The word prophet popped into my head this morning.
I consulted Webster for the actual definition of prophecy.
prophecy | ˈpräfəsē |
noun (plural prophecies)
a prediction
There it is. Plain and simple. A prediction.
Not many people walk around these days listing their occupation as “prophet.” I imagine there isn’t a big call for it in the corporate world, although it could be quite handy in the R & D department.
I imagine, in larger cities, the prophets still stand on street corners, shouting, “The End is near.”
But by and large, we just don’t see the prophets like they used to.
Back in the biblical days, they were everywhere.
The Bible contains numerous prophets. They all played significant roles in the history of the Israelites. Not to mention in the development of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition.
And, in those days, it seems that God had the phone lines open a little more than what goes on today. Yes. Those old prophets delivered messages directly from God to the people of their time. Oftentimes, they would warn them of impending judgment. Other times, they offered guidance and hope.
I’m no Bible scholar, that’s for sure. But I remember enough to know the prophets were always saying this and that.
Probably one of the most well-known of them was Isaiah. I suppose he is considered one of the greatest prophets. He prophesied about the coming Messiah and the future restoration of Israel. His book also contains many prophecies about the suffering servant, which Christians believe to be a reference to Jesus. His book, that I referred to, appears in the Old Testament. It is 66 chapters long, which I think is creepy because of the number 6 thing. Anyway, Isaiah lived during the 8th century BCE in the Kingdom of Judah. That’s about 800 years before Christ rolled around. So his readers had some waiting to do.
Another biggie was the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet.” This was due to his lamentations over the destruction of Jerusalem. He also wept about the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. He didn’t know it, but behind his back, people called him a big crybaby.
I Googled the list of prophets. It is lengthy. Here are a few if you are looking to name a kid. Or a cat. Or something.
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Malachi
Zechariah
It goes on and on.
But as I looked at the long, long list, I noticed they were all dudes. It made me wonder why God was only talking to men. Well. As it turns out, I just had to dig a little deeper and ask specifically about women prophets. Lo and behold, there are a few.
Miriam
Deborah
Huldah
Anna
Philip’s Daughters
I wonder if the girl prophets heard the same messages as the boy prophets.
I’m not sure why I thought of the word “prophet.” But there it was, just lingering in my lobes. My searching didn’t really stir up any big thoughts. But just now, I had another revelation. Maybe I “heard” the word wrong in my head.
Maybe my spirit guides were saying “profit.” In that case, I predict a trip to the bank in the near future.
“”””””””””
Prophecy, however honest, is generally a poor substitute for experience.
— Benjamin N. Cardozo
“””””””””
Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.
— James Allen
“””””””””
Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.
— Plutarch
“””””””””
They’ll tell you what’s coming down the pike.
