The Old Testament prophets came from many different walks of life and they were very different from one another in temperament, but even so they were all used by God. Elijah the Tishbite came from the wilderness across the Jordan, wore rough clothing with a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8), and had no fixed abode. Through his many prayers he shook the nation of Israel and destroyed the priests of Baal. In contrast, Isaiah was of the ruling class and had access to the king whenever he needed to speak to him. He was a poet as well as a prophet, and of all the prophets he had most to say about the Messiah who was to come.
Some were rich men, some poor farmers, some were women, but all of them had a deep personal faith and when they received a word from God, they spoke with great power and anointing.
In the Old Testament, in contrast to the priest who spoke to God for the people, the prophet was a preacher, a spokesman for God, one who declared by divine inspiration something that would take place, sometimes immediately, but sometimes far into the future. This kind of prophetic office was different from anything we might experience today. The Old Testament prophets knew without any doubt they were speaking as God’s messenger and they held fiercely to the words they were given, even to the point of death. and many of them did die at the hands of wicked men (2 Kings 9:7; Jeremiah 26:20-23).
In the New Testament, the office of prophet is different and the New Testament word for prophet means to ‘speak forth’ or ‘forth teller’. New Testament prophecy has in it more of the idea of strengthening, comforting, and encouragement rather than the fore-telling of future events (1 Corinthians 14:3).
Nowadays the foretelling of future events in a person’s life can sometimes happen through what is called ‘personal prophecy’, but this type of prophecy needs to be treated with great caution. A Christian will usually find that the word given is a confirmation of something God has already revealed to him or her from another source. If not then it is better to wait for further confirmation before acting on a ‘personal prophecy’. This will ensure that no lifedestroying mistakes are made, as we are advised in scripture --.
“A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15b).
“Many advisers make victory sure.” (Proverbs 11:14b).
(Taken from Alison’s book, Cameos of Christ.)
