The Necessity for Prophets in the OT

Prophets are intermediaries or spokespeople between God and humanity. Prophets were not always present in human history. There were no prophets in the Garden of Eden because the Lord spoke freely with Adam and Eve. It wasn’t until they sinned and became separated from God that prophets were needed to bridge the gap of communication. A key example of this is in Exodus 19 and 20. After the miraculous rescue of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert at Mt. Sinai. Exodus 20: 18-21 reads:

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.


Reminds me of Mordor

The Israelites were so afraid of God’s manifest presence that they did not want to have direct fellowship with Him. They thought they would die if God spoke to them so they told Moses to be their representative. Fear destroyed the opportunity for personal intimacy with the Lord and in one sense elevated prophetic ministry over individual communication with God. Thankfully through Christ, the veil has been torn and we now have fellowship with the Father in the Holy Spirit. Prophets and prophecy still exist but they are not our sole nor primary means of interaction with God. A shift has taken place from the necessity of prophets in the Old Testament because of fear to willing prophetic ministry based on a loving relationship with the Father.