One of the main ways people determined the will of the gods in the ancient Near East was through extispicy, the examination of sheep entrails, particularly the liver. For example, “If the right side of the heart of the liver is held by filaments, the anger of the god against the man is not ended.” “If the gall bladder is missing, it is good.” “If the gall bladder is full and its liquid is yellow, a cloudburst is coming.” And how ‘bout this one: “If the gall bladder is held in place, the lord of the land will die.” This process of seeking the will of the deity was ultimately open to manipulation because the prophet or divinator could seek until he got the answer he wanted to hear.
In the Old Testament, God did not want his people to use omens to determine his will. This is why Leviticus commands the Israelites to burn the entrails on the altar. Rather, he said he would raise up prophets who could tell the people his will in specific situations. Deuteronomy says, “The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, form your own people. You must listen to him.”
God was concerned that people knew his will and knew how to apply his torah, his instruction, to their daily lives. But he wanted to remove the potential for manipulation of the process, so he gave the Israelites prophets. Prophets were not fortune tellers or future-predictors (even though they sometimes spoke of future events). They were God’s spokespeople, sent to deliver God’s messages to his people.
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