Rabbi David Lau
Rabbi of MODIIN
The meaning of the word Prophet in Hebrew is ‘to bring’. He is the one who brings the word of God to the nation.
The prophet’s role is to sometimes to admonish the nation, to scold them about negative actions, and to point out that their ways will lead to destruction.
On the other hand, the prophet was sent to raise the nation’s spirits during difficult times.
The prophecies were not always well received and were sometimes painful and difficult to accept.We can look at the example of Jeremiah the prophet, Who condemns the ways of the nation, praying to another God, committing incest, causing bloodshed, as negative actions and prophesized that they would cause destruction.
The kings did not like to hear his words, and threw him into prison, a hole in the ground. Some even tried to kill him. The prophet Amos was driven away in scorn, and mocked, he was told that he was hallucinating, and not making any sense.
On the other hand, when there is destruction, the same prophet Jeremiah, talks of consolation of the prophecies, that there is still a future, not to despair, not to abandon the heritage, the opposite is true, stick to it, because the nation has a future, a nation that remembers its past, there is definitely a good chance at present to move towards a better future.
These are the words that accompany all of the prophets.
Yeshiyahu says that instead of being peaceful, the people have been belligerent. He had hoped to hear blessings, not curses. He wishes God to comfort and console his people, that God will speak words of comfort.
The prophet Hosea. also speaks of hardships and asks the nation to return to God. He asks them to choose the right way, the righteous way. God’s ways are righteous. You will succeed only if you try to follow the right path.
Prophets were active throughout the period of the first Temple, during the initial stage of the exile of the Jewish nation in Babylon, and after the destruction of the first Temple.
They escort the Jewish nation on its return, last prophet, Malachi asserts and repeats that there is hope. There is a prophet called Elijah. When Elijah arrives, GOD promises, by the prophet Malachi, here I send you the prophet before the coming of the terrible day, and he gives back the hearts of fathers to their sons and the hearts of the sons to their fathers.
You will return to the heritage and there will be a great future for the Israeli people.
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