In our Bibles we think of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings as a part of the historic books and the history of kings in Israel and Judah. In the Hebrew canon they are a part of the “Former Prophets”. Each king had a prophet who was holding him accountable to the law (especially Deuteronomy). The kings represented the flawed government of men being held accountable to a higher law, the kingdom of God. The true prophets did not seek a place at the table of the powers; the false prophets did. For the true prophets, power would have corrupted them and silenced their message of God’s word. This kingdom-of-God-prophetic voice enabled Nathan to confront David’s sin and say in effect, “You are the real guilty one” (2 Samuel 12:7).
“The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die!” Jeremiah 26:7-8 (NASB)
