Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the God of truth. He uses His
servants to share His truth. This letter is … different. I hope you find it
interesting, and if you read through to the end, I think you will also find it
encouraging.
We all know the major prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Daniel. By their prominent roles, I would add four other men to the
category of major prophets: Moses (Deut. 34:10), Samuel (I Sam. 3:20), Elijah
(I Kings 18:22), and Elisha (I Kings 19:16).
The names, at least, of the minor prophets are also
well-known: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
There are a few prominent characters that the Bible calls
prophets who we might not expect. These “misidentified” prophets are Abraham
(Genesis 20:7) and Aaron (Exodus 7:1).
Next come the “minimal” prophets, of which I located nineteen.
None of them authored Scripture, although many of them were the authors of
historical records. 1. Gad interacted with David on at least two occasions and
wrote a book (I Samuel 22:5). 2. Nathan was involved in at least three major
incidents in David’s life and served as a spiritual advisor throughout his
reign. He wrote about Solomon (II Samuel 12:25). 3. Ahijah appeared to Jeroboam
on two occasions and wrote about Solomon (I Kings 11:29). 4. Shemaiah came to
Rehoboam once and wrote a book (II Chron. 12:15). 5. Iddo wrote about Solomon, Rehoboam,
Jehoboam, and Abijah, but has no recorded incidents about him (II Chron. 12:15).
6. Azariah had one interaction with Asa (II Chron. 15:1, son of Oded, but some
translations say Oded in v.8 ). 7. Hanani also had one interaction with Asa (II
Chron. 16:7). 8. Jehu (second-generation prophet?) had one interaction with
Baasha and wrote about Jehoshaphat (I Kings 16:7). 9. Micaiah ministered once to
Ahab and Jehoshaphat (I Kings 22:8) and was possibly also a rural teacher in
Israel (II Chron. 17:7). 10. Eliezer had one interaction with Jehoshaphat (II
Chron. 20:37). 11. Urijah prophesied just once to Jehoiakim and was killed for
it (Jerem. 26:20). 12-14. Three musicians were called prophets: Heman (I Chron.
25:5), Asaph (II Chron. 29:30), and Jeduthan (II Chron 35:15), along with Jeduthan’s
five sons (15-19), who are each named (I Chron. 25:3).
Additionally, God used some prophets without even giving
their names. Each of these seven “mysterious” prophets has one mention in
Scripture. 1. An unnamed prophet brought a message to Israel prior to Gideon’s
deliverance (Judges 6:8). 2. A “man of God” (not called a prophet, but appears
to fill the role) delivered a prophecy to Jeroboam. God then killed him for not
strictly following instructions (I Kings 13:1). 3. An old prophet in Bethel during
Jeroboam’s reign told a “harmless” lie in offering hospitality, which proved
fatal for his guest (I Kings 13:11). The rest of the passage seems to imply that
he was a legitimate prophet, but in this case, he failed to give proper reverence
to God’s instructions. 4. An unnamed prophet came to Ahab (I Kings 20:13). 5. Another
unnamed prophet also had a message to deliver during Ahab’s reign (I Kings 20:35).
6. One of the sons of the prophets under Elisha was delegated to deliver a
message to Jehu (II Kings 9:1). 7. An unnamed prophet came to Amaziah (II Chron.
25:15).
Some prophets were even more obscure. They were neither
named nor singled out individually; these “member” prophets were spoken of only
as part of a group. A group of prophets existed during Samuel’s rule, prior to
Saul becoming king (I Samuel 10:5). This may or may not have been the same company
of prophets that prophesied during Saul’s reign (I Samuel 19:20). An unknown
number of prophets was killed by Jezebel, while one hundred escaped and were protected
by Obadiah (I Kings 18:4). There were “schools” of prophets under Elijah and
then Elisha. These existed in at least three locations: Bethel (II Kings 2:3), Jericho
(II Kings 2:5), and Gilgal (II Kings 4:38). One of these groups might have been
the sons of the prophets under Elisha (II Kings 6:1). Whether affiliated into
groups or not, there were numbers of prophets during the reigns of Joash (II Chronicles
24:19), Manasseh (II Kings 21:10), and Josiah (I Kings 23:2), as well as during
Ezra’s rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5:2).
It is probable that there were still more prophets. Several
passages, referring to prophets in general, certainly would include those
mentioned already, but very likely these “multitude” prophets included some
faithful prophets who never received specific mention in Scripture, either as
individuals or as part of a group (II Kings 17:13, II Chron. 36:16, Jerem. 26:5,
Daniel 9:6).
Finally, there were also some “momentary” prophets. As far
as we know, these men did not serve in the official role of prophet, but at a
point in time, God chose to enable them to prophesy in accordance with His
purposes. This happened to the seventy elders under Moses (Numbers 11:25) and
at the same time to two named individuals, Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11:26). Saul
prophesied twice (I Samuel 10:10 and 19:23), as did three groups of Saul’s
messengers (I Samuel 19:20-21).
Sadly, there were also many “mistaken” prophets, possibly
numbering even more than the real prophets. This is without counting prophets
of Baal or other false gods. These are prophets that claimed to serve Jehovah
but who did not, in fact, speak His words. Ahab had 400 of them (I Kings 22:6).
Jeremiah said they were “wind” and did not have God’s word (Jerem. 5:13). Ezekiel
called them “foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen
nothing” (Ezek. 13:3). In the writings of the prophets, most of the references
to prophets are about false prophets. Jeremiah in particular had to deal with
them.
So, what’s the point? As I read through the history books of
the Bible, I was amazed at how many prophets there were; in particular, I was
captivated by the relatively unknown men who did what God asked them to do. They
delivered God’s messages, obeyed His leading, served Him, and had a place in His
story. Yet they served with little or no recognition, sometimes not even identified
by name.
It made me think of God’s servants today. Everyone knows the
names of the “major” servants: Carey, Judson, Spurgeon, Moody. We might know
the names of many “minor” servants: Lloyd-Jones, Brainerd, Aylward, Borden. But
most of God’s servants fit into other groups. They are misidentified, serving
in positions that people don’t recognize as service. They are minimal, doing
little jobs in little places, and having names that nearly everyone has
forgotten. They are mysterious, those humble nightlights in dark hallways,
making a difference in quiet ways. They are members, effective as they work as
one spoke within an organization. Some are momentary, having brief times of
ministry before they are called to other tasks or called Home.
The wonderful thing is that all of them are part of the
multitude. Each one is part of God’s plan and mission. Like the Bible prophets,
they are imperfect and make mistakes. Probably the vast majority are known only
in a small circle, and far more serve in small roles than in major ones. The
important thing is not the size of the ministry or the amount of recognition.
The important thing is that they do what the Bible prophets did: they deliver
God’s message. They obey His leading. They go where He sends them. They serve
faithfully. And they have a place in His story!
God needed and used all of them. Yes, He needed and used
Isaiah and Jonah, Moses and Abraham. But he also needed and used Gad and Iddo.
He used the unnamed son of the prophet. He used the prophet school at Jericho
and the prophets martyred by Jezebel. Each one mattered. We don’t need a big
name to serve God. He uses every willing Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones. I am
reminded of a statement I made often when I was just beginning these letters: “What
you do today matters for eternity.” Yes, it does! Big or small, well-known or
unknown, just continue serving faithfully!
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
