Chapter 58—The Schools of the Prophets
God had commanded the Hebrews to make their children ac-
quainted with His dealings with their fathers. The mighty works
of God and the promise of the Redeemer to come were to be often
recounted. Figures and symbols caused the lessons to be firmly fixed
in the memory. The young mind was trained to see God alike in the
scenes of nature and the words of revelation. The stars, trees and
flowers, the mountains, the brooks, all spoke of the Creator. Worship
at the sanctuary and the utterances of the prophets were a revelation of
God.
Such was the training of Moses in Goshen; of Samuel by Hannah;
of David in Bethlehem; of Daniel before captivity separated him from
his fathers; of Christ at Nazareth; such the training by which the child
Timothy learned from his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice.
2
Timothy 1:5
;
3:15
.
Further provision was made for the instruction of the young by the
schools of the prophets. If a youth desired to search deeper into truth
that he might become a teacher in Israel, these schools were open to
him. To serve as a barrier against widespread corruption, to provide
for the moral and spiritual welfare of youth, to promote the prosperity
of the nation by furnishing qualified leaders and counselors, Samuel
gathered young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These
were called the sons of the prophets. The instructors, well versed
in divine truth, had themselves enjoyed communion with God and
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received of His Spirit. They enjoyed the confidence of the people.
In Samuel’s day there were two of these schools—at Ramah and
at Kirjath-jearim. Others were established later.
The pupils sustained themselves by tilling the soil or in mechanical
employment. In Israel it was regarded a crime to allow children to
grow up in ignorance of useful labor. Every child was taught some
trade, even though he was to be educated for holy office. Many reli-
gious teachers supported themselves by manual labor. Even so late
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