Edmund Heddle unpacks an inevitable part of the prophetic ministry - persecution.

Bringing God's prophetic word to the people to whom it is sent has always been a costly business. The conclusion reached by the New Testament writers as they looked back over Old Testament history is that prophets have always been persecuted. Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount refers to this fact when he ends his final beatitude with the words, "In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt 5:12).

Stephen brought his speech to the Jewish Sanhedrin to a smarting conclusion with the challenge, "Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" (Acts 7:52) This is the kind of reception the prophets have had to face.

Looking into the future, Jesus indicates that there is not likely to be any change in the way prophets are treated: "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill, and others they will persecute" (Luke 11:49). No-one can answer the question 'What is a prophet?' adequately until he comes to terms with the inevitable persecution that being a faithful prophet involves.

Bringing God's word to the people to whom it is sent has always been a costly business: prophets have always been persecuted, and this is unlikely to change in the future.

How Were Prophets Persecuted?

As we investigate the numerous ways in which prophets were persecuted we shall find that they divide into (1) rejection of themselves and their message, and (2) physical violence to their persons.

They were persecuted through ridicule (2 Kings 2:23, Luke 22:64, Jer 20:7); by being told to be quiet (Amos 2:12, 7:13); by unpleasant looks (Jer 1:8,17, 5:3); through accusations and having their message reported back to the authorities (Jer 18:19, 37:13, Amos 7:10, Jer 20:10); by being debarred from attending God's house (Jer 36:5); and by having their prophetic words, both spoken and written, rejected (Isa 30:10, Micah 2:6, Amos 7:12,16, Jer 36:23).

Physical violence to their persons took various forms: they were placed in the stocks (Jer 20:2); they were kept in chains (Jer 40:1); they were slapped in the face (1 Kings 22:24); they were imprisoned in cells, dungeons and cisterns (Jer 37:15-16 & 38:6) in some cases just on bread and water (1 Kings 22:27); they were threatened with death (1 Kings 19:1) while others were actually put to death (2 Chron 24:21, Jer 26:20-23).

Others were killed whose names are not recorded. Jesus gives us reason to believe there were many who made the ultimate sacrifice (Luke 11:50-51).

Prophets are persecuted in two main ways: through rejection of them and their message, and through physical violence.

Examples of Persecuted Prophets

The Bible does not give us extensive biographical details of the prophets we meet in its pages. In fact, we have little information about how they were persecuted or about how they lived and died. For example, with the exception of Amos and Jonah, Scripture says hardly anything about the personal circumstances of the minor prophets. The same is true of Isaiah and Ezekiel, though we have a little more to go on for the latter.

It is the prophet Jeremiah that we know most about and it is from his experience that we can perhaps best discover how prophets were persecuted in his day. He goes so far as to refer to himself as 'a gentle lamb led to the slaughter' (Jer 11:19), using the same words that Isaiah used to describe Yahweh's 'suffering servant' (Isaiah 53:7).

There are a number of examples of non-writing prophets who were cruelly persecuted.

• Elijah was threatened by the wicked queen Jezebel after his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:1-4).
• Amos was insulted by the chief priest at the sanctuary in Bethel and told never to prophesy there again (Amos 7:10-15).
• Micaiah had the courage to contradict the prophetic announcement of four hundred false prophets (1 Kings 22: 5-6) when they declared that Ramoth Gilead would be defeated by the combined forces of Kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat. He discerned that it was a lying spirit that was deluding these prophets – for this he was slapped in the face by Zedekiah and put in prison under the order of King Ahab (1 Kings 22:23-27).
• Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, was stoned to death for rebuking the people who turned aside to Asherah poles and idols, and for forsaking the Temple. This was an especially heinous crime, as Zechariah's father had helped King Joash and had been honoured at his death for "the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple" (2 Chron 24:16-22). As this persecuted prophet lay dying, he felt that King Joash had been particularly unkind and exclaimed "May the Lord see this and call you to account" (2 Chron 24:22).
• Hanani the seer reproved King Asa for relying on the king of Aram, instead of on the Lord, saying that from that time onward he would be at war. The king was so enraged that he put Hanani in prison (2 Chron 16:7-9).
• Uriah from Kiriath Jearim is described as "another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, he prophesied the same things...as Jeremiah did" (Jer 26:20-23). When King Jehoiakim heard what he said, he sought ways of putting Uriah to death. In fear for his life, the prophet escaped to Egypt. Thereupon the king dispatched a party of men to find and arrest him. When they brought him back to the king, he had Uriah struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the common burial place.

New Testament Prophets Persecuted

John the Baptist was referred to by Jesus as "a prophet and more than a prophet" (Matt 11:9). He was persecuted, especially by King Herod. John the Baptist had the courage publicly to rebuke Herod for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife. For this, Herod had John put in prison (Luke 3:19-20), where he lay bound (Matt 14:3).

On Herod's birthday the celebrations included a sensual dance performed by Herodias' daughter. Herod was foolish enough to promise her anything she asked for. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed but felt he had to keep his promise, and he had John beheaded.

Jesus Christ was greeted with the words of the crowd, "A great prophet has appeared among us" (Luke 7:16). The two disciples walking to Emmaus, bewildered by what had been happening, summed up their conclusions in the words, "He was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people" (Luke 24:19), and like all true prophets Jesus was persecuted. He was ridiculed, opposed in his teaching, had his miracles attributed to the devil, was handed over to the authorities and suffered at the hands of violent men. Finally, he was crucified and demonstrated (as men thought) to be a false messiah.

What Particular Difficulties Do Prophets Face?

These problem areas may be divided up into (1) difficulties with other people, (2) difficulties in handling of God's word, and (3) difficulties in their own thoughts.

(1) Difficulties with other people. Prophets have to face being despised by priests and other 'professionals', as Amos was by Amaziah (Amos 7:12-13) and Jeremiah by Pashur (Jer 20: 1-2); being opposed by false prophets (Jer 29:1-17); being rejected by familiar friends (Jer 20:10) and by one's own family (Matt 13:57).

(2) Difficulties in handling God's prophetic word. Prophets must: speak only what God has really given (Jer 1:7); not water down God's word to make it more acceptable (Isa 30:10); uphold the authority of the scriptures (Jer 17:19-27); and be prepared to bring the same message over and over again (Jer 7:25, 29:19, 35:15).

(3) Difficulties in their own thoughts. Prophets must (a) be patient and wait confidently for the fulfilment of God's prophetic word (James 5:10-11; Matt 13:17); (b) allow critics to call them 'traitors' to their country or a particular viewpoint, trusting God to vindicate them (Jer 37:11-14) and (c) accept the fact that they will be called 'troublemakers' (1 Kings 18:17) and must continue proclaiming God's word even though it is a torment to the hearers (Rev 11:10).

We must follow Paul's teaching to "bless those who persecute us" (Rom 12:14). We can know that Christ is with us, for persecution is one of those things which cannot separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39). We can be comforted by the assurance that persecution can only scatter the church, it cannot destroy it, as was the case in the early church (Acts 8:1).

Persecution cannot separate us from the love of God (Romans 8), nor can it destroy the church – it can only scatter it.

Finally, we can be sure that all faithful prophets will have their reward in heaven, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Luke 13:28). They will then know that Jesus was right when he said that the prophets who were persecuted were the truly 'blessed' people (Matt 5:11-12).

Help for Persecuted Prophets

At times God's true prophets have lived in danger of their lives and God has raised up men and women to protect them.

• Obadiah who was in charge of King Ahab's palace was able to hide a hundred prophets in two caves and supply them with food and water every day (1 Kings 18:13).
• A wealthy woman in Shunem was able to build a 'prophet-flat' onto her house for Elisha's use whenever he was in that district (the original prophet's chamber!) (2 Kings 4:8-10).
• Ebedmelech. a coloured man, took a gang of men with him to pull Jeremiah out of the cistern in which he had been incarcerated (Jer 38:7-13) and Ahikam son of Shaphan intervened to prevent Jeremiah being put to death.

Jesus said that everyone who assisted a prophet in need would receive the same reward as the prophet: even a cup of cold water would be rewarded (Matt 10:41-42).

How Should Prophets React to Persecution?

We must look beyond the Old Testament to discover how persecuted prophets ought to react to their persecutors. We must not copy Jeremiah as he asks God to bring down disaster on them and their families and calls down wrath upon them, praying "do not forgive their crimes, or blot out their sins from your sight" (Jer 18:21-23). Rather, we are to "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us" (Matt 5:44), as Jesus has taught us.

It was Jesus who said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20), so today's prophets must expect the same treatment their predecessors have always received. The Lord himself confirms that this will be a continuing experience down to the present day, for "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute" (Luke 11 :49), and these words still apply.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 5, September/October 1988.