We are looking at the group called the SONS OF THE PROPHETS who were at BETHEL.
A small group of young men with their musical instruments were the first sign of trainee prophets. Samuel had started this group near his home in RAMAH and was training them in the ways of God like a father trains his sons. This was an early indication of a Rabbi and his disciples.
Over the next 200 years, in the days of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, more groups had sprung up and had become more formal and established and now were located at various places.
The SONS OF THE PROPHETS were located at JERICHO
2 Kings 2:5 Now the SONS OF THE PROPHETS WHO WERE AT JERICHO came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
The SONS OF THE PROPHETS were located at GILGAL
2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha returned to GILGAL, and there was a famine in the land. Now THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”
The SONS OF THE PROPHETS were located in the HILL COUNTRY OF EPHRAIM
2 Kings 5:22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the SONS OF THE PROPHETS have come to me from the MOUNTAINS OF EPHRAIM.
And of course the SONS OF THE PROPHETS were located at BETHEL
2 Kings 2:3 Now the SONS OF THE PROPHETS WHO WERE AT BETHEL came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”
So these groups of the SONS OF THE PROPHETS were now being found in various places including BETHEL. But who was responsible for training them? Where did they meet? What did they learn? Were they single men? Married men?
We’ll look at this next time.
I think it would have been a pretty amazing experience to be trained by the prophet Samuel – what do you think?