An Introduction to the Prophets

Tim Davis

I used to think that if Isaiah had a CV, he would summarize his prophetic job description as a “predictor of the future”. 

But is this right? Were the prophets fortune tellers? Not exactly.

The Bible’s prophetic literature is confusing for several reasons including the common assumption I mentioned above. So let me provide you with an introduction to the prophets. Think of this article like a “reset” button—let’s go back to the beginning so we can get off on the right foot. 

ORIGINALLY HEARD, NOT READ

If you want, you can open your Bible right now and read the book of Jeremiah. And praise God you’re able to! 

But the prophets originally spoke their message. Kings and fellow Israelites initially heard the prophet’s message. Simply put, prophets were God’s mouthpiece—they were God’s messengers—who spoke out for God.[1]

Some of these spokesmen have books named after them like Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel. However, many do not. For example, Moses, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah and Elisha were all prophets; yet, they don’t have their own book. Instead, we read about them in Deuteronomy, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.

So if they spoke for God, what did they talk about?

FORTUNE TELLERS?

As mentioned already, it’s commonly assumed that prophets were fortune tellers who predicted future events. I think this assumption is fostered by the way we use the term “prophet” in everyday speech. For example, if I tell you, “I’m no prophet”, I’m implying I can’t foresee what’s going to happen in the future.[2]

However, the prophets were primarily concerned with the present. You could think of their message like this: “Israel, you’ve sinned; now you should repent; if you don’t repent, there will be judgment; yet there’s hope on the other side of judgment.”

Now I want to be clear, the prophets spoke about the future, but not in the way we originally assumed—you wouldn’t find “fortune teller” on a prophet’s job description or CV. 

So how did they talk about the future?

GOD IS COMMITTED TO HIS COVENANT

In short, God was (and is) committed to his covenant. Tim Mackie helpfully illustrates the role of the prophet by describing them as “covenant watchdogs”. Since God was faithful to his covenant, the prophets were as well. 

So the prophets spoke about the future to promote action in the present. As mentioned above, the prophets warned of coming judgment (in the future) if Israel’s kings (and at times, the people of Israel) failed to respond to the prophetic warning. In short, they urged Israel and her kings to return to covenant faithfulness. If they didn’t, future judgment was sure.

Yet, you’ll also find future oriented texts like Micah 5:2 that give hope beyond God’s judgment. But even forward-looking passages like this one fit within God’s wider covenant program to bless Israel and to use this people to bless the nations. This kind of forward-looking prophecy isn’t the result of a fortune teller; instead, it stems from a God who’s faithful to uphold up his end of the covenant. 

Keep these points in mind the next time you dive into the prophets on your own or in a Bible study. I haven’t answered every question, but these points will give you a solid foundation to build upon.