An Alphabetical Analysis
Volume 9 - Prophetic Truth - Page 131 of 223
INDEX
The form of prophecy which is envisaged in these definitions is the
predictive, but there is another form of prophecy which must not be omitted,
that is the moral and didactic or teaching phase.  The words uttered by the
prophet had a meaning or a lesson for his immediate hearers as well as a
forecast of 'things to come'.  It is with the predictive phase of prophecy,
however, that we have to do in this Volume.  We may ask, what is a prophet?
and find at least the elements of an answer in the words of Numbers 12:
'Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will
make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a
dream.  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house.
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold' (Num. 12:6 -
8).
The word here translated 'prophet' is the Hebrew nabi.  Gesenius says
that naba, the verb, comes from a root meaning 'to bubble up'.  Dr. Young, in
his concordance, says it means 'flow forth' which amounts to much the same
thing.  If this etymology be true, it looks to the inspiration of the
prophet.  This Divine enduement, which appears to be an essential equipment
of a prophet, can be illustrated by the case of Saul.
Samuel said to Saul: 'The spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and
thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man' (1 Sam.
10:6).  This came to pass so that it was said: 'Is Saul also among the
prophets?' (1 Sam. 10:11).
When, as a consequence of Saul's disobedience, the Lord withdrew his
favour from him we read, 'the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he
prophesied in the midst of the house' (1 Sam. 18:10).  In these two cases
prophecy, whether true or false, was the direct outcome of the 'coming upon
Saul' of a spirit, a spirit that was either good or evil.  From this same
book of Samuel, we learn that:
'Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he
spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a
Prophet was beforetime called a Seer' (1 Sam. 9:9).
Seer, Hebrew roeh.  This word, as the English indicates, is derived
from the verb 'to see', raah, and Isaiah played upon this fact when he said,
'which say to the seers, see not' (Isa. 30:10).
Another word which is also translated 'seer' is derived from the Hebrew
chazah which means 'to see' as in a vision.  Again 1 Samuel will provide an
illustration:
'And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open
vision' (1 Sam. 3:1).
So the prophecy of Isaiah opens with 'The vision of Isaiah the son of
Amoz, which he saw' (1:1).
According to Numbers 12:6 the usual mode of imparting the prophetic
message to a prophet was by a 'vision' or 'dream'.  Let us note a few
references that show the relation of 'vision' and 'dream' to prophecy.