The Relationship Between The Kings And The Prophets Of Israel

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KINGS AND THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL NAME COURSE INSTRUCTOR DATE The relationship between the kings and the prophets of Israel The kings of Israel were believed to be agents sent by God to serve the Nation. The kings were expected to observe the laws and covenant of God, defend their Nations and rule all the people in justice. The king was the anointed representative of the Lord and as the mediators of the covenant between the Lord and the Israel people. The Israelites kings were divinely chosen and they were expected to abide by the covenant of God. They had the responsibility of reproving, encouraging, teaching, warning and also giving guidance to the people of God. A prophet is a God’s messenger and a mouthpiece through which God speaks through a vessel that passed the message to the people of Israel. In Israel, a prophets were referred to as a Gods representative and thus when a prophet was speaking it was regarded that it was God speaking to the people. The prophets brought the word of God to the Israelites and they would call people to respond to the teachings of the word. The prophets had a visionary ministry which began since they were the images and representatives of the Lord. By discerning the heart of the lord they addressed the word of the living God to the people. They were required to stand strong for the word of God just like it’s featured in prophet Jeremiah Ministry where he confronted the false diviners. The prophet’s words were thought to be from the spirit of God and thus they were powerful and very effectual. There were different prophets and every prophet played a different role. The prophets and kings were respected and had different roles that they played. There has been a relationship between the state heads and the religious authority since the early modern times. The discussion covers the relationship that existed between the kings and prophets of Israel.[Fleming, D. Collective Israel and Its Kings. The Legacy of Israel in Judah's Bible, 2012, 91-113.] Before there were kings in Israel the Israelites were living in a small and scattered settlement being ruled by judges such as Deborah and Gideon. The period of king in Israel was divided into two the first three kings including Solomon, David, and Saul in the period called golden age. After the rule of King Solomon, there was a civil war and Israel was divided into the northern and southern kingdom. The era of kings started with Saul which was about one thousand years before Christ and King Saul is seen to be the most disappointing king of Israel but during the reign of David and Solomon the empire was expanded. David established Jerusalem as the Capital city while Solomon made advancements by building the temple. In Israel the era of kings began with the people saying that they wanted to be ruled by a man who was like them just like the surrounding nations. The authority of traditions in Israel was founded under the concept of privacy where some people received revelation from God about his people. In Israel the role and responsibilities of kings and prophets were interrelated. In a certain way God himself was the king of Israel and if any other leader was set under him it was necessary that he was to do that and this he did through the prophets. When the people of Israel required a king they asked Samuel who was a prophet of God. The prophets were expected to pray on behalf of the king and the people of Israel. Praying was a significant task played by the prophet since they had an image of what God was doing. The prophet knew when the kings needed the prayers the most and could not rest until they would pray and God could fulfil their prayers.[Duguid, I. M. Kings of Israel. Ezekiel and the Leaders of Israel , 2011: 10-57.] The kings could also consult the prophets on the will of God. Prophet Nathan talked about the covenant relationship that was to be made between the dynasty of David and the Lord. In this covenant, Prophet Nathan proclaimed that the house and the kingdom of David was to endure forever. Through this covenant given through Prophet Nathan, King David understood that the Lord had a plan of establishing him as a king over the Israel nation and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people. Through the prophet, God showed that the Davidic covenant was a manifestation of the basic covenant between the worshipers and Yahweh where David the king was to serve as the mediator. The role was not only adequately filled by only David Himself but also by the monarch of Judean which was a foundation to the work of the prophets of Judea in the vision of restoration and maintenance of Gods Covenant to the people of Israel. In Israel the kingdoms had to be ruled to the guidance of God and thus in this case the prophets had the role in waiting on God’s message which they would deliver to the kings. The kings relied on the prophets so as to know the will of God that they could convey and lead the nations as required by God. The prophets had a role in worship and lead the kings and the Israel community. The kings were supposed to speak about the word of God while the kings were to meditate on the word and do according to what God said. As a spokesperson of God the prophets told the kings on Gods message.[Lindblom, J. Wisdom in the Old Testament Prophets. Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East , 2015:192-204.] The kings used prophets as their messengers who would also convey the king’s message to the people of Israel. The kings were responsible to God for the wellbeing of the people of Israel and thus they were to work with the prophet to ensure that they fulfilled Gods will. The prophets also were the foreteller. Foretelling involved the foresight which were hooked on Gods plan. The foretelling was all about the future of the people of God due to their sins and of any impending dangers. Through foretelling, the prophets helped the kings to have an image of what the near future would be like and thus they would be prepared. The prophetic ministry in the nation of Israel involved. The kings also gave the Israelites the promises which God gave to them and thus this made them to be obedient to the kings so that they can receive what God had promised. The prophet guided the kings in their kingship. Whenever a king faced challenges in their kingdo...