Topical Bible: Prophets: Predictions of Written on Rolls and Read to the People

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In the biblical narrative, prophets served as God's messengers, delivering His words to the people of Israel and beyond. A significant aspect of their ministry involved the recording of divine revelations on scrolls, which were then read aloud to the people. This practice underscored the authority and permanence of God's message, ensuring that His words were preserved and disseminated accurately.

One of the most notable instances of this practice is found in the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 36, God instructs Jeremiah to write all the words He has spoken to him on a scroll. The purpose of this was to provide the people of Judah with an opportunity to hear God's warnings and turn from their wicked ways. Jeremiah 36:2-3 states, "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you—during the reign of Josiah until today. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin."

Jeremiah dictated the words to Baruch, his scribe, who then read them in the temple. This public reading was intended to reach a broad audience, including the officials and the common people, emphasizing the urgency and importance of the message. The scroll was later read to King Jehoiakim, who, in an act of defiance, cut it with a knife and burned it in the fire (Jeremiah 36:23). Despite this, God commanded Jeremiah to rewrite the scroll, adding even more words to it, demonstrating the indestructibility of God's word and His determination to communicate with His people (Jeremiah 36:27-28).

Another example is found in the book of Ezekiel. God commands Ezekiel to eat a scroll containing words of lamentation, mourning, and woe, symbolizing the internalization of God's message before delivering it to the people (Ezekiel 2:9-3:3). This act signifies the prophet's complete identification with the divine message and his role as a conduit for God's communication.

The practice of writing prophecies on scrolls and reading them to the people highlights the seriousness with which God's messages were treated. It ensured that the words were not only heard but also preserved for future generations. This method of communication also served as a tangible reminder of God's covenant with His people and His ongoing involvement in their lives.

The use of written scrolls by prophets underscores the continuity and consistency of God's revelation throughout the biblical narrative. It reflects the belief that God's word is living and active, capable of transforming hearts and guiding His people in righteousness. Through the faithful recording and proclamation of these divine messages, the prophets played a crucial role in shaping the spiritual and moral direction of the nation of Israel.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 8:1
Moreover the LORD said to me, Take you a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 36:2
Take you a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Later Hebrew Histories.
... now, the Book of Daniel was written in the ... And respecting these predictions, if such
they are, we ... The other prophets never undertake to tell the particulars of ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter vi the later hebrew.htm

The Man and the Book.
... of Israel and the teaching of her prophets and scribes ... immediate occasion for which
it was written was past ... of Carchemish had confirmed his predictions and put ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/lecture i the man and.htm

The First Galilean Ministry.
... points to it, that those of the Prophets, at least the Greater, were also written
on separate ... was prophetic in Israel's history and predictions pointed. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xi the first galilean.htm

The Hebrew Prophecies.
... Among these predictions, those in Isaiah 29:1-8, appear to ... It is found among the
minor prophets, but it is ... the past tense indicates that it was written by one ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter v the hebrew prophecies.htm

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
... could not make anything of the predictions concerning the ... of Ezekiel, of the twelve
Minor Prophets, and the ... The last verse of Joshua were written by Eleazar ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix v rabbinic theology and.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... evidence, seem to have been written by a ... of Jerusalem common alike to the prophets
and the ... Sibyllines, consisting, that is, of predictions concerning various ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... in the conceptions of the prophets"The Scythians in ... Half a century rolls by, during
which we ... with provincial governors, augural predictions, consultation of ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm