Topical Bible: Prophets: Frequently in Their Actions Were Made Signs to the People

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In the biblical narrative, prophets served as God's messengers, delivering His words and will to the people of Israel and beyond. Their role was not limited to verbal communication; often, their actions were imbued with symbolic significance, serving as signs to convey divine messages. These enacted prophecies were powerful tools to capture attention, provoke thought, and elicit a response from the audience.

Isaiah's Nakedness
One of the most striking examples of prophetic action is found in the ministry of Isaiah. In Isaiah 20:2-3, the prophet is instructed by the Lord to walk naked and barefoot for three years as a sign against Egypt and Cush: "At that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, 'Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.' So he did, walking around naked and barefoot. Then the LORD said, 'Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush.'" This dramatic act symbolized the impending humiliation and captivity of these nations.

Jeremiah's Yoke
Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," also engaged in symbolic acts. In Jeremiah 27:2, God commands him to make a yoke and wear it on his neck as a sign to the nations: "This is what the LORD said to me: 'Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck.'" This act symbolized the subjugation of the nations under the yoke of Babylon, urging submission to Nebuchadnezzar as part of God's plan.

Ezekiel's Siege of Jerusalem
Ezekiel's ministry is replete with symbolic actions. In Ezekiel 4:1-3, he is instructed to create a model of Jerusalem and lay siege to it: "Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem. Then lay siege against it: build a siege wall, erect a ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams all around it." This act served as a vivid portrayal of the coming siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

Hosea's Marriage
The prophet Hosea's life itself became a sign to Israel. God commanded him to marry Gomer, a woman of harlotry, as a representation of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. Hosea 1:2 states, "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He said to him, 'Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is committing blatant acts of prostitution by departing from the LORD.'" Hosea's marriage and family life symbolized God's relationship with Israel, highlighting themes of infidelity, judgment, and eventual restoration.

Agabus and Paul's Belt
In the New Testament, the prophet Agabus used a symbolic act to convey a message to the Apostle Paul. In Acts 21:10-11, Agabus takes Paul's belt and binds his own hands and feet, declaring, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.'" This act served as a prophetic warning of the imprisonment that awaited Paul in Jerusalem.

These examples illustrate the profound role of symbolic actions in the ministry of the prophets. Through these acts, the prophets communicated God's messages in a tangible and memorable way, often serving as a catalyst for reflection and repentance among the people.

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Isaiah 20:2-4
At the same time spoke the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off your loins, and put off your shoe from your foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
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Jeremiah 19:1,10,11
Thus said the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;
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Jeremiah 27:2,3
Thus said the LORD to me; Make you bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck,
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Jeremiah 43:9
Take great stones in your hand, and hide them in the clay in the brick kiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
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Jeremiah 51:63
And it shall be, when you have made an end of reading this book, that you shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the middle of Euphrates:
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Ezekiel 4:1-13
You also, son of man, take you a tile, and lay it before you, and portray on it the city, even Jerusalem:
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Ezekiel 5:1-4
And you, son of man, take you a sharp knife, take you a barber's razor, and cause it to pass on your head and on your beard: then take you balances to weigh, and divide the hair.
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Ezekiel 7:23
Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
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Ezekiel 12:3-7
Therefore, you son of man, prepare you stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and you shall remove from your place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
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Ezekiel 21:6,7
Sigh therefore, you son of man, with the breaking of your loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
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Ezekiel 24:1-24
Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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Hosea 1:2-9
The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take to you a wife of prostitutions and children of prostitutions: for the land has committed great prostitution, departing from the LORD.
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Library

The Church Triumphant
... of the erection of a temple is frequently used to ... the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ ... ye blessed of My Father," they cast their crowns at ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 58 the church triumphant.htm

That the Scriptures are Divinely Inspired.
... too, the law of truth, even of the prophets, is implanted ... in a few words, which,
taken in their "bodily" meaning ... And this we find frequently to be the case in ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter i that the scriptures are.htm

Paul in Jerusalem.
... It is probable, that when the Prophets first adopted the mode of ... publicly avowed,
and, in the latter period of their history, frequently acted upon ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxv paul in jerusalem.htm

John Chapter vi. 15-44
... But the prophets foretold His kingdom according to that ... in the world to come, are
frequently disquieted at ... that He may with discourse fill their minds, whose ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xxv john chapter vi.htm

Take Ye Away the Stone.
... not belong to the regular school of prophets, yet they ... few centuries we find that
God has frequently taken up ... truth you must go among them in their homes and ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/moody/to the work to the work/chapter i take ye away.htm

How to Discern Our Title to the Saints' Rest.
... inquire among the multitude of flattering prophets, it was ... And frequently they fail
in this work by attempting ... thoughts till they have left their impression on ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter viii how to discern.htm

The Withered Fig Tree
... by Nebuchadnezzar a former time, the prophets had not ... whose religion is false are
frequently prominent, because ... is a sad calamity when their confidence turns ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/the withered fig tree.htm

Knox's Writings from Abroad: Beginning of the Scottish Revolution ...
... quote Andrew Melville, being obedient to such prophets as himself ... in one of his merriest
passages, frequently cited by ... the bowels of Christ" to do their duty in ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter viii knoxs writings from.htm

Unbelievers Upbraided
... the greater because it is so frequently committed ... bear the strongest conceivable
witness against their unbelief and ... David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 50 1904/unbelievers upbraided.htm

City of God
... Platonist Thought Concerning the Manners and Actions of Demons ... Even the Remotest
Islands Received Their Fauna from ... the Promises of God Which Were Made to Abraham ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/