The Prophet, the servant of God
A prophet is a servant of God appointed by Him to prophesy regularly and have a recognized leadership role among His people (2Chr 20:20, 1Co 14:29, 12:28,29, Eph 4:11). Prophets continuously receive and report God's immediate messages concerning the past, present, or future. They possess a natural and supernatural ability to perceive farther, quicker, clearer, and more specifically than the average believer, and they are compelled to communicate what they perceive (Jer 20:9, Am 3:8, 1Co 14:29). They are much more than just "perceptive", which anyone can be. They are remarkably perceptive in a supernatural way, exceeding the typical keen person. Perception styles vary from prophet to prophet.
From the very beginning of time God has used certain faithful followers to be His prophets. Abel, the fourth human on the earth, was a prophet (Lk 11:50,51). All throughout the Old Testament era God used prophets (Lk 11:50,51). During the first-century church God used prophets (Ac 11:27, 13:1, 1Co 12:28, Eph 4:11). And up until the very end of time He will still be using prophets (Rev 11:3, 18:20, 19:10). True prophets, then, are servants of God appointed by Him to prophesy regularly and have a recognized leadership role among His people.
Contemporary, New Testament prophets are to have a normalcy like anyone else. They do not wear animal-skins, live in the wild, eat bugs, never shave, walk with a staff, smell funny, wear cardboard signs of gloom-n-doom, and talk in King James English--at least they shouldn't. The average person is apprehensive of prophet-types because of such Old Testament personas and present-day religious weirdos. Keep in mind, Jewish prophets ministered within Jewish cultural idiosyncrasies, during an ancient time-period, under Mosaic law, for the ultimate purpose of establishing the Old Testament Scriptures. Also keep in mind, weirdos exist in every area of life, not just the religious and mystical.
Contemporary, New Testament prophets are much different, at least the mature. They minister within a multi-ethnic global culture, during a modernized era, under a grace covenant, and for the ultimate purpose of invigorating the church through Spirit-initiated, situational messages. Today's prophets should be as winsome as a friendly evangelist, warm pastor, or approachable teacher. The validation of a true prophet is not in his or her ability to be weird, hyperjudgmental, alienating, antisocial, or "out there", but rather in the undeniable precision, authority, and God-effect of their words on people.
The burden of the Lord Perhaps the greatest hallmark of a prophet is what Scripture calls "the burden of the Lord". Prophets carry one or more very specific burdens from the Lord. These burdens are weighty concerns preoccupying the Lord's heart, concerns that the prophetic communication addresses and seeks to resolve. These prophetic burdens can last for days, months, or years, until the word accomplishes its purpose, or the concern is resolved, or the Lord discharges that prophet from his communicative responsibility.
The Old Testament Hebrew word for "burden" is massa. It can refer to a physical burden, something carried by an animal (Ex 23:5) or person (Jer 17:21,22). It can refer to a responsibility/stewardship (Num 11:11,17) or emotional preoccupation (2Sam 15:33). It can even refer to a financial obligation (Neh 10:31) or sin (Ps 38:4). Of the sixty-six times massa is used, thirty refer to the burden of the Lord, or a weighty concern God wants addressed and resolved (2Ki 9:25, 1Chr 15:22,22,27, 2Chr 24:27, Pr 30:1, 31:1, Isa 13:1, 14:28, 15:1, 17:1, 19:1, 21:1,11,13, 22:1, 23:1, 30:6, Jer 23:33,33,34,36,36, 38,38,38, Eze 12:10, Nah 1:1, Hab 1:1, Zec 9:1, 12:1, Mal 1:1). Interestingly, the massa can even be communicated in song (1Chr 15:22,27 KJV "song"). Sometimes massa is translated in our English Bibles as "oracle" or "prophecy" or something similar, therefore we can miss the rich "burden" connotation without deeper study.
Though the New Testament does not specifically use the phrase "burden of the Lord", we can deduce it from a few passages. Consider Agabus and the weighty message he carried concerning the severe famine to come. It would affect the entire Roman world and his own church family in Judea (Ac 11:27-30). He traveled all the way from Jerusalem to Antioch to deliver the message. And how about the weighty message he carried about Paul (21:10,11)? Again Agabus traveled from Judea, this time to Caesarea, to deliver the word. We read of Agabus prophesying, but we do not read of his own feelings, reactions, and heaviness in the prophetic process. We can be certain though, Agabus possessed the burden of the Lord in both situations, and I'm sure many others.
Why a burden? Prophets are indispensable to God's program. We need them. We need their disclosure of God's attitude in the moment. They were God's exclusive representatives in the Old Testament (2Pet 3:2), they head up the important ministry lists in the New Testament (1Cor 12:28 and Eph 4:11), they directly engage the evil system of "Babylon" (Rev 18:20), and they declare the gospel testimony of Christ in astutely Spirit-led ways (19:10). Consequently, God must burden and stress the very personality of His prophets with His weighty messages to ensure their delivery. The prophetic burden enables the prophet to override fear and reluctance to speak with superhuman confidence (Jer 20:9, 1:17), to intercede with astonishing results (1:9,10), to push through and surpass all opposition (20:7-13, 1:18,19), and to do whatever is within his capacity to accomplish the burden's initiative (1:9,10). The burden drives him.
For more information on the life, ministry and office of the prophet, visit JDM Prophetic Ministries
