Boy Prophets

We commonly refer to two prophets as “the boy prophet”: Samuel from the Old Testament and Joseph Smith in our dispensation.  Both were called of God at a very young age through direct revelation.  When Samuel was just a child in the household of Eli, “the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10).  The Lord revealed to Samuel things that were about to take place and the wickedness of Eli the priest.  This was the start of his service as the Lord’s anointed to reveal Jehovah’s words to Israel.  Similarly Joseph at the age of only 14 received the visit of the Father and Son, who likewise revealed to him the problems with the professed servants of God who “were all corrupt” (JSH 1:19).  These two prophets teach us that the Lord will find someone to whom He will reveal His will, and that may be to the young when those with supposedly more wisdom are unwilling to listen.  In several places in the scriptures we see how God will reveal Himself to children and the young.  

                Two other Biblical prophets are known for being called in their youth: David and Jeremiah.  Samuel was led by the Lord to choose the youngest son of Jesse to be the next king.  Samuel shouldn’t have been surprised that the Lord would choose someone small and young—since he was so young when he himself was called—but the Lord explained to him what he was looking for: “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).  David as a boy showed great faith as he volunteered to face Goliath: “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine,” and he was miraculously preserved against his enemy (1 Samuel 17:37).  Jeremiah was likewise very young when called by God.  The Lord told him, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”  I don’t know how old he was exactly, but Jeremiah’s response shows that he must have been young: “Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6).  And the Lord then magnified this child to become a great defender of righteousness among the wicked Israelites. 

                In the Book of Mormon, Mormon was also called at a very young age and received great spiritual manifestations.  Ammoron visited him when he was ten years old and told him, “I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe.”  He received instructions of Ammoron relating to the records which he later performed.  In the same chapter he told us this: “And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus” (Mormon 1:2, 15).  Even the wicked Nephites recognized something in this fifteen-year-old, for he was made the leader of their armies at that time.  One other account shows the willingness of the Lord to give great revelation to the young.  During the Savior’s visit to the Nephites, He “did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people….  Yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things” (3 Nephi 26:14, 16).  What an incredible experience that must have been.

                So what does this mean for us?  Perhaps one lesson is simply that we should pay more attention to the power and faith of the children around us.  They may very well receive revelation from the Lord that we don’t, and the Savior’s invitation to us is to be more like them.  If he could call boy prophets and speak to them, surely he could inspire the little ones in our own lives to help us also repent.