~ ~ Septe~~~r}~. 1940 v 1!~-~ lJf:~t.-1 ­. Ii1, a ff 31. ~ft5bam Jflatben ebitor 1936·1937 l:Ia~t11aft One Dollar a Year Published Twice Each Month Ten Cents a Copy EDITORIAL COUNCIL 1505 Race Street Edwin H. Rian Ned B. Stonehouse Thomas R. Birch Philadelphia. Penna. Leslie W. Sloat Murray Forst Thompson Managing Editor The Prophets The First Article in a Series of Studies In Prophecy By the REV. EDWARD J. YOUNG Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary THE age in which we are living has witnessed among God had spoken directly to them and that the message Christian people a revival of interest in the subject which they proclaimed was His very Word. This body ot prophecy. Certain groups, which represent a more of men the Bible calls prophets. or less consistently anti-denominational trend, have A casual reading of the Bible would leave the im­ placed a strong emphasis upon "prophetic conferences" pression that the prophets were a widely diversified and sometimes have exhibited a desire to interpret group. This diversity immediately appears in the fact present-day events in the light of Old Testament proph­ that some prophets have made known their names to us, ecies. Nor has interest in the study of prophecy been whereas others have kept their identity hidden. Many lacking in the historic Protestant denominations. Even of the earlier prophets are unknown to us by name. when one turns to the Roman Catholic Church he When God desired to announce to Eli the downfall of notes that here, too, diligent attention has been devoted his house, a prophet came bearing the announcement. to this subject. Much as we disagree with the Romish Theprophecy which he uttered is in many respects a church, we must nevertheless acknowledge our indebted­ remarkable one, containing an announcement of doom ness to her for certain excellent works about the proph­ but also a reminder of the grace of God in its mention ets. Even the Modernist, although he cannot properly of a "faithful priest" (I Sam. 2: 27-36). But wh~ be called a Christian, has manifested a great interest in uttered the prophecy? The Bible merely calls the the subject. Witness his appeals to certain of the Old prophet a "man of God." Some Jewish commentators Testament prophets as early preachers of the so-called have sought to discover his identity, but the fact re­ social gospel. mains that we do not know who he was. Contrast this with what is said about many of the A Diverse Group prophets. Amos, for example, not only tells us his name, It will be our purpose in this series to study what the but also the place of his birth (Amos 1: 1), his earlier Old Testament has to say about prophecy and the occupation (7: 14) and God's call to him (7: 15). prophets. In the present article we shall merely observe The prophets differed also in their personal charac­ a few fairly obvious things about the men who were teristics. Note how great is the contrast between the life known as prophets. of Elijah and the life of Elisha. Elijah appears as a For a period of more than a thousand years there rugged man of thunder. He seemed to keep to the appeared in ancient Israel men who claimed to be desert fastnesses and toappear suddenly upon the scene spokesmen for God. They steadfastly maintained that only when he was needed. He was a man of action- 82 THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN September 25 witness the challenge to the priests of ing its outworking and development proclaimed that message. Because this Baal, the journey to J ezreel and the to them. Rather they believed that is the true view of the matter, we flight to Horeb. Elijah fought evil the very words which they uttered today may turn to the words of these with sledge hammer blows. were the words which God had given ancient prophets and find in them, not But how different was Elisha! He to them. In a later article we shall the wisdom of man, but the very appears as the quiet pastor, the man study more thoroughly their convic­ Truth of God. who enjoys society and who performs tion. Suffice it to say at this point that miracles for the benefit of God's peo­ the prophets did believe their entire ple. Read at one sitting the lives of message to be the Word of God. Elijah and Elisha and this contrast Were they justified in this convic­ WALTHER LEAGUE AVOIDS will become strikingly clear. tion or not? The Modernist says they Isaiah and Jeremiah likewise stand were not. To him the prophet was but POLITICS AT CONVENTION out as examples of different types of a child of his time, a product of the men. Isaiah was one who, for the most Israelitish environment, and his mes­ T IS heartening to learn that at part, kept himself in the background. sage merely reflected his reaction to I least one church group has had It is evident, nevertheless, that he was the world 'round about. The prophet's nothing to say about the European a refined and educated person. J ere­ message, according to the Modernist, war, the presidential campaign, inter­ miah, on the other hand, permits us was uttered primarily for the men of national politics or domestic problems. to see much of himself, and in him his own day, and not for those of The International Walther League, we become acquainted with one whose later generations. The Modernist is which held its 48th annual convention religion was deep and personal. not willing to believe in predictive in Chicago last month, studiously Not only did the prophets differ in prophecy. True, many do admit that eschewed all such topics. personal characteristics, but they dif­ the prophets did make important con­ In expressing the spirit of the fered in their manners of speech. tributions to what they call the "de­ entire convention, the Rev. Martin Some were plain and direct; Elijah velopment of the idea of God." But Walker of Buffalo, N. Y, president had no hesitation in telling Ahab to that the words of the prophets were of the English district of the Missouri his face that it was the wicked king also the very words of Almighty God Synod Lutheran Church, told the 750 himself who was responsible for trou­ they are not ready to grant. delegates that the "immediate task of bling Israel. Other prophets, however, Very different is the answer which the Christian church is not to save used a more "psychological" method the historic Christian church has what is called civilization, nor to of approach; witness Nathan bringing given to the question just asked. Ac­ build a new social order. David to confession of sin by his re­ cording to the historic Christian "The supreme task of the church," cital of the parable of the ewe Iamb church the prophets were entirely jus­ he continued, "is to bring the souls (II Sam. 12: 1-14). tified in their claim. They were not of men into the right relationship Again, in the manner of the deliv­ merely children of their day, guessing with God. The church deals with in­ erahce of their messages the prophets at the meaning of life. On the con­ dividuals rather than with society, differed. Some, such as the unnamed trary, they were men to whom God for every individual stands in a per­ prophet referred to above, delivered had given a message and who in turn sonal relation to God. their messages directly. Others em­ "Not a social revolution, however ployed symbolism in their speech. peaceful and beneficial, not even a Daniel was such a one; so was Amos. TABLE OF CONTENTS reformation of society is the im­ StilI other prophets emphasized their September 25, 1940 mediate objective of the church and messages by the use of symbolical ac­ its agencies; it is rather the regenera­ tion. Thus, Ahijah rent his new gar­ The Prophets 81 ,Edward J. Young tion of the individual operating ment into twelve pieces and gave ten through the Word of God." to Jeroboam, thereby signifying that The Reporter of the Covenant 83 the kingdom should be divided. G. N. M. Collins Westminster Seminary and Their Conviction Graduate Study 85 Bureau of These and other diversities which Edwin H. Rian Vital Statistics might be mentioned seem of little mo­ Sam, Seaweed and Sunday School 86 ment, however, when one considers a Robert B. Brown Born: To the Rev. and Mrs. factor that was common to all the Thomas M. Cooper of Lincoln, N e­ prophets. This was their deep-seated, So Great Salvation 88 braska, a daughter, Marie Jonassen, Henry D. Phillips firm conviction that they were spokes­ on September 4th. men for God. They believed that God Editorial 89 To the Rev. and Mrs. Donald C. had spoken to them. This is not to Graham of Morristown, New Jersey, Private Prayer 90 imply that they were mystics who had Burton L. Goddard a son, Andrew James II. a vague impression of communion To the Rev. and Mrs. George W. with God, nor that they thought that Calvin and Missions 91 Marston of Philadelphia, Pennsyl­ Charles Edwards God had merely implanted in their vania, a daughter, Muriel Mabelle, minds the kernel of the message, leav- NEWS ' 93 on August 9th. 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