Edmund Heddle unpacks Peter's valuable instructions on prophecy.

In his two New Testament letters Peter augments and complements the teaching on prophecy and prophesying found in the letters of Paul. The two writers between them establish a complete answer to the question 'What is a prophet?' Peter's letters contain five paragraphs in which he deals with prophets and prophesying, each full of valuable instruction, and we shall deal with each paragraph in turn.

Prophecies Concerning the Coming Messiah (l Peter 1:10-12)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels desire to look into these things.

The Old Testament prophets who foretold the coming of Messiah referred to him as the gift of God's grace. This they did under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who revealed through them the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory that would follow. The prophets were clear about the coming of the Messiah – but who he should be, what he should do, and at what point in history he would appear - all of these things they longed to know but were kept in the dark.

It was revealed to them that the prophecies they uttered were not for the immediate benefit of either themselves or God's people. They had been given for the enlightenment and blessing of a later generation, namely the people of Peter's day.

So the message had remained hidden, though they searched intently and with the greatest care. Prophets on earth and angels in heaven longed to understand the fullness of the prophetic revelation. The Greek word translated 'look into' is the same as the word used in John 20:11 to describe Mary Magdalene's entrance into the grave of Jesus, where she stooped down to look, standing at the side of the tomb so as not to get into her own light. How carefully should we look into the prophetic word, especially where the immediate application appears to be neither easily understandable nor relevant.

Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah but were kept in the dark about the meanings of their own prophetic revelations.

The lesson from this paragraph is that no one prophet conveys the whole message. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:29 suggests that "two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said."

Prophecy needs to be taken seriously and is best weighed in the company of the Lord's people. We need the Holy Spirit as much in understanding prophecy as in its
proclamation. The prophetic word about the Messiah remained hidden until Peter himself - the Spirit-filled preacher on the day of Pentecost - brought the explanation of their age-long bewilderment.

Using God's Grace-Gifts for His Glory (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God maybe praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

God's grace is 'multicoloured' and is revealed in the gifts (charisma) of his Spirit. Peter mentions two gifts here:

1. The ability to speak God's words or, as it is usually termed, the ability to prophesy. "...the very words of God" is an attempt to translate the Greek word logion, which is usually translated by the word 'oracle' and means a divine response or utterance. This word is used in the scriptures of the Mosaic law, God's written utterances through Old Testament writers, the totality of Christian doctrine (Acts 7:38; Rom 3:2; Heb 5:12) and, incredibly, in the Spirit-inspired utterances of ordinary Spirit-filled-believers.

2. The ability to serve the body of Christ by gifts of divine power such as healing, miracles, deliverance from powers of darkness, and others (1 Cor 12:9-10). We are stewards of these gifts. Whatever gift God decides to give us for another individual or group we must pass on. God's gifts are unstinted and unlimited, except by our disobedience and unbelief. As stewards we shall one day be required give an account of our stewardship. God's provision is always lavish, and we are the ones who limit his gifts.

God's grace is multicoloured and his provision is always lavish – we are the ones who limit his gifts.

The Greek word translated as 'provides' is an interesting one; its literal translation is to provide a chorus in the theatre - to defray the cost of putting on a chorus at a public festival. Later on it came to describe the supplying and equipping of an army or a fleet. But in all cases its use conveys the idea of abundance.

Two things are required of us. First, that we are filled with God's Spirit and that we are willing to receive the gifts from the Lord and, secondly, that we obediently use them in the service of those for whom they have been provided. We are to let the spiritual gifts reach a fullness of development through us. Only then will their ultimate objective be achieved, namely that God may be praised. "To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever."

Paying Attention to the Prophetic Word (2 Peter 1:19-21)

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter says that the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah had been made more certain by the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, at which event he and the others present were eye-witnesses of his majesty. They were there when the voice came from heaven saying, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (v17). "You will do well to pay attention to the prophetic word which is for you like a light shining in a dark place", is the admonition Peter addresses to his readers.

We cannot live the whole of our lives in the glory of our transcendent Lord. We are in a sin-darkened world which Peter describes with words that translate to mean dirty, squalid and murky. The time will come when a new day dawns, preceded by the morning star. In classical literature the morning star is Venus, which rises in great brilliance before the dawn. But for Peter it must be Jesus (Rev 22:16). The words 'in your hearts' are thought by some scholars to belong to the next verse.

The Greek word for morning star is phosphorus, which means 'light-bringer'. Until the dawning of the day of Christ the prophetic word is like a light shining in a dark place. We should do well to give attention to it as society deteriorates and things become ever more difficult for those who are wholly committed to Christ.

Peter goes on to show that prophetic Scripture can be relied on totally because it originated not in the human mind or will but in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. No true prophecy was ever produced by mere human effort. Never at any time was it man's initiative that brought into being the scriptures. Man had his part to play; dwelling in God's presence and listening to his voice, he was told to record what he heard but he had to be careful never to add his own thoughts. Peter likened the prophets to sailing boats carried along by the wind.

No true prophecy was ever produced by mere human effort. Man had his part to play, but he had to be careful to never add to what God was revealing.

Scripture could be depended upon as a light-bringer. The initiative in prophesying must always be with the Holy Spirit. As Paul says after listing the nine supernatural gifts, "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines" (1 Cor 12:11).

The corollary to Peter's statement, ie that it was the Spirit who originated Scripture, is that it can be neither understood nor interpreted by mere human ability. The modern practice of prophesying needs to be brought into line with the fact that no true prophecy ever comes from human initiative, also that no prophecy can be understood apart from the enabling of God's Spirit. How blessed are those who, though living in a wicked and dangerous world, nevertheless have the word of the prophets made more sure.

Prophetic Promises Remembered (2 Peter 3:1-4, 8-13)

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come...they will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?...everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation"...but do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise...he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief...since everything will be destroyed...what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God...in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Peter is concerned that the prophet's words concerning the destruction of both earth and heaven prior to the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth were being forgotten and were ceasing to have a challenging effect on the behaviour of God's people. He recalls the words of Jesus, who challenged the people of his day to watch "because you do not know on what day your Lord will come" (Matt 24:36-44).

Peter in his two letters makes three references to Noah and the Noachic flood (1 Pet 3:20; 2 Pet 2:5; 2 Pet 3:5). The promised flood was a long time in coming but finally it arrived and did exactly what God said it would do.

Isaiah had foretold the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth (Isa 65:17-19, 66:22) but the process was to involve the destruction of things as they are. Since their fathers had died things had gone on just the same and people blamed God for being dilatory. But Peter explained that the delay in fulfilling the promise was due to the patience of God and his great desire that none should perish. Peter told them it was not that God had forgotten but that he loved. The delay is no indication of divine forgetfulness but rather of compassion.

Peter warned believers that God's apparent delay in delivering his promised judgment on the world was due not to forgetfulness, but rather to divine compassion and love.

Patience is likewise required of God's people. The promise of the prophets is that the new heaven and the new earth will be preceded by universal destruction. This ought to exercise a profound effect on Christians' life and conduct.

To Sum Up...

Peter reviews the coming of the Messiah; unfolds the resources of the spiritual gifts; confirms the authority of the prophetic word; and reveals the importance of preparing for the day of the Lord.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 4, July/August 1991.

Prophets of the Old Testament often experienced confusion as they tried to understand circumstances in the light of God's word. What can we learn from them?

It should not surprise us that the prophets of the Old Testament were often perplexed. In the conduct of their ministry it was necessary for them to spend much time both with their God and also with the people to whom they had been sent. What they heard in God's presence was often very different from what they heard in the conversation of their everyday world.

In this study we shall meet some of these perplexed prophets and, as God's prophets today, learn how to prevent ourselves repeating their mistakes.

Moses

When the 12 leaders returned from their exploration of the Promised Land, it was seen that only two were in favour of going on to possess it. The Israelites grumbled and were about to stone Moses and Aaron. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting. The Lord said to Moses:

How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me...? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you [Moses] into a nation greater and stronger than they. (Num 14:11-12)

What an offer! But was it a privilege? Moses must for a while have been greatly perplexed. On the one hand God's tremendous promise - on the other the people's rejection. But he quickly came to an understanding of the situation, and began to reason with the Lord. That would not be right, he said. "Then the Egyptians will hear about it!...if you put these people to death all at one time the nations...will say 'The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised...so he slaughtered them in the desert'" (Num 14:1-2, 10-16).

What prophets hear in God's presence is often quite different from what they hear in the conversations of everyday life – which can cause confusion.

Moses was concerned about God's name and reputation. Are we today more concerned with getting into the upper echelons of prophetic ministry, or are we determined that all we do shall enhance God's reputation among us?

Elijah

After Elijah's announcement that there would be a serious drought in Israel, he went to stay in the house of a widow in Zarephath. God provided them with a jar of flour and a jug of oil every day. But their peace was about to be disturbed by the sudden death of the son of the house. The prophet's perplexity is evident from his words, "O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" (1 Ki 17:20).

One testing experience through which prophets and other believers may have to pass occurs when people or resources which we have come to rely upon are suddenly removed.

One testing experience which we may encounter occurs when people or resources we rely upon are suddenly removed.

Job

Here is a man who had to face tremendous perplexity. His book begins by recording a series of catastrophes directly involving him. His donkeys were seized, his sheep and their shepherds were struck by lightning, raiding parties carried off his camels, and to cap it all his children were killed in a hurricane. Even so he did not charge God with wrongdoing.

Then the Evil One was given permission to test Job on a personal level, and as a result his body was covered with painful sores. But still Job did not sin by what he said. Certainly, he cursed the day he was born and groaned under his calamity, but he still did not speak out against God, even when his wife suggested that suicide was the best way out (Job 1:13-22, 2:7-10).

His three friends held forth on Job's situation but were to prove "miserable comforters" (Job 16:2). Their current theological theories did nothing for the sufferer. Their concept of God had collapsed because it was too small. In the end Job was content not with a perfect explanation of the suffering of the righteous but with the greatness of his God.

Job had to suffer tremendous perplexity – in the end he was contented not with a perfect explanation for his suffering, but with the greatness of his God.

It is still true that godly men and women have to face the perplexing question of why God allows them to suffer as he does. Meanwhile Job's book is a resounding protest against current teaching that a God-fearing life inevitably brings success and prosperity.

Hosea

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife...because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord" (Hos 1:2). Did God actually tell Hosea to take to himself as his wife a woman who was already an adulteress? It seems more likely that Gomer was chaste at the time of her marriage and that only later did she leave Hosea for someone else. This would fit the symbolic use God makes of the prophet's domestic situation, for he refers to the days of Israel's youth as a time when Israel was pure in her relation to Yahweh (Hos 2:15).

But however we understand the time of Gomer's immorality it must have perplexed poor Hosea and may have exposed him to the judgmental reactions of other prophets. His only consolation was the assurance that Yahweh himself also suffered intensely when Israel proved unfaithful to him.

It was Hosea's privilege to let his unchanging love for Gomer be a picture for all time of the 'love that will not let us go'. Let all prophets know that they have the understanding and compassion of God himself where his servants have to experience the continuing sadness of life in a broken home or unstable family environment.

Hosea's suffering was a picture of the suffering God himself went through with Israel – so Hosea always had the consolation that the Lord understood what he was going through.

Jonah

There is one thing of which we can be certain: Jonah did not like the people of Nineveh! After receiving his original commission to preach to them, he ran away. It took a strange encounter with a great fish to persuade him to obey the instructions he had received and "Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh" (Jonah 1:1-3, 3:3). Once there, his prophetic preaching was so effective that God's offer of mercy brought the whole nation to its knees in repentance. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." (Jonah 3:10).

One would have thought that the prophet would have been thrilled with such a positive response to his message. "But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry" (Jonah 4:1). This was the reason he refused to go to Nineveh and ran away to Tarshish: he believed that if he preached they would repent and that God would then forgive them, and he did not want that to happen.

We may be certain that Jonah laid on heavily the message of judgment, but probably did not encourage the Ninevites in repentance. Today's prophets need to ask the Holy Spirit to help them put forward a presentation of their message in which judgment and mercy are balanced against one another. Jonah made the terrible mistake of begrudging them the mercy that they so much needed. This was the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees in the time of our Lord when they grumbled at Jesus for entertaining publicans and sinners to a meal. "If I have the gift of prophecy...but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor 13:2).

Habakkuk

The branch of theology called 'theodicy' was at the heart of Habakkuk's perplexity. The term is made up of two Greek words theos (God) and dike (justice) and it refers to the vindication of God's character despite the existence in the world of physical and moral evil. It all began when Yahweh told Habakkuk: "For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people" (Hab 1:5-6).

At the heart of Habakkuk's confusion was the question of how a righteous, holy God could allow evil in the world.

God created perplexity in the prophet's mind when he went on to say that he would use the Babylonians to punish his own people Israel. 'How could God do such a thing?' was the anguished cry of the prophet. "Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?" (Hab 1:13). The problem of 'theodicy' does not exist among those who have gods whose morals are little better than those of sinful men and women. But those who believe in a holy and righteous God are shocked and upset by some of the actions and decisions of the only living and true God.

What can a prophet do - whether living in ancient Israel or in our modern world? Like Habakkuk, it is right to take the problem to God and to wait until he answers (Hab 2:3). Meanwhile the righteous shall live by faith (Hab 2:4). Ultimately all perplexities will be resolved.

Jeremiah

No-one transcends Jeremiah in the depth of feeling in which he expresses his perplexity:

O Lord, you deceived me and I was deceived, you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long...the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name', his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. (Jer 20:7, 9)

Here is a prophet who has every reason to resign his prophetic mission. After all, he had been beaten and put in the stocks (Jer 20:2). We see here plainly the personal cost of continuing to speak God's word, but Jeremiah could not restrain himself. The Lord's message was burning in his heart and he could not remain silent. How much the church of today needs prophets who will get into the counsel of God and then will speak out fearlessly what he wants them to say, whatever the cost!

Jeremiah spoke God's message fearlessly and suffered greatly for it. How much today's church needs prophets who are willing to do this, whatever the cost!

Ezekiel

The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar river. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – overwhelmed. (Ezek 3:14-15)

It would appear that the seven-day period during which Ezekiel remained silent was an expression of his sense of bereavement and perplexity. The silence, the location of the event, and the period involved (cf Job 2:13) conveyed his deep empathy with his people in their affliction. Undoubtedly his silence gave emphasis to the words he was later to utter.

Today's prophets need to give time to the true situation of the Lord's people, instead of shooting off superficial words that carry no weight because they do not have the heart-cry of the totally perplexed behind them.

Whatever perplexities prophets have to face, let them learn that they may complain to God, but they must beware of complaining about him.

Whatever perplexities prophets have to face, let them learn that they may complain to God, but they must beware of complaining about him.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 3, May/June 1991.

The New Testament points to the prophets as outstanding examples of patience in action. What can we learn from them?

When James, the Lord's brother and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote a letter to the Christians of his day, he stressed the importance of patience and pointed to the prophets as an outstanding example of this quality. "Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord" (James 5:10).

Of the more than 50 commands in the 100 or so verses of this short letter, not the least significant for today's prophets is the command, "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming" (James 5:7).

Examples of the Prophets' Patience

1. Job

Having referred to the patience of the prophets in general, James points to Job as a particular example of patience in suffering. This is the only place in which Job is mentioned in the New Testament. Job has traditionally been regarded as a prophet, and who can doubt that attribution when we consider his amazing picture of a Redeemer who would be resurrected and return to earth? "I know that my redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth" (Job 19:25).

Meanwhile his patience had to withstand the vicious attack of his three friends, all of whom insisted that the terrible misfortunes Job had had to face were the result of some secret sin on his part.

Job's persevering patience has taught all subsequent prophets that hardships and, disappointments are not meaningless, but that God has some purpose and objective in them which will, in the end, fully justify what he has allowed us to go through.

Job's patience teaches us that hardships and disappointments are not meaningless, but that God has some purpose in them which will ultimately fully justify them.

2. Abraham

Abraham was called a prophet by his contemporaries (Gen 20:7) and, like Job, he had to wait for God to vindicate his purposes in him. God had promised him a son and many descendants:

A son coming from your own body will be your heir...Look up at the heavens and count the stars...so shall your offspring be...Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:4-6)

The writer to the Hebrews commends him for his patience: "And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised" (Heb 6:15). But that is not the whole story, for when there was a considerable delay in the fulfilment of God's promise and he and Sarah were beyond the age of child-bearing, Abraham agreed to Sarah's suggestion that he should father a child through Hagar. His impatience has had an awful consequence in subsequent history, as the angel foretold: "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against every¬one and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility towards all his brothers" (Gen 16:12).

It is important that modern prophets should "let patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4, KJV).

Abraham's story shows that impatience - and taking matters into our own hands - can have awful consequences in subsequent history.

3. Moses

Moses is another example of an outstanding prophet who nevertheless lost out through impatience. Scripture teaches us that "no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (Deut 34:10). Moses was the prototype prophet, to be surpassed only by Jesus himself, concerning whom Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him" (Deut 18:15).

Hosea tells us of the ministry of Moses in bringing Israel up out of Egypt: "The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt, by a prophet he cared for him" (Hos 12:13). But the Lord could not let Moses lead Israel into the promised land because of his impatience.

The Lord said to Moses, 'Take the staff...gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water...Moses said to them, 'Listen, you rebels'...Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them'. (Num 20:7-12)

The Psalmist's commentary on the event tells us something of the emotions involved: "By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord and trouble came to Moses because of them; for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' mouth" (Ps 106:32-33).

It was not God but Moses who was angry with the people, and in his anger and impatience the Israelite leader struck the rock twice. If Moses had merely spoken to the rock, as he had been directed, the miracle would have pointed away from Moses to God and the Lord would have been glorified in the eyes of the people. As it was, the intended witness to God's power was confused, because the rock was struck twice and Moses attempted to do God's work in man's way.

Moses is another example of an outstanding prophet who nevertheless lost out through impatience, attempting to do God's work man's way.

Today's prophets need to remember that "the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God" (James 1:20 RSV), that impatience can spoil their presentation of the Lord's message. Notice that in the account of the rock being struck in Numbers 20 the verbs are plural: Moses and Aaron were held jointly responsible and neither was allowed to enter the Promised Land. Moses and Aaron acted together in their transgression and together they shared in the judgment. Today's prophets need to watch out that they are neither leading nor being led by their fellow prophets to go beyond what God has actually told them.

4. Simeon

Here is a man in whom patience had her perfect work. "There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:25-26).

Simeon belonged to what has been called 'the quiet people', a group that included Zechariah the priest, Anna the prophetess and others who were "looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). Simeon had received a prophetic word informing him that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. He did not grow anxious as each year came and went but waited patiently for the fulfilment of the divine word he had received.

He must have often spoken of the promise of God and his conviction that it would be fulfilled, but by now he was an old man. However, he spent his time in the Temple precincts, which strengthened his patient anticipation that God would keep his promise.

Simeon is a man in whom patience had her perfect work, waiting until old age before God's promise to him was fulfilled.

Then one morning the child Jesus was brought to the Temple by his father and mother and Simeon knew that the moment he had been waiting for all these years had come. He took the child in his arms and praised the God who had fulfilled his promise in the words of his Nunc Dimittis: "Now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29).

It is not given to us to know the day or the hour when Jesus will return but we may certainly sense that his coming is imminent (Matt 24:36). Like Simeon, we have the privilege of patiently awaiting his return. "For in just a very little while he who is coming will come and will not delay" (Heb 10:37).

The Written Prophets Teach Patient Waiting

Hosea says, "You must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always" (12:6). At a time when a man's enemies are members of his own household, Micah declares, "As for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me" (7:7). God speaks through Zephaniah and says, "Wait for me...for the day I will stand up to testify...to assemble the nations...to pour out my wrath on them" (3:8).

Jeremiah protests that it is not the idol gods that send down the rain. "No, it is you, O Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this" (14:22). Isaiah affirms the God who operates on behalf of his people: "Since ancient times no-one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him" (64:4). Isaiah sums up the happiness and security of those who wait for God in the words, "Blessed are all who wait for him!" (30:18). But they must wait patiently, as David writes in Psalm 37:7: "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him."

The prophets testify that God is our Saviour and justifier, our hope and portion. It is a blessing to watch and wait patiently for him.

I believe our patient waiting is precious to the Lord because it expresses our absolute confidence that he will not fail us and that all his promises to us will be kept.

Areas in Which a Prophet's Patience is Tested

The areas in which prophetic testing takes place are:

• Circumstances, where patience is the capacity for calmly enduring pain, delay, and other trying circumstances with an even temper.
• Other people, where patience is the equanimity that can cope with difficult people and their frustrating behaviour without getting worked up.
• God, where patience is the ability to go on trusting God when prayer appears to be unanswered and his promises remain apparently unfulfilled.
• Ourselves, when like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane we are unable to keep awake, or on other occasions when we just cannot manage to call on our inner resources (Mark 14:40).

No 'Instant' Patience

We live at a time when 'instant' everything is the order of the day. We want the end-product but not the frustrating period of training or preparation. But there is no available supply of patience that we can call on. We can acquire it only by facing the things that make us impatient and by learning how to react to them - above all, by allowing the Holy Spirit's fruit of long-suffering and patience to get deeply rooted in our lives (Gal 5:22-23).

We can only acquire patience by facing the things that make us impatient, and learning how to react to them. Patience is a fruit that must be borne in us by the Holy Spirit.

In his teaching Jesus was keen on agricultural illustrations and following the parable of the sower he explains that the harvest the farmer looked for depended on his patience. "As for those in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15 RSV).

Let the final word, as was the first, be from James' letter: "See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient...the Lord's coming is near" (James 5:7-8).

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 7 No 2, March/April 1991.

Edmund Heddle unpacks God's requirements for mankind, re-iterated again and again through the prophets and summarised by the prophet Micah: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord.

An important part of the prophet's responsibility, whether in the Old or New Testament, is telling God's people what the Lord requires of them and spelling out the divine requirements. People are forgetful and need constant reminders of their responsibilities. They are sinful and prone to go astray from the right way. They are also exposed to the seduction and attraction of evil forces. All these things apply to groups of people as well as individuals.

There is, however, one area in which the Lord's people seem particularly prone to adopt the wrong ideas - and that is worship.

How to Approach God

The classic passage on this subject is to be found in the prophecy of Micah (6:6-8):

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my first-born, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

George Adam Smith in The Book of the Twelve Prophets writes, "This is the greatest saying of the Old Testament...these few verses in which Micah sets forth the true essence of religion...afford us an insight into the innermost nature of the religion of Israel, as delivered by the prophets."¹

One area in which the Lord's people are particularly prone to adopting the wrong ideas is that of worship.

Micah the Countryman

Micah was one of the prophets who functioned during the 8^th Century BC and was contemporary with Amos and Hosea in the northern kingdom of Israel. While Isaiah was prophesying in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah, Micah was a countryman, living in Moresheth, twenty miles south-west of Jerusalem. While Isaiah was a statesman involved with the court circle of his day, Micah denounced the moral and social evils he saw among ordinary people, together with their priests, prophets and merchants.

He foretold the fall of Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom, and told of a glorious future when Jerusalem would become the religious centre of the world, over which the King - to be born in Bethlehem - would reign (Micah 1:6; 3:11; 5:1-4; 4:1-5).

Whilst Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem amongst men of rank and importance, Micah prophesied in the country to ordinary people.

The Mountains' Witness

Micah presents his teaching on what God requires of his worshippers in the form of a trial in which the Lord's case against Israel is to be heard (Micah 6:1-5). He asks the mountains, that had seen all that God had done for his people, to act as witnesses. What should the people have done to respond to God's faithfulness to his covenant? He appeals to the mountains, those silent, unchanging spectators of human conduct throughout Israel's history, to confirm that he had been faithful to his people, while they in their turn had indulged in witchcraft, idolatry and immorality (5:12-14).

The verdict revealed Israel as guilty and Yahweh as totally innocent. How amazing therefore that Micah should go on to reveal Yahweh to be one who delights in mercy: "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his people? You do not stay angry for ever but delight to show mercy" (7:18).

How to Worship - Man's Idea

"Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?...with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn...for the sin of my soul?" (6: 6-7). The popular view of God sees him as a despot who needs to be propitiated by material offerings, provided they are sufficiently large and costly. The prophet even considers the possibility of offering human sacrifice, his nearest and dearest, as was practised at that time (2 Ki 3:27, 16:3; Isa 57:5), although this was strictly forbidden by the Law of Moses (Lev 18:21) and was something that had never even entered God's mind! (Jer 19:5).

The popular view of God sees him as a despot who needs appeasing through human effort – preferably through large, costly material offerings.

Note the increasing exaggeration of these suggestions. First, the prophet proposes burnt offerings with year-old calves. This is seen to be the offering appropriate to a meticulous observance of the Law. The second suggestion, embracing thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil is an excessive fulfilment of the law's requirements. The third exceeds all normal bounds of humanity by putting forward the idea of human sacrifice.

The supreme mistake at the heart of all these suggestions was to suppose that Yahweh, like all other deities, required appeasement through human effort. Even the sacrificial system of Moses was meaningless without the heart devotion of the worshipper (Jer 7:22-24). This is external religion, totally ineffective in bringing forgiveness to the worshipper.

How to Worship - God's Way

He has showed you, O man, what is good...To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)

According to Micah, God has revealed his requirements and we are left neither in the darkness of ignorance nor to the vagaries of human suggestions, such as we have been considering in the two preceding verses. The simplicity of true religion is nowhere described more clearly than it is here. It is a heart response to God for all that he has done, expressed in the three basic elements of 'doing justly', 'loving mercy', and 'walking humbly with the Lord God'.

These requirements apply to all men of all ages, living in all places. Life is to be lived in a right relationship to one's fellow men in all circumstances - social, political, at the work-place and during leisure: avoiding whatever is unfair or wrong but delighting to be of service: and freely and willingly, showing kindness to others.

While false, external religion is totally ineffective, Micah simply expresses the three basic elements of true religion – doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God.

Notice that while we are to 'do' justly, we are to 'love' showing mercy. Mercy must never be grudging or stinted. If justice obliges us to go one mile, mercy will constrain us to do two! (Matt 5:41). A concern that all have their fair share and their just rights makes a sure foundation for society. Sadly, it was the very thing so lacking in Micah's time.

How to Walk with Your God

We have seen that, according to Micah's analysis of the situation, the way to worship God begins with a right and loving relationship with other people. Let us note that it does not stay there. We need to be in right relationship with God as well as with our neighbour. The exalted God who dwells in the highest heaven is also prepared to accompany each step of their earthly life all who will humble themselves to walk at God's pace in his chosen direction (Isa 57:15).

The essential feature is to walk 'humbly'. This is a rare word, occurring only twice in the Old Testament, the other occasion being in Proverbs 11:2. Some scholars stress that its root meaning is 'secretly'. Jesus made it clear that we need from time to time to withdraw from the business of life and to enter the quiet room. He assures us that our Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward us (Matt 6:6).

The God who dwells in highest heaven is prepared to accompany each step of their earthly life all who will humble themselves to walk at his pace and in his chosen direction.

It is however important to preserve the rendering 'humbly'. The spirit of humility is always to be in evidence when weak, sinful men attempt to walk with a perfect and holy God. But the rewards of such an experience are of incredible value, as Enoch found when he walked with God (Gen 5:21-24). If we walk with our God while here on earth, we shall not find it strange when the time comes to leave it. We shall have that lovely feeling, in heaven, of belonging!

Prophets' Chorus

When Micah was given the revelation that we have been studying he became part of a prophets' chorus. For Amos had cried out for justice – "let justice roll on like a river..." (Amos 5:24). And Hosea had exclaimed, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hos 6:6). And we must bring in the 'thrice holy' exclamations that Isaiah heard in the Temple when he was humbled before the majesty of Israel's God (Isa 6:3-5). Micah takes these sentiments from his fellow prophets and weaves them into the call that summarises God's requirement (Micah 6:8).

Approved by the Lord Jesus

On one occasion Jesus was asked. "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God...love your neighbour as yourself." The questioner replied, "You are right in saying that God is one and that there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him. "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28-34)

In agreeing with the reply given by the teacher of the law, Jesus did not dismiss the Mosaic sacrificial system as being of no significance. It was important in training Israel to understand the ministry of the Messiah and his atoning death on the cross. But once it had been fulfilled, Jesus agreed that the love of God and of one's neighbour took priority. The conclusion reached by Jesus endorsed the statement many years before by the prophet Samuel: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice..." (1 Sam 15:22).

The essence of Micah's famous statement is that God has no interest in a multiplicity of empty acts. Offerings and rituals, however splendid and costly, count for nothing in his estimation. Even the Levitical ordinances are valueless unless they express a sincere, heartfelt response to God's grace and mercy. Jeremiah sums it up thus: "When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them. I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: 'Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you'" (Jer 7:22-23).

God has no interest in a multiplicity of empty acts. His command is that we obey him, and walk with him, and be his people.

Announcing God's Requirements

The prophet's responsibility is to discover what the Lord requires and then to make it his requirement. Three errors may crop up as he does this. First, he may refuse to pass on God's requirement because it is too costly or too embarrassing. Secondly, he may pass on only a part of God's requirement, leaving some things unsaid.

Thirdly, he may add to what God requires, for example by suggesting rituals and procedures that end up by adulterating God's pure will. Today's prophets have a solemn responsibility to make sure that their people know what God is requiring of them. They must also be careful not to misuse their position of privilege by adding their own or other people's ideas to what God actually requires.

The Message of Micah's Name

The name 'Micah' means, 'Who is like Yahweh?', and towards the end of his prophecy he answers that question when he says, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin?...You do not stay angry for ever, but delight to show mercy" (Micah 7:18). Moses asked the same question after God had brought his people safely through the Red Sea: "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Ex 15:11). Let our worship clearly manifest both the mercy and the awesomeness of such a great and glorious God.

Prophets have a solemn responsibility to make sure that people know what God is requiring of them – they must not misuse their privilege by adding their own ideas in.

What is your God like, the God who is worshipped in your fellowship? Remember, it is part of the prophet's task to give a clear picture of what the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is like, and what is required of those who profess to worship him.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6, No 1, January/February 1990. Part of our series on the Ministry of the Prophet.

References

1 Smith, G A, 1900. The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Commonly Called the Minor. Vol. 1. Reprint. London: Forgotten Books, 2013. pp418-9.

Clifford Denton discusses the principle that all Scripture is founded on the first five books of the Bible - the Torah.

In the last study we looked at the covenant purposes of God to show that there is an overarching principle of covenant throughout all history. This week we will look at another unifying principle of our faith, handed down by the nation of Israel. This is the principle that all Scripture is founded on the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.

All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians. The basis of Scripture, from the Hebraic point of view, is the Torah. Now this is not to say that the basis of our faith is Torah - the basis of our faith is faith in Jesus the Messiah. So how are we to read all Scripture with the right balance?

All Scripture is for all of God's people. It is not to be seen as the Old Testament for the Jews and the New Testament for Christians.

We do not replace Jesus by the Torah, or Torah by Jesus. We see him as a fulfilment, a manifestation - a full realisation of Torah. So in saying that we are to take a Torah perspective on the scriptures, we are neither going into legalism nor a replacement of Jesus. In fact, by reading the scriptures as they should be read, Jesus will be central, and we will come to know him better.

Torah Foundations

So let us consider how Torah is the basis of all Scripture. A well-known and respected Jewish Rabbi, Samson Rafael Hirsh, wrote a book called Horeb (Soncino, 2002). Horeb was the mountain of God where God met with Moses to give him detailed aspects of Torah. Hirsch comments in his introduction:

As far as the term torot is concerned, it can without difficulty be applied to the general religious truths of Judaism because the word Torah, although sometimes used for the whole corpus of our laws, originally signifies teaching or doctrine.

To Hirsch, Horeb means to plant the seed in someone else - hence to implant the seeds of truth and morality in others to transform their lives.

So that torot are the teachings which God has revealed to us of truth and goodness, which we are to accept in our minds and feelings so as to beget in us the knowledge of truth and the decision to do good. The value of torot can therefore never lie in their merely doctrinal or theoretical character, but in their motive power leading to action as a transforming agency in the lives of men.

Hirsch seems to be a Jew speaking about these things from a Christian perspective, but really he is showing us that for both Jews and Gentiles called by faith, there is a purpose in Torah that goes beyond legalism. Legalism is certainly a valid criticism of much of the Jewish world. They took the teachings of Moses and legalised them so much as to take the life from them. But there is also a deep truth in what we read from Rabbi Hirsch, that the Torah is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind. Torah is to be manifest in our lives, and that is the pursuit of the Jew and the believing Gentile - all who come into this one family of faith. Remember that it was Jesus himself who said:

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)

All of God's teaching is to bring life. He also said in Matthew 5:17-18:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law [Torah], or the prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For I truly tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law [Torah], until everything is accomplished.

There is a purpose in the Torah that goes beyond legalism – it is the heart of God's teaching for all mankind.

We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism but need not do so. God does require standards, and he tells us what these are. Therefore, we must be disciplined in our walk of faith, but we must also find God's heart through his teaching. All the laws of God are full of his heart's concern for us. That is why the Holy Spirit came to write the teaching on our hearts.

Where is the Balance?

So where is the balance? How can we re-assess the scriptures and discover their Torah foundation? This is central to our Hebraic and Jewish heritage. Also handed on to us was the realisation that the Jewish world did not quite get it right. Indeed, Jesus criticised many of the teachers of the law about their interpretation and their lifestyle. But even so, it does not mean we should not look again and rediscover what Israel itself is seeking today - as we read from the introduction of the book by Hirsh, concerning the teaching of God at Horeb – "And I sought through all generations..."

We must reject the idea that a Torah foundation to Scripture leads to legalism. It can lead to legalism – but need not do so.

What is it that we are seeking together in that life of faith, using the Bible as our reference point? First, to understand that the Torah is the basic teaching of God. Although the whole Bible is Torah or teaching, the first five books are given a special place - these are the special revelations of God.

These books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. We need to reassess what they really bring to us, and with confidence put them at the foundation of our Bible reading. If you go through these books carefully you will find in them the origins of all the truths contained in the Bible.

All Foundational Truths Begin in Torah

The first teaching of the Bible is the account of creation - nowhere else do we find this truth in the entirety of the libraries of the world. As we go on with our reading we begin to learn about God, mankind and their relationship. We learn how sin came into the world and about God's standards for mankind. We learn of the Fall and the situation that we are all in now after the Fall. We learn of the great Flood, and of the covenant purposes of God - all these things are laid out in the Torah.

These five books contain far more than the 'dos and don'ts' that God brought through Moses. If you go through them carefully you can find the origins of all the truths in the Bible.

Abraham's life is fully described in those first five books - as are the lives of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and later, the twelve tribes of Israel. Finally, the growth of the nation of Israel is described in the books of Torah.

Here too we learn how to apply the metaphors that God wants to teach us, through real life situations. From the toil in the land of Egypt and the release from captivity, we set the foundations for our own experiences with God, both physical and spiritual. We learn about the miracle workings of God. We learn about his active interventions in the world. He has not just separated himself so that it goes like some machine.

We learn about the Feasts of the Lord, which appear first in the Torah. We learn about the Sabbath and its importance. The priesthood is introduced, as are the principles of faith and of prayer.

If you go into the first five books of the Bible and try to assess the number of themes there, you will find them to be countless. We must, therefore, come away from a mindset that these are irrelevant books for Christians. They are the foundation of the faith for Israel and those saved from the Gentile world.

We must come away from a mindset that these books are irrelevant for Christians. They are the foundation of our faith.

Torah Dependency of all Scripture

So then, if Torah is the basis, how does the rest of Scripture fit into its pattern? The Jewish way of dividing Scripture is very valid. The division into three sections according to tradition is first the Torah itself, then the Nevi'im (or Prophets) and finally the Ketuvim (the Writings). That is the traditional way that was handed on to us.

The Bible books are set out in a different order in the Hebrew bible. If we look at them in those three sections, we can see better how they fit together as we try to re-establish the Torah as the basis of all Bible study.

The Prophets

What about the Prophets then? What message in addition to Torah do the prophets bring? The prophets have one purpose and it is Torah-based. When the people of God begin to stray, they also begin to not listen to him. They do not read the signs around them and they gradually ignore what God is saying. So God sends along a prophet, or a prophetic word, or prophetic movement in order to remind people and call them back to the one true God. How do the people get called back to the one true God? They must be called back to his teaching - to what he requires of us.

So the simple task of the prophet is to call the people of God back to himself through his teaching. In that sense, the prophets are Torah-based. There is second purpose in the prophets - a message that looks to the future for God's people. They all say, as it were, "Israel - people of God, cleave to God through his teaching. It may be hard but one day he will make it easier, because in the future there is a promised Messiah, and there is a promised new heaven and a new earth - that day will come but hang on - keep with him, walk it through with him in the meanwhile."

Even that is a Torah-based message, however, because it is all about Jesus, and Jesus is the fulfilment of Torah. In a subtle way the futuristic aspect of the prophetic message is aligned with the past prophetic message - to remember Torah and walk with your God. If you approach the prophets in that way you'll find that Torah is the basis of their whole message, and without Torah they have no real foundation. They do not bring a new message, but they remind you of an old message.

The prophets do not bring a new message, but remind you of an old one.

They may well give some clues as to what Torah really means, such as we find in Micah 6:8:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Sometimes, like this, the prophets give glimpses of the heart message of Torah, but it is not a new message, it is a message in context. Here is a simple example of how this applies. In the book of Amos, chapter 4, we read:

"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.

"I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.

Amos repeats one sign after another from God that has fallen upon the nation of Israel with increasing intensity as God's judgments became more severe. The people of Israel had lost sight of the signs of God, lost their walk with him, turning away - and so a prophet came to warn them.

But what about these signs? Well, Israel's history - Israel's prophetic history - can always go back to the Torah portions. If you look at Deuteronomy 28 and 29 you see it is exactly what God said that he would do. Part of this teaching was how Israel would receive blessings or curses from the Lord.

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks...

...However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country...

So what does Israel perceive when things start to go wrong - blight on the crops, plague on the cattle, things going wrong in their community life, rain here and not rain there - these are signs from God, signs that were part of his teaching programme, and here it is in Deuteronomy - a central book of Torah. Amos did not bring a new message. It should not have been a surprise to Israel, but they were not heeding the signs, so a prophet came to explain what was happening. The prophet's message was Torah central.

The Writings

In 2 Chronicles 7 there is a similar parallel, and this is part of the 'Writings'. Solomon had built the great temple to the Lord and wanted to dedicate it. In 2 Chronicles 6, he asks God if he will bring blessing upon this place. The Lord responds and says:

"I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chron 7:12-14)

Here again, God speaks in a way that is founded upon all that went before in Torah. His ways have not changed. This is just one example, but in one way or another, this is verified wherever we read in Scripture. All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah. Christians, like Jews, have this same heritage.

All the teaching of the whole Bible is bound together by principles and parallels from the Torah.

Another clear example of the way the Torah, rightly interpreted, is in the heart of all God's people, is in Psalm 119: "O I love your law [Torah], I meditate upon it night and day." Again, in Job, he accepted all that he had suffered, when he realised that God is his Creator. That was the central part of the message of Job - a Torah-based message for a suffering world.

New Testament

Moving into the New Testament scriptures, we remember that Jesus said that he came to fulfil Torah - not one small letter or stroke of the pen would be taken away until all is fulfilled. On the road to Emmaus he reminded the two disciples of how he was to be found there in the Torah and the prophets and the writings. He showed that he was at the heart of God's teaching, rather than replacing it. All the gospels are about fulfilment.

Paul, whose writings form a substantial part of the rest of the New Testament, was first taught as a Jewish rabbi, at the best schools of the day. He was taught about the Torah basis of all scripture and Torah basis of Jewish lifestyle, before ever he went out with the Gospel message. Just as it was for Paul, we should read Torah not with a legalistic approach but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul does not deny this teaching; he brings a right interpretation of this teaching.

We, too, need to read the whole of the New Testament in the light of Torah. Our flawed understanding is in a wrong perception of Torah, rather than setting it on correct foundations. If we have a wrong perception of Torah we are afraid to touch it, but Torah reveals the heart of God. This is fulfilled in the New Covenant, written onto our hearts. In this way, the entire Bible is one united whole which brings us to that purpose.

Our foundational Scriptural inheritance is the same for Jews and for Gentiles.

For Reflection and Comment

Can you devise a reading plan which keeps the Torah in balance with all Scripture?

(Consider Under the Fig Tree in the Online Courses of www.tishrei.org)

Next time: Root and Fruit

Prophets in the Old Testament often seem to be lone rangers - single solitary figures taking a stand against nations and kings. But they existed in far greater numbers than we usually realise - and frequently worked in groups.

At first sight it would appear that the outstanding characteristic of the Old Testament prophets was their individualism. They stood alone against what they saw to be wrong in the lives of nations, their kings, and secular and religious leaders.

They were remarkable for the courage by which they stood single-handed against the evils of their day. Men such as Samuel, Elijah, Amos and Jeremiah had to conduct their prophetic ministries on their own, without the sympathy and support of other like-minded people.

Paucity of Numbers

Alongside their individualism it might appear to many Bible students that there were apparently only a small number of these people during Israel's history. We know the names of 16 writing prophets (that is, men whose books appear in the Bible) and 21 others. In addition, there are another four whose names are not recorded. Thus a total of 41 prophets proclaimed the word of the Lord between the ministry of Samuel, around 1050 BC, and the rebuilding of the Temple and the ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah sometime about 450 BC.

41 prophets distributed over 600 years does not seem a generous figure. But in fact there were many more, as we see by examining the continuous ministry of prophets during the Old Testament period, from the crossing of the Red Sea until the cessation of prophecy spoken of by the writer of Psalm 74:9.

We know of 41 prophets proclaiming God's word between the ministry of Samuel and that of Ezra and Nehemiah – but there were many more.

Continuous Prophetic Ministry

Jeremiah tells us what the Lord had to say about the continuous ministry of prophets over the span of Israel's history: "From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again, I sent you my servants the prophets" (Jer 7:26). In the confession of the Israelites after their return from exile Nehemiah records, "For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets" (Neh 9:30).

The pity of Yahweh was shown to be the reason for the continued ministry of the prophets throughout Israel's history. "The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again because he had pity on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets..." (2 Chron 36:15,16). The Lord challenged his people through Amos: '"I also raised up prophets from among your sons...is this not true, people of Israel?' declares the Lord. 'But you...commanded the prophets not to prophesy'" (Amos 2:11, 12).

God continually sent prophets to Israel throughout their history, because he took pity on his people.

My Servants the Prophets

In many of the references to the continuous ministry of the prophets they are called 'my servants' by the Lord. They were his men and women, raised up in society to serve his interests. "This is what the Lord says, 'If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, who I have sent to you again and again...then I will make this house like Shiloh'" (Jer 26:4-6). "Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate! But they did not listen...'" (Jer 44:4).

Daniel in his prayer confessed the disobedience of God's people to the message God's servants had faithfully proclaimed. "We have not listened to your servants the prophets" (Dan 9:6). This is a serious state of affairs that occurred in both Old and New Testament times, and one which found ultimate expression in the killing of God's servants (Matt 23:31, 32, 35). But accounts are kept by their righteous Lord: "I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets" (2 Ki 9:7).

The prophets were God's servants, his men and women raised up in society to serve his interests.

Prophets Urged Obedience to God's Law

The standard which the prophets required of God's people was that of the law of Moses, and they were continually urging them to obey it in its entirety. "Observe my commands and decrees in accordance with the entire law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets" (2 Ki 17:13). But as Daniel also confesses, "We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from your laws and commands" (Dan 9:5).

God showed Amos that the behaviour of his people was to be compared with the plumb-line of his standard (Amos 7:7, 8). Part of the duty of God's people is still to proclaim his law and his standards, which are binding on all peoples universally.

The Prophets Were a Recognised Group

In Old Testament society the prophets formed a recognised group. For example, Jehosaphat, king of Judah, advised that the Lord's counsel should be sought over a particular matter, and the group of prophets was summoned (1 Ki 22:5, 6). When the Book of the Law was discovered during the reign of King Josiah, he called together the elders, the people, the priests and the prophets (2 Ki 23:1, 2), and read it in their hearing. Nehemiah's prayer refers to the hardship that had come upon kings, leaders, priests and prophets (Neh 9:32).

We are dealing here not with important individual prophets but with groups of these gifted people. In one of the instances just noted, the group numbered as many as 400 men.

The prophets urged God's people to obey his law in its entirety, proclaiming its standards in comparison to their behaviour.

Numbers of Prophets

The earliest reference in Scripture to a group of prophets records the descent of the Spirit on to the 70 men chosen to be Moses' assistants (Num 11:25). We read later that Samuel told Saul he would meet a procession of prophets as he entered Gibeah, though we do not know the number involved (1 Sam 10:5, 6).

At the conclusion of Elijah's ministry, we meet with companies of prophets who lived together in various places (2 Ki 2, 3, 5, 7 and 16). A figure of 50 is mentioned twice, and there may well have been hundreds resident in these schools of the prophets.

During the time of Queen Jezebel, a hundred prophets were given food and shelter by Obadiah, who is called "a devout believer in the Lord"; at that time this wicked woman had already killed many of God's servants. Baal's prophets totalled 450 and in addition there were 400 prophets of Asherah who were regularly entertained at the queen's table (1 Ki 18:3, 19).

Elijah was convinced that after the massacre Jezebel had organised he was the only true prophet remaining (1 Ki 19:10, 14). But Yahweh assured him that in fact there remained no fewer than 7,000 people who had not bowed the knee to Baal, though we do not know how many actual prophets were included in this figure. Could the statement mean that they were all prophets? If not, 7,000 seems a small figure for the total number of believers in a nation that by then numbered well over a million.

Groups of False Prophets

On the occasion of Jehosaphat's meeting with Ahab we learn that the two kings consulted 400 prophets as to whether they should attack Ramoth Gilead. Even so, their advice was wrong and only the prophet Micaiah was really hearing from the Lord. For bringing true counsel he was slapped across the face by the false prophet Zedekiah, and on orders from Israel's King Ahab was put in prison, to subsist on bread and water (1 Ki 22:4-6, 23-27). There was clearly no surprise at the appearance of such a large number of prophets but, sadly, all were under the influence of a lying spirit.

These false prophets and others who followed in their footsteps did all in their power at every stage to intimidate the true servants of God. Right at the end of the Old Testament period we find them attacking Nehemiah as he sought to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He cried out, "Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me!" (Neh 6:14).

These false prophets had inspired a lie about Nehemiah. They accused him of planning to be proclaimed king of Jerusalem and claimed that he had gone so far as to arrange for prophets to announce, 'There is a king in Judah!' (Neh 6:6,7). The significance of this account (at least in the context of our subject) is that groups of prophets were still to be found at the close of the Old Testament period.

Despite persecution, massacres and the opposition of large numbers of false prophets, groups of true prophets were still to be found at the close of the Old Testament period.

The True Prophets' Message

As well as declaring the standards specified by God's law and demanding that his people live up to those standards, the prophets repeatedly urged God's men and women to turn from their backsliding (2 Chron 24:19). They called them back also from idolatry: "Again and again I sent all my servants to you. They said, 'Each one of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them'" (Jer 35:15), and again, "Do not do this detestable thing that I hate" (Jer 44:4).

The prophets reproved not only ordinary people but also had the God¬-given courage to accuse monarchs themselves when they did wrong things, as we see for example in the case of Manasseh: "The Lord said through his servants the prophets: 'Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him'" (2 Ki 21:10, 11).

Sadly, the people did not repent, and they refused to listen to the prophetic warnings: "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry" (Zech 7:11, 12).

The prophets reproved ordinary people but also had the God-given courage to accuse monarchs themselves when they did wrong things.

The Fall of Two Cities

Because it failed to respond to God's warnings through the prophets, Samaria the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel came to ruin. The date was 723 BC. "The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the Lord removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their home into exile in Assyria..." (2 Ki 17:22, 23).

In 587 BC Jerusalem, capital city of the southern kingdom, fell to the Babylonians because the people of Judah refused to repent of the sins of Manasseh: "He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah...because of the sins of Manasseh" (2 Ki 24:2, 3). "But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets...and there was no remedy...God handed them all over to Nebuchadnezzar" (2 Chron 36:16, 17).

The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets

Whenever the church sings the Te Deum alongside the glorious company of the apostles and the noble army of martyrs, it celebrates the goodly fellowship of the prophets. Our study has hopefully made this description more meaningful. For behind and alongside the great prophets whose names are household words, there were always groups of prophets living and working in fellowship with one another.

Behind and alongside the great prophets who are household names, there were always groups of prophets living and working in fellowship with one another.

We know that in the early days they lived together in the schools or guilds of the prophets. We do not know for certain whether they continued to live in community, but there is a clue in Psalm 74. The psalmist is speaking of the very end of Israel's history, so far as the Bible period is concerned, and it laments the sad situation then prevailing: "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none knows how long this will be" (Ps 74:9). But in the previous verse there is an intriguing statement: "They burned every place where God was worshipped in the land." This was before the time of the synagogue, and the Authorised Version is anachronistic to use that word.

Perhaps the prophets continued to live together, enjoying the goodly fellowship of which we sing!

First Published in Prophecy Today Vol 5, No 6, November/December 1989.

What did the prophets do at a time when the nation had deserted God, "everyone did was right in his own eyes" and the church of the day had embraced the culture of the world?

The situation in Israel during the period of the Judges is summed up in the scriptural verdict, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It was a time when standards of behaviour fell far short of what the law of God demanded, a time when Israel deserted the one true God for the gods of the heathen.

Towards the end of that period the wicked sons of the ageing high priest Eli exhibited their grabbing materialism and compromised their religious commitment by having intercourse with the female Temple workers. Eli's feeble protests against all this wrongdoing were totally ignored (1 Sam 2:22-25).

This was the time when God raised up Samuel to deal with Israel's moral degeneracy. Described by one writer as 'God's emergency man', Samuel combined within himself the three offices of judge, priest and prophet, and through these offices he transformed the situation in Israel.

During the period of the Judges, everyone did what was right in his own eyes and Israel deserted God, so God raised up Samuel to deal with the situation.

Samuel and the Prophetic Schools

Probably it was through Samuel that the 'schools of the prophets' came into existence at this time. Here, young men could help to call a halt to the national degeneration as they were instructed in the law of God and taught the message and practice of prophecy. From this time, around 1050 BC, right down to the time of Nehemiah c.445 BC, there is evidence in Scripture of prophets meeting and ministering together.

No-one can estimate the influence such groups of studious religious men had on the history of Israel, but we can see - at a time when Britain is turning against God's moral standards and is forsaking the one true God in a morass of syncretism - how much we need 'schools of prophets' today, where men and women can study the word and ways of our God and learn how to speak his life-changing words where they most need to be heard.

The 'Sons of the Prophets' and their Lifestyle

The Old Testament indicates that there were prophetic guilds or 'schools of the prophets' at a number of places, including Gibeah, the home-town of Saul, sometimes called the hill of God or the hill of Saul (1 Sam 10:5; Gibeah means 'hill').

There were companies of prophets at Bethel and Jericho (2 Ki 2:3,5) and probably also at the Jordan (2 Ki 2:7 and 6:1). There were others at Gilgal and in the hill country of Ephraim (2 Ki 4:38 and 5:22). One of the most important was at Ramah, Samuel's home-town, where he presided (1 Sam 19:18-24). Some scholars take the word 'Naioth' as a place-name. It is more likely to be the name given to the school of the prophets in Ramah. Naioth, which means a dwelling or residence, comes from a root word meaning 'to rest', as at home; a lovely thought!

There were prophetic guilds or schools in a number of places, including Bethel, Jericho and Samuel's home-town of Ramah.

The prophets living in their school buildings were called the 'sons' of the prophets, and they referred to their leaders as 'my father' (2 Ki 2:12 and 13:14). It is likely that they wore a prophet's garb, with a garment of hair, a leather belt and sandals (2 Ki 1:8, Is 20:2, Zech 13:4). They were self-supporting, a feature that persisted down the years to and beyond Paul's tent-making. They were not celibate, as we see by the mention of a widow of one of the prophets (this woman brought her problem to Elisha when she ran into financial difficulties after the death of her husband, one of the prophets, in 2 Ki 4:1-7).

They erected the buildings in which they were to live. One such school was bursting at the seams and needed an extension. Elisha approved of this, and helpfully recovered an axe-head used by one of the men so that their log-cabin could be enlarged (2 Ki 6:1-7).

It would appear that there were up to a hundred people at some of these schools (2 Ki 4:43). They were self-catering, and during a time of famine went round the fields to gather what herbs they could find. Unhappily, on one occasion they brought back a poisonous gourd, and only the intervention of Elisha (manifesting the saving power of God) prevented serious after-effects (2 Ki 4:38-41).

The prophets lived in school buildings and were self-supporting, erecting their own buildings and gathering their own food .

One day Elisha received a complaint from the Jericho school to the effect that the water was bad and the land was unproductive. Elisha threw salt into the spring and "the water has remained wholesome to this day". Some of the PWM Team who were in once in Israel can testify that that claim is still true, for we sampled its water and enjoyed its oranges! This was possible only because Elisha's spring still flows sweetly today (2 Ki 2:19-22).

Their Education

In these schools such figures as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha would share the things they had learned about God's dealings with men. They would recount the story of God's protective guidance to Israel. They would explain the reasons for the sad experience concerning the high priest Eli and his perverted sons. They would pass on their knowledge of God's law and the blessedness of obedience (1 Sam 15:22-23).

In helping their trainees to face current situations they would at times need to pray, "Lord, open his eyes that he may see" (2 Ki 6:17). They would learn how to listen to God and how to begin to prophesy.

As a background to these activities the leaders would draw their attention to the state of affairs in their country and in the home life of its people. They would realise that God's message is conveyed in two principal ways: by prophetic words and by mighty deeds, the two being bound indissolubly together (Heb 11:32-35).

Their Ministry

These were assistants to leaders such as Elijah and Elisha. Apart from a few instances (1 Ki 18:43-44, 2 Ki 5:20 and 6:15-17) most of their names are not recorded. They were sent as messengers (2 Ki 9:1-3). They were concerned with the welfare of people in need (2 Ki 8:1-6). Kings and people alike turned to them for guidance (1 Sam 9:7-8, 1 Ki 22:27). It appears that some of them developed a predictive ability (2 Ki 2: 3, 5).

In the schools, trainees would learn how to pray and prophesy, and would learn to understand the state of affairs in the country at large.

Undoubtedly some of them rose to become prophets whose pronouncements are familiar to us in the Old Testament. Amos appears to be an exception, for he says of himself, "I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son..." (Amos 7:14), indicating that he had not been to any of the schools of the prophets.

The 'Sons of the Prophets' and the Spirit

The Spirit had come upon individuals such as Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson (Jud 3:10, 6:34, 11:29 and 13:25), but it was at the schools of the prophets that the first corporate stirrings of the Spirit came down upon the seventy elders during the time of Moses (Num 11:24-29).

The students at the school of the prophets in Jericho were concerned to receive confirmation that Elisha was the God-appointed successor to Elijah. They did not wait in vain, for as Elijah ascended to heaven his cloak fell upon his protege; and when Elisha struck the water with it and cried, "Where now is the God of Elijah?", the waters of the Jordan divided. This miracle confirmed to the prophets that he was their new leader and that the same fullness of the Spirit was now to be manifest through him (2 Ki 2:11-15).

The truth on which the schools of the prophets were established is this: no-one can prophesy unless the Spirit has come upon him (1 Sam 10:6 and 19:20-23). Even a false prophet recognised that men can prophesy only when the Spirit comes upon them (1 Ki 22:24).

The schools of the prophets were established on this truth: no-one can prophesy unless the Spirit has come upon them.

Their Music

As was still true a thousand years later, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the sons of the prophets caused them to break forth into sacred music and praise (1 Sam 10:5 and Eph 5:18-19). They did not restrict their praise just to within the four walls of their seminaries, but organised 'praise marches'. Taking with them an assortment of musical instruments, they went out into the open air, prophesying with inspired praise. What they sang and played was given to them spontaneously as they marched along.

By the time of King David the prophets, divided into music guilds, were responsible for the leading of praise and worship. "Some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun [were set apart] for the ministry of prophesying accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals" (1 Chron 25:1). Two hundred and fifty years later, after Hezekiah had purified it, "He stationed the Levites in the Temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets" (2 Chron 29:25).

We must not make the mistake of imagining this singing arising from choirs commanding only small forces. Towards the end of David's reign he went on record as saying, "Four thousand are to praise the Lord with musical instruments I have provided for that purpose" (1 Chron 23:5).

Their Archives

When we study the historical books of the Old Testament we come across references to books that were written by the prophets. These were the result of careful recording of events by contemporaries and have been quoted by the writers of our Old Testament. We read of "the records of Nathan the prophet...the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite...the visions of Iddo the seer", also "the records of Shemaiah the prophet" and "the records of Samuel the seer...and the records of Gad the seer" (2 Chron 9:29, 12:15 and 1 Chron 29:29).

We are indebted to the 'schools of the prophets' for housing and protecting these records, also for adding to their collection by making contemporary records of the events of their day. Clearly it was a work of the Holy Spirit that moved them to archive this material for the benefit of others.

As was still true a thousand years later, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the sons of the prophets caused them to break forth into sacred music and praise.

Their Duration

There can be no doubt about the importance of these schools in the purposes of God, but we cannot be certain how long they continued. We know that they came into being, probably as we saw earlier under the influence of the prophet Samuel, around 1000 BC. They continued during the reign of David and most likely merged into the guilds that he instituted, especially the guild of prophetic musicians.

However, by the time of Amos (779-743 BC), under the leadership of Elijah and followed by that of Elisha, we find that they were still flourishing as centres of religious training and devotion. Some would claim that they continued throughout the period of the monarchy. The reference in Isaiah 8:16 suggests that there was a group of disciples associated with the prophet in his day, around 740 BC, but it is difficult to prove that schools continued as centres of worship, study, corporate life and proclamation after that time.

Living as we do at a time when prophecy has been ignored or devalued, it is surely time that provision be made for men and women filled with the Spirit to once more come together to study, to practice and to learn how to manifest prophecy and the other gifts of the Spirit.

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 5 No 5, September/October 1989.

We know more about Jeremiah than about any other prophet – including about his emotional response to the labours of the prophetic ministry.

We know very little about the personal lives of the majority of the prophets of the Old Testament. Beyond being told their names, details of their families and the places from which they came, we know almost nothing about them.

This is not true of Jeremiah, whose prophecies contain a considerable amount of biographical material. It is from his writings that we are able to see the emotional reaction of a prophet to the state of the nation to which he was sent and to the word of God that he was called to proclaim. We know more about him than about any other prophet, and are able to share his feelings as he tells out God's message.

Judah's Decline and Fall

Jeremiah's ministry followed on the reign of three kings: Manasseh, 696-642 BC, the two year rulership of his successor Amon, and the thirty-one year term of Josiah from 641 BC to his death on the battlefield of Megiddo around 610 BC (2 Ki 23:30).

Jeremiah began his ministry about half¬way through Josiah's reign. He continued through the three-month rule of Jehoahaz, the ten-year reign of Jehoiakim, another three-month rule, this time under Jehoiakin, finishing up under Zedekiah, whose ten-year reign ended with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BC.

We know more about Jeremiah than about any other prophet – including about his emotional response to the labours of the prophetic ministry.

Judah went through an all-time low during Manasseh's tenure of office, though things apparently took a turn for the better during the reign of Josiah, which included the discovery in the Temple of the Book of the Law. But taken overall, these were years that saw the decline and fall of the Judean kingdom. It was during this difficult and dangerous period that Jeremiah conducted his ministry.

Jeremiah the Man

Jeremiah was a sensitive man, capable of deep emotion, lacking self-confidence but yet courageous. He felt totally incompetent to be appointed God's prophet (Jer 1:5-10). We have a suggestion in his oft-repeated phrase 'rising up early and speaking', which occurs a number of times in his writings but nowhere else in Scripture, that he was a man with a disciplined life, able to keep his body under control (Jer 7:13, 25). The NIV translates this phrase as 'again and again'; the Hebrew word means 'to rise early'.

Jeremiah conducted his ministry during a difficult and dangerous period for Judah – and as a sensitive man, felt totally incompetent to be appointed God's prophet.

This Old Testament prophet was a loyal patriot who cared deeply about what happened to his nation. but had to face being branded as a traitor (Jer 37:13-14). He was clearly a man of the outdoors, observing almond blossom, the sirocco, the migration of storks and doves and the reproductive urge of wild asses (Jer 1:11-12; 4:11-12; 8:7; 2:23-24). How awful it must have been for him to be kept in prison or thrown into a cistern! But he was prepared to put up with all this unpleasantness rather than deny the word of God that was burning in his heart.

For his was no academic reaction to the letter of the law. He not only heard the word; he felt it (Jer 20:9). But sadly, as he records a dozen times or so, "They did not listen!" (Jer 6:19 and 13:11, for example). But despite their failure to respond to God's message, Jeremiah went on praying for them. He said to the Lord, "Remember that I stood before you and spoke on their behalf to turn your wrath away from them" (Jer 18:20). God invited Jeremiah's prayers (Jer 33:3), but the time came (Jer 7:16) when he was forbidden to pray for the people. It was too late. God said to him, "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people!" (Jer 15:1).

We know that Jeremiah was a loyal patriot who prayed again and again for God to spare Judah his judgment.

Years later, after the fall of Jerusalem, the people asked Jeremiah to pray for them, "That the Lord will tell us where we should go and what we should do" (Jer 42:3). Jeremiah waited on the Lord for ten days before receiving an answer. But then, when he told them God's reply, they refused to do as he had said. How frustrating it must have been for this godly man to have had to prophesy to such disobedient people! It is still true today that many want to know his will, but refuse to obey when it is made known (Jer 42:7, 19-22).

By contrast Jeremiah stood firm, unmoved by either popular acclaim or princely threat. It is not surprising that he was highly critical of the false prophets, the 'windbags' (Jer 5:13) who prophesied lies and gave the people false hopes (Jer 23:16). Jeremiah quickly discerned their fatal weakness: they had not stood in the council of the Lord to 'see or hear his word' (Jer 23:18, 22). Regarding himself as a shepherd of God's people (Jer 17:6), Jeremiah was horrified at the failure of their shepherds to care for God's flock (Jer 10:21; 50:6).

Jeremiah was highly critical of false prophets and, as a shepherd of God's people, was horrified at the failure of shepherds to care for God's flock.

Jeremiah's 'Confessions'

In the so-called 'confessions' of Jeremiah we have a disclosure exposing the depths of the prophet's soul. These 'confessions' are to be found in the following verses: Jer 10:22-24; 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:9-11, 17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18. The use of the word 'confession' is best understood as referring to need rather than sin.

Here are some matters dealt with in the 'confessions':

• Jeremiah asks to be corrected (Jer 10:24).
• When God reveals to Jeremiah that wicked people are plotting to kill him, he cries out for vengeance (Jer 11:18-20).
• He then complains that it is the wicked who prosper (Jer 12:1).
• The prophet claims that God knows all about him (Jer 12:3).
• Then he appeals to the One who understands and cares, asking the Lord to avenge him (Jer 15:15).

Jeremiah then dares to question God's actions, saying "Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain brook - sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone!" (Jer 15:18, Living Bible). To this complaint the Lord replies, "Stop this foolishness and talk some sense!" (Jer 15:19, Living Bible). He adds the stern warning, "Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman". In a further warning to the prophet, God declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things...no-one can really know how bad it is" (Jer 17:9). Jeremiah then pleads with God, "Do not be a terror to me: you are my refuge in the day of disaster" (Jer 17:17).

Jeremiah dares to question God's actions and faithfulness, and the Lord rebukes him.

Jeremiah becomes really angry with his accusers and reminds the Lord that these are the very people he has prayed for (Jer 18:20). Now he demands. "Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown" (Jer 18:23). In an astonishing accusation Jeremiah claims that the Lord has deceived, overpowered and prevailed against him and that he has suffered ridicule, reproach and insults (Jer 20:7-8), and that his friends are awaiting the moment when he will slip up (Jer 20:10). All this together brings him to the point where he curses the day he was born (Jer 20:14-15).

But better thoughts enter his mind before the 'confessions' come to an end. He says, "But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior, so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked" (Jer 20:11-13).

Today's prophets can learn from Jeremiah's 'confessions'.

Jeremiah's Emotions

From his youth Jeremiah manifested the emotions associated with personal inadequacy. When he confessed, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child", the Lord replied with the reassurance, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you" (Jer 1:6-8). Later on came another reassurance that the Lord would be with him, and that he would make him like a bronze wall against the people (Jer 1:15-20).

Jeremiah experienced loneliness. Like Jesus, his brothers were unsupportive, and he was forbidden to marry (Jer 16:1-2). In the Jewish society of his day, to remain unmarried was almost unheard of. Jeremiah became the symbol of the message he proclaimed, for with the coming slaughter in Jerusalem this was neither the time nor the place to raise a family. He needed the sustaining comfort and sympathy of a wife and family, but they were denied him. This was the divine purpose for Jeremiah, and he had to learn how "blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him" (Jer 17:7).

Jeremiah had to face disappointment when the revival under King Josiah, which seemed so promising and in which Jeremiah had shared (2 Ki 23:19; Jer 11:6-7), gradually faded away.

Another emotional trauma that persistently dogged Jeremiah was the loss of credibility when there was no quick fulfilment of his predictions. He complained, "They keep saying to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!'" (Jer 17:15). Jeremiah had to continue predicting the fall of Jerusalem for years before it finally fell.

Jeremiah experienced personal inadequacy, loneliness, disappointment and a loss of credibility, but learned the blessings of trusting in God alone.

He could proclaim the message, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future", but it would be seventy years before that promise was fulfilled (Jer 29:10-11).

Jeremiah experienced extreme frustration. After the fall of Jerusalem, the army officers and the people asked him to pray that God would show them where to go and what to do (Jer 42:3). For ten days, as we noted earlier, Jeremiah waited on the Lord for an answer; when it came they were told to stay in the land and not to go to Egypt. If they did this, all would be well. Imagine Jeremiah's frustration when he saw that they were determined to go to Egypt and refused the instructions he had given them from God!

Jeremiah had been encouraged by the actions of Josiah, who "did what was just and right" (Jer 22:15), but must have been filled with dismay when Shallum his son (otherwise known as Jehoahaz) came to the throne of Judah with the intention, in his own words, that "I will build myself a great palace" (Jer 22:14). The prophet experienced an increasing sense of horror with the realisation that he could do nothing to avert the disaster he saw approaching; it is just as difficult today to cope with a revelation of impending disaster. There were numerous threats on Jeremiah's life and he must have been conscious of his vulnerability. Some sentiments from one of the Servant songs in Isaiah 53:7 and from Jeremiah 11:19 surely describe his feelings.

Priests, prophets and people agreed that he must die as the penalty for daring to claim that "This house [the Temple] will be like Shiloh" (Jer 26:7-9). During the reign of Zedekiah, Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonians would capture Jerusalem and burn it down. Zedekiah's officials, angered at such an unpleasant message, affirmed that Jeremiah should die. When threats are made against someone's life the natural reaction is to run away. So thought the captain of the guard, who arrested Jeremiah as he was leaving Jerusalem, though in fact the prophet was merely on his way to visit the Benjamites to claim his share of some property there. But the suspicion was that Jeremiah was deserting to the Babylonians, and he was beaten and imprisoned. Later he was lowered into a cistern.

Jeremiah experienced extreme frustration when people did not accept God's word, and was conscious of his vulnerability as numerous threats were made to his life.

But Jeremiah stuck with the people of Judah, even choosing to stay with them on their travels to Egypt when he could have been set free (Jer 43:7-8). But God raised up men such as Ebed-Melech and Ahikam to help the man of God when he was ill-treated; their encouragement and support must have been a welcome change from the more general hostility that surrounded him.

Jeremiah and Jesus

Jeremiah was the most Christ-like of the prophets. One of the answers to Jesus' question, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" was Jeremiah! (Matt 16:13-14). Michaelangelo portrays Jeremiah in the Sistine Chapel 'With eyes cast down', brooding in thought. As we have seen, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah is as appropriate a description of Jeremiah as it is of Jesus. Both were despised and rejected by their contemporaries.

But it would not be right to brand them as pessimists. As with Jesus, the message proclaimed by Jeremiah was one of hope (Jer 25:11-13; 29:10-11; 3:15-18; 23:5-6; 32:14-15). Jeremiah's use of the word 'perhaps' (Jer 36:7) is paralleled in Jesus' story of the barren fig-tree, in which the man who took care of the vineyard said, "Leave it alone for another year...If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down" (Luke 13:8).

This is the right emotion for all who are called to the prophetic ministry.

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 5 No 4, July/August 1989.

What do we learn about God from the instances in Scripture where he uses the weather as a prophetic sign?

The prophets of the Old Testament believed that Yahweh, the God they served, was in absolute control of the weather - that good weather was a sign of his approval and that unfavourable weather was his way of reproving his often disobedient children and of keeping them in check (Deut 28:15, 22-23; Amos 4:7-8).

The prophets delighted to point out Yahweh's superiority over the idols and rain-gods whose help the children of Israel were only too prone to enlist (Jer 10:11-13). Typical of this was the stinging sarcasm addressed to the prophets of Baal by Elijah on Mount Carmel after their total failure (1 Kings 18:26-29).

The prophets believed that Yahweh was in absolute control of the weather – and delighted to point out his superiority over idols and rain-gods.

God is Reliable and is to be Praised

After the flood in the days of Noah, God made a promise that he would be man's faithful provider so long as the world went on. "As long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease" (Gen 8:22). Hundreds of years later Paul addressed a crowd at Lystra and sought to turn them from their errors to the true God who had borne witness to himself by constantly supplying them with rain. crops and food. "He has not left himself without witness. He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their season. he provides you with plenty of food" (Acts 14:17).

Earlier on, Joel had encouraged his hearers to rejoice in the Lord who had given them "both autumn and spring rains" (Joel 2:23). Both the 'former' and the 'latter' rains were essential to produce good crops in Israel. The autumn rain was necessary in order to facilitate sowing and the spring rain. which fell in March or April, was important to swell the grain then approaching maturity.

The prophet went on to say "You will have plenty to eat. and You will praise the name of the Lord your God" (Joel 2:26). Even during the wilderness wanderings lasting 40 years God was faithful in providing manna, in a situation in which it was impossible to grow crops. "Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed". It is characteristic of Yahweh that he provided them with plenty (Ex 16:21; Ps 78:23-25).

After the flood, God promised that he would be man's faithful provider 'as long as the earth endures'.

Yahweh is the True God and is to be Obeyed

There were many Baals (or Baalim), Canaanite storm and fertility gods, in the time of Elijah. The Baal favoured by Israel's king Ahab was Melqart, the seat of whose worship was in Tyre, the city from which Ahab's wicked wife, Jezebel, came. She had introduced Baal worship into Israel and had at least 450 prophets working to eliminate the worship of Yahweh, the true God.

In order to bring the people back to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the prophet Elijah was to inform King Ahab that for the next few years there would be neither dew nor rain (1 Kings 17:1). It is significant that the prophet had to bring about this drought through prayer (James 5:17).

At the conclusion of a three-year period during which there had been no dew nor rain, Elijah arranged with the king a confrontation on Mount Carmel as the result of which the prophets of Baal were disgraced and the Israelites were obliged to acknowledge that Yahweh was the real God. Once the forces of Baalim were overthrown the land could again enjoy the rain from heaven, but not before Elijah had prayed persistently until "a small cloud the size of a man's hand" provided him with evidence that rain was on its way (1 Kings 18:19. 38, 41-46).

It is significant that the drought inflicted upon Ahab was brought about by prayer and ended by prayer.

The prophet Moses had previously explained to God's people that the gift to them of good weather was conditional upon their obedience:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands...all these blessings will come upon you...The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season...However, if you do not obey the Lord your God...the sky over your head will be bronze. the ground beneath you iron (Deut 28:1-2, 12, 15, 23).

God is Sovereign and Claims the Right to Control the Weather

God's people have always had to come to terms with the fact that Yahweh exercises absolute authority over the weather. The position is made clear in the words of Psalm 135:6-7: "The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth...he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses".

In the interview Nicodemus had with Jesus, he was told "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going" (John 3:8). Clearly Jesus is saying that the wind blows where God pleases, and that God is in sovereign control, whether he is referring to the weather in the natural world or the work of regeneration in the human spirit.

There is an element of mystery in the weather even to today's scientifically trained weather-forecasters, as was evident in the hurricane which unexpectedly hit the south of England in October 1987. We must not grumble at the weather God sends nor be like the wife of Job, who suggested that he should curse God. Rather we should follow Job's advice, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10 NASV). After all is said and done, he does know best.

God's people have always had to come to terms with the fact that Yahweh exercises absolute sovereignty over the weather.

God is the Source of 'Natural Disasters'

On the day when David had been delivered from all his enemies he was inspired to sing about the weapons in God's armoury that had been used to bring about his deliverance, weapons we call 'natural disasters':

The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook: they trembled because he was angry...Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. The Lord thundered from heaven. He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them. (2 Sam 22:1, 8, 13, 14, 15)

Earlier in their history Yahweh had made use of hailstones in softening up the hearts of Pharaoh and his princes to let the children of Israel leave Egypt. Exodus 9:24 records that they accompanied the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

The last-but-one plague was that of darkness. God said to Moses: "Stretch out your hand towards the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt - darkness that can be felt. So...total darkness covered all Egypt for three days" (Ex 10:21-22). This was a particularly disconcerting event for the Egyptians because their god - the sun god Ra - was seen to be powerless to dispel the darkness. God's selectivity and special care for his children is seen in the fact that. although all Egypt was in darkness, "Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived" (Ex 10:23).

Jeremiah was commanded to announce that disaster was coming to Jerusalem as well as to the nations surrounding her:

See. I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my name, and will you indeed go unpunished?...The Lord will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling...Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation: a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth. (Jer 25:29-32)

The prophets believed that God used the weapons in his arsenal to express his anger. This is not a popular idea in our day when so many seem to have exchanged the Almighty for the 'all¬matey'! Nahum expresses his understanding of God in these words:

His way is in the whirlwind and storm...the mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. (Nah 1:3.5,6)

It is against such a background that the prophet's message becomes so appropriate when he goes on to say. "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him" (Nah 1:7).

The prophets believed that God used the weapons in his arsenal to express his anger – not a popular idea today, when so many have exchanged the Almighty for the 'allmatey'!

God Uses the Weather and 'Natural Disasters' to Test His People

Job had to face a succession of disasters when marauding troops carried off his oxen and donkeys. Then his flocks and the shepherds with them were struck by lightning. Finally, the house where his children were feasting was demolished by a whirlwind, killing them all. Scripture records that "In all this. Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing" (Job 1:13-22).

As the story proceeds and the testing becomes increasingly painful and unpleasant, his friends tried to convince him that he must have sinned against God to suffer such a catalogue of disasters. But he had not sinned. God had allowed these terrible disasters in order to test his servant and to demonstrate Job's utter innocence to satan, the accuser. Prophets today need to be very careful when they so quickly point the accusing finger at those who are passing through severe testing.

Any study of God's power in creation quickly exposes our abysmal ignorance of natural forces and our virtual powerlessness:

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?...Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are...?' do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his? (Job 38:22-24; 34-35; 40:9).

God's Use of the Phenomena is Not Restricted to the Old Testament

When we study the great gospel events we find that they were marked by extraordinary happenings. While Jesus was dying on the cross between twelve noon and three in the afternoon "darkness came over the land...for the sun stopped shining" (Luke 23:44-45); again, "When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit...the earth shook and the rocks split...when the centurion and those with him...saw the earthquake and all that happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed. 'Surely he was the son of God!'" (Matt 27:50-54).

When Jesus had been placed in a tomb "there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it" (Matt 28:2).

God's use of nature is not restricted to the Old Testament – in fact, the great gospel events are marked by extraordinary 'natural' happenings.

The Last Days Will Be Marked by Unusual Phenomena

Jesus revealed that before his second coming there would be "great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places and fearful events and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11). He said also that "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (Matt 24:29). After these things (as Jesus told the high priest Caiaphas), "You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt 26:64).

These prophetic revelations help today's prophets to impress upon this generation the need to prepare, "For the coming of the Lord is drawing near" (James 5:8). In the book of the Revelation, the final prophetic word of scripture, there are warnings that must be passed on to our society; warnings of "flashes of lightning...peals of thunder and a severe earthquake, no earthquake like it had ever occurred since man had been on earth...from the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible" (Rev 16:18, 21).

True prophets believe in a God who in his sovereign power controls the weather, 'natural disasters' and the coming judgment, a God of absolute purity and unquestioned authority who is to be feared. "They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!'" (Rev 6:16).

True prophets believe in a God who controls the weather, natural disasters and the coming judgment – a God of absolute authority who is to be feared, but who will one day dwell with his people.

True prophets proclaim a time when God will be with his people: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain" (Rev 21:4). What a message prophets have to proclaim!

What is the 'fear of the Lord' and what connection does it have to the prophetic ministry? Edmund Heddle unpacks this important topic.

People in every age need to be reminded that the God revealed in the Bible is "a great and awesome God" (Deut 7:21; Neh 1:5; Dan 9:4). He is God of unlimited power and inexplicable mystery; frightening to face and of 'awful purity'. He holds the keys of life and death, and exercises absolute authority over the destiny and life-span of every one of us.

No wonder John fell at his feet as dead when he was confronted by such majesty (Rev 1:17-18). While it is true that the Bible reveals God as a loving father who cares for his children, he has a name which must be hallowed (Matt 6:9).

The Fear of God

It is part of the prophet's task to tell God's people that they must respond to such a God with respect and reverence; in Bible language they must 'fear God'. But what does this mean? As in English so in both Hebrew and Greek the same word for 'fear' has to express widely different emotions.

At one end of the scale it expresses worship and is often qualified by such adjectives as godly, reverential and filial (the fear appropriate to describe a son's respect for and obedience to his father). At the other end it creates an impression of despair, and is qualified by words like servile, craven, or morbid.

The fear spoken of by the prophets and other writers of the Bible is of the former type. It is a reverence for God's holy character and a dread of offending him and his command¬ments which expresses itself in watchfulness, obedience and constant prayer. This is the fear which the prophets seek to encourage in God's people.

The fear of the Lord is a reverence for God's holy character and a dread of offending him, expressing itself in watchfulness, obedience and constant prayer.

Godly Fear is a Divine Gift

On the day Jerusalem was surrounded by an invading army, Jeremiah bought a piece of land as a testimony to his belief that it would one day come back into the possession of God's people (Jer 32:1-41). Following the prophet's obedience, the Lord made this promise: "I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them" (Jer 32:39).

Godly fear that is a gift from God results in all kinds of goodness being received, and should prompt us to use the prayer in Psalm 86:11 "Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name".

Two Kinds of Fear Contrasted

Isaiah distinguishes two kinds of fear as he warns God's people at a time of national anxiety: "Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread" (Is 8:12-13).

The nation was scared at the approach and power of the enemy, but the prophet told the Lord's people they were not to share that fear. Instead, he tells them to fear the Lord Almighty, who would himself be their sanctuary. One fear is full of anxiety and dread, whereas the other is trustful, peaceful and certain of deliverance. In the words of a well-known hymn, "Fear him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear".

Worldly fear involves anxiety and dread, but the right fear of God is trustful, peaceful and certain of deliverance.

Learning to Fear from the Scriptures

Each king of Israel was instructed, upon his accession to the throne, "to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law...He is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God" (Deut 17:18-19). The sacred writings can help us to gain a right understanding of the God we worship and of the reverence which must ever be at the heart of that worship.

In his last words David declares what a blessing it is when rulers do rule in the fear of God. "The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, 'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning'" (2 Sam 23:3-4).

All Israel, without exception, were required to attend the public reading of the law at the end of every seven¬ year period so that the ordinary people, like their king, might adopt a similar attitude to God:

At the end of every seven years...when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God...you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns, so that they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God...Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God. (Deut 31:10-13)

When today's children seem to lack any sense of respect for God and his name, is it because they do not hear what God's law has to say nor understand the disastrous penalties of failing to observe it?

When today's children seem to lack any sense of respect for God and his name, is it because they do not hear what God's law has to say nor understand the disastrous penalties of failing to observe it?

In the time of Samuel, when he reproved the people for wanting to have a king, God sent thunder and rain with the result that all the people stood in awe of the Lord (1 Sam 12:17-18). The New Testament also provides us with examples in which mighty works of Jesus caused the people of his time to manifest awe and fear. When Jesus told a paralysed man to get up, take up his mat and go home, the crowd were amazed. "They were filled with awe" (Luke 5:24-26). When Jesus brought back to life the son of the widow of Nain the gospel sums up the reaction of the crowd thus: "They were all filled with awe and praised God" (Luke 7:16).

Similar things are still happening today, as the PWM Team discovered in Indonesia and China. In those countries God is revered and worshipped in a way that is often sadly absent in the West.

Fearing God is Qualification for Service

When Jehoshaphat king of Judah appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of his kingdom, he gave them instructions to judge each man carefully. His injunction reveals that it would be their fear of God that would save them from injustice, partiality and bribery (2 Chron 19:6-7).

In the early days of Israel's history Moses' father-in-law reproved him for overwork, and recommended that a number of assistants be appointed. His words reveal the essential qualification of office-holding to be the fear of God: "Select capable men from all the people - men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them" (Ex 18:21).

In the Old Testament, fear of the Lord was considered a key qualification for leadership.

When Nehemiah discovered that certain men were charging their fellow countrymen interest, he reproved them with these words: "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?" (Neh 5:9). Nehemiah went on to explain that former governors had levied heavy burdens on the people, but that his fear of God prevented him from doing as they had done. "Out of reverence for God I did not act like that" (Neh 5:15).

A Different Attitude to Others

The fear of God prevents our being thoughtless or unkind to the less fortunate. "Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God" (Lev 19:14). The fear of God will prompt us to respect our elders. "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly, and revere your God" (Lev 19:32).

In their purchase of land they were required to obey this instruction: "Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God" (Lev 25:43) and "Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God" (Lev 25:17).

Old Testament Prophets and the Fear of God

• Moses in a Psalm attributed to him asks God the question, "Which of us can fear you as he should?" (Ps 90:11, Living Bible).
• Through Jeremiah, God reproved the people for failing to fear him as they ought to have done: "'Should you not fear me?' declares the Lord. 'Should you not tremble in my presence?'" (Jer 5:22).
• Isaiah shows the tremendous blessings that are available, to which the fear of God is the key: "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure" (Is 33:6).
• Zephaniah speaks in God's name to Jerusalem saying, "Surely you will fear me and accept correction", but is saddened that "they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did" (Zeph 3:7).
• In contrast Haggai is able to report that the people of his time "obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet" and "feared the Lord" (Hagg 1:12).
• Malachi warns that judgment is near for those who persist in evil-doing and who "do not fear me" (Mal 3:5), but in contrast promises that "for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his wings" (Mal 4:2).

The Old Testament prophets ranging over many centuries agree that it is those who fear and reverence the Lord who will receive his blessings both in this life and in the glorious future to which they bear testimony.

The Old Testament prophets agree that it is those who fear and reverence the Lord who will receive his blessings, both in this life and in heaven.

People who Feared the Lord

Scripture contains the stories of a number of men who 'feared the Lord'. Obadiah, who hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets during a time of great persecution, is said to have "revered the Lord greatly" (1 Kings 18:3 RSV). Job "was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). Hezekiah is referred to as one who feared the Lord and sought his favour (Jer 26:19). Nehemiah put his brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem "because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do" (Neh 7:2). The Lord himself commended Levi and said of him, "He revered me and stood in awe of my name" (Mal 2:5).

There are 'God-fearers' in the New Testament, but they were a special class of people, attending the synagogues and worshipping God but not accepting all the demands of the Jewish law, for example circumcision. Among these was the Roman centurion Cornelius, who became a Christian disciple as the result of Peter's ministry in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-2). The Messiah as foretold by Isaiah would receive the sevenfold blessing of the Spirit, the culminating clause of which states that "he will delight in the fear of the Lord" (Is 11:3).

God's Desire – a People Who Fear Him

"Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children for ever" (Deut 5:29). "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut 10:12). This desire became gloriously possible after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. "The church...was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord" (Acts 9:31).

One of the rare names of God in the Old Testament is the 'Fear of Isaac' (Gen 31:42). Could we substitute our name for that of Isaac and honestly claim that we at all times deeply reverence our God and tremble to grieve him, that we do fear him as the prophets of the Scripture say we should?

Can we honestly claim that we at all times deeply reverence our God and tremble to grieve him, that we do fear him as the prophets of the Scripture say we should?

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 6, November/December 1988.