Required of Prophets

The prophets who walked the pages of the Old Testament could never be accused of being crowd pleasers.  When they spoke, kings ignored them and the people of the streets refused to heed their words.  But, popularity and likeability were not issues for these men like Elijah, Isaiah, or Jeremiah.  What possessed them was a radical determination to be a man of God who thundered "Thus says the Lord..."  No one gripped them like God and nothing was more of an imperative than speaking in His behalf.

 

In today's religious circles it is different.  Few of those who proclaim the message of the Holy One do so from the perspective of these ancient men of God known as prophets.  The preacher in today's pulpit regards nothing more dangerous than preaching a word people do not want to hear.  The message of today's proclaimer must be attractive, marketable, and wooing.  Bigger churches are not built on the proclamations of a prophet, but on the proclamations of a preacher who understands how to cater to the feel good factor of the people.  If the preacher's message is not one which tickles the ears of those who are in the pews, those who listen can try out a new pew in a different church.  And, to the horror of the preacher, they will take their money with them.

In most of our churches, the proclaimer of the Word is directly dependent on the listeners of the message for their livelihood.  It makes being prophetic like the Old Testament prophets practically problematic.  It can also make for timid lukewarm preaching that is about being entertaining and crowd pleasing.  It was not easy being an prophet in those Old Testament days.  It is not easy today to stand and speak a message which is bound up in "Thus says the Lord..."   To do so requires a radical dependence and trust in the God who did the calling of the one who wants to be a man or a woman of God.