate. Abraham was a prophet; Yahweh did reveal certain future events to him (Genesis 15; 18), but this was a minor part of Abraham?s life. Moses is the great prophet of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:18); he did prophecy of Israel?s future (Deuteronomy 28-33), but his main work consisted in delivering the law to the people.
The great prophets later in Israel?s history were often concerned more with the present and immediate future than with the distant future. Most of Jeremiah is about the events leading up to Judah?s exile, with a few prophecies of the return from exile that would happen 70 years later. These promises of restoration are fulfilled completely in Jesus (cf. Hebrews 8), but the main thrust of Jeremiah?s ministry is to warn Judah about an imminent judgment. The same is true of Ezekiel.
WHAT IS A PROPHET?
Prophets are essentially members of God?s court or council (Jeremiah 23:16-22; cf. 1 Kings 22:13-23). As such, they are permitted to hear the deliberations and decisions of God?s court, and have the privilege of speaking in the council. The Lord reveals His plans to His prophets (Genesis 18:17-19; Amos 3:7), and He also considers their input (Genesis 18:22-33; Amos 7:1-9). A prophet functions as a prosecutor, delivering Yahweh?s indictment or ?case?Eto the people (Hosea 4:1; Micah 6:2). And the prophet functions as an advocate for the defense, pleading with Yahweh to keep His promises toward Israel (Exodus 33-34).
Beyond that basic conception of prophetic ministry, there are a couple of other essential aspects of prophetic ministry. First, the prophet?s authority is purely an authority of the word. Priests did teach Torah (Deuteronomy 33:8-11), but they also performed the temple service, had authority to determine clean or unclean, and even participated in some judicial cases. Kings rendered sentences and verdicts, but their words were backed up by the power of the sword. Prophets have only the power of speech.
But, second, this power of speech is enormous. Prophetic speech is like divine speech: It tears down old worlds and builds up new ones (Jeremiah 1:9-10). The speech of a wise prophet causes people to lose confidence in the corrupt old system, and sets out new possibilities for the future. Prophets who speak God?s words faithfully create new worlds.
This can be seen in the prophets?Econnection with the sanctuaries of Israel. Kings build sanctuaries, and priests serve in them. Prophets provide the blueprints for the sanctuary: Moses delivered the plans for the tabernacle (Exodus 25-31), David saw the pattern for the temple (1 Chronicles 28:9-19), and Ezekiel was given a vision of a future temple (Ezekiel 40-48). Given that the sanctuaries were world-models, the prophets were giving the pattern for a new ?world?Ewhen they delivered the blueprints for the sanctuaries.
THE PROPHETIC STAGE OF LIFE
In one sense, there are no more prophets in the church today. No one speaks with the absolute authority of a Moses or a Jeremiah, and there are not going to be any more books added to the Scriptures. Yet, in another sense, men of experience and wisdom are prophets. There are young men who serve as prophets in the Bible (Samuel, Jeremiah, Daniel), but there is a difference between the young prophet and the old. Early in his ministry, Daniel, a young prophet, received insight directly from God (Daniel 2). As an older prophet, he spoke out of the wisdom of his age and experience to warn Belshazzar of the end of Babylon (Daniel 5).
These prophets have several important contributions to make to the life of the church. First, they can speak out of the wisdom of their experience to guide younger Christians through the trials and temptations of life. They have been through similar trials and temptations, and have gotten a sense of how the story turns out. Prophets have a sense of plot, and can help younger Christians discern where they are in the plot. As mentioned last week, the kingly stage is often marked by loss, by a death and resurrection experience. A prophet is someone who has been through that crisis, and knows that there is life beyond the grave.
Second, prophets can speak to open up new possibilities for the future. As they apply the word of God, those words have creative power, analogous to the power of God?s word.
Third, prophets are intercessors. James says that the prayer of a righteous man avails much, and uses Elijah as an example (James 5:16-18). Prophets have gained wisdom through diligent study of Scripture and service (priesthood) and through faithfulness in rule (kingship). God listens to prophets.