Biblical Prophets
Messengers of the Most High
The prophetic ministry represents one of the most extraordinary phenomena in sacred history. These men, called by divine election and empowered by the Holy Spirit, declared "Thus saith the LORD" with absolute authority. The Hebrew term נָבִיא (navi) derives from a root meaning "to call" or "to announce," emphasizing the prophet's role as spokesman for God. The Greek προφήτης (prophētēs) carries similar meaning: one who speaks forth divine revelation. They rebuked kings, warned nations, comforted the afflicted, and foretold events centuries before their fulfillment.
The prophets stood in that most solemn office—mediators between heaven and earth, bearing messages of both judgment and mercy. Their words, though often rejected in their own time, have proven unfailingly accurate in their predictions and eternally relevant in their moral and spiritual instruction. The prophets provided detailed predictions of Messiah's coming: His birthplace (Micah 5:2), His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), His suffering (Isaiah 53), His betrayal price (Zechariah 11:12), and countless other particulars fulfilled in Christ.
Major Prophets
Isaiah
The Evangelical Prophet
The prince of Hebrew prophets, Isaiah son of Amoz ministered in Jerusalem during the tumultuous reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, spanning approximately sixty years from 740 to 680 BC. His ministry witnessed the northern kingdom's fall to Assyria and Judah's miraculous deliverance from Sennacherib's siege. Called to prophesy in the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah received his commission through a dramatic theophany—a vision of the Lord seated upon His throne, high and lifted up, surrounded by seraphim crying 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.' Confronted with divine holiness, he cried 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,' until a seraph touched his mouth with a live coal from the altar, purging his iniquity. His prophecies masterfully alternate between pronouncements of judgment upon Judah, Israel, and surrounding nations, and glorious promises of Messianic redemption that have earned him the title 'Evangelical Prophet.' The book's fifty-three chapters of suffering servant prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's passion, while his predictions of virgin birth, Emmanuel's coming, and the government upon Messiah's shoulder demonstrate inspired precision. Isaiah's literary grandeur and theological depth make his work the most frequently quoted prophetic book in the New Testament.Jewish tradition holds that Isaiah was sawn asunder during Manasseh's persecution, an event possibly referenced in Hebrews 11:37. The book's structure divides naturally into chapters 1-39 (judgment) and 40-66 (consolation), paralleling the Old and New Testament division. His prophecies span from his contemporary era to the eschaton, encompassing Assyrian invasion, Babylonian captivity, Cyrus's decree, Christ's advent, and millennial glory. The Dead Sea Scrolls' complete Isaiah manuscript validates the text's remarkable preservation across millennia.
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Jeremiah
The Weeping Prophet
Born to a priestly family in Anathoth, Jeremiah son of Hilkiah received his prophetic call as a youth during Josiah's thirteenth regnal year (627 BC), ministering through Judah's final convulsive decades until Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC. God's word came to him before his birth: 'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.' His forty-year ministry spanned the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, witnessing the nation's moral collapse despite brief reformation under godly Josiah. Called to proclaim unpopular messages of certain judgment, Jeremiah suffered rejection by his family, persecution by religious and political leaders, imprisonment in a miry dungeon, and profound emotional anguish over his people's impenitence. His prophecies alternate between impassioned pleas for repentance and stark predictions of Babylonian conquest, yet even in darkest judgment he proclaimed God's ultimate purpose of restoration. The promise of a New Covenant written upon the heart, not on tablets of stone, represents one of Scripture's most glorious Messianic predictions. His personal sufferings—rejected by his people, cast into a pit, forbidden to marry, hated without cause—prefigure Christ's passion in remarkable detail. The book of Lamentations preserves his anguished dirges over Jerusalem's fall, while his prophecies predicted both the seventy-year Babylonian captivity and subsequent return.Jeremiah's use of symbolic acts includes wearing a yoke, burying a linen belt, remaining unmarried, and purchasing a field during the siege—all dramatizing his prophetic messages. Tradition states he was stoned to death in Egypt by Jewish refugees who fled there against his counsel. His scribe Baruch preserved his oracles, which King Jehoiakim burned, prompting divine judgment and re-dictation with additions. The prophet's emotional transparency—his 'confessions' reveal inner turmoil—makes him Scripture's most psychologically accessible prophet.
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Ezekiel
The Prophet of Visions
A priest among the exiles, Ezekiel son of Buzi prophesied from Babylon after being carried captive with King Jehoiachin in the second deportation of 597 BC. His prophetic ministry commenced in the fifth year of exile (593 BC) by the river Chebar, where the heavens opened and he saw visions of God—the divine chariot-throne borne by cherubim, gleaming like beryl, moving with wheels within wheels full of eyes, attended by living creatures with faces of man, lion, ox, and eagle. Called repeatedly 'son of man' (over ninety times), emphasizing his humanity before divine majesty, Ezekiel received both auditory and visionary revelations of extraordinary symbolic complexity. His ministry employed dramatic enacted prophecies: lying on his left side 390 days for Israel's iniquity and his right side 40 days for Judah's, shaving his head and beard and dividing the hair to symbolize Jerusalem's fate, cooking food over dung, digging through a wall at night, and remaining mute except when prophesying. These symbolic actions, combined with apocalyptic visions and detailed allegories, made visible the invisible spiritual realities behind historical events. Ezekiel's message balanced judgment and hope—declaring Jerusalem's certain destruction while among exiles who refused to believe it, then proclaiming restoration when despair threatened to overwhelm survivors. His vision of the valley of dry bones becoming a living army dramatizes Israel's future resurrection, while chapters 40-48's detailed temple vision depicts millennial worship. He emphasized individual responsibility, declaring that the soul that sins shall die, while his theology of God's glory departing from and returning to the temple structures the book's movement from judgment to restoration.Ezekiel's wife died on the day Babylon began Jerusalem's siege, and God commanded him not to mourn publicly, making his restrained grief a sign to the exiles (24:15-27). His prophecies against Tyre and Egypt demonstrate God's sovereignty over Gentile nations. The phrase 'they shall know that I am the LORD' appears over sixty times, revealing God's central purpose in all His dealings—the vindication of His holy name. His chariot vision inspired Jewish mystical speculation, while Revelation draws heavily on his imagery.
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
Daniel
The Prophet of Kings
Of royal or noble seed, Daniel was carried to Babylon as a youth in Nebuchadnezzar's first deportation (605 BC), where he and three companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)—were selected for training in Chaldean wisdom and language for service in the king's court. Purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king's meat and wine, Daniel's early faithfulness established a pattern of uncompromising devotion that sustained him through seventy years of exile. His God-given ability to interpret dreams elevated him to chief of the wise men under Nebuchadnezzar, and his interpretation of the handwriting on the wall brought him to prominence under Belshazzar. Surviving regime changes, he served also under Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian, maintaining integrity despite jealous plots that cast him into the lions' den. His prophetic ministry combined historical narrative with apocalyptic vision: Nebuchadnezzar's statue of successive world empires, the four beasts from the sea, the ram and the goat, and the elaborate revelation concerning Israel's future delivered by the angel Gabriel. The seventy weeks prophecy provides Scripture's most detailed chronological framework for Messianic fulfillment, precisely predicting the timing of Messiah's advent and cutting off. His visions of the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man coming with clouds, and Michael the great prince standing up for Israel inform both Jewish and Christian eschatology. Gabriel addressed him as 'greatly beloved,' while his fasting and prayer secured revelation concerning Israel's future restoration.Daniel's book is written partially in Hebrew (chapters 1, 8-12) and partially in Aramaic (chapters 2-7), the portions concerning Gentile dominion being in the lingua franca of the empire. His prophecies detail successive kingdoms—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome—with remarkable historical precision, causing liberal scholars to date the book later. Yet Ezekiel, his contemporary, referenced Daniel's righteousness alongside Noah and Job (14:14). Christ Himself authenticated Daniel's authorship and prophecies (Matthew 24:15). The seventy weeks prophecy's fulfillment in Christ's triumphal entry, crucifixion, and the 70 AD temple destruction validates divine inspiration.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
The Twelve Minor Prophets
Hosea
Prophet of God's Unfailing Love
Prophesying to the northern kingdom during its final decades before Assyrian conquest (c. 755-715 BC), Hosea son of Beeri received an extraordinary commission that transformed his personal life into a living parable of God's relationship with Israel. Commanded to marry Gomer, daughter of Diblaim, a woman of whoredoms, Hosea's subsequent experience of marital betrayal mirrored Israel's spiritual adultery in pursuing Baal worship. He fathered three children whose prophetic names—Jezreel ('God sows'), Lo-ruhamah ('not pitied'), and Lo-ammi ('not my people')—proclaimed judgment upon the nation. When Gomer abandoned him for lovers, God commanded Hosea to redeem and restore her, dramatizing divine love that pursues the unfaithful beloved. This enacted prophecy gives Hosea's message unique emotional power, alternating between anguished accusations of Israel's harlotry and tender appeals for return. The prophet exposes Israel's syncretistic Baal worship, political alliances with Egypt and Assyria, and empty ritual divorced from covenant faithfulness. Yet even in pronouncing judgment, Hosea reveals God's reluctant heart: 'How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?' The Hebrew word hesed—covenant love, lovingkindness, loyal mercy—appears repeatedly, describing God's enduring commitment despite Israel's faithlessness. Hosea's prophecy that God would call His son out of Egypt finds application in Matthew's gospel to Christ's return from Egyptian exile, while his promise of resurrection after two days prefigures Christ's rising on the third day.Hosea's marriage to Gomer raises interpretive questions: was she already immoral when he married her, or did she become unfaithful afterward? Did he actually marry a prostitute, or is the account purely allegorical? Most conservative scholars understand it as historical, God commanding Hosea to marry a woman with propensity toward unfaithfulness, whose subsequent adultery would mirror Israel's sin. His purchase price of fifteen pieces of silver and measures of barley to redeem her equals thirty pieces of silver total—the price of a slave, foreshadowing Christ's betrayal price.
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.
Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
Joel
Prophet of the Spirit's Outpouring
Little is known of Joel son of Pethuel beyond his prophecy, which lacks the historical markers found in other prophetic books, though linguistic evidence and historical allusions suggest a date around 835-796 BC during Joash's reign, making him possibly the earliest writing prophet. His message emerged from a crisis: an unprecedented locust plague that stripped Judah's land bare, devastating crops, vineyards, and fig trees in waves of destruction. Joel interpreted this agricultural catastrophe as divine judgment and harbinger of a greater 'Day of the LORD'—that eschatological day when God would judge all nations and vindicate His people. He called for national repentance expressed through fasting, weeping, and rending hearts rather than garments, summoning priests to consecrate a solemn assembly before the LORD. Beyond immediate restoration from the locust plague, Joel prophesied the outpouring of God's Spirit upon all flesh—sons and daughters prophesying, old men dreaming dreams, young men seeing visions, and even servants receiving the Spirit's empowerment. Peter identified Pentecost as this prophecy's fulfillment, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the gathered disciples in tongues of fire, enabling them to speak in foreign languages and inaugurating the church age. Joel's vision extends beyond Pentecost to the eschaton, describing cosmic signs—blood, fire, pillars of smoke, darkened sun, blood-red moon—preceding the great and terrible Day of the LORD. His prophecy of the nations gathering in the valley of Jehoshaphat for judgment, where God would judge them for scattering Israel, awaits final fulfillment in Armageddon's battle.Joel's four-stage locust plague—palmerworm, locust, cankerworm, caterpillar—may describe successive waves of the same invasion or different species devastating crops sequentially. His call to 'blow the trumpet in Zion' combines liturgical summons with eschatological warning. The Spirit's outpouring 'afterward' in Hebrew is literally 'after these things,' connecting it to both restoration from the plague and ultimate eschatological fulfillment. Christ applied Joel's promise 'whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved' to gospel salvation (Romans 10:13).
That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Amos
The Shepherd Prophet
From Tekoa in Judah, twelve miles south of Jerusalem, Amos ministered as shepherd and gatherer of sycamore fruit before God called him to prophesy against northern Israel during the prosperous but morally corrupt reign of Jeroboam II (c. 760-750 BC). Unlike professional prophets trained in prophetic guilds, Amos declared, 'I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: and the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.' This rustic background, far from disqualifying him, authenticated his message as coming purely from divine commission rather than institutional credentials or inherited office. His prophecies exposed Israel's social injustices during an era of unprecedented prosperity—the wealthy who 'sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes,' oppressed the needy, perverted justice in the gates, and combined luxury with religious formalism. He pronounced oracles against six surrounding nations—Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab—before focusing judgment on Judah and especially Israel, showing that proximity to God brings greater accountability. Amos's famous declaration 'let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream' established the prophetic principle that God values justice and righteousness over religious ritual. When confronted by Amaziah the priest of Bethel, who commanded him to flee back to Judah, Amos fearlessly proclaimed Israel's coming exile. His visions—locusts, fire, plumb line, summer fruit, the Lord standing upon the altar—conveyed divine judgment's certainty. Yet even Amos concluded with restoration promises: the tabernacle of David raised up, Israel replanted in their land never to be uprooted.Amos's rhetorical style employs numerical parallelism ('For three transgressions...and for four') and rhetorical questions demonstrating cause and effect. His humble occupation as 'gatherer of sycamore fruit' involved piercing the figs to hasten ripening—detailed agricultural knowledge pervading his prophecies through metaphors of plowing, threshing, sifting, and harvest. James's quotation at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:16-17) of Amos's promise concerning David's tabernacle validated Gentile inclusion in God's purposes. Archaeological evidence confirms the eighth century BC prosperity and injustice Amos condemned.
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Jonah
The Reluctant Missionary
Jonah son of Amittai, from Gath-hepher in Galilee, previously prophesied Israel's territorial expansion under Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), establishing him as eighth-century contemporary of Amos and Hosea. When commissioned to preach repentance to Nineveh—capital of Assyria, Israel's brutal enemy—Jonah's response was immediate flight in the opposite direction toward Tarshish (possibly Spain), attempting to flee from the LORD's presence. God pursued His reluctant prophet through a violent storm that threatened the ship, Jonah's confession and self-sacrifice, and the sailors' terrified obedience in casting him overboard. The LORD prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, preserving him three days and nights in its belly while he prayed from 'the belly of hell,' acknowledging that 'salvation is of the LORD.' Vomited onto dry land, Jonah obeyed his renewed commission, preaching Nineveh's overthrow in forty days. The city's response—from king to cattle, all fasting in sackcloth and ashes—demonstrated repentance on an unprecedented scale, causing God to relent from promised judgment. Jonah's anger at divine mercy reveals his true motivation for fleeing: not fear, but knowledge that God's compassion would extend even to Israel's oppressors. His complaint—'I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness'—quotes the very character of God that should have brought him joy. God's lesson through a gourd, which Jonah mourned when it withered, taught that if Jonah could pity a plant, how much more should God pity Nineveh's 120,000 people 'that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle.' Christ authenticated Jonah's account, citing his three-day entombment as a sign prefiguring His own burial and resurrection.Skeptics question the fish account, yet Christ's explicit reference validates its historicity (Matthew 12:40). The Hebrew word (dag gadol) simply means 'great fish,' not necessarily a whale. Mediterranean sperm whales and great white sharks could accommodate a man. Jonah's prayer from the fish's belly quotes and alludes to multiple Psalms, suggesting he knew Scripture intimately. The book's message extends beyond individual obedience to demonstrate God's universal compassion—Gentiles (sailors and Ninevites) respond better than God's prophet. Nineveh's repentance proved temporary; within a century, Nahum prophesied its final destruction, fulfilled in 612 BC.
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Micah
Champion of the Oppressed
From Moresheth-gath in Judah's Shephelah region, Micah prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (c. 735-700 BC), making him a younger contemporary of Isaiah. While Isaiah ministered primarily to Jerusalem's royal court, Micah addressed common people and rural communities, giving his prophecies a distinctly populist character emphasizing social justice. His name, meaning 'Who is like Yahweh?', finds echo in his prophecy's concluding question: 'Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity?' Micah denounced the sins of both Samaria and Jerusalem: greedy landlords who 'covet fields, and take them by violence,' false prophets who 'bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace,' corrupt judges who 'build up Zion with blood,' and priests who 'teach for hire.' Yet his condemnations always balanced judgment with restoration promises. His most famous prophecy foretold Messiah's birth: 'But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.' The chief priests quoted this very passage to Herod when wise men inquired where Christ should be born. Micah's summary of true religion—'what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?'—distills biblical ethics to their essence, contrasting genuine piety with empty ritualism. His prophecies alternate between judgment oracles and restoration promises: Israel scattered then regathered, the mountain of the LORD's house established above all mountains, nations streaming to Zion to learn God's ways, swords beaten into plowshares. Jeremiah later cited Micah's prophecy of Zion plowed as a field (26:18), crediting it with moving Hezekiah to repentance.Micah's Bethlehem prophecy not only predicts Messiah's birthplace but affirms His eternal pre-existence—'whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.' The prophecy's context describes tribulation preceding millennial blessing, the woman in travail (possibly referencing both Israel and Mary), and the ruler feeding his flock in the LORD's strength. Micah's vision of universal peace (4:3-4) parallels Isaiah 2:2-4 so closely that scholars debate whether one borrowed from the other or both drew from common prophetic tradition. His theodicy—'I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him'—demonstrates submission under divine chastisement.
But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
The Prophetic Office
The Scriptures reveal several characteristics of the true prophet:
Divine calling, not self-appointed but commissioned by God Himself. Isaiah heard the voice asking "Whom shall I send?" Jeremiah was ordained before birth. Amos protested he was no prophet's son, yet the word of the Lord came to him.
Forth-telling and fore-telling, both proclaiming God's word to their generation and predicting future events. The immediate fulfillment of near prophecies authenticated their distant predictions concerning Messiah and the end times. Deuteronomy 18:22 provided the test: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken." A single false prophecy disqualified the claimant.
Suffering for truth, often persecuted for their unpopular messages. Elijah fled from Jezebel. Jeremiah was cast into a dungeon. Zechariah was stoned in the temple court. Christ declared, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets."
Witnesses to Christ, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. All their varied ministries pointed forward to the coming Redeemer, who would Himself be the Prophet like unto Moses, speaking the Father's words with ultimate authority.