If, as a Jew dwelling in the land of Israel, you ever want to know whether or not a prophet was true, all you had to do was look at his resume. If what he has said historically has come true, great! If not, then don’t listen to him. It’s as simple as that.
Except, it’s really not that simple.
Ironically, the test of a prophet depends solely on the outcome of what he has to say, but how is anyone supposed to test the validity of a prophecy now if they have to wait to see if it’ll be fulfilled in the future?
Think on it this way. Let’s say a prophet stands up right before a battle and prophesies that your force of three hundred men will slaughter an opposing force of over five thousand. Would you be convinced to possibly sacrifice your life, simply because a man in a robe and holding a staff told you he spoke for God?
Most wouldn’t, at least unless they knew he had a history of speaking for God. This is how Israel knew Samuel was a prophet (1 Samuel 3:19-20): “The Lord was with [Samuel] and let none of his words fail. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.”
It stands to reason that in major moments (like the aforementioned battle), the prophet must have a well-established pedigree. If he doesn’t, then maybe find another prophet who does. And then listen to him.
Ahab refused to do this with Micaiah in 1 Kings 22:17-28. Micaiah was seen as a prophet of the Lord by Ahab’s own mouth, and yet when Micaiah offered something that was less than satisfactory to Ahab, he tried to have Micaiah detained.
This follows the path of judgment laid out here in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. The only difference was that when Ahab actually died in battle, just as Micaiah said. His word was seen as true.
I wonder, though, how would the everyday person trust a prophet? Barring a big event like a forthcoming battle, how do they know the prophet speaks truth?
Again, it seems to fall to their reputation. When Saul’s father lost his sheep in 1 Samuel 9:6, he tells Saul to ask Samuel their whereabouts, because “everything he says comes true.”
The validity of a prophet was established by forthtelling certain signs. Then, and only then, could you trust them with bigger messages they claimed were from God.