Skip to main content

The Royal Prophets


Many of us may not know that two of the sixteen classical prophets in the Old Testament were from royal families.
By the way, classical prophets is a technical term for the prophets whose names we have books, like Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, etc. At the same time, despite their antiquity and prominence, Elijah, Elisha, Gad, or Nathan do not fall in this category since we do not have books in their names.
The classical prophets came from a variety of backgrounds. Biographical information on most of the prophets is scanty. Still, we know Amos was a farmer and a sheep breeder, while Jeremiah and Ezekiel were priests.
The two prophets with royal connections are Zephaniah and Isaiah. The Book of Zephaniah introduces the prophet as a descendant of King Hezekiah. "The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah" (Zeph 1:1). But there is nothing in the rest of the Book to confirm the prophets connection with the royal establishment in Jerusalem.
In contrast, Isaiah's connections with the royal establishment are not directly mentioned. Later Jewish traditions suggest that his father Amoz was a half-brother of King Uzziah, who ruled in the eighth century. However, ample clues in the Book of Isaiah lead us to believe that this later Jewish tradition about his royal connection is valid.
First is his easy access to the kings in Jerusalem. He could meet with King Ahaz when the king was out to check the water level in the upper pool near the royal quarters (Isa 7). He could visit the sick King Hezekiah in his bed room twice (Isa 38). King Hezekiah sought his spiritual help by asking to pray in times of crisis (Isa 19:1-7).
Secondly, he knew about the discussions in the royal cabinet, which commoners had no access to. The military threat from Aram and Northern Israel had made the king and his cabinet nervous, so they "shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind" (Isa 7:2). He knew that Hezekiah was making futile plans by sending his diplomats to Egypt to seek alliance and military supplies (Isa 30:1-7). He also knew that Hezekiah had foolishly displayed his wealth to the visiting Babylonian envoys (Isa 39:1-8).
In addition, his message shows he was well-versed in international politics.
So, Isaiah was a prince in Jerusalem who, like all other classical prophets, proclaimed judgements against the reigning monarchs when they acted against the will of the supreme ruler of the world, the Emperor, the Lord.


(Based on insights from my recent book, THE PRINCE AND THE EMPEROR. SELECTED THEMES FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH, now available on Amazon globally.)
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Days of Antipas

"The days of Antipas" means not only a period of persecution but a period of perseverance as well. It signifies the days of believers who withstood the pressures from outside to surrender. In the church in the city of Pergamum, there were some people who remained faithful to Jesus in the days of severe persecution. Apostle John calls these days of persecution "the day of Antipas" (Rev. 2:13).  The Antipas mentioned here should not be confused with Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas was a wicked ruler whom Jesus called "fox". He is the one who offered the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter to his daughter. He might have tried to kill Jesus and presided over Jesus' trial. However, the Antipas mentioned in Revelation 2 was the bishop of Pergamum, a pagan city in the first century AD. The name means "against all." There is a great con trast in the names -- Herod was against all that was good, however, Antipas th
Read more

The Lonely Jungle Babbler

Every day it comes, and pecks at the glass panel of the window of my study. It is a Jungle Babbler, a very common bird in the Indian subcontinent. It dances flying up and down and fluttering its wings. Sometimes, three or four times a day it repeats this ritual. I thought it is trying to get  into  my room or fly through as it can see the other side. But why does it keep coming, can't it make out after three or four attempts that it can't fly through?   I told my Neighbor, whom I consider an expert on birds, about this winged visitor. She explained that the babbler is pecking at its own reflection, thinking that it is another bird. I thought of verifying her suggestion. The following day I kept the window half open, drawing one panel fully open. The babbler came as usual. Perched on the window,  looked into  my room through the open panel but did not enter the room or peck. But it moved to the side of the window where there is glass and started pecking on the glass and dancing.
Read more

The Conquering Grace

  Grace of God is hard to define. When I was making baby steps in Christian faith, mentors told me that ‘grace is unmerited favor.’ I found that helpful. But as I continued to experience God’s grace as I grew, I found that this definition is inadequate to express all that God does in my life. Now, I have come to realize that grace of God is such a thing that eludes any definition. Grace, as I understand now is what God alone and no human can do in our lives. It comes in various colors, shapes and sizes! John, the gospel writer seems to have understood the multifarious nature of grace that he talks about the ‘fullness of grace’ and ‘grace upon grace’ (John 1:17). Or the New Living Translation puts it: ‘From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.’ These expressions mean that grace is not just one-sided reality but a multi-faceted reality. Its fullness is beyond our comprehension just as God evades our understanding. One of the rare but impo
Read more