Fact and value of prophecy in ancient Israel: Socio-ethical and political implications for Nigerian national development

Abstract

Presently, our country is ripe for transformation in reference to matters involving socio-political liberation. Nigeria's socio-political life is bedeviled with lack of focus, unrighteousness, and lack of integrity. Religious clerics, especially prophets with divine authority, occupy a significant position in every nation to assist in making concrete efforts towards curbing these problems. In its functional relationship to social stability, prophetic ministry, as observed in ancient Israelite culture, is saddled with the responsibility of challenging and rebuking the erring members of the societies, calling them to repentance, encouraging the penitent along God's unmerited mercy, telling the impervious about the divine judgment, and unveiling the mind of God and the possible future event, among other things. However, Nigeria prophetic ministry today has been suffused with corrupt practices. It is therefore mandatory for the church today to be awake to her roles in these capacities. The Church needs to urgently enhance her effectiveness in fulfilling this aspect of her mission. Through the lens of socio critical realism, the paper explores the fact and values of prophecy, as preserved in ancient Israel, in Nigerian context. Biblical texts were the primary data. The texts were subjected to textual criticism. Historical-critical method was utilized in the interpretation of the Biblical texts; the work recommended prophetic revolution as sine qua non for attaining the desired goals.

Keywords

Fact and value prophecy ancient Israel Nigerian national development

Introduction

The current political, economic, religious and social tension in Nigeria calls for deep and courageous reflections (Anthony, 2018). This reality has created a quest for a new society where, freedom, Justice, love and faithful stewardship in government reigns. Our national problems are many such as embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, unemployment, poverty, injustice, ethnicity, religious violence, political thuggery, kidnaping and assassination, armed robbery, child labor, drug peddling, monetization of the gospel and among others. Addressing these social vices, Nigerian prophets have roles to play. Dada aligned with this submission when he said:

That prophecy can regulate and control human behaviour is evident in the fact that those who have been living carelessly may, by the prompting or fear of those bad things predicted, turn a new leaf in order to avert the predicted calamities. Murderers, thieves and rouges have been known to change from their wicked ways as a result of specific prediction on the consequences of their actions on their destinies (Dada, 2018: 190).

In ancient Israel, prophecy was a prominent phenomenon and prophetic tradition predominantly focused on Israel's socio-political and religious life, thereby becoming a pivotal institution and vital tradition. In the similar vein, the role of prophet and prophecy in actualizing our desired and envisioned ‘change’ in Nigeria cannot be downplayed as Nigeria's socio-political situation is not different from that in which the Israelite prophets functioned.

Prophet, prophecy and prophesy: Conceptual exploration

The basic and common Hebrew word for prophet in Old Testament is nabil’. Many attempts have been made to ascertain the etymological meaning of this term, but there is no common agreement among the scholars. There are four different schools of thought suggesting the possible root meaning of the term “prophet”. One, the noun is from Arabic naba’a, meaning “to proclaim” or “to announce”, and hence, the Hebrew noun nabhi’ “Prophet” literally means a “spokesman” or “speaker”. This Arabic root, according to the proponents, simply denotes an agent of another who has some special communication to deliver.

Two, the noun is from Hebrew verb nabba’, meaning “to prophesy”, denoting one “who is the speaker as instrument of another, viz. God”. Three, the noun is from Akkadian verb nabu, meaning “to call” or “to speak”. The advocate of this view could not agree on whether the etymological meaning of the word should be considered passive or active. Four, the noun is from an unknown Semitic root, appearing to be most likely tenable. The verbal root nabha’ “to prophesy”, used in the Old Testament, is unquestionable a demonstrative from the noun nabhi’ “Prophet”. However, it would be difficult to determine the precise meaning of this verb on philosophical ground alone since the root from which nabhi’ is derived does not itself occur in the Old Testament. Therefore, it is only the usage that can determine the meaning.

The Old Testament usage has fortunately provided the knowledge of the meaning of the term “Prophet”. It clarifies the meaning of nabhi’ as one who speaks for God. The function of the prophet is to speak forth the divine message. This consideration is also given in Septuagint translation of nabhi’, because the Greek noun Prophetes is derived from a preposition pro “to speak”, hence, “to speak for or on behalf of another”. Other passages in Old Testament support this fact. When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, God told him “Whatever I shall command thee thou shall speak” (Jer. 1:7). In chapter 15:19, the prophet is described by the Lord as one who stands before Him and “shall be as my mouth”. The false prophets are described as they who speak out of their own heart and “not out of the mouth of Yahweh (Isa. 1:20). These clearly indicate that the Primary function of the prophet was to prophesy, that is “to speak the message which God had revealed unto him”. Two other terms which appear to be synonymous with nabhi’ “prophet” are “seer”. The terms for “seer” are considered earlier than nabhi’; and while the terms for “seer” speak of the receptive aspect, the term for “prophet” points to the communicative function. From the forgoing, it could be deduced that the prophet is one who is called, sanctified and divinely vehicle through whom God reveals His will to people.

Prophecy, from the linguistic point of view, is the word spoken by a prophet, and a major duty of a prophet is to “prophecy”, which is the verbal sense of the word “prophet” and “Prophecy”. Prophecy is the faculty and practice of prophesying in order to avoid linguistic muddle, is expedient to clarify that “prophet” is the proper noun, “prophecy” is an abstract while “prophesy” is the verb. In the common parlance, prophecy is often considered synonymous with prediction, focusing on the future. However, predictive prophecy is just an aspect of prophecy. This is sufficiently confirmed from the word of Dada that:

Predictive prophecy, in Old Testament perspective, has to do with foretelling aspect of prophecy. Prophecy in ancient Israel, as enunciated in the extant prophetic tradition, is a combination of forthtelling and foretelling, that is, a combination of prediction and proclamation. (Dada, 2018: 180).

In the Old Testament, history and prophecy are closely related. In other word, the history and religion of Israel are fundamentally prophetic.

The origin and development of prophecy in ancient Israel

Israel and the ancient Near East

The history and religion of Israel cannot be studied and understood in isolation from the overall context of the ancient Near East. Prophecy and allied phenomena had long been known in some ancient Near Eastern cultures before it surfaced in Israel. The ancient Near East comprises of groups of several heterogeneous geographical areas, clustered around the point where Asia, Africa and Europe meet which include Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt and others. In the ancient Near East, we have diverse of kingdoms, nations, religions and cultures each of which had their socio-cultural and religious peculiarities. In the recent past, attempts have been made by some scholars to diverst Israel of any influence by their immediate and distant neighbors. Scholars who take this position stake claims on the fact that Israel's faith is unique and in essence, superior to that of her neighbors. This position is however deficient in the light of anthropological insight and archaeological discovery in the ancient Near East. It is widely observed that the discovery of the ancient Near East has shed significant light on the biblical stories. Long before the first biblical writings, the people of the ancient Near East had developed extensive literatures. These literatures from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, and Anatolia were writing in the favored languages of the literate circles where they were composed. There were sizeable bodies of texts in the Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Old Babylonian, Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Persian, Aramaic and Hittite languages. These texts employ a striking variety of literary forms or types so that the range of literary types in the Hebrew Bible can be illustrated with plentiful examples from other literatures contemporary with the Bible. Magnus Magnusson confirmed that:

The Bible does not exist in a vacuum. It was written long after the early events it purports to record, and only by understanding of the culture context in which it was written, can we gain a clearer understanding of the work as a whole. To this end, we must study the people and civilization around ancient Israel and not just the story of the ‘Holy Land’ alone (Magnusson, 1977: 8).

This position is well reinforced by Afred in his observation that:

When the Hebrews moved into Palestine they settled on the land bridged between Egypt and Mesopotamia, the major power bases in the ancient Near East. Consequently, Israel was exposed not only to local Canaanite culture but also to the cultural and political pressures of neighbouring nations. Israel did not function within a vacuum, and as the interrelationship with different cultures are further revealed through archaeological discoveries, the implications of many Bible texts may become clearer. (Afred, 1998: 7)

Though, it is not always possible to arrive at a conclusive interpretation of the similarities and differences that exist between Israelite culture and that of her neighboures, there is no doubt that in the process of interaction Israel must have been influenced, and that an excursion into the prophetic tradition in the ancient Near Eastern cultures will surely be insightful for our understanding of prophetism in ancient Israel.

Prophecy in ancient Israel

Prophetism spans the length of Israelite history, and prophecy is a continuous phenomenon in the common life and consciousness of the people. From the historic antecedent of the Israelites, people believed in the possibility of hearing from Yahweh through human medium. Thus the bible recognized the existence of some men and women who were called by God to deliver His will in particular situation to people in form of message of rebuke, warning, encouragement and restoration (Iyanda, 2018: 119). In biblical era, Israelite prophets occupied an important position in the nation. They were very influential and their works covered a long period, starting from Moses in Pentateuch till the end of Old Testament dispensation (Sobayejo, 2018). Prophets were powerful leaders of religious, social and political lives of the people. Though prophetic office was not hereditary neither was the office determined by human choice or human ancestral lineage, they occupied a distinct position in the hierarchy of Israel's leadership structure comprising religious, social and political leadership (Asha, 2018: 222). In the historical development of Old Testament prophecy, two general periods appear: the era of the pre-canonical prophets and the era of the canonical prophets (Hobart, 1968: 101). The pre-canonical prophets were those who came before 9th century B.C and left no written records of their prophetic messages. The Old Testament speaks of ancient prophets after Abel and before Moses like Enoch and Noah. Besides, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and perhaps other patriarchs are generally considered as prophets of Old Testament era (Gen. 20:7; Ps 105:15). In the Mosiac period, Moses (Deut. 18:9–22), Miriam (Exd. 15:20) and Aaron (Exd. 7:1), her brother, were also called prophets. In judges 4:4, Deborah is called prophetess. From was considered the founder of the prophetic institution which was to be formally organized later under Samuel (Rukevbe Egbagba, 2020). The development of Israel's prophecy as an institution is varied, complex and is divide into two classes. In one class are outstanding individual such as Samuel, Elijah, Amos, Isaiah and Jeremiah. The other group is composed of those who are called “sons of the Prophets”, whose work was undertaken primarily in bands or companies (Iyanda, 2018: 121).

The time or period in which the prophetic movement was mediated to Israel is quite unknown. In fact, the origin of many Israelite cultural traditions had been lost in the haze of the early oral tradition. And any attempt to trace the history of these traditions is handicapped by the relative paucity and selective nature of Old Testament historical sources. But this is never a critical issue for our understanding prophetism and prophetic narratives in Israel. This is because a close study on Israel's prophetic institution reveals that it employs the characteristic modes, with little peculiarity of all Near Eastern nations as available and applicable to all people.

Prophets as religious functionaries

The goal of the prophets in ancient Israel was to return the people back to Yahweh. They were the divinely appointed moral and ethical preachers and teachers of spiritual religion, calling the nation to obedience in conformity to the Mosaic Law. They fearlessly rebuked vices, idolatry, infidelity, oppression, unfaithfulness, iniquity and social, moral and political corruption where it was to be found. Similarly, they were known for prediction of future events concerning the nation of Israel, the Gentiles and Messianic age to come. The prediction of future was never merely to demonstrate that God knows the future, not to satisfy man's curiosity, but there was always a definite purposeful revelation in connection with the prophecy. Predictive prophecy was concerned with judgment, salvation, the Messiah and His Kingdom. In ancient Israel, the worship of Yahweh remained the center of Israelite religion. However, with the settlement in Canaan, Israelites were greatly influenced. The result was that their religion became syncretic in character. It was then difficult to differentiate between the worship of Yahweh and elemental gods of Canaan. The Prophets, as religious reformers, saw the picture differently. To them, the Exodus event remains most significant in the history of Israel. They therefore reminded the people that there was a dire consequence for rejecting Yahweh to follow after other gods. Also, in pre-classical prophetism, especially in Elijah – Elisha legends, the prophets were portrayed as miracle workers and healers. In some instances, Elijah and Elisha raised the dead, healed the sick and also restored life and vitality to the nation after long drought.

Prophecy as a medium of social change

Prophecy is a social phenomenon – an activity carried on among and between people within a specific society, and which conforms to the social norms operative of such people (Dada, 2018: 179). One of the functions of prophecy in ancient Israel was that served as a medium for instituting social change and reforms. From the extant Israelite prophetic tradition, it is evident that the prophets were agents of social change. They were not social isolationists or like monks of the medival period who believed that the best way to bring about social change was to withdraw from the society. Rather, ancient Israelite prophets confronted social problems headlong. They earnestly longed for social transformation. Understanding the social structure of Israel before and when the prophets came on the scene will help in appreciating their role as agents of social change. The system of government in Israel before the advent of the monarchy was a loose form of government, just like the Greek Amphictyony. At this time, power resided with the tribal leaders, and everyone had right and claim to the land based on the inheritance rights. But, with the change of government to monarchy the social structure became complex. With its stringent taxation and land acquisition program, this policy of the government negatively affected the poor peasants. The former peasant landowners gradually became tenants on their land. The bourgeois, that is, the members of the middle class, the capitalists, who engaged in industrial commercial enterprise in the city, became oppressive and lived in excessive luxury and opulence at the expense of the poor. Hence, the rich were becoming richer and the poor were becoming poorer. This was the situation when the prophets emerged on the socio-political scene. So, as advocates for the poor, the prophets demanded a change of heart on the part of the oppressors (Adagbade, 2018).

Prophets as agents of social justice

Israelite prophets, as social critics, also functioned as agents of justice. They condemned the Kings, judges, and rulers who perverted justice. That Israelite prophets were committed to the cause of the poor was explicitly established in the story of Elijah condemning King Ahab's illegal acquisition of Naboth's vineyard. Prophets, sometimes, set in motion the wheel for the change of oppressive government. The support of prophet Ahijah for Jeroboam against Solomon was a tacit confirmation of the prophet's opposition to Solomon's oppressive rule (1Kings 11:32). Prophet Amos was also known for his message of social justice. In all these, we see the function of the prophets as agents of justice (Familusi, 2018).

Prophets as military strategists

Prophets, in ancient Israel, were not just religious figures, but were sometimes functioned as advisers, influencing military strategies and national survival. However, they should not be pictured as generals who draw battle plans; they were often concerned more about shaping why, when and whether Israel went to war, rather than how battles were fought. In other words, most of the wars fought in ancient Israel had one prophet or the other as their stratetegist. In fact, the institution of monarchy is replete with the vital military roles of prophets. Kings often inquired whether or not to embark on a battle from the prophets. The roles of Prophets in ancient Israel can be observed as followed:

Strategic Advisors to Kings – Prophets like Samuel, Elijah and Elisha usually advised kings before military campaigns. Kings often consulted them to decide whether they could go to war or not; they predicted the outcome of a battle, as well as interpreting political threats as God's judgment or opportunity. Elisha, for instance, gave the king of Israel intelligence about enemies’ movements (2 Kings 6), acting effectively as a source of strategic reconnaissance.

Psychological and Intelligent Warfare – Actions of some Prophets resemble psychological and intelligent tactics. Prophets, at times, could reinforce the moral of people as well as undermining enemies by declaring victory in advance. Prophet Samuel directed King Saul in military campaigns, framing the battles as God's ordain missions.

Ethical and Theological Considerations on Warfare – Prophets, unlike typical military strategists, often imposed moral and theological limits on warfare in ancient Israel. War was allowed or justified only under certain conditions, especially if it is commanded by God. Disobedience to divine instruction, according to Prophets, could invalidate victory. In 1Samuel 15, Prophet Samuel rebuked King Saul for failure to fully carry out instructions in battle, framing it as a strategic and spiritual failure.

Decision-Making and Timing – Timing is critical warfare, and could be influenced by Prophets of Israel. In 2Kings 19, King Hezekiah was advised by Prophets Isaiah during the battle with Assyrians, encouraging resistance rather than surrender. Military campaigns could be delayed or accelerated by prophetic messages, based on perceived divine will. Ahab and Jehoshaphat Kings of Israel and Judah respectively inquired of the Lord before going for war against common enemy. Prophets also gave military advice, even when it was not solicited (1 Kings 20:13 −34; 2Chron. 20; Isa. 37:21). Similarly, Yahweh, through the prophets, supplied the strategies which accounted for the defeat enemies.

Leadership and War Legitimized – Prophets often played a role of anointing Kings, framing wars as legitimate or illegitimate, as seen in Samuel anointing David. This Prophetic influence has huge implications as it affects troop's loyalty, unity and public support.

However, it should be noted that Prophets in ancient Israel were not always pro-war; crucially, they were anti-war voices. Prophet Jeremiah encouraged Israel to surrender to Babylon to avoid destruction, Prophet Amos condemned war and warned of consequences. In other word, Prophets sometimes argued against fighting when it was politically unnecessary. It should also be observed that, in ancient Israel, Prophets functioned less like battlefield commanders but more like advisors, sources of intelligence, moral critics and political influencers.

Prophets and prophecies in Nigerian context

The previous sections of this work have afforded us the opportunity to establish the functions of prophets and prophecy in ancient Israel, revealing that prophecy had always stood conspicuously in the religious, socio-economic and political life of the Israelites. Over the years, the church in Nigeria has been regarded as the conscience of the society, and within the church disposition, the prophetic arm is highly bequeathed with this onerous task (Ugwu, 2009). Abioje confirmed that:

One of the most significant achievements of the biblical scholarship in the nineteenth century was the rediscovery of prophecy as distinctive religious categories. (Abioje, 2017: 26).

However, in contract with popular prophetic Jewish tradition, many scholars have noted how prophecy in the recent time has suffered a substantial set-back. It is apparent in our society today that prophecy is thriving, yet evil and vices are thriving. Ironically, the proportion with which prophethood is growing is also the proportion at which evils grow in our country – this certainly calls for historical reflections.

Nigerian situation and the need for prophetic revolution

The prophetic ministry in Nigeria today has been riddled with immorality and abnormal behaviour. The country is blessed with great men of God who are true to their calling and exhibit heavenly wisdom. However, with no mechanism for self-correction, self-study or self-understanding and no commitment to theology, sound theology anchored on a sound and balanced biblical worldview, the stage is set for the creation of a monstrosity, “a religion divorced from earnest and lofty thought that has always down to the whole history of the church, tended to become weak, jejune and unwholesome” (Adefisioye, 2017). In the recent time, the media has been filled with stories of terrible crimes committed by some supposed clerics in the country. It is either they involved in one fraudulent act or the other, or they are charged for sexual assault against their members. Instead of ministering to the needs of these people who come seeking solution to their problems, some ‘pastors’ or ‘prophets’ take advantage of them. They twist the scriptures to exploit their victims, with all kinds of false theology. They pronounced false theology. They pronounce false prophecies to draw attentions to themselves. Predictive aspect of prophecy nowadays has become highly lucrative in Nigeria, a society densely populated with gullible worshipers. This prophetic hallucination also hurts in Nigerian politics, as the country's socio-political landscape is wantonly besieged by a barrage prophecies, prophetic postulations and calculations which often exacerbate tension, spreading confusion among the populace.

The role of genuine prophet should center on challenging and rebuking the erring people in the nation with wisdom irrespective of their position or status. However, it is quite perilous today to find Nigerian prophets, I mean those considered the faithful few, soiling their prophetic personality by the ungodly relationship with corrupt influential people, including political leaders (Familusi, 2018). Regrettably, instead of rebuking these people of their legion of evils, some prophets even arrange for prayers for them, asking God to bless them more – the action which is highly orchestrated by the desire to earn a living from them. Thus, the question on whether socio-political life of Nigerians nowadays is shattered because of religious decline is unnecessary. In fact, creating a society free of corruption and violence that fosters appreciation for human dignity, quality of life and national development will remain a nightmare if prophetic recklessness in Nigeria is not urgently checked.

The role of prophecy in biblical leadership

Corruption, as earlier noted, is the main problem in Nigeria. Scholars have traced the origin, nature and effects of this abysmal vice to political sphere. Oke Opined that:

Political corruption appears to be the fountain, the source and the unavoidable mover of other corruption and once it is allowed to flourish, there will be extreme difficulty in tackling other manifestations of corruption. (Oke, 2012: 89)

In his view, Itebiye sees corruption as a persistent phenomenon in Nigeria since the creation of the modern public Administration in the country (Itebiye, 2016: 319). There have been cases of official misuse of funds and resources. The rise of public Administration and the discovery of oil and gas are considered by some scholars as starting point the increase in socio-political corruption in the country. In 2014 result on corruption ranking, Nigeria was ranked 136 out of 174 surveyed countries being 38^th most corrupt country in the world, scoring 28% in the Confidence Interval (C.I.). This implies that Nigeria fails when it comes to transparency in the country. It is quite disheartening that this report was highly celebrated in the government circles (Itebiye, 2016: 3–19). But the worst aspect of this matter is the role the Nigerian prophet and leaders of the church have chosen to play. This ranges from absolute silence in the face of the depravity, wantonness, impunity and licentious decadence, to monetizing religious services. In other word, it is either the clerics see no wrong in what the corrupt leaders are doing and remain indifferent, or take pleasure in visiting government houses, being allies and associate to top Government official and politicians, worshiping on the altar of benefits and sponsorship system and encouraging theft by requesting for and accepting hefty donations from public officials.

This nation needs true prophets of God who will, through austere disposition, spearhead political revolution. This is possible because public prophecies, beliefs and expectations have become an integral part of Nigerian situations today. Thus the influence of prophecies in Nigerian politics nowadays cannot be overemphasized. Being in power create it own uncertainty its own fear and worries; therefore, Nigerian prophets, through their creeming headlines in prophecies that catch the attention of politicians and big businessmen and powerful people, can occasion some positive socio-political consequences in this nation.

Prophecy and social justice

Justice is the bedrock of a healthy nation. Prophet of justice like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Amos made it clear that justice is what human beings need for a healthy and friendly relationship in the society. the rational for Amos’ prophecy is that he had truly observed that the administration of justice had been bitter and nauseous by the top officials and rich people in the land, which was displeasing to God and man. Oppression of the poor, as rampant in Amos’ time was seen as injustice (Alagi, 2018). Similarly, that Nigerian government, from all indications, does not put the poor and the disadvantaged into consideration today is an act of injustice. The government police does not really favor the poor people. The poor are marginalized because they don’t have a voice and because they go into all kinds of social vices. Prophets in this country can help influence political leaders. Through their valued prophetic ministry, turning appears to be an incredibly high sense of devotion to the cult of material prosperity and material success towards the spiritual values of truth, justice and purity. Ugwu observed that:

“If biblical leadership will ever be attained in Nigeria, the Nigerian church leaders have a role to play as a voice of the church (Ugwu, 2009)

In his own view, Alagi argued that some men of God are really reacting against injustice in the country and advocating for justice, but because of the fear of assassination by top government officials who are directly involved, some are tempted to hide their heads in compromise. However, it is a known fact that biblical prophetic heroes never feared death in the face of persecution, as many of them believed their lives and fates resided solely in the hand of God.

Prophecy and socio-economic transformation

Nigerian economic situation is not something to be proud of or be happy with because the common wealth of the nation is not evenly distributed among the citizens. Some greedy national leaders and capitalists have drained the national treasury to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor masses, and therefore landed the nation into economic recession. Presently, in Nigeria, there is mass unemployment among the working class, comprising the young men and women who have trained for one vocation or the other. Also, there are several graduate ready to work but the work is not available due to mismanagement of the country's resources by the ruling class. The attendant effects of this mismanagement include massive hunger, looting, killing, withdrawal from schools, child trafficking, youth unrest, tribal conflict, abduction, kidnaping and several other socio-economic vices that are threatening the fragile unity and the oneness of the nation. As in socio-political arenas, Nigeria prophets have a major role to play if justice will roll down like water (Amos 5:24). Prophets have to spell out the consequences of human misconducts on national development. Religious leaders, as noted before, hold the key to socio-economic transformation in Nigeria. If every preacher or prophet would choose to model his/her life and ministry after the ancient Israelite prophets, the very much attitudinal change desired would become a reality (Amanze, 2013).

Prophecy and national integration

One of the most striking visions of the Nigerian nationalist during the struggle for independence was to produce a nation where every citizen will have a sense of belonging and feel at home in any part of the country. Unfortunately, this dream of oneness and togetherness has remained a mirage since independence due largely to certain factors militating against the spirit of one united nation. Some of these factors have been mentioned above; but other factors include structural imbalance in the Federal System of Government operated in Nigeria and by extension, the nation's leaders, which created injustice, marginalization, nepotism, self-centered leadership, etc. In other word, the potent tools employed for disunity in Nigeria are religion, ethnicity and politics. Ethno-religious conflicts have affected the sovereignty of this nation and the paradigm of the citizens into unpatriotic attitude. Having the means of halting the conflicts but fails implied that government is truly culpable. The devastating upsurge of militant and resistant groups in Nigeria such as the Fulani Herdsmen and the Islamic Terror group known as Boko Haram signal citizens. Now, when things like these happen in a nation, the question that comes to mind is that “are there no genuine prophets who can confront and rebuke the political leaders of their evils like Elijah to Ahab?” It is very unfortunate that the conscience role of prophets today in Nigeria is quite dim and unnoticed. Having a field day in evil and poor leadership among the ruling class, tough ecological and environmental catastrophe and mayhem being unleashed upon citizens, call for whereabouts of the true prophets of God in Nigeria.

Conclusion and recommendations

This paper examined the fact and values of prophecy in ancient Israel, focusing on its relevance in contemporary Nigeria. The work revealed that Israel, in many ways, reflects in her socio-political and religious life aspects of the cultures in the ancient Near East. In other word, prophecy and allied phenomena had long been known in some ancient Near Eastern cultures before it surfaced in Israel. Israelite prophets occupied an important position in the nation and they serve in various capacities. They were powerful and very influential leaders of religious, social and political lives of the Israelites. Thus, they fearlessly rebuked vices, idolatry, infidelity, oppression, unfaithfulness, iniquity and social, moral and political corruption in the land. In the similar vein, prophetic arm of the church in Nigeria today is bequeathed with the responsibility of standing conspicuously in the religious, socio-economic and political life of the nation. However, prophetic ministry has suffered a considerable setback as a result of moral decline among the so called prophets and preachers in Nigeria, which calls for revolution in prophetic tradition in Nigeria.

Recommendations

In view of the above observation, the following recommendations are made:

The church needs to urgently enhance her effectiveness in fulfilling her God-ordained mission, so as to live up to the expectation of being the conscience of the society.

There should be prophetic revolution through workable mechanisms for self-correction, self-study or self-understanding and commitment to theology, sound theology anchored on a sound and balanced biblical worldview.

There should biblical test of true prophetism, so as to curb recklessness and hallucination in prophetic ministry in Nigeria.

The church, I mean the faithful few in Christendom, should always publicize the true gospel, emphasizing the biblical ways of identifying false prophets.

There should be Christian leaders who possess prophetic sense and dexterity to challenge and rebuke erring members of the society, including political leaders in Nigeria.

The Church, as the body of Christ, should exemplify faithfulness and transparency to the world, free from unbridled passion for materialism.

Footnotes

ORCID iD

Akinwumi Ambrose Akindolie

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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