Prophet - One who utters divinely inspired revelations
That is how the word prophet is defined in Webster’s dictionary, but a prophet is much more. A prophet is someone who is chosen by God to convey his message to the people; a middleman between God and his people. A prophet is someone who God selects as the embodiment of himself. Someone that people will listen to. Someone with a presence. Now the prophets did not all lead perfect lives, but they all had a bond with the Lord that could not be matched. The Prophets were holy people but they were in no way God-like. They were humble people that gladly served their God. This summary of a prophet is what most people believe the prophet Obadiah was like.
Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament consisting of only one chapter, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and long-forgotten nation, the land of Edom. It was written in 587 B.C.E, after the destruction of Jerusalem. But there is more to this book than that. The Scriptures have that ability of appearing to be one thing on the surface, but on a deeper level, yielding rich and mighty treasures. This is definitely true for the short, but meaningful book of Obadiah.
We know very little about Obadiah except that he was one of the minor prophets. There is a reference to a prophet Obadiah in the days of Elijah and Elisha and there is some thought that perhaps he is the same man. The name Obadiah was a very common name among the Hebrews though, and it is very likely this is not the same prophet, for in this book Obadiah mentions the day when Jerusalem was destroyed, captured by the alien armies, and that occurs long after the time of Elijah and Elisha. So most Bible commentators believe the author of this book was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, the last of the prophets before Israel went into captivity.
The name Obadiah means "the servant of Jehovah;" He fulfills the position of a servant. He comes and does his work and fades into the background; he delivers his message and he is gone. That is about all we know about the man behind this book.
The book of Obadiah tells the story of two nations, the nation of Israel and the nation of Edom, the country to the south of Israel that is now usually referred to as the Negeb.
Elijah - a man who comes in from the countryside to be in town for the trial. He condemns evolution and sells Bibles, even though he does not know how to read or write.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
Ezekiel is a crazy man that makes no sense, but like Ivar, he has wisdom beyond most people’s Sensor 2 comprehension and his suffering easily makes him more knowledgeable. Ivar’s suffering comes because of other people’s distrust and misunderstanding of the kind man that is Ivar. The Bible is one of the most famous pieces of literature, arguably the most beautifully written, and the best story told in literature. Cather’s use of Biblical motifs gives the reader a sense of grandeur and is a definite story of faith.
Owen Meany demonstrated many characteristics of a prophet, and could be linked to a prophetic figure. On more than one occasion, he had visions of future events which affected other people around him physically and spiritually. Throughout his life he also maintained a special relationship and strong faith in God. Many of Owens morals and values that he voiced became strong teachings about life. Although everyone in the world did not know him, many believed he was special for his wisdom at such a young age. Through these accomplishments, Owen leads himself to the stage of being a prophet. Today, prophets could be all among us, yet society turns away from the idea. The idea of a teacher for the subject of life fascinates many, but the idea of God sending messengers to us repels those who lack faith. What would it take for you to recognize a prophet? Many prophets may go unrecognized in the world and yet the only way they can exist is if someone will believe in them.
The author of the book is Zechariah, he whom the lord remembers. The book was written to the Jews in Jerusalem that had returned from their captivity in Babylon. The book was written in and around 520 B.C.
The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.
Blake notes, the book of Obadiah deserves careful study in length despite the shortness of this particular text. At first glance the span of the book of Obadiah can be misconstrued of less value and importance of other books of the Bible. What is learned by the brevity of the book of Obadiah encompassing one chapter of twenty-one verses with no chapter division has a directional approach for the reader. The briefness that is used encouragers readers to stay completely focused and engaged on what is being said. With limited information in the book, not much can be said about the author, his home, his family, his origin or how he became to be a prophet even. Only his name and that he is a prophet of God is recorded. Reader’s attention is moved away from Obadiah and navigated directly to the message from
A most interesting film detailing the history and role of the prophet in the Jewish tradition. The first question we must explore is what a prophet is. A prophet by definition is a person who speaks by divine inspiration. Others will say that a prophet is one whose eye is open. A person who can see things that others cannot. In order to understand the prophets and their appearance in history we must first understand the politics of the times.
...all the people Ezekiel was strange but God did not believed, In God’s eyes, Ezekiel was truthful, forgiving, obedient, and had endurance. He was dependable, patience, faithful, and tolerant. Ezekiel was truthful in all that he spoke because all of his words were from God. Ezekiel was forgiving and tolerant of God when God decided to take Ezekiel’s wife away to make a point. Ezekiel was very obedient as he obeyed God’s every single command including not mourning when his wife died. God gave Ezekiel lots of endurance because he prophetized for over twenty-two years. With his endurance, showed he was always dependable and faithful. All God needed to do was tell Ezekiel what to say or do, and Ezekiel would complete the task without complaint. Ezekiel was very patient even though God did not allow him to speak for seven and a half years and he complied with that.
In the Pentateuch, Aaron and Miriam are the only two other individuals who are called prophet and prophetess. In Exodus 7:1, the Lord says to Moses that Aaron would be his prophet and would help him talk to Pharaoh in order to ask him to let the Israelites go. In Exodus 15:20, Miriam, Aaron’s sister, is also looked upon as a prophetess. When the people were crossing the Red Sea, Miriam leads all the women with timbrels and with dancing while she praised the Lord for what he had done. Another place where someone is quickly referred to as a prophet is in Genesis 20:7, when Abram is given this title by God, but it does not seem to be as relevant as the previous latter instances where Aaron and Miriam are given these titles.
understanding of the book because it was eyewitness account, divine dictation; it also tells the biography of Jesus,
On the surface Muhammad is usually considered to be a prophet and messenger of God, but when looking closer we can see that He played many more roles in His life time including one of a Statesman.
Although an ideal-type is designed to be a purposeful exaggeration, Max Weber 's description of the ideal prophet may not be as exaggerated for certain applications. Muhammed, the Arabian prophet, comes awfully close to embodying all the characteristics described in Weber 's "maximum outline" for defining a prophet (Pals ...). Charisma is perhaps the essential characteristic of any type of social leader, including prophets, rulers, and priests alike. Muhammad undoubtedly exemplified this necessary charisma and the transformative power that allowed him to carry out his divinely-ordained mission and proclaim a life-altering message. His mark on history and role in establishing one of the world 's largest religions both largely qualify him for
Robinson, Sarah. The Origins of Jewish Apocalyptic Literature: Prophecy, Babylon, and 1 Enoch. CA: Department of Religious Studies, University of South Florida, 2005. Print.