Prophets
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! (Matthew 23.37 // Luke 13.34)
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? (Acts 7.52)
The first quote is from Jesus, the second from Stephen, the first Christian martyr. We read these words and simply recognize them as statements about the history of Israel.
But let’s think about Israel’s killing of the prophets. Why did they kill them? They killed the prophets because their message was unpopular.
But why was that message unpopular?
The prophets condemned many sins. The Israelites were stealing, murdering, swearing oaths and then not keeping their word; they were willing to sell their own people into slavery – sometimes for the price of a pair of shoes; they were sexually promiscuous and all too willing to divorce; they were willing to take advantage of and impoverish the most helpless people in society – widows and orphans – to enrich themselves.
This is just a partial list of sins condemned by the prophets.
These condemnations were unpopular, not only because the people were enjoying sinning, but because despite their sins, the nation was usually doing well politically and economically. Doesn’t that mean God is “blessing”? If things are going well when you are sinning, the guy who tells you to change your behavior certainly looks to be the guy who wants to undo your experience of success and blessing!
Oddly enough, it’s these prophets that everyone hated and that kings put to death whose books, sermons, and messages ended up preserved and revered as God’s Word!
The prophets who were SO popular back then, we know today only as “the false prophets”. Most of their names have been lost. If they wrote anything it didn’t survive. The only way we know of them is through the preserved writings of the unpopular and hated prophets.
How did the hated prophets become revered?
Hindsight.
True prophets didn’t usually live long enough to say “I told you so.” But when God’s judgment came as they predicted, eyes were opened and people remembered—when it was too late.
We live in a world that is at odds with God. That’s why His ways often seem strange, and His prophets often seem to be saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? (Acts 7.52)
The first quote is from Jesus, the second from Stephen, the first Christian martyr. We read these words and simply recognize them as statements about the history of Israel.
But let’s think about Israel’s killing of the prophets. Why did they kill them? They killed the prophets because their message was unpopular.
But why was that message unpopular?
The prophets condemned many sins. The Israelites were stealing, murdering, swearing oaths and then not keeping their word; they were willing to sell their own people into slavery – sometimes for the price of a pair of shoes; they were sexually promiscuous and all too willing to divorce; they were willing to take advantage of and impoverish the most helpless people in society – widows and orphans – to enrich themselves.
This is just a partial list of sins condemned by the prophets.
These condemnations were unpopular, not only because the people were enjoying sinning, but because despite their sins, the nation was usually doing well politically and economically. Doesn’t that mean God is “blessing”? If things are going well when you are sinning, the guy who tells you to change your behavior certainly looks to be the guy who wants to undo your experience of success and blessing!
Oddly enough, it’s these prophets that everyone hated and that kings put to death whose books, sermons, and messages ended up preserved and revered as God’s Word!
The prophets who were SO popular back then, we know today only as “the false prophets”. Most of their names have been lost. If they wrote anything it didn’t survive. The only way we know of them is through the preserved writings of the unpopular and hated prophets.
How did the hated prophets become revered?
Hindsight.
True prophets didn’t usually live long enough to say “I told you so.” But when God’s judgment came as they predicted, eyes were opened and people remembered—when it was too late.
We live in a world that is at odds with God. That’s why His ways often seem strange, and His prophets often seem to be saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.