School of the prophets

There is power in numbers, a wise man once said. Irons sharpens iron, said another. It is true that in the walk of the prophetic, finding oneself in a company of prophets is key to the journey of growth. This thing is by tribe – you vibe with your tribe. Your fellow prophets not only serve as a safety net, a company of people who flow in the same way as you and therefore understand you, they also serve to stretch  and challenge you and provide a safe space in which to bounce ideas and learnings.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to the matter of training one’s gift in prophetic school. Whilst some people (such as myself) have no qualms whatsoever about it, others are completely opposed to the idea, being of the view that the gift is freely given by the Holy Spirit therefore He alone should train the prophet. Whilst it is true that the ultimate privilege of refining the prophet’s signature thumbprint belongs to the Holy Spirit alone, it is equally true that God Himself has equipped the sons of men and bestowed upon some the gift of teaching.  

The conversation is not made any easier by conflicting scriptures which at face value, appear to support both opposing views. In the book of Amos for example, we see the prophet Amos vehemently rejecting the idea that he could possibly belong to a school of prophets.

Amos 7 : 14

But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees.”  

The explanation given by some translations is that Amos meant that he did not make his living as a prophet, nor was he a member of a group of prophets (or a prophet’s son or disciple). Amos the herdsman and gatherer of sycamore fruit, seems keen to distance himself from association with professional prophets because at the time, the latter had discredited themselves by flattering national vanities and ignoring the misdeeds of prominent men. In other words, he was making it clear that he was not part of the circle of “professional” prophets, many of whom were attached to the courts of kings.

In stark contrast, in the book of Samuel, we come across an erstwhile group of prophets (interchangeably referred to as a company or school of prophets). 1 Samuel 19 to 24 relates an account in which King Saul sends messengers to arrest David. However, when the King’s men encountered a company of prophets under Samuel’s leadership, they also prophesied. This happened three times. Saul himself then went, and he, too, ended up prophesying all day and night in the presence of Samuel!

1 Samuel 19 : 18-24

So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time. Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.

“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.

But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

It is evident that this particular group of prophets comprised students under the leadership and training of the prophet Samuel. Naioth at Ramah has also been referred to by scholars as the physical location of this school.

In the book of 2 Kings, we see repeated references to other groups of prophets. These groups appear to be following Elijah and his protégé Elisha with keen, if hilarious - and slightly annoying for Elisha - interest. In 2 Kings 2 : 3, the group of prophets from Bethel asks Elisha “did you know that the Lord is going to take your master away from you today?” In verse 5 of the same, a group of prophets from Jericho came to Elisha and repeated the same question, “Did you know that the Lord is going to take your master way from you today?” Twice Elisha issues the brusque response, “Of course I know! Be quiet about it!”

In verse 7, fifty men from the group of prophets watch from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stop beside the Jordan river. This is just before Elijah is carried off by a whirlwind into heaven. This group of prophets are fortunate enough to see Elisha by the power of God divide the waters of the river Jordan. It is they who exclaim, “the spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha!” Elisha, under tremendous pressure to launch a search party in case the Spirit of the Lord has deposited Elijah “upon some mountain or in some valley”, reluctantly sends the 50 to search for Elijah for three days – to no avail, obviously.

In 2 Kings 4 : 38 to 41, Elisha miraculously changes an inedible stew of poisonous wild gourds into an edible dish for the group of prophets. What we see through these scriptures is that it was quite common for prophets to form and live together in communities; the sons of prophets who worshipped the Lord. This leads us to understand that there were possibly other schools of prophets dotted about the land, hubs of men devoted to the Lord and serving Him faithfully to convey His word in season. They followed the teachings of their spiritual fathers such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha, and were known as their students.

Context is everything. It is erroneous to assume that the words of the prophet Amos apply to every situation. Not only is it an error, it is dangerous to take such thoughts to a wider platform particularly where one has not themselves tried to undergo any sort of training! As we can see from the background provided, in Amos’s particular situation, it was imperative that he distance himself from any suggestion that he could have received training as a professional prophet. Given the misdeeds of this cadre of prophets, this was Amos’s way of maintaining his own prophetic purity; stating clearly that he was called by God and only carried the word of the Lord. In other words, his message was unadulterated. This context was specific to Amos and a handful of other prophets. In modern day era, many leaders of the schools of the prophets have come under attack from the church and other factions because some people mistakenly subscribe to the thinking that it is not possible to train a prophet. As one who has experienced exponential growth in the gift, not to mention camaraderie and genuine friendship arising from this company, I beg to differ. Of course it goes without saying that the Holy Spirit Himself will lead you to the company in which He wishes to nurture your gift.  

Let us exercise wisdom and discernment in our approach to situations. If the school of prophets is not for you, then that is your personal situation and not a doctrine to be adopted by all. However, as we can see from tracing back through the old testament, there is a strong case for training in a community of prophets. Many have benefitted immensely from immersing themselves in prophetic company. Just as scripture says let each man work out his own salvation, I too would say, let each prophet (with the leading of the Holy Spirit) walk out his own prophetic journey.

Stay blessed.