Instead of receiving a deliverer in response to its cry for help, Israel receives a prophet. It is a little like if your car breaks down on the side of the road, and you call a mechanic or a tow truck company for help. But what they dispatch is not a mechanic or truck; they send a reporter to tell you that it’s not smart to drive for long with the engine light on. Israel needs deliverance and the Lord sends a prophet; Israel pleads for an act of God’s power, and he sends them a herald of his Word.¹