Introduction: Are Old Testament prophets different from New Testament prophets, or different than prophets who lived after the Bible was completed? Common sense suggests that they are different. When the only source of information from God on a topic was the prophet (as in some of the Old Testament), it was critical the prophet brought a true message. But as the Bible was completed, followers of God had a reliable basis on which to test whether a person claiming to be a prophet was speaking consistently with the way that God had acted in the past. This is not simply a matter of common sense. Joel 2 seems to describe large numbers of last day prophets which suggests that the relatively few Old Testament prophets carried a heavy responsibility to correctly state God’s will. Let’s jump into our study of the Old Testament prophets!
I. Are Old Testament Prophets Like Us?
A. Read James 5:15-16. Should you confess your sins to a priest to be forgiven? What about confession to another person that you trust? (Verse 16 speaks of confessing sins to another person.)
B. Read Psalms 51:1-4. Against whom does David say that we sin? (Our sins are “only” against God. It is God that forgives sin. That means that confessing sins to another person does not result in forgiveness.)
1. Does that seem right to you? David has just committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. Some might rightly say David sinned against them. (There may be victims of our sins, but sin itself is against God. Only God can forgive us.)
a. Read Numbers 5:6-7. When there are victims of our sin, what must we do? (We need to make restitution. In David’s situation there was no practical restitution other than caring for Bathsheba.)
b. So what is James talking about when he writes that we should confess our sins to other humans? (James is likely telling us that if we share our challenges with others, they can pray for us.)
C. Read James 5:17-18. What does Elijah have to do with James’ discussion about sharing our challenges with other Christians? (James’ sudden reference to Elijah seems jolting until you realize that James is talking about the power of another Christian praying for you. Elijah’s prayer experience shows the absolute power of prayer. Fire came down from heaven when Elijah prayed. He prayed and it did not rain for three years. He prayed again and it rained!)
D. Look again at James 5:17. He writes that Elijah was “a man with a nature like” us. What is James saying about our prayers? (James is saying that we are like Elijah. We too can have powerful answers to our prayers.)
E. Read James 5:19-20. What does James suggest should be one target of your prayers? (Those who have left the faith.)
F. Read 1 Kings 19:2-4. After Elijah defeated the 450 prophets of Baal, and called down fire from heaven to prove that God was the only God, Elijah is now frightened, running away, and hoping to die. Why do you think that is recorded in the Bible? (This is James’ point. Elijah was in many ways an ordinary person who was doing extraordinary things for God through prayer. You can do great things for God just like the Old Testament prophet Elijah.)
II. Micaiah the True Prophet
A. Read 1 Kings 22:2-5. What is the relationship between the kings of Judah and Israel at this point in time? (They are friendly. They are allies.)
1. Who seems more spiritual? (Jehoshaphat. He wants direction from God for any battle plan.)
B. Read 1 Kings 22:6-7. What more does Jehoshaphat need? He has 400 prophetic voices saying that God will give them the victory? (Apparently Jehoshaphat has some doubts. God’s truth is not a matter of numbers. Lately, I’ve been hearing speakers say that they are speaking with a “prophetic voice,” and I’m rather sure they are not speaking for God.)
C. Read 1 Kings 22:8-9. Ahab is the King of Israel. Why does Ahab not mention Micaiah to Jehoshaphat? (He hates him because Micaiah never says anything good about Ahab.)
D. Ahab sent for Micaiah. Read 1 Kings 22:13-14. What does this say about Micaiah’s character?
E. Read 1 Kings 22:15. Have we learned that Micaiah’s character is not so sterling? He has reconsidered being the lone dissenter?
F. Read 1 Kings 22:16-18. How would you explain this? Ahab does not want to hear from Micaiah because he always says things Ahab does not want to hear. But now Ahab urges Micaiah to “tell the truth?” (Micaiah is not serious. I doubt that Micaiah decided to abandon his principles. Ahab is also not serious when he says that he has been telling Micaiah to tell the truth. Ahab did not want to hear from Micaiah.)
G. Read 1 Kings 22:19-22. How does Micaiah rebut the King’s statement that he always says bad things about the King? (Micaiah says his advice will save Ahab.)
1. If God wants Ahab dead, why is Micaiah warning him? (Perhaps this shows us that prophecy concerning judgment can also be a warning. Ahab now knows exactly what will happen if he proceeds. His death is not caused by ignorance of God’s will, but by his decision to disregard it.)
H. Read 1 Kings 22:26-28. If Micaiah is telling the truth about the will of God, then he will suffer in prison for the foreseeable future! Why would Ahab order that? (Either he is being ornery or he thinks that Micaiah has the power to change Ahab’s future.)
I. Read 1 Kings 22:34-35. Ahab dies, just as Micaiah predicted. What lessons does this teach us about true Old Testament prophets? (They may not be popular. They may suffer for their true prophecies. However, they are speaking for God!)
III. Huldah the Prophetess
A. Read 2 Kings 22:3-5. What project does Josiah have in mind? (He decides, while still a young man, to repair God’s temple in Jerusalem.)
B. Read 2 Kings 22:8-10. While repairing the temple, what has been found? (The “Book of the Law.” There is some dispute over what was found, but it might have been the entire Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.)
C. Read 2 Kings 22:11-13. Was it a good thing that they found the Book of the Law? (King Josiah found that they were violating God’s will and that the Book of the Law forecast bad things for those who disobeyed.)
D. Read 2 Kings 22:14. Huldah is a female prophet. This brings up the issue of a prophet being the only source of information from God when there are no written texts. Why are the people so out of step with God? Is it because the Book of the Law has been lost and the prophetess has said nothing? (We don’t know that she said nothing. The truth certainly surprises King Josiah. The Bible Knowledge Commentary says that the well-known prophets Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and perhaps Nahum and Habakkuk also lived at this time.)
E. Read 2 Kings 22:15-17. Would the people need the Book of the Law or a prophet to know that they should not make offerings to other gods? (The fact that the Book of the Law is lost is due to the negligence of God’s people. Their lack of respect for the Book of the Law is likely a reflection of their lack of respect for God’s prophets.)
F. Read 2 Kings 22:18-20. How will King Josiah be treated because he is anxious to obey God? (He will not experience the coming destruction.)
IV. Jeremiah and False Prophets
A. Read Jeremiah 14:13-14. Jeremiah tells God about the false prophets. How does God describe the false prophets? (He says that they are lying.)
B. Look again at verse 14. What do you think “the deceit of their own minds” means? (The false prophets are lying, but they may have deceived themselves as well.)
C. Friend, it was not easy to be an Old Testament prophet. They had weaknesses like ours, but through the power of God they could do great things. Will you pray that God will allow you to do great things through His power?
V. Next week: New Testament Prophets.
Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.
