Numbers 11:29

Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets….

It is difficult to change behaviors, let alone inspire deep, spiritual change, but this was the hope and labor of the biblical prophets, who remind readers that we are to practice our faith in daily life.  The prophets railed against injustice, hypocrisy, and common, everyday indifference as they worked to turn minds, hearts, and lives back to Go, sometimes using extraordinary methods.

The prophets, much maligned by the larger culture, modeled both religious commitment and spiritual courage. According to the Hebrew Bible, the prophets knew what many contemporary activists have come to understand: Shock cuts through the sleepy indifference of the masses. Prophetic eccentricities startled people from their routine stupor, raised awareness, and inspired change. The prophets worked to draw people back to God, to recommit to faith and core teachings such as compassion, mercy, justice, and humility. Under divine instruction, Jeremiah harnessed himself to a yoke (Jeremiah 27:2), for which he was labeled a “madman” (Jeremiah 29:26). Isaiah wandered “naked and barefoot for three years” (Isaiah 20:3). Micah vowed to “lament and wail,” and “go stripped and naked” (Micah 1:8). When Saul “stripped off his clothes” and “lay naked” for a day and a night, people asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 19:24). These perceived eccentricities of the prophets had one goal: Call humankind to live the teachings and allow God and Scripture to shape daily life.