Session 1

Text: Deuteronomy 18:15–22

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Download these notes here:

100525 What Is A Prophet.pdf

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I. The Need to Define “Prophet”

• In modern church language, prophet has become a slippery term—used for preachers, fortune tellers, mystics, or anyone with strong opinions.
• Scripture, however, is far more precise. Before studying thirty prophets, we must know what a prophet is and is not.
• Deuteronomy 18:15-22 gives one of the clearest definitions, while passages throughout the OT and NT fill in the picture.

II. What a Prophet Is

1. A Prophet Is One Who Speaks the Words of God

• Deut. 18:18 — “I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”
• The prophet’s defining characteristic is not personal insight or holiness, but verbal communication from God.
• Prophets were mouthpieces of God—whether through spoken oracle, written message, or enacted sign.

Key terms:

• Hebrew נָבִיא (nābîʼ) — “one who is called/spokesman.”
• Greek προφήτης (prophētēs) — “one who speaks forth,” not merely “predicts.”

2. A Prophet Is an Authorized Messenger

• Jeremiah 1:7–9 — God sends Jeremiah and puts His words in Jeremiah’s mouth.
• Prophets were commissioned, not self-appointed.