Discuss the relationships of the prophets of Ancient Israel with the throne (government), the temple (religion), and the people (society).
In the Bible, numerous prophets are mentioned, some of the more commonly known being Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Samuel. However, there were actually thousands of prophets during the ancient times. First, to dispel a common belief, prophets were not as is commonly understood, people who looked into the future. Foretelling was only one facet of a prophet’s work. A prophet’s real role is to be a representative of someone else.
In ancient Israel, a prophet was a direct representative of God. However, each prophet’s role had major implications in the kingdom’s political, religious, and social sectors.
We can find many examples of when prophets were heavily involved in the politics of the state. These prophets were approached for consultations on what the future holds. Also, it was the anointing from God through the prophets that officialized the installment of a person into the highest position, kingship. For example, it was Samuel who anointed Saul as the first king, and David as the second king. Without an official anointing from a prophet, all claims to kingship were less credible.
As for the temple, the general pattern was that prophets tended to be more critical of the religious orthodoxy of the temple priests. They were not necessarily enemies, per se, but they tended to oppose many of the temple practices, and expressed their hopes for reformation of the temple.
As for their societal role, the prophets of God always championed the people. They were very outspoken against the often times pattern of tyrannical oppression done displayed by the kings of the time. Most often, the prophets represented an ideological hope for the people, especially those of the lower unprivileged classes. It was not unusual for a prophet to be supported by the lower classes as well.
Sources:
http://www.heraldmag.org/literature/quest_9.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/prophet.htm
http://www.awitness.org/lostmess/poet.html
http://bible.gen.nz/amos/prophets.htm
