How does the Old Testament define the role of a prophet? There are many texts which trace the life, devotion, trials, hardships and messages of God’s prophets. Listed are a few verses which cover a few of the qualities found in the Old Testament prophets God called.
Numbers 12:5-6 Then the LORD descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. (6) And the LORD said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.
The details of the event in Numbers chapter 12 are covered in another study. Here we will look at some of the details concerning prophets as a whole. The first detail we see is God appearing at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Why the Tabernacle? If you study the Tabernacle you will find each detail pointed to Jesus and His ministry. Here is a link covering many of the symbols and what they pointed to. Http://adventbiblestudy.wordpress.com/the-tabernacle-chapter-1-introduction/
The next details tells us how God will reveal Himself to His prophets. In visions and dreams. What is the difference between a vision and a dream? How does God reveal Himself in a vision? How does God speak in dreams?
We find both dreams and visions in Daniel. Chapter two is one example of a dream. Daniel explains an important detail about dreams; “Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; Daniel 2:27-28. Additional dreams are found in Genesis. Joseph also explained how dreams are interpreted. And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. Genesis 40:8. From these texts we see, only God can interpret dreams.
Since dreams are interpreted differently than visions, symbols in dreams will have different interpretations than visions. Take the example in the dreams Joseph received the interpretations to.
Genesis 40:12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
Genesis 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
No where else in the Bible do branches or baskets represent days.
We see the same results in Daniel.
Daniel 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Gold, silver, and brass only represent these particular kingdoms in relationship to the dream. This interpretation of gold, silver, and brass cannot be used to define the spiritual meaning of these symbols when used in parables or visions.
Visions are interpreted using the same steps used to understand parables. Symbols used in visions, or prophecies, and parables can only be interpreted by the God’s Word, the Bible. The steps used to find the spiritual meaning for symbols used in parables and prophecies can be found by studying the few parables Jesus explained in detail. One of these is the parable of the sower. Here is a link to a detailed study explaining how the spiritual meaning for each symbol is found in the Old Testament. Http://adventbiblestudy.wordpress.com/2008/09/10/the-parable-of-the-sower/
The most common method used is know as a simple word study. Here is a link explaining the easy steps to conduct your own simple word studies.
http://adventbiblestudy.wordpress.com/seven-steps-to-doing-your-own-bible-studies/
More qualifications of a prophet are found in Psalms 78:1-8.
Psalms 78:1-8 O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, (2) for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past– (3) stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. (4) We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders. (5) For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, (6) so the next generation might know them– even the children not yet born– and they in turn will teach their own children. (7) So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. (8) Then they will not be like their ancestors– stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
David tells us why it is so important to understand parables. He uses the words, instructions, laws, and commands in this explanation. This also alerts us to the fact there are simple rules to follow when parables are interpreted. The steps easy enough for a child to understand, judging by the fact, “teach them to their children,” is repeated. Before Jesus explained the parable of the sower to His disciples, He also explained how important it is to understand them, learn to study and explain parables using scripture is an important step in leaning to follow and understand God’s Spirit.
Malachi 4:4-6 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my servant–all the decrees and regulations that I gave him on Mount Sinai for all Israel. (5) “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD arrives. (6) His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
The last verses of the Old Testament contain a very important promise. Prophets will be among us in the last days. We all know the world as we know will end some day, and Jesus will return to claim all His people as part of His reward. Before He returns the world will face trials no one can imagine. God uses the illustration of, “the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers,” to show us how close His relationship will be with His followers. This promise is repeated in the New Testament. Prophecy is also included in the list if gifts promised to the church in the New Testament. The question is, are we preparing to hear and accept God’s messages when the time comes?
Samuel's School of the Prophets 