"Thus Sayeth The Lord...!"

Growing up in the church, I have seen many different preachers to come to speak at services and conferences. Interestingly enough, most of these individuals (mostly men) would identify themselves as prophets. There was always something mystical and convincing about these “prophets” which caused me to stand in awe of them. They always seemed to exude some sort of power and authority that was beyond anything that I had ever seen in my youthful years. Remmber the scripture where the Apostle Paul instructs the church at Corinth to desire the gift of prophecy more than tongues, because prophecy edified the church more than tongues? Well I, therefore, desired the gift of prophecy. Shortly after one guest preacher explained to us that there was a difference between prophecy and the office of the prophet. The office of the prophet was one that walked in their calling and had a constant message and constant burden for the people. I was nonetheless, confused. However my perception of a prophet began to be shaped by those who I had been confronted with (whether in person or on television) who deemed themselves as one. They all seemed to be able to see into the future and tell everyone what their future would hold, whether that was a family or a ministry or houses or cars. They were widely admired and everyone seemed to want to be around them. To be close with a prophet was an honor. Some of them even seemed rich. As I got older my awareness has changed considerably. There appeared to be a conflict between modern day “prophets” and the prophets of the bible.

In his essay entitled, "The Prophets", Abraham Heschel asks “What Manner of Man is the Prophet?” Thus, he gives a biblical and accurate analysis of this prophet. With a heavy use of intense language and imagery, Heschel portrays a seemingly negative illustration of what it means to be a prophet. The prophet has an extreme message and articulates that very message with passion and strong convictions. Heschel gives a reason as to why: “Our eyes are witness to the callousness and cruelty of man, but our heart tries to obliterate the memories, to calm the nerves, and to silence the conscience.” The prophet will not let the people forget or ignore the injustices around them. He goes on to add that “The prophet is a man (a person) who feels fiercely.” They have to carry both the burden of the people and the burden of God.

At one point I asked myself, “How can God articulate God’s feelings?” and “What would it feel like to articulate the feelings of God?” Therefore, I can only imagine the intense feelings the prophet had. Heschel says, “Carried away by the challenge, the demand to straighten out man’s ways, the prophet is strange, one-sided, an unbearable extremist.” If a prophet is carrying the burden of both God and humanity, how can they not encompass these characteristics? The prophet is furthermore a mediator between God and humanity. Pleading to God at times on behalf of humanity and pleading to humanity on behalf of God is no doubt an onerous responsibility.

In lieu of the two contradicting perceptions that I had received growing up and the biblical portrayal also exemplified through Heschel, I am a bit puzzled on how the definition of this position has been altered. The prophets that I grew up observing were popular, future telling and dramatic preachers. The prophets of the bible were unpopular, emotionally driven and social reforming. “To be a prophet is both a distinction and an affliction.” (Heschel, 18). I have even more admiration for the unpopular message of the prophets in that they have a call to proclaim justice, yet it comes at a great sacrifice. This is a sacrifice of the inevitability of alienation from society as well as the church. The justice of God is one that comes against anything that opposes God and that does not exclude the church. However, the joys of being a prophet aren’t in the mystical persuasions or in the captivating rhetoric, but in the delight of being called and chosen of God to do God’s will and bring justice to society.