A Profile of Prophets

(Not just about those in the Bible, but about us, today.)

Jack C. Getz

1. Prophets speak truth to power.
2. Prophets are called upon to Forth-tell the truth more than to Fore-tell the future.
3. Prophets have a divine commission, not a self-generated calling.
4. Prophets speak God’s word to move people and/or situations Godward.
5. Prophet’s motives are never about their personal profit. :=) Often they experience great personal losses. (Dealing with truth is always costly!)
6. Prophets are commanded by God to speak to immediate and necessary changes (Some achieve their work in a relative short period of time others take a lifetime).
7. Prophets integrate the values of Honor, Honesty and Humility
8. Prophets ultimately find their courage to obey, through faith alone.
9. Prophets operate according to the “proportion of their faith”. (Romans 12:6)
10. Prophets today must do all in the spirit of love. (I Corinthians 13:1-2)

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Haggai and Zechariah were commissioned by God to stir action in the leaders of post-exilic Jerusalem. The initial rush of joy expressed by the holy celebrations and the laying of the Temple’s foundation by the newly returned exiles (described by Ezra) was replaced by self-indulgence, apathy and possibly sloth. Twenty years after their arrival back home, there was no further progress on the Temple. So, God asked two men to bear His words of instruction and order to the leaders of the nation. (Ezra 5:1; 6:14) 


A brief overview of these two very MAJOR MINOR prophets:

Haggai (lit. "My Feast") made four prophetic statements to Zerubbabel:

A Call to Construct - 1:3

A Call to Courage - 2:1

A Call to Cleanliness - 2:10

A Call to Confidence - 2:20

Zechariah (lit. "Yahweh Remembers") spoke both simple truths (1:3 and 8:9) and shared:

8 visions (1:7 -6:15),

Teachings (7:1 - 8:23)

2 Christological Oracles (9:1 -14:21)

A) 9:1-11:1

B) 11:18- 14:21