Training the Prophetic Voice, Part 3: The Schools of the Prophets

In my previous two articles on training the prophetic voice, I laid some groundwork by establishing first that our understanding of prophecy (truth telling) is grounded in the character of God as a truth-telling God, and second that the kind of truth we are talking about is of a moral nature when we are considering prophetic acts and speeches. My goal with this series of articles is to promote the idea that our schools are aimed at developing the prophetic voice of our students.

In this next article, we travel back to the Bible to make some observations about where the prophets went to school. Educational principles can be found throughout the Bible, so it is not surprising to find that prophets and prophecy were cultivated in specific schools in the Old Testament.

Previous articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

The Schools of the Prophets

During Old Testament times there were many prophets in Israel. Both when Israel was a unified nation and after the nations divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, there were schools of the prophets. There were six locations where these prophetic schools or guilds existed: Ramah, Bethel, Gilgal, Jericho, Carmel and Samaria. Ira Price, in his article “The Schools of the Sons of the Prophets” (The Old Testament Student 8 [1889], 245-246), describes how at these locations new generations of prophets were trained up, usually under the guidance of a few seasoned prophets. It was very important to figure out who were authentic and false prophets, because these would be the people who not only spoke the words of the Lord, but also the people would lead these prophetic schools.

Unfortunately, we don’t know the curriculum they used. We don’t know the methods they used. But we do know that what made those schools special is a core principle. They were founded upon belief as a first principle. Belief in God’s active communication to his people and belief in the salvation God provides for his people. These prophetic schools were faith-based educational institutions.

It’s fun to imagine a prophet like Elijah as the head of school. What kind of uniforms would they have worn? What would their classrooms look like? What kinds of books would they read? Interestingly, we can guess at several of these. The prophets wore garb that indicated they were part of the prophetic guild. You would know a prophet from the distinct tunic and hood they wore. The classrooms, at least what we learn from Samuel, were associated with local centers of worship; either the tent of meeting in ancient Bethel, or later the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. We also know that they studied the revealed word, the written scrolls that existed in their times.

The Training of Samuel

In the early chapters of First Samuel, we learn about the mother of Samuel miraculously bearing him and then devoting him to the Lord by boarding him in the household of Eli (1 Sam. 1:25-28). This section of stories gives us a first glimpse into the early training of a prophet. Eli, unfortunately, wasn’t that great of a teacher or leader of the prophetic school at Shiloh. His own sons had gained a rather bad reputation (1 Sam. 2:12-17). There is a sense of irony, then, that Samuel would be apprenticed to Eli.

Samuel’s training occurred both in the tent of meeting at Shiloh as well as in Eli’s home. This was typical of apprenticeships where the novice craftsman would live with the family of the master. Samuel likely spent much time at the tent of meeting, indicated by the phrase, “Samuel was ministering before the Lord” (1 Sam. 2:18). Here he learned how to carry out the duties of priesthood. The most poignant moment in Samuel’s training, though, occurred in Eli’s house, when he learned how to hear the voice of the Lord and proclaim the Lord’s messages (1 Sam. 3:1-18). He learned the essentials of how to carry out the role of prophet.

Samuel heard a voice calling his name. He ran to Eli, assuming he heard Eli’s voice, only to discover that Eli had not called. It took three times before Eli becomes wise to what was occurring. The text provides the insight that Samuel had not yet learned the ways of the Lord (1 Sam. 3:7). Upon Samuel’s third arrival, Eli now taught Samuel how to respond to the Lord. He told him to return to bed and await the Lord’s voice.

“If he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ “

1 Samuel 3:9

Although very brief, Eli’s teaching not only conveys the knowledge Samuel needs, but also the proper disposition Samuel should have toward the Lord. The words are no mere formula. Viewing oneself as a servant of the Lord is essential for the individual who desires to truly be used by the Lord. With this training in hand, Samuel was finally able to listen to the Lord. The Lord communicated once more and Samuel received a message of judgement against Eli because his sons had blasphemed God.

The next morning contains another episode of teaching. Eli pressed Samuel to reveal the message he heard from the Lord. Samuel had received a message that the punishment against Eli’s household would soon be fulfilled. Not quite the message you want to share over breakfast. Eli then taught Samuel to be brave. He must share the message, no matter how difficult that may be. Eli’s response to the condemning message taught Samuel that the words of the Lord are good (3:18).

Samuel’s training as a prophet occurs only in two brief episodes. But from these we may gather a few insights about spiritual education. First, Samuel gained core knowledge about listening to the Lord: differentiating the Lord’s still small voice from other competing sounds, delivering a reverential response to the Lord, displaying the appropriate disposition toward the Lord, and conveying the message properly despite one’s own reticence.

Second, Samuel was guided toward mastery right from the outset. There is a right way to interact with the Lord, and there is a right way to share the Lord’s message with his people. Eli’s training of Samuel in this respect can be contrasted with the training of his own sons. For Samuel, only perfect execution of the task would be acceptable. We learn that Samuel continued to grow as a prophet, never letting the words he received from the Lord “fall to the ground” (3:19). Samuel’s reputation throughout Israel grew as well, being acknowledged as a true prophet. The Lord continued to reveal himself to Israel through Samuel from that point forward (3:21).

Finally, Samuel became the key leader for Israel in a time of great need. The Philistines utterly defeated Israel, taking the ark of the covenant. The upheaval in light of this decisive defeat promoted Samuel to a place of leadership drawing upon his skill both as prophet and priest. Samuel became the last judge of Israel before the monarchy, he himself being the prophet who identified and anointed Saul. We can trace Samuel’s mastery as a leader of Israel back to the personalized training he received from Eli. While Eli may have had his shortcomings in training up his own sons, the coaching he provided to Samuel guided him carefully along a path toward gaining a prophetic voice that guided Israel through many years of hardship.

The Training of Elisha

The story of Elisha’s training differs from that of Samuel in many respects. Elijah, the master prophet, found Elisha plowing his father’s fields (1 Kings 19:19). Elijah wraps his cloak around him, which Elisha seems to instinctively understand as his calling to be apprenticed to Elijah. He kisses his father and mother and follows Elijah, becoming his assistant (19:21). Elisha’s apprenticeship lasted roughly five years, the three final years of Ahab’s reign (22:1) and the almost two years of Ahaziah’s reign (22:51). In this interval, we only learn of two major events in Elijah’s prophetic career. In one instance, he challenges Ahab for acquiring the vineyard of Naboth by murder (21:1-29). Later Elijah denounces Ahaziah for sending messengers to inquire of Baal in Ekron (2 Kings 1:13-18). Throughout these events Elisha’s name never occurs, but we can assume Elijah’s assistant is there as a silent observer all along.

During these five years, we learn nothing of Elisha’s course of study. We can only assume and imagine long hours spent together. There are many details, though, in the transition narrative of 2 Kings 2 that provide insight into Elijah’s prophetic guild. Elijah was a master prophet, having delivered messages of challenge to two kings of the northern tribe. There seems to have been a thriving group of apprentices under his care. The transition narrative takes the master and his apprentice to several locations where the prophetic guilds resided. We can imagine that an element of the transition narrative was to complete Elisha’s training and establish him as the head over the prophetic guilds in place of Elijah.

Elisha’s call was geared towards taking up a leading role as someone who would oversee the established guilds and provide a guiding hand in its future direction. The transition narrative of 2 Kings 2 depicts the promotion of Elisha to this new leadership role. The “sons of the prophets” are first mentioned in 2 Kings 2:7 as Elisha accompanies Elijah across the Jordan. After Elijah is taken up, Elisha returns bearing Elijah’s cloak and the sons of the prophets exclaim, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They prostrated themselves before Elisha, indicating their submission to him as their new leader. From this point forward, Elisha carries out a prophetic program very similar to that of Elijah, with several of his prophetic acts echoing those of his predecessor.

Elisha’s apprenticeship to Elijah and his call to be a master prophet provides a couple important ideas for us to consider as educators. First, the relationship between Elijah and Elisha is that of a mentor and apprentice. The text shapes our understanding of the last five years of Elijah’s ministry as a time when Elisha was right there with him. They walked and talked together. One of the ways I see this playing out in our day is time spent with students outside the classroom. Having lunches together with your students can be more formative than the content delivered in class. My wife and I have intentionally opened our home to students for get togethers. Retreats and class trips are other times when we can share experiences. The students gain insight into how you live your life as a human being rather than just seeing you as a one-dimensional teacher.

Second, we can see how Elisha went through a rite of passage. Granted, he was taking up a significant role in actually replacing the departed Elijah, and I don’t imagine our students are regularly replacing us in such a manner. But I like how the text depicts Elisha literally taking up the mantle of responsibility and being recognized by a group of peers. Schools should develop traditions and roles that promote new levels of leadership, responsibility and privilege. One school that I visited in Pennsylvania had the grammar school on the first floor and the secondary school on the second floor. At the end of each year, a ceremony was performed where the sixth graders moved up to the second floor, being welcomed by the upper school students. These kinds of traditions can be so powerful in recognizing the new levels your students are achieving. At my school, there is a student leadership group that students can apply for. These leaders get to plan and implement events, they participate in a mentorship program and they coordinate service opportunities.

Educating the Prophetic Voice

We are developing a prophetic voice in our students, and the model of the Old Testament prophets is instructive. It is important to clarify that prophecy in its classical form had little to do with predicting the future. Even after the transition to apocalyptic, the role of futuristic visions had less to do with some kind of mystical prediction and more to do with addressing the then present concerns of the community. The classic prophets sought to maintain the fidelity of the nation’s adherence to their covenant with the one true God. Prophetic utterance was extremely relevant to the current events of their time and to the daily lives of the people of Israel. The prophets by challenging the community often came into conflict with the institutions of power, namely the monarchy and at times the priesthood. Yet, the centers of power could exist in harmony. Samuel exemplified this as he was simultaneously prophet, priest and judge. The national outcry for a king, though, amounted to an affront against Samuel and by extension God. Thus, a king was anointed who seemed to meet with approbation, but was ultimately rejected by God in favor of a man after God’s own heart. Both Saul and then David had prophets at their elbows evaluating their policies in light of God’s revealed covenant with his people. From this we can gather that the prophetic voice is one that aligns with God’s revealed will and addresses the institutions of culture to challenge and correct them so that God’s people are appropriately shepherded.

As we train our students, we are providing them not only with the information and knowledge they will need to secure a college acceptance, a good job and a decent wage. We are raising them up as heirs of a cultural tradition so that they can both protect and defend that which is true, good and beautiful, but also to speak out again the inevitable corruption of that crops up due to our fallen humanity. How does this occur today in our classrooms? First, we must see as one of our most compelling aims the training of our students as spiritual beings. We must help them to listen for the still, small voice of the Lord. In practical terms, we need to provide training in how to meditate on God’s word, how to pray, and how to articulate what it is they sense God is placing upon their hearts. There is no singular program we can follow to make this happen in a student’s heart. And we cannot expect that every student’s journey will look exactly the same. Yet we should trust the efficacy of God’s word, which means that our classrooms should be places steeped in scripture and prayer.

Second, we should be self-consciously modelling for our students this meditative and prayerful disposition. We must be careful here to avoid dogma and overt displays of piety. But if we are authentic in our own responsiveness to the message of scripture and demonstrate the role of prayer in our own lives, the students that are given into our care will see a pathway forward in their own lives. I want to clarify that training and mentoring is not about sermonizing or indoctrinating our students in our own views on religion, politics or culture. I myself almost never share my own views. Instead, we are trying to cultivate the skills in our students that will enable them to speak for themselves and engage the issues the Lord places upon their hearts. I find it much more helpful to allow them to speak their own viewpoints, to debate with one another, and for me to play devil’s advocate when it seems necessary.

Other articles in this series, Training the Prophetic Voice:

Part 1: The Educational Heart of God

Part 2: Speaking Truth to Power

Part 4: Jesus as Prophetic Trainer

Part 5: Internalizing the Prophetic Message

Part 6: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern World