In 1 Samuel 9, a Benjamite named Saul, who would later become king of Israel, had a pressing issue to bring to the local seer, Samuel, but he had a problem. He had been traveling light, so when he considered the possibility of consulting the seer for guidance, he wondered what he could bring the seer as a gift. This struck me as odd, not because of the synonymity of the terms "prophet" and "seer," but because it's not a typical cultural practice for us to pay prophets for their guidance. We get our prophecies for free at least every six months. Then again, that may just be a difference in payment model. Saul, apparently, was using a pay-per-prophecy program, whereas we're on the subscription program. Rather than taking cash to the bishop, prophet, or temple whenever we have a burning question, we pay our tithing regularly and get inspired guidance frequently.
Granted, there's nothing wrong with this. It's not priestcraft; it's pragmatic. Those who have devoted their lives to the service of God, including the regularly-provided service of relaying prophecies from God, still need to eat. They are still mortal, and so long as they are mortal, they need to make a living somehow, and, by divine design, their vocation and calling are one and the same. Sure, I would love to be able to buy more specific guidance from time to time, but the system we have works well enough, especially when we account for the Holy Ghost helping to provide guidance as well.
At first, it seemed weird to read about Saul paying for a prophecy, but maybe it's not so weird after all. I mean, I'd do it if I could, and in a sense, we kind of already do.
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