It wasn’t the easy life, because, like the people say: “No news is good news” (and any news is better than the truth).
The Lord Sends Prophets For His Purpose
Amos 3:6-8 “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Jeremiah 7:23-28 “Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. . . .”
35:15 “I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.”
Jeremiah 44:3-5 “Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.”
(1) The Lord deals with a man and tells him what to do.
Jeremiah 18:1-13 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.”
Acts 9:1-6 “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
(2) The prophet tells the people what they didn’t want to hear, warning them of the future and reminding them of the past.
Amos 2:11-12 “But ye . . . commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.”
2nd Kings 17:7-23 “Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”
2nd Kings 21:10-15 “And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying. . . .”
2nd Chronicles 18:16 “Then [Micaiah] said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains. . . .”
Jeremiah 19:11-15 “Even so will I break this people . . . and they shall bury them . . . till there be no place to bury.”
25:3-11 “And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.”
Acts 9:22 “But Saul . . . confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”
13:9-10 “Then Saul . . . said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil. . . .”
vs. 16-32 [a little history lesson]
v. 41 “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish. . . .”
17:22-25 “Then Paul . . . said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”
(3) Even if they believe what’s told, they don’t believe it applies to them.
Ezekiel 12:26-28 “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.” (They say, “Oh, yea, but that’s way in the future!”)
(4) The prophet provides the explanation for the punishment.
Jeremiah 19:15 “I will bring . . . evil . . . because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.”
44:23 “Because ye have burned incense . . . therefore this evil is happened unto you. . . .”
(4) The hearers ignore, reject, hate, accuse, contradict, persecute, conspire against, and desire to kill the prophet.
2nd Chronicles 18:6-7 “. . . I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil. . . .”
20:1-2 “. . . Pashur . . . heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. . . . Then Pashur smote Jeremiah. . . .”
2nd Chronicles 24:18-21 “Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.”
36:14-17 “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”
Nehemiah 9:24-31 “Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.”
Isaiah 30:8-10 “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. . . .”
Jeremiah 2:30 “In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.”
26:8-11 “. . . when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.”
(against Paul, who, I think, is not necessarily a prophet)
Acts 23:1-2 “And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.”
9:23 “And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. . . .”
13:45 “. . . the Jews . . . spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.”
v. 50 “But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women . . . and raised persecution against Paul. . . .”
14:19 “. . . [C]ertain Jews . . . who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city. . . .”
16:16-24 “These men . . . do exceedingly trouble our city. . . . And the multitude rose up together against them. . . .”
18:12-13 “. . . [T]he Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat. . . .”
21:30-36 [just another typical day in Paul’s life]
23:12-15 “. . . [C]ertain of the Jews . . . [said] they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.”
24:1-9 “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow . . . a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. . . .”
v. 27 “. . . Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.” (Sure, why not?)
25:1-3 “Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul . . . laying wait in the way to kill him.”
v. 7 “And when he was come, the Jews . . . laid many and grievous complaints against Paul. . . .” (Typical!)
26:24 “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art . . . mad.”
(“You better watch it. That book will make you crazy!”)
27:1 [Here’s Paul in the chain gang, going out to sea in irons.]
(5) The prophet sometimes laments that he has ever been born.
Jeremiah 20:7-18 “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb . . . that my days should be consumed with shame?”
1st Kings 19:1-4 “But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die. . . .”
[Examples]
Jeremiah 22 & 23 (23:36) “And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more. . . .”
32:1-2 “. . . Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison. . . .”
[Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den.]
Numbers 11:25-29 “And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!”