The Relationship Between The Kings And The Prophets Of Israel

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KINGS AND THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL NAME COURSE INSTRUCTOR DATE The relationship between the kings and the prophets of Israel The kings of Israel were believed to be agents sent by God to serve the Nation. The kings were expected to observe the laws and covenant of God, defend their Nations and rule all the people in justice. The king was the anointed representative of the Lord and as the mediators of the covenant between the Lord and the Israel people. The Israelites kings were divinely chosen and they were expected to abide by the covenant of God. They had the responsibility of reproving, encouraging, teaching, warning and also giving guidance to the people of God. A prophet is a God’s messenger and a mouthpiece through which God speaks through a vessel that passed the message to the people of Israel. In Israel, a prophets were referred to as a Gods representative and thus when a prophet was speaking it was regarded that it was God speaking to the people. The prophets brought the word of God to the Israelites and they would call people to respond to the teachings of the word. The prophets had a visionary ministry which began since they were the images and representatives of the Lord. By discerning the heart of the lord they addressed the word of the living God to the people. They were required to stand strong for the word of God just like it’s featured in prophet Jeremiah Ministry where he confronted the false diviners. The prophet’s words were thought to be from the spirit of God and thus they were powerful and very effectual. There were different prophets and every prophet played a different role. The prophets and kings were respected and had different roles that they played. There has been a relationship between the state heads and the religious authority since the early modern times. The discussion covers the relationship that existed between the kings and prophets of Israel.[Fleming, D. Collective Israel and Its Kings. The Legacy of Israel in Judah's Bible, 2012, 91-113.] Before there were kings in Israel the Israelites were living in a small and scattered settlement being ruled by judges such as Deborah and Gideon. The period of king in Israel was divided into two the first three kings including Solomon, David, and Saul in the period called golden age. After the rule of King Solomon, there was a civil war and Israel was divided into the northern and southern kingdom. The era of kings started with Saul which was about one thousand years before Christ and King Saul is seen to be the most disappointing king of Israel but during the reign of David and Solomon the empire was expanded. David established Jerusalem as the Capital city while Solomon made advancements by building the temple. In Israel the era of kings began with the people saying that they wanted to be ruled by a man who was like them just like the surrounding nations. The authority of traditions in Israel was founded under the concept of privacy where some people received revelation from God about his people. In Israel the role and responsibilities of kings and prophets were interrelated. In a certain way God himself was the king of Israel and if any other leader was set under him it was necessary that he was to do that and this ...