Moses and exodus religion
Moses and exodus religionWere Moses and Samuel Prophet Material?
To get a good idea of being a Prophet or what a Prophet is we must look at many sources. This means we must look at the events that happened in the Bible and make conclusions about each event or section. Were Samuel and Moses Prophets? Did they receive messages from God, or was it their imagination? We will hope to discover this in looking closer at all of their lives.
What is a Prophet? Among the Hebrews a Prophet is called a navi. This means orator and interpreter. Therefore, a Prophet is someone whom interprets God. How does a Prophet know he/she is a Prophet? God gives us a very good story in Moses' life of a definition of a Prophet. God found out that Aaron and Miriam were speaking badly of Moses, so the Bible tells us that God commanded that they come out of the tent in which they were meeting. God then proceeds to explain what a Prophet is. Miriam and Aaron had actually doubted that Moses was a Prophet. This did not seem to please God. Numbers 12:2 reads, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" and the Lord heard this."(NIV) Miriam and Aaron were complaining in this passage. God was angry when He learned this. This is why He told them the definition of a Prophet.
Miriam and Aaron stood outside the tent along side of Moses. God summoned for Miriam and Aaron. It then says that He tells them what a Prophet is. This is the first time in the Bible that God actually tells us the guidelines of prophecy. The definition of this is found in Numbers 12:6-8. It reads:
"He said listen to my words: When the Prophet of the Lord is among you. I reveal
Myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why when you were not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (NIV)
The definition of a Prophet is given here. A man by the name of Benedict Spinoza, would argue that when Prophets see God in visions, they are only imaging these visions. He claims that Prophets such as Samuel heard an imaginary voice. He says,
" ...The Prophets perceived what has been revealed of God only by the work of imagination."(p.23) He is very harsh in his perceptions of Samuel and is soft on Moses. He feels Moses was a Prophet because he talked to God face to face, however he is still baffled by why Moses only saw God's back side? He writes this, " Moses did not happen to see anything except God's backside. Therefore, I do not doubt...
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