Prophets have played a key role in God’s eternal plan to save man. God has always spoken to prophets and used prophets to relay that message to others. What is/was a prophet?
A prophet was one who foretold, but prophecy is not to be thought of as merely the telling of future events. It was the “forth-telling” God’s will, because a prophet spoke for God. We can see this from what was said to Moses: “And the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.” (Ex. 7:1)
Again, of Aaron, Moses was told in Ex. 4:15-16, “You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.”
Thus a prophet is one who relayed God’s will to others. Prophets & prophecy are inseparable. We see this from 2 Peter 1:20-21 – “…no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from.. God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
In every dispensation of time, there have been prophets.
Patriarchal Age:
Abel – Luke 11:50-51
Enoch - Jude 14; Genesis 5:21
Abraham - Genesis 20:7
Mosaic Age:
Moses/Aaron/Miriam - Exodus 15:20
Deborah – Judges 4:4
Samuel & the prophets – Hebrews 11:32
Huldah – 2 Kings 22:14 (reign of Josiah, king of Judah)
Noadiah – Nehemiah 6:14 (Nehemiah’s time, after the return from captivity)
Zacharias – Luke 11:50-51
During Jesus’ lifetime:
Anna – Luke 2:36
Church Age:
Acts 21:9 – Philip’s daughters
Prophets in the church:
Acts 11:27-28; 13:10 – Agabus (after est. of church)
Acts 13:1 – there were prophets in the church at Antioch
Acts 15:32 Judas & Silas
Acts 19:6 – those on whom the apostles laid hands
Communication to prophets:
We learn another important fact regarding HOW a prophet received his message from Num. 12:6-8, “…if there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with…Moses…with him I speak…clearly, and not in riddles…”
We see something very significant from this passage: God, not man, initiates the contact!
Their Mission:
God’s use of prophets was in accordance with His eternal plan for saving man. This plan was to be carried out in Christ. It did not occur immediately after the fall of man. It was described occurring in:
the “fulness” of time – Gal. 4:4
“due (proper) time” – 1 Tim. 2:6
This is explained in Galatians 3:8, 14 as follows: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, ‘In thee shall all nations be blessed’…that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might received the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Prior to this point in history (fulness of time), prophets were used. They did not have the entire plan made known to them: their understanding/message was limited.
1 Peter 1:10-12 – “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the suffering of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
They ‘forth-told’ of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow; they were not serving themselves, but those who would live after the ‘fulness of time’, after Christ’s sufferings of Christ, and the glory that followed (justification by faith – Galatians 3:8)
We read these words in Hebrews 11:32, 39-40 – “…the prophets…did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
During the time prior to the “fulness” of time, we find that the physical seed of Abraham was placed under a guardian:
Galatians 3:19 – The Law of Moses was added “…till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.”
The role of all prophets prior to this “fulness of time” was for a specific purpose; their message was with a view for the era of time in which we now live…after the cross.
The prophets’ lives:
Their life was a sacrifice that we benefit from:
Hebrews 11:32-38 – “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”
Jesus made reference to their harsh treatment from beginning to end in Luke 11:50-51 –
“…so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary…”. (Abel’s death is recorded in Genesis 4; Zechariah’s in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21)
The Law & the Prophets:
We read in Matthew 11:13 – “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”
John was prophesied to be a forerunner of the Messiah, which would be an indication that the “fulness” of time was nigh.
With this, we see a transition from the prophets to Christ. Their work was coming to an end, in accordance with God’s eternal purpose. This is verified by the transfiguration. We read this statement from God as to the purpose of the transfiguration in Matt. 17:5 – “This is my beloved Son…hear ye him…”
We are forever indebted to the prophets for their faithfulness and endurance under severe persecution. We also read in Heb. 1:1-3 – “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…”.
To truly benefit from the prophets’ lives and mission is to “hear” and “obey” His Son, of whom they believed in.
RDB
copyright 2011
copyright 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment