Edmund Heddle unpacks an inevitable part of the prophetic ministry - persecution.

Bringing God's prophetic word to the people to whom it is sent has always been a costly business. The conclusion reached by the New Testament writers as they looked back over Old Testament history is that prophets have always been persecuted. Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount refers to this fact when he ends his final beatitude with the words, "In the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt 5:12).

Stephen brought his speech to the Jewish Sanhedrin to a smarting conclusion with the challenge, "Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute?" (Acts 7:52) This is the kind of reception the prophets have had to face.

Looking into the future, Jesus indicates that there is not likely to be any change in the way prophets are treated: "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill, and others they will persecute" (Luke 11:49). No-one can answer the question 'What is a prophet?' adequately until he comes to terms with the inevitable persecution that being a faithful prophet involves.

Bringing God's word to the people to whom it is sent has always been a costly business: prophets have always been persecuted, and this is unlikely to change in the future.

How Were Prophets Persecuted?

As we investigate the numerous ways in which prophets were persecuted we shall find that they divide into (1) rejection of themselves and their message, and (2) physical violence to their persons.

They were persecuted through ridicule (2 Kings 2:23, Luke 22:64, Jer 20:7); by being told to be quiet (Amos 2:12, 7:13); by unpleasant looks (Jer 1:8,17, 5:3); through accusations and having their message reported back to the authorities (Jer 18:19, 37:13, Amos 7:10, Jer 20:10); by being debarred from attending God's house (Jer 36:5); and by having their prophetic words, both spoken and written, rejected (Isa 30:10, Micah 2:6, Amos 7:12,16, Jer 36:23).

Physical violence to their persons took various forms: they were placed in the stocks (Jer 20:2); they were kept in chains (Jer 40:1); they were slapped in the face (1 Kings 22:24); they were imprisoned in cells, dungeons and cisterns (Jer 37:15-16 & 38:6) in some cases just on bread and water (1 Kings 22:27); they were threatened with death (1 Kings 19:1) while others were actually put to death (2 Chron 24:21, Jer 26:20-23).

Others were killed whose names are not recorded. Jesus gives us reason to believe there were many who made the ultimate sacrifice (Luke 11:50-51).

Prophets are persecuted in two main ways: through rejection of them and their message, and through physical violence.

Examples of Persecuted Prophets

The Bible does not give us extensive biographical details of the prophets we meet in its pages. In fact, we have little information about how they were persecuted or about how they lived and died. For example, with the exception of Amos and Jonah, Scripture says hardly anything about the personal circumstances of the minor prophets. The same is true of Isaiah and Ezekiel, though we have a little more to go on for the latter.

It is the prophet Jeremiah that we know most about and it is from his experience that we can perhaps best discover how prophets were persecuted in his day. He goes so far as to refer to himself as 'a gentle lamb led to the slaughter' (Jer 11:19), using the same words that Isaiah used to describe Yahweh's 'suffering servant' (Isaiah 53:7).

There are a number of examples of non-writing prophets who were cruelly persecuted.

• Elijah was threatened by the wicked queen Jezebel after his confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:1-4).
• Amos was insulted by the chief priest at the sanctuary in Bethel and told never to prophesy there again (Amos 7:10-15).
• Micaiah had the courage to contradict the prophetic announcement of four hundred false prophets (1 Kings 22: 5-6) when they declared that Ramoth Gilead would be defeated by the combined forces of Kings Ahab and Jehoshaphat. He discerned that it was a lying spirit that was deluding these prophets – for this he was slapped in the face by Zedekiah and put in prison under the order of King Ahab (1 Kings 22:23-27).
• Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, was stoned to death for rebuking the people who turned aside to Asherah poles and idols, and for forsaking the Temple. This was an especially heinous crime, as Zechariah's father had helped King Joash and had been honoured at his death for "the good he had done in Israel for God and his Temple" (2 Chron 24:16-22). As this persecuted prophet lay dying, he felt that King Joash had been particularly unkind and exclaimed "May the Lord see this and call you to account" (2 Chron 24:22).
• Hanani the seer reproved King Asa for relying on the king of Aram, instead of on the Lord, saying that from that time onward he would be at war. The king was so enraged that he put Hanani in prison (2 Chron 16:7-9).
• Uriah from Kiriath Jearim is described as "another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, he prophesied the same things...as Jeremiah did" (Jer 26:20-23). When King Jehoiakim heard what he said, he sought ways of putting Uriah to death. In fear for his life, the prophet escaped to Egypt. Thereupon the king dispatched a party of men to find and arrest him. When they brought him back to the king, he had Uriah struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the common burial place.

New Testament Prophets Persecuted

John the Baptist was referred to by Jesus as "a prophet and more than a prophet" (Matt 11:9). He was persecuted, especially by King Herod. John the Baptist had the courage publicly to rebuke Herod for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife. For this, Herod had John put in prison (Luke 3:19-20), where he lay bound (Matt 14:3).

On Herod's birthday the celebrations included a sensual dance performed by Herodias' daughter. Herod was foolish enough to promise her anything she asked for. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed but felt he had to keep his promise, and he had John beheaded.

Jesus Christ was greeted with the words of the crowd, "A great prophet has appeared among us" (Luke 7:16). The two disciples walking to Emmaus, bewildered by what had been happening, summed up their conclusions in the words, "He was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people" (Luke 24:19), and like all true prophets Jesus was persecuted. He was ridiculed, opposed in his teaching, had his miracles attributed to the devil, was handed over to the authorities and suffered at the hands of violent men. Finally, he was crucified and demonstrated (as men thought) to be a false messiah.

What Particular Difficulties Do Prophets Face?

These problem areas may be divided up into (1) difficulties with other people, (2) difficulties in handling of God's word, and (3) difficulties in their own thoughts.

(1) Difficulties with other people. Prophets have to face being despised by priests and other 'professionals', as Amos was by Amaziah (Amos 7:12-13) and Jeremiah by Pashur (Jer 20: 1-2); being opposed by false prophets (Jer 29:1-17); being rejected by familiar friends (Jer 20:10) and by one's own family (Matt 13:57).

(2) Difficulties in handling God's prophetic word. Prophets must: speak only what God has really given (Jer 1:7); not water down God's word to make it more acceptable (Isa 30:10); uphold the authority of the scriptures (Jer 17:19-27); and be prepared to bring the same message over and over again (Jer 7:25, 29:19, 35:15).

(3) Difficulties in their own thoughts. Prophets must (a) be patient and wait confidently for the fulfilment of God's prophetic word (James 5:10-11; Matt 13:17); (b) allow critics to call them 'traitors' to their country or a particular viewpoint, trusting God to vindicate them (Jer 37:11-14) and (c) accept the fact that they will be called 'troublemakers' (1 Kings 18:17) and must continue proclaiming God's word even though it is a torment to the hearers (Rev 11:10).

We must follow Paul's teaching to "bless those who persecute us" (Rom 12:14). We can know that Christ is with us, for persecution is one of those things which cannot separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39). We can be comforted by the assurance that persecution can only scatter the church, it cannot destroy it, as was the case in the early church (Acts 8:1).

Persecution cannot separate us from the love of God (Romans 8), nor can it destroy the church – it can only scatter it.

Finally, we can be sure that all faithful prophets will have their reward in heaven, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Luke 13:28). They will then know that Jesus was right when he said that the prophets who were persecuted were the truly 'blessed' people (Matt 5:11-12).

Help for Persecuted Prophets

At times God's true prophets have lived in danger of their lives and God has raised up men and women to protect them.

• Obadiah who was in charge of King Ahab's palace was able to hide a hundred prophets in two caves and supply them with food and water every day (1 Kings 18:13).
• A wealthy woman in Shunem was able to build a 'prophet-flat' onto her house for Elisha's use whenever he was in that district (the original prophet's chamber!) (2 Kings 4:8-10).
• Ebedmelech. a coloured man, took a gang of men with him to pull Jeremiah out of the cistern in which he had been incarcerated (Jer 38:7-13) and Ahikam son of Shaphan intervened to prevent Jeremiah being put to death.

Jesus said that everyone who assisted a prophet in need would receive the same reward as the prophet: even a cup of cold water would be rewarded (Matt 10:41-42).

How Should Prophets React to Persecution?

We must look beyond the Old Testament to discover how persecuted prophets ought to react to their persecutors. We must not copy Jeremiah as he asks God to bring down disaster on them and their families and calls down wrath upon them, praying "do not forgive their crimes, or blot out their sins from your sight" (Jer 18:21-23). Rather, we are to "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us" (Matt 5:44), as Jesus has taught us.

It was Jesus who said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20), so today's prophets must expect the same treatment their predecessors have always received. The Lord himself confirms that this will be a continuing experience down to the present day, for "I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute" (Luke 11 :49), and these words still apply.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 5, September/October 1988.

'I will pour out my Spirit on all people...both men and women': Edmund Heddle looks at the Bible women who exercised a prophetic ministry.

It was the prophet Joel who foretold the day when there would be an unrestricted outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

And afterwards I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

This promise would signify unrestricted giving on God's part, for he undertook to pour out his spirit and it would come down on all people. The promise does not mean that the Spirit would descend on all people without exception but that he would come down on them without distinction. No longer would there be any restriction imposed on the basis of sex, age or social position. The Spirit would come on sons and daughters, on old men and young men, on male and female slaves.

God's promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not without exception, but is without distinction.

In his commentary on these verses, John Calvin says that this was giving "in great abundance". However deep our own experience of Pentecost, there is much more for each of us of God's unrestricted outpouring and in the gift and ministry of prophecy which is thereby made possible (Acts 2:17¬-18). In this article we investigate how Bible women exercised a prophetic ministry.

Women Prophets in Scripture

Miriam

Miriam was the sister of Aaron and Moses and is described as a prophetess (Ex 15:20). Following the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites joined in a song of praise to the Lord: "I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea..." When Miriam saw the Israelites walk through the sea as on dry ground, she took a tambourine and, as all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing, sang to them, echoing Moses' song with these words: "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea".

We must not think of Miriam just as some young thing aflame with enthusiasm. By this time Miriam was well past middle life. She was twelve when Moses was born, and remembering that Moses spent forty years in Egypt and then a further forty years in the land of Midian before the crossing of the Red Sea, we may conclude that she was well into middle age at the time of this account. What a blessing it is when the older women can lead their younger sisters in prophetic praise!

Josephus, the Jewish historian, states that Miriam was a married woman - but the Bible is silent on the matter and hymn-writer George Matheson says of her: "There is neither marriage nor courtship. Her interests are not matrimonial, they are national. Her mission is not domestic, it is patriotic." How much should we thank God for prophetic women who have a deep concern for our national well-being and are not afraid to stand up for God's standards today!

Miriam, described in Exodus as a prophetess, shows what a blessing it is when older women can lead their younger sisters in prophetic praise.

Deborah

Deborah the prophetess functioned as one of Israel's judges (Judges 4 and 5). She was married to Lappicloth and had her headquarters under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel. She must have been open to the prophetic gifts of wisdom and knowledge (1 Cor 12:8), for Israelites from various tribes who had questions to ask and disputes to settle travelled to her for counsel. It was therefore only to be expected that when Israel came under oppression by Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, the people turned to Deborah for advice.

Deborah summoned Barak, a leader of Israel, saying, "The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you..." His answer indicated Deborah's standing among the people: "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go, I won't go." She said she would go with him but warned that the honour would not be his, as Sisera would be killed by a woman. Her Song of Deborah (Judges 5) is one of the most ancient passages in the Old Testament, and from it we learn that victory over Sisera's chariots was brought about by a cloudburst. Sisera was killed by Jael, another woman, with a tent peg.

So far as we know, Deborah never experienced natural motherhood, but this judge, prophetess and poetess was a "mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7). Some of today's women who have not had their own children might exercise a prophetic ministry among God's people, not least in the matter of spiritual warfare.

Huldah

Huldah the prophetess was the wife of Shallum, keeper of the wardrobe in the Temple during the reign of Josiah. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District (2 Chron 34:22). In 621 BC the Book of the Law was discovered when building work was being undertaken in the Temple. When the book was read to the young king he tore his robes and sent his officials off with the order:

Go and enquire of the Lord for me about what is written in this book which has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book (2 Chron 34:14-21).

It is remarkable that, although Jeremiah and Zephaniah were both prophesying at that time, it was a woman and not these prophets who were consulted. Huldah's message to the king confirmed that divine wrath would be poured out on Jerusalem, but she went on to say, "Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God...you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place" (2 Kings 22:15-20).

When King Josiah sought God's word of guidance, he called upon Huldah, a prophetess – despite the fact that both Jeremiah and Zephaniah were also alive and prophesying at the time.

One of the purposes of prophecy is to provide the 'Now word' of guidance as to how Scripture may apply. Again, we remark how significant it is that, although there were other male prophets around and the king was surrounded by men like Hilkiah the chief priest, Shaphan the secretary, Asaiah the king's attendant and others, it was a woman prophet who was consulted for God's Now word.

Anna

Coming to New Testament times, we meet Anna in the opening chapters of Luke's gospel. Also a prophetess, "She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the Temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying" (Luke 2:35-38).

Anna arrived on the scene just as the aged Simeon had taken the infant Jesus into his arms and was uttering what we now call the Nunc Dimittis. Under the guidance of the Spirit, she gave God thanks for the child and went on to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

These so-called 'quiet people' were remarkable for the 'timing' of their lives. Simeon entered the Temple under the direction of the Spirit just at the time Jesus' parents were bringing him in to present him to the Lord. Anna also came in "at that very moment" (Luke 2:38). It is not enough to know the right prophetic word to bring; we need also to know the right time to bring it to those to whom it is directed.

Anna shows us that it is not enough to know the right prophetic word to bring – we also need to know the right time, the right place and the right recipients.

Women False Prophets Named in Scripture

Noadiah

Noadiah was a prophetess who opposed Nehemiah, governor of Jerusalem (Neh 6:14). She was a supporter of Sanballat and Tobiah, opponents of Nehemiah in his work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Her name means 'One to whom the Lord revealed himself', and it is possible that she was a genuine prophet who really knew the Lord.

Sadly, she attached herself to these two men and used her speaking abilities to intimidate the man God had sent to renew the walls. Sanballat and Tobiah made repeated attempts to persuade Nehemiah to meet them and discuss the situation, but he refused and committed the situation to God in prayer.

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.

This prayer was answered; Noadiah's influence was overthrown and Nehemiah finished the work of restoration (Neh 6:15). How important that God's prophets should make sure that they are not passing a word which is not from him.

Noadiah may have been a genuine prophetess, but she attached herself to the wrong people and ended up passing on 'words' that were not from God.

Jezebel

Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, who had introduced Baal-worship into Israel and who had erected a sanctuary for four hundred priests who fed at her table. She was a typical oriental despot, ready to murder anyone who stood in her way. Hers was the name given to the New Testament false prophetess who had led the church at Thyatira into idolatry and immorality.

The risen Lord Jesus writes to the church and tells them, "I have this against you. You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess...she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols...do not hold to her teaching" (Rev 2:20-25). All prophets, male or female, need to remember that no prophetic word that contradicts scripture is ever to be accepted or promulgated.

Women Prophets Not Named in Scripture

Isaiah's wife

Isaiah, whose name means 'Yahweh is salvation' and who is called the 'evangelical prophet', had a wife who was a prophetess. Some scholars think that this is merely a courtesy title for a prophet's wife, but others believe she exercised the prophetic gift in her own right.

If this was the case, it must have been a great blessing to her husband to be able to share the Lord's burden with someone close and sympathetic - she must surely have been a real prophet to let her husband get away with naming her two sons Shear-Jashub, and Maher-Shalal-¬Hash-Baz! But if she really shared his prophetic insight she would rejoice that her boys were a constant reminder of her husband's message that 'a remnant will return' and that 'quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil' would come the king of Assyria to capture Samaria (Isa 8:3).

How useful it would be in our churches if we were to encourage prayerfully the coming into being of husband-and-wife prophets moving together in the prophetic ministry.

Philip's daughters

Philip the evangelist was one of the seven deacons appointed by the church in Jerusalem to relieve the apostles from the burden of organising relief for the widows. Following the outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem, he took the gospel to Samaria (Acts 8:5-13) and from there to the Ethiopian eunuch travelling through the desert (Acts 8:26-28). 'Spirited' away from there, he settled in Caesarea.

At some point Philip married and had four daughters, all of whom prophesied (Acts 21:9). But the absence of any reference to his wife may mean that by now he was a widower. If this was the case, he would have been very glad to have them care for him and his home. But his greater joy must have been that that each manifested the prophetic gift which would have worked so happily together with his own ministry as an evangelist.

Families that are one in Christ might well encourage within themselves the development of complementary spiritual gifts and ministries, thus becoming more efficient and effective in the Lord's service.

Isaiah's wife and Philip's daughters show the blessings that can come when families work together with complementary gifts and ministries.

Women Who Functioned Prophetically

In addition to those whom the scriptures call prophets there are a number of women who manifested prophetic gifts.

Hannah

Hannah, whose name means 'grace', was one of the two wives of Elkanah but unlike Peninnah had no children She vowed to God that if he would give her a child she would devote him to the Lord as a Nazirite. When God granted this request Hannah gave expression to her joy and praise to God in a prophetic psalm of thanksgiving (1 Sam 2:1-10). This was clearly a prophetic utterance, containing the first reference in scripture to the king as 'Yahweh's anointed' or 'Messiah', one who would come to save his people.

Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah

After the angel Gabriel had told Mary she was to give birth to the Messiah, she hurried off to a town in the hill country of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting the baby leaped in her womb and she was inspired by the Spirit to speak the words of encouragement that must have kept Mary going during the testing days ahead:

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear... Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished (Luke 1:39-45)

As we in the same way go about discovering God's purpose for our lives we, too, may experience that same leap within, manifesting itself in a blush or a moistening of the eyes and confirming that God has his hand in what is happening to us. Like Elizabeth we, too, may be privileged to confirm God's will to others. What a precious ministry this is!

Mary the mother of Jesus

Mary's response to the encouraging words of Elizabeth was to do as Hannah had done so many years before and express her praise and thanksgiving to God in the form of a prophetic utterance. Her Magnificat is first of all praise that God had deigned to choose her, a humble peasant girl, fulfil the hope of every Jewish maiden, to be the mother of the Messiah. But it also expresses praise for God's special love towards his chosen people Israel.

Alongside our traditional hymns and our modern songs is there not a place for 'spiritual songs' (Eph 5:19), with both words and music immediately inspired by the same Spirit who inspired Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary? It certainly seems an aspect of prophetic utterance most suitable for women prophets, though not exclusively so.

Alongside hymns and songs, is there not a place for 'spiritual songs' such as those uttered by Hannah, Elizabeth and Mary?

Summary of the Women Prophets

The women prophets of the Bible functioned in a number of different situations in personal, family, community and national life. In their respective situations they discovered that the Spirit promised by the prophet Joel was just as active in them as he was in their men-folk.

Miriam led the women in praise on a great national occasion.

Deborah gave wise counsel and encouraged Barak, a national military leader, to go out to conquer the enemy.

Huldah was consulted in order to bring understanding about the law book that had been found and what the king should do about it.

Anna lived in the Temple but came into the particular court where Mary and Joseph had brought the infant Jesus 'at just the right moment', guided by the Spirit.

Isaiah's wife shared a prophetic partnership with her husband.

Philip's daughters had a complementary ministry to their father's ministry as an evangelist.

Elizabeth gained the witness of the Spirit as at Mary's arrival her baby leaped in her womb.

Hannah and Mary, both promised a son, expressed spontaneously prophetic praise in words given by the Holy Spirit.

Let the women of our churches be encouraged to develop the gift and ministry of prophecy, following the example of the women prophets in Bible!

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 4, July/August 1988.

Edmund Heddle looks at the sobering calling on every prophet's life to warn people of coming judgment and encourage them to repent.

God operates an early-warning system. In his mercy he warns people and nations of the inevitable result arising from their continued sin and disobedience, urging them to repent so as to escape the coming judgment. This he does through his servants the prophets.

Men may not like prophets interfering in their reckless pleasures and unjust profits and may choose to ignore their warnings. That does not alter the fact that God's warning messengers are a gift of his grace and represent the only remedy for man's pride and self-pleasing - and the only way of escape from condemnation and judgment.

God operates an early-warning system, urging people to repent through his servants the prophets.

Flood warning!

The story of Noah provides the earliest example of how God always warns mankind of coming judgment.

God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is full of violence...I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens...so make yourself an ark' (Gen 6:12-17)

Sadly, the warning of Noah, the preacher of righteousness, was ignored and the people went on "eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all" (2 Pet 2:5; Luke 17:26-27). All men need to do to be lost is to be totally absorbed in daily living.

All men need to do to be lost is to be totally absorbed in daily living.

Fires of judgment

It is the prophet Amos who tells us that "the sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7), and we see this principle demonstrated in the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. "Then the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?'" (Gen 18:17). But he did not do that. Instead, he confided to Abraham that the homosexual practices of those cities are so utterly evil that they - the communities - must be wiped out (Gen 18:20, 19:4-5).

This sharing of God's decision with his servant made intercession possible, and Abraham did all he could to persuade the Almighty to spare those cities. When God reveals to us today that the fires of judgment must fall on modern towns far more wicked than those ancient cities, we too must intercede that they will repent and so be spared.

When God shares his decisions with his servants, it makes intercession possible.

Years of famine

The scriptures recount how Pharaoh had a double dream - a warning from God as to what was going to happen to Egypt in the next fourteen years. But neither he nor his wise men could interpret its meaning. Hearing that there was a young man in prison who could interpret dreams, Pharaoh sent for Joseph and told him:

'I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it'. 'I cannot do it', Joseph replied to Pharaoh, 'but God will give Pharaoh the answer' (Gen 41:15-16)

The answer Joseph gave to Pharaoh foretold that "seven years of great abundance are coming...but seven years of famine will follow them and the abundance will not be remembered because the famine that follows it will be so severe." Joseph goes on to say that "the reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon" (Gen 41:32).

The plan commended itself to Pharaoh and his officials and Joseph was put in charge, as the Egyptian leader exclaimed, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?"

This is not the only place in the Bible where guidance was given to Spirit-filled men telling them how to cope with an announced famine. Agabus predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world, and the Christians in Antioch sent help to their brothers living in Judea (Acts 11:27-30).

Threatened disaster

The Pharaoh at the time of Moses was very different from the Pharaoh who had appointed Joseph to be his Food Minister four hundred years earlier. When Moses and Aaron were sent to ask him to release the children of Israel, it was no surprise to the Lord that his answer was "No!". In fact, God had warned Moses that "he will not listen to you" (Ex 7:2-4).

At this point the Lord began a series of ten plagues, a softening-up process which continued until the final threat of disaster upon all the first-born of man and beast resulted in "loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead" (Ex 12:30).

It is still the task of the prophet to declare that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), and this must be done whatever the response. As the Lord said to Ezekiel, "The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says'. And whether they listen or fail to listen - they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezek 2:4-5).

It is still the task of prophets to declare that the wages of sin is death – whatever the people's response.

Repeated warnings

Eli the priest had two wicked sons, Hophni and Phineas, "whose sin was very great in the Lord's sight" (1 Sam 2:12, 17). They were guilty of sacrilege and of having sex with women who were serving at the Tent of Meeting (1 Sam 2:17. 22). Eli had mildly rebuked them (1 Sam 2:23) but had failed to restrain them (1 Sam 3:13).

An unnamed prophet had been sent by the Lord to warn Eli that if they continued in their rebellion they would both die on the same day (1 Sam 2:27-34), This warning was repeated when the boy Samuel learned to listen to the Lord s voice and was given a heavy burden which he wished to keep from Eli (1 Sam 3:10-14).

The prophet has a solemn responsibility to warn leaders of God's people against the dangers of manifesting a domineering attitude on the one hand and of sexual laxity on the other. Instead, all who are called to ministry should covet to do according to what is in God's heart and mind (1 Sam 2:35).

Prophets also have a solemn responsibility to warn leaders of God's people against wrong attitudes to their ministry.

Disobedient prophet

When Jonah was first sent to Nineveh to preach against that great city, he refused (Jonah 1:1-2). He did not want the city he hated to repent so he ran away. Prophets do not always like the message God gives them to proclaim. But the Lord has ways of dealing with us and bringing us to our senses; mercifully for us it is not a three-day stay inside a great fish! God deals with us in various ways to end our disobedience and to help us to a better kind of thinking (Jonah 4:11).

When Jonah eventually got round to doing what he had been told to do and announced, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4), there was a fantastic response - all in Nineveh from the least to the greatest repented, believed and declared a fast with the wearing of sackcloth. How well the king had got the prophetic message is shown in his words: "Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish" (Jonah 3:8-9).

God wants prophets who share his outlook and are willing to obey him, whatever the cost. They are the ones who will see outstanding results for their faithfulness.

Disobedient people

During the latter years of Jeremiah, a deputation of army officers came to him with the request, "Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do". Before they left the prophet they added, "Whether it is favourable or unfavourable, we will obey the Lord our God" (Jer 42:3-6).

It was ten days later before the Lord gave Jeremiah the answer (Jer 42:7). We must not run away with the idea that we must necessarily give prophetic direction to God's people immediately, as it were off the top of our heads. If Jeremiah took ten days, we should not expect an instant answer without the need for really seeking the Lord.

Maybe Jeremiah sensed that they had already made up their minds as to where they wanted to go (Jer 42:17). Eventually he was able to put before them the alternative: "If you stay in this land I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you...If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die" (Jer 42:10-16).

Despite Jeremiah's warning after his long period of waiting on the Lord, they were determined to go to Egypt. This must have been a crowning sadness to Jeremiah: then as now, the tendency of God's people is to make up their minds first and then seek God's confirmation of and blessing on their plans. The true prophet can only look on with dismay.

The tendency of God's people has always been to make up their minds first and then seek God's confirmation and blessing.

Accountable watchmen

The awful responsibility of God's 'warning messengers' is highlighted by Ezekiel's picture of the watchmen (Ezek 3:16-19, 33:1-9).

The watchman's responsibility is to keep watch and when he sees the enemy advancing he must blow the trumpet and warn the people of their danger. If he does this faithfully and the people ignore his warning blasts and are killed, their blood is on their own heads.

However, if he fails to blow the trumpet and they perish, he will be held accountable. This simple picture reveals the solemn responsibility of God's 'warning messengers'. He will hold them responsible if they fail to warn the people and the nation to "flee from the wrath to come" (Matt 3:7).

Jesus' warning

The Lord Jesus is our example in this part of the prophet's responsibility, as in all its other aspects. In his dissertation concerning the end of the age some comments apply to the end times preceding his return, while others referred to the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.

"When you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matt 24:15-16). The early Christians obeyed this warning from their Lord and they escaped the awful carnage and atrocities experienced in Jerusalem.

In that same discourse there are other warning words which apply to us who live in the end times. To warn men so that they may escape danger or death is an important part of a prophet's ministry and one which we dare not neglect - for the Lord has made us responsible.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 3, May/June 1988.

God speaks not only in word, but also in deed. Edmund Heddle unpacks divine signs and their interpretation as part of his series on the prophetic ministry.

The writer of Psalm 46 invites us to come and see "the works of the Lord", while Psalm 105 instructs us to "make known his deeds among the people!" This is because in Bible times God spoke not only through his word, but also by his deeds. God still speaks today through the events and experiences of human history and it is part of the prophet's task to explain the significance of these happenings. For those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit they are 'signs'.

Shocking desolations

Psalm 46:8 tells us that along with other works of God we are to look into the desolations he has made in the earth. The word 'desolations' (Hebrew shammah) comes from a root which means to stun, to grow numb or to stupify. It describes the kind of event that causes shock and consternation. In the older versions of the Bible the word 'hissing' is also found which describes an event that causes a person to whistle through his teeth.

The later versions employ words such as horror or horrific (Jer 25:9). But however 'horrific' these things may be, we are instructed to look into them so that we can grasp what God is saying to the world and to his people through them. This is an important part of the prophetic ministry, both in Bible times and today.

We are instructed to look into the works of God so that we can grasp what he is saying to us. These works include desolations – events that cause shock and horror.

Loving intention

Although they appear awesome and frightening, the prophet Amos makes it clear that all the events recounted in his book (Amos 4:6-13) had as their objective to bring the nation to its knees in repentance; God's grief at the hardness and indifference of Israel is revealed in the constantly repeated phrase, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord." The events by which God sought to bring the nation to repentance fall into four categories:

1. Rain failure. The result of the failure of the rain was drought and famine, as is clear from what the Lord said to the people:

I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town...I also withheld rain when harvest was three months away...I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another...people tottered from town to town for water (Amos 4:6-7).

As in the time of Elijah God used a drought to humble a wicked king, Ahab, whose wife was seeking to introduce the worship of Baal into Israel (1 Kings 17:1). In both cases men were reduced to searching the country for water to keep themselves and their cattle alive.

2. Natural calamity. The second category of desolation spelled out in Amos 4 is that of natural calamity. It needed only the wind to be blowing in a certain direction to bring into the land of Israel an invasion of locusts. They usually came from the Arabian Desert to the south or south-east. Locust swarms are driven along by the wind as they have little power of travel by themselves. But the prophet from Tekoa records, "Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees" (Amos 4:9) and it is clear that the Lord directed their invasion of Israel.

Every desolation sent by God – whether disease, war or natural disaster – is sent to bring people to their knees in repentance.

Another natural calamity is the effect of lighting or of a thunderbolt, similar to that which overthrew the cities of the plain. "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah" (Amos 4:11). The word 'overthrew' may indicate that an earthquake was also involved. Certainly Amos has experienced one, as we see in the opening sentences of his prophecy (Amos 1:1). Some cities were completely devastated whereas others were partially burned, and were compared by the Lord to half-burned sticks saved from a fire.

3. War and bloodshed. The third category of desolation present in Amos 4 is that of war and bloodshed. Continuing to show the lengths to which he had gone to turn their hearts back to him, God said, "I killed your young men with the sword along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps". This particularly sad affliction involving what the old expositor Matthew Henry called 'the strength of the present generation and the seed of the next' must rank amongst the most devastating of all these terrible desolations.

Horses were an important part of ancient warfare and Israel's had been captured and killed. Whoever their enemy was at that particular time we do not know; what we are told is that the stench of corpses and decaying horse-flesh was unbearable and probably caused the pestilence to which the final reference is made.

4. Pestilence and disease. The fourth and final category of desolation which God brought upon Israel was that of pestilence and disease. He says, "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt" but he also referred to their fields and trees when he added, "I struck your gardens and vineyards with blight and mildew" (Amos 4:9-10). As Amos mentions some nine terrible afflictions brought about by God himself he repeats again and again, "yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord".

The series of disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. It had been revealed to Amos that these desolations came about by divine action and intervention. We have here a striking picture of the persistence and forcefulness of God's loving purpose. The heathen king Nebuchadnezzar was right when he said: "How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders" (Dan 4:3).

The disasters that befell Israel were not chance or accidental incidents. They came about by divine action, displaying the persistence and force of God's loving purpose.

Prophets and Signs

It is both interesting and informative to study the relationship between signs and prophets.

Samuel was the prophet who asked for a sign to confirm his warning when the people were determined to appoint themselves a king. Samuel said to the people:

"Is it not the wheat harvest now? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realise what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king". Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel (1 Sam 12:17-18).

Normally in that region there is no rain from April to October, so to have rain at wheat harvest, from the middle of May to the middle of June, was a miracle. The sign which Samuel requested gave divine approval to his words of censure.

Elijah was the prophet who after prayer announced that a sign would take place. He confronted King Ahab with the statement: "There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (1 Kings 17:1). He had sought God in prayer concerning the growth of heathen idolatrous worship under the auspices of the wicked queen Jezebel and had asked God to withold rain, "and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years" (James 5:17).

Moses was the prophet commissioned by God to bring into effect a series of signs in Egypt designed to force Pharaoh to release the children of Israel. One of the 'plagues' was a devastating hailstorm. We read:

...when Moses stretched out his staff towards the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground...it was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation...the only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were. (Ex 9:23, 26)

Joel had the happier experience of seeing people repent after the sign of an invasion of locusts. He urged the priests and the people, the children and even a bride and her groom to join a solemn assembly (Joel 2:15-17) to beseech God to spare his people. He was able later to assure all who had joined in the humbling that God would repay them for the years the locusts had eaten: "You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God" (Joel 2:25-26).

Haggai was the prophet who explained the meaning of the disappointing sign to a group of people who had returned from exile in Babylon.

Now this is what the Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat but never enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (Hagg 1:5-6).

Haggai then was able to interpret the signs when he complained, on God's behalf, "My house remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house, therefore because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops" (Hagg 1:9-10).

The first Bible sign

In contrast to the signs that provoke shock and horror, the first sign in the Bible is one of beauty and mercy. After the evil generation of Noah's day had been destroyed, God began again with Noah and his family. As they emerged from the ark to begin a new life God showed them a beautiful sign and said, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds". It was not left to a prophet to explain its meaning for God himself revealed its significance when he said,

...this is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you...whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures...on the earth. (Gen 9:12-16)

There are good signs for today's prophets to interpret, just as there are horrific desolations that need explanation.

What do today's events mean?

When questioned about some Galilean pilgrims whose blood Pilate had mixed with the sacrifices they were offering in the Temple, Jesus refused to accept the popular idea that this crime proved they were greater sinners than other Galileans. He then went on to draw his questioners' attention to an accident in which eighteen people had been fatally injured when a tower in Siloam had collapsed and fallen upon them (Luke 13:1-5). Again he stated categorically that they were not worse offenders than the other citizens of Jerusalem.

The right way of reacting to these signs - Jesus insisted - was to repent, otherwise they too would perish. As we seek to discover what God is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance - both in the way we live and in the message we proclaim - remains a constant word from God. Alongside this, we need prophets to help us learn the other lessons which God reveals to us through his deeds.

As we seek to discover what the Lord is saying through today's shocking events, the call to repentance remains a constant word from God.

The American space-shuttle disintegrated before the appalled gaze of millions across the globe. The Soviet Union experienced a nuclear disaster at Chernobyl that released radioactive material far and wide with devastating effect to both human and animal life. Britain witnessed the lighting strike York Minster, the Bradford football stadium disaster, the Zeebrugge ferry capsize and the massacres at Hungerford and Bristol carried out by gun-crazy young men, in one case responding to occult instructions.

God is surely speaking today through deeds as well as by his words. We urgently need prophets who can interpret these stupendous events and explain what God is saying to his church and to his world.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 4 No 1, January/February 1988.

This perhaps unattractive title refers to an essential aspect of any true prophetic ministry, one which cannot be neglected without creating an unbalanced presentation of God's truth.

The prophets of the Old Testament rejoiced to proclaim God's acts of mercy in the past, delivering his people and individuals from their enemies and from disasters of all kinds. They delighted to reassure God's people that he was present with them and that the Holy One of Israel in their midst was mighty. They strained their linguistic ability to express his promise of a future deliverance and victory, when "the wolf will lie down with the lamb" and "the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:6-9).

They had also to proclaim divine warnings of the awful consequences of the continued breaking of God's laws by both individuals and nations. The people were longing for 'the Day of the Lord' but the prophets had to point out that, unless they changed their ways, it would be for them a day of darkness and disaster (Amos 5:18). "Wail, Alas for the day!" was their reaction (Eze 30:2-3), and their prophecies are littered with such expressions as "Woe", "Ah, Lord God", "Alas" (for this) and "Alas" (for that), all of which expressed their reaction to the prophetic 'burden' they were called to bear.

Today's Prophets

As we give further thought to the prophet's role, we must stress the unchanging responsibility of today's 'forth-tellers' to declare God's laws and the consequences of ignoring or rejecting them. We have heard any number of prophecies which assure us that all is well; like the people of Isaiah's day, we want today's prophets to "tell us pleasant things" (Isa 30:10). We are living in serious times, far more serious than many imagine.

At the same time I am not calling for a rash of heavy condemnatory utterances which reveal more of the personal animosity of the prophet than they do of the heart of God. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah and the other prophets who said, "I weep...I drench you with tears"..."I will weep and wail...and take up a lament" (Isa 16:9 and Jer 9:10), we need to stand in the presence of God until we feel his heart-beat before we can even begin to share their ministry.

There are any number of prophecies assuring us that all is well. What we need is to feel God's heart-beat – even if it's one of lament.

Weeping Prophets' Vocabulary

'Alas!' is an exclamation of unhappiness or alarm expressing grief and voicing concern. It occurs only about four times in the Old Testament but expresses the anguish of the prophets who voiced it (Jeremiah 30:7, Ezekiel 6:11, Joel 1:15 and Amos 5:16). The word 'Alas!' occurs in the RSV rendering of these verses.

'Ah, Lord God' or 'Ah, Sovereign Lord' are special phrases used by both Jeremiah and Ezekiel, occurring four times in each of their prophecies. It is used to express their bewilderment at what God had allowed to happen, or to challenge the situation. They reason with the Lord and even tell him that he has deceived them. This poignant little phrase indicates both their respect for God but also their involvement with his people and the awful tension that these situations created (Jer 4:10, 32:17; Eze 9:8; 11:13). Jeremiah was so distressed that he even cursed the day he was born (Jer 15:10).

'Woe!' is the most frequently employed word in this connection. It is used nearly 60 times and occurs in ten of the prophetic books of the Old Testament. It is a word of condemnation and as such used in both the Old and New Testaments. But it speaks of sadness as well as of judgment. Although it may have the nature in prophetic denunciation of pronouncing an anathema or curse, it also conveys an element of grief and distress. This is true also of the 'Woes!' of the Lord Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke (Matt 11:21, 23:13-16; Luke 6:24, 11:42-47).

'Woes!' Addressed to Individuals

In Habakkuk 2:5-20 there are five 'Woes!' (verses 6, 9, 12, 15 and 19), and they are addressed to the man who piles up stolen goods, who builds his kingdom by extortion, who resorts to bloodshed in his building programme of self-glorification, who gets his neighbour drunk with evil sexual intent, and who makes an idol and bids it "Come to life!".

There is a similar list of six 'Woes!' in Isaiah 5:8-23. Like those in the Habakkuk passage, they are all addressed to individuals. There is still a place for a prophetic word today to individuals, pointing out where their conduct is contrary to what we know to be the word of God. Spoken in the power of the Spirit, such a word can lead to repentance and a change in lifestyle.

There is still a place for prophetic words to individuals, spoken in the power of the Spirit to provoke repentance.

'Woes!' Addressed to Nations

In order to gain the full force of what the Old Testament prophets felt about their ministry to nations as well as to individuals, we need to re-discover a word that is now hidden if we are using one of the more recent versions of the Bible. In the King James' rendering we come across the word 'burden', which is used frequently to describe the prophets' awareness of the weight and importance of the message God gave them to speak to the nations.

From a Hebrew word which means 'to lift up or to bear away', it has the dual meaning of that which is borne by a man and that which is born to a man. A prediction of severe judgment might well be a 'burden' that would render both body and mind uneasy. It might even be spoken of as being more than someone can bear. Such a prophetic word would be a 'burden' to the one who carried it, as well as to the one for whom it was destined. The word is translated as 'oracle' in most modern versions, by the prophet called to announce it.

The Prophet's Burden

The earlier chapters of Isaiah speak of the vision he saw (Isa 1:1) or of the word he received (Isa 2:1) but from chapter 13 onwards each prophecy is introduced by a different expression: that of a 'burden'. This continues until chapter 23.

God had things to say to Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Idumea, Arabia, Tyre and the Negev, as well as Jerusalem herself. To each of the nations or communities quite detailed and specific messages were conveyed - one wonders whether they were ever received. What is clear is that a considerable part of Isaiah's prophecy is taken up with foreign nations. Are we to assume that God had things to say to those ancient nations but has nothing to say to the nations of today? Is prophecy to be limited to the local church and its activities? Is there not a burden on our shoulders, too, to find out what the Lord wants proclaimed?

Considerable parts of Isaiah's prophecy are addressed to nations other than Israel. Are we to assume that God had things to say to them but has nothing to say to the nations of today?

Are We God's Burden?

In a foreboding passage in Jeremiah (23:33-40) the people are told by the prophet that when asked "What is the burden of the Lord!" they were to reply "You are the burden and I will cast you off". Instead of carrying God's word to whoever he had sent it, they were a burden and an obstruction to his purposes.

Later on in the same passage it is clear that the burden they were carrying was not the divine word but their own word, and in so doing they were perverting the words of the living God. Judgment is inevitable on those who stand in the way of sending forth God's word or who pervert the truth as they pass it on to others.

Expressing God's Compassion

One book in the Old Testament expresses particularly well the compassion, even agony, of a prophet - in this case Jeremiah - at the disaster that had overwhelmed Jerusalem. In Lamentations we see the kind of attitude that today's prophets ought to take over those who reject the Lord's word and plunge themselves into terrible trouble.

One could go almost through the alphabet with words that are used in this book to express the feelings felt in such situations: affliction, anguish, betrayed, bitterness, calamity, crushed, crying out, disgraced, downcast, destroyed, disturbed...right through to weary, wasting away, weeping, without pity and without hope! How the nations need prophets who will care like Jeremiah did!

The 'Woes!' of Jesus

There was one who cared even more than Jeremiah. Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth, wept over Jerusalem. He did not pray for that city, because it was now too late. He could only weep and exclaim, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not" (Matt 23:37). For Jerusalem, the Lord's special city, it was too late. There is still time, though perhaps not much, for us to get God's word to the nations. "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" (Isa 6:8). It is those who care who will reply: "Send me!"

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 6, November/December 1987.

From dreams and visions to props and enaction: Edmund Heddle continues to look at the visual side of prophecy.

Many imagine that the use of visual aids and drama in putting over the word of God is a modern innovation. The fact is that both were used by the prophets of the Old and New Testaments and indeed, by our Lord Jesus himself. In so doing they teach us an important lesson today: that we should not present the message only in word but also in action.

Once a prophet realises that the Spirit is capable of presenting what God wants to say in dramatic action as well as in convincing word, and once he is willing to be open to some of the unusual things the Spirit may urge him to do, he discovers that enacted prophecy can make a greater and more lasting impact than the word alone.

Visual aids and drama have long been used to put across God's word – enacted prophecy can have a much greater impact than the spoken word alone.

Enacted prophecy in the Old Testament

After Solomon died he was succeeded by his son Rehoboam, who foolishly followed the advice of the young men over the elders, as shown in the classic reply that he made: "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:11). As a result of this short-sighted policy the ten northern tribes revolted under Jeroboam.

But before this, the prophet Ahijah had told Solomon he was to be king over Israel by an enacted prophecy. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into ten pieces, giving them to Jeroboam. His actions confirmed his divine appointment (1 Kings 11:29-36).

Later in the history of God's people, the prophet Micah was so upset as he contemplated the disaster that would overtake Samaria and Jerusalem that he said, "Because of this I will weep and wail; I will go about barefoot and naked" (Mic 1:8). In this way he enacted his identity with nations that would be driven away naked into exile. To his words and actions he added his cries, saying he would wail with the strength of a jackal until his voice was so strained that it would resemble the squeaking of a baby ostrich.

Micah's greater contemporary Isaiah also enacted his concern for the people of God by appearing in the streets of Jerusalem over a period of three years in the rags of a prisoner of war, with scarce enough covering to be decent. This would be the sad result for Israel when Egypt and Cush were led into exile by the king of Assyria as prisoners of war. Then they would have to say, "See what has happened to those we relied on" (Isa 20:1-6).

Ahijah took his new cloak and tore it into ten pieces. Micah wept and wailed, and went about barefoot and naked. Isaiah spent three years in the rags of a prisoner of war.

Later on a prophetic word was enacted by Jeremiah in Egypt (Jer 43:7-13). Although he had persistently warned the remnant of Judah, "Do not go to Egypt" (Jer 42:19), when they insisted, he decided it was right to go with them. While there, God told him to take a number of large stones and to bury them in mortar at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanes and to prophesy that the king of Babylon would invade Egypt and set up his throne above these very stones. Far from avoiding trouble by escaping to Egypt, they had brought it upon themselves by their disobedience.

Nebuchadnezzar would set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt and would smash some of the obelisks in Heliopolis. The archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie believed that a raised pavement he discovered was the place where Jeremiah buried his stones. Two of the Heliopolis obelisks survive to this day. One is in New York City and the other - incorrectly known as Cleopatra's Needle - on the Thames Embankment in London.

Jeremiah was led by God to bury large stones at the entrance to Pharoah's palace in Egypt – enacting a prophecy that Babylon would eventually invade and take over.

False Enactions

It is a testimony to its effectiveness that a false prophet, Zedekiah, copied what he had seen other true prophets do in enacting their prophetic words. On one occasion the kings of Israel and Judah were sitting on their thrones in Samaria with all the prophets prophesying before them when Zedekiah brought the iron horns he had made and said, "With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed" (1 Kings 22:11).

All the false prophets agreed until a true prophet, Micaiah, came on the scene. When consulted he told the king to go ahead, but his tone of voice and his manner betrayed the fact that he was speaking in irony and that he meant just the reverse of what he said. Because of his faithful testimony Micaiah was put in prison on bread and water, where he realised a truth many of the Lord's prophets have also since discovered: that evil men hate the true word of God (1 Kings 22:18 and 26-27).

It is a testimony to the effectiveness of prophetic enaction that false prophets through history have copied the same behaviour.

Marital Enactions

Jeremiah was forbidden to marry and to have children. This was to make his marital state a witness to the imminent disaster that would overtake God's people: "They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried...they will perish by sword and famine" (Jer 16:1-4). Every time he was asked why he was not married it gave him the opportunity to bring to people a warning of what was ahead unless they repented. Today the testimony of those who choose to remain unmarried for the sake of the gospel is a powerful enactment.

In contrast to Jeremiah, Hosea was told to marry, but to take a prostitute as a wife (Hos 1:2). Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord is depicted by Hosea in terms of a wife who turns her back on a faithful husband in order to give herself to a succession of lovers. In spite of God's goodness to his people, Israel went lusting after Baal and other gods of Canaan. Hosea 2:2 appears to contain a formula for divorce: "She is not my wife, neither am I her husband" but the God Hosea depicts cannot take that action. He is the one who says, "How can I give you up? How can I hand you over?" So the prophetic word is powerfully enacted.

In contrast to both Jeremiah and Hosea, Ezekiel is allowed to marry a wife who is "the delight of his eyes" (Eze 24:15-19). But suddenly he is told that he is about to lose her; nevertheless he must not weep or shed any tears. God shows the prophet that he also is being bereaved of "the delight of his eyes", by which he means his sanctuary in the temple in Jerusalem. God says they are not to mourn the desecration of his sanctuary because it is the result of their persistent sin (Eze 24:20-24). In each of these examples the family life of the prophet enacts and makes clearer what God is saying.

Enacted prophecy by Jeremiah

It is in the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel that we see the constant use of enacted prophecy. Both prophets are involved with the closing stages of the kingdom of Judah and exile and captivity of God's people in Babylon.

There are five enacted prophecies in addition to the one already mentioned:

1. Jeremiah is told to make thongs and yoke-bars and to put them on his neck. This is to illustrate his message - unacceptable to them - that only by submitting to the King of Babylon could they remain in their own land. Hananiah the false prophet disagreed and broke the yoke-bars from Jeremiah's neck. Jeremiah's reaction is to make iron bars instead of wooden ones and to announce that Hananiah would die that very year because he had preached rebellion against the Lord (Jer 27 and 28).
2. Jeremiah is told to buy a linen waistcloth and to bury it in a cleft of the rock by the river Euphrates. After many days he is told to return there to collect it, only to discover that it was good for nothing. So he enacts God's desire that Israel would cling closely to him and the refusal that was to spoil the whole relationship (Jer 13:1-11).
3. Jeremiah is told to buy a potter's earthenware jar and to smash it by the Potsherd Gate in the presence of the elders of the people and some of the priests. Then he was to say, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired'" (Jer 19:1-12).
4. Jeremiah is told to buy a field at the very time when the entire surrounding country was in enemy hands. This strange action dramatised eloquently Jeremiah's confidence in the future of God's people and in their certain return to their homeland. His actions spoke more convincingly than any words could have done of his absolute confidence in the Lord's promise: "Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land" (Jer 32:6-15).
5. Jeremiah is told to take a scroll and to write on it the doom of Babylon. This he was to give to Seraiah (a brother of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe) to take to Babylon. When he got there he was to read it aloud, to pray and then to throw it into the river Euphrates (having first attached a stone so that it would sink). As he threw it into the water he was to say, "So will Babylon sink to rise no more!" In all these examples it is clear that the dramatic symbolism adds considerably to the verbal communication (Jer 51:60-64).

Enacted prophecy by Ezekiel

In the prophecy of Ezekiel we have a series of symbolic actions which are required of the prophet and which represent the siege, capture and the future of Jerusalem. Like Jeremiah he was required to enact the message he had to pass on verbally.

1. Ezekiel is told to carry out certain symbolic acts which portray the siege of Jerusalem.
   • He is to take a brick whilst still soft and to portray on it the mounds and battering rams attacking Jerusalem.
   • He was to place an iron plate (such as a griddle on which cakes were baked) between himself and the brick to symbolise the barrier between God and his people.
   • He was to lie on his left side for 390 days and on his right side for forty days representing the years of Israel's and Judah's chastisement.
   • He had to bake a cake out of a strange mixture of grains but was permitted to eat only twenty shekels' worth once a day with a small quantity of water. The cake was to be baked on human dung, but at the prophet's entreaty this repulsive condition was relaxed. In all these ways God's judgment on sinful Jerusalem was portrayed (Eze 4:1-17).
2. Ezekiel is told to shave his head and beard by using a sword. The hair was then to be divided into three equal portions. This showed that a third of the population would die of famine or disease, another third would be killed by the sword and the final third would be scattered among the nations. The few hairs the prophet managed to save were to be tucked in the folds of his garment. But even some of this righteous remnant would have to face further judgment (Eze 5:1-4).
3. Ezekiel is told to pack his belongings for exile and to bring them out of his house while the people were watching. He was to do the same thing in the evening but was first to dig a hole through the wall and to drag his kit through, again before the people. He was to cover his face while he was doing these things. The idea was to provoke the people to ask questions. The Lord's instruction was, "Now that these rebels are asking you what you are doing, tell them". By his obedience to the Lord's instructions the prophet had become a sign to the people (Eze 12:1-11).
4. Ezekiel is told to make and erect a signpost in such a way that it indicated one route starting from Babylon and continuing until it diverged into two roads, one leading to Jerusalem and the other to Rabbah (today's Amman, capital of Jordan). Ezekiel is told that the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road to use various methods of divination to discover which way to go. He will however take the road to Jerusalem, because God intends to use him to punish his people (Eze 21:19-23).
5. Ezekiel is told to take the cauldron and having put water and meat into it, to bring it to the boil. The cauldron is Jerusalem, the pieces of meat are its inhabitants, the fire and boiling water stand for the siege and its severity; finally, the pieces pulled out of the cauldron symbolise the universal dispersion of the people when the siege is over. Even the cauldron is defiled and must be put on the fire until its impurities are melted away. Jerusalem must be destroyed in order to be cleansed (Eze 24:3-12). But there is hope for the future and this is shown as follows:
6. Ezekiel is told to unite the sticks of Joseph and Judah: "Son of man, take a stick and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah...' Then take another stick and write on it, 'Ephraim's stick...' Join them together so they become one in your hand". The thrilling message is then given: "I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone...I will make them one nation in the land. There will be one king over them all" (Eze 37:16-22)

Enacted prophecy in the New Testament

There are numerous places in the gospels where Jesus enacted what had been prophesied about him in the Old Testament. The clearest example is his entry into Jerusalem on an ass, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah: "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey'" (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:1-11). We can certainly see the power of enacted prophecy in the comment of Matthew, "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred".

The second example from the New Testament is found in Acts 21:10-11 where a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He took Paul's belt, tied his own feet and hands with it and said, "the Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him to the Gentiles'." Hearing this, the believers in Caesarea tried to stop Paul from going up to Jerusalem. They had misunderstood the reason why Agabus had been moved to present this enacted prophecy.

It was not to stop Paul from going to Jerusalem, but to prepare him for what would await him there, just as Jesus himself had been warned by the Holy Spirit about what would happen when he arrived there (Mark 10:32-34).

To be a truly biblical prophet today we need to remember that God's prophetic word can be more powerfully presented when we make use of the 'eyegate' as well as the 'eargate'.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 5, September/October 1987.

Edmund Heddle's series on prophecy continues, turning this week to visual ways in which God speaks.

According to Peter's words on the day of Pentecost, dreams and visions are two methods that God desires to use in communicating his prophetic word to man. He claimed that the pouring out of the Spirit that morning had fulfilled Joel's prophecy and had made possible the promise that "your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:28).

God had used both dreams and visions from the earliest days of the Bible story, though the number receiving such communications was few. Now, many more would be able to receive what God wanted to convey to them by means of dreams and visions, and they in turn could pass on the prophetic word to others. A study of the New Testament reveals that some of the most important decisions reached by the early church were made in response to God's visual direction, yet very many Christians still do not take seriously the place of dreams and visions in seeking to hear God's voice today.

God spoke in various ways

The first words of the letter to the Hebrews tell us that "in the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets...in many ways" (Heb 1:1). In defending Moses from the jealous criticism of Miriam and Aaron, God said: "When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses...with him I speak face-to-face, clearly and not in riddles..." (Num 12:6-8). God's normal way of speaking to his prophets was in dreams, visions and riddles (riddles, or 'dark speech', refer to God using language figuratively, as in a parable). Moses had a unique relationship with God, who spoke to him 'face to face' (Ex 33:11; Deut 34:10).

In the sad story of King Saul it is recorded, "When Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets" (1 Sam 28:6. Urim means 'lights' and its associated word thummim means 'perfections'. They were connected with the breastplate of the High Priest in some way so as to discover God's will, though no-one now knows how). It was in this desperate situation that Saul made the bad mistake of consulting a medium, and paid for it with his life. God spoke to Israel in differing ways. Many Christians limit the way they hear God to the scriptures or a chance word in a sermon, oblivious of the fact that God's word to us can be visual as well as verbal.

Scripture tells us that God has always spoken in visual as well as verbal ways.

God's word: verbal AND visual

It is significant to observe that the 'writing' (as distinct from 'oral') prophets of the Bible divide into one group of whom it is said that they 'saw' visions (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum and Habakkuk), and a second group of whom it is said that 'the word' of the Lord came (Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi).¹ The heading of Micah's prophecy contains a reference to both vision and word. God reveals himself in pictures as well as in words.

A picture (so it is said) is worth a thousand words; but if lacking a word that is specific, a visual representation may remain vague. God uses both the verbal and the visual (eg in the Old Testament the Tabernacle and its ceremonies, and in the New Testament the parables and stories of Jesus). Alongside our stress on the word, we need in today's church to recover the important place of visual prophecy.

Alongside our stress on the written word of God, we need in today's church to recover the important place of visual prophecy.

Dreams and visions

If dreams and visions were removed from the Bible, a considerable amount of both Old and New Testaments would undoubtedly vanish. The significant difference between a dream and a vision is that the former occurs during sleep, the latter in full consciousness. The quickly changing images which God brings to our minds during sleep receive minimum conscious resistance, whereas with a vision some effort on our part is necessary to keep the pictures before us. Both dreams and visions pass quickly from the mind and it is desirable to follow the good example of Daniel and to write down what we have seen before it vanishes (Dan 7:1; Job 20:8).

It is pointed out that Peter was in a trance while he received the vision that resulted in the conversion of Cornelius and the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles. A trance in the Biblical understanding of that word is a mental state into which God brings the person he is addressing so that the senses are partially or wholly suspended. It is not to be confused with an hypnotic or self-induced condition.

The difference between a dream and a vision is that the former occurs during sleep, whilst the latter occurs in full consciousness.

Did Jesus experience either dreams or visions? There is no record that he did, but his words in Luke 10:18, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven", may be describing a vision he was seeing. As perfect man he may well have dreamt. We know that he knew perfectly what Moses knew but partially, for he really knew God face-to-face.

Analysis of Bible dreams and visions

In the Old Testament, eleven dreams are recorded, four for those within the covenant people (Jacob, Joseph, Solomon and Daniel) and seven outside (Abimelech, Laban, Pharaoh, his butler and his baker, a Midianite, and Nebuchadnezzar). In the Old Testament there are six visions, five within the covenant people (Abram, Jacob, Samuel, Nathan and Daniel) and one outside (Balaam).

In the New Testament, four dreams are recounted, two from within the covenant people (Joseph and Paul) and two outside (the wise men and Pilate's wife). There are seven visions recorded in the New Testament: six within the covenant people (Zechariah, Peter, John, Ananias, Paul and Stephen) and one who later was brought into the covenant people (Cornelius). There may well have been others, all depending on whether the phrase 'the Lord appeared' means that they had a vision. If so, then the names of Isaac, Gideon, Manoah's wife and Elisha will also need to be added.

Content of Bible dreams and visions

Dreams and visions recorded in Scripture may be grouped as follows:

1. God speaking, or an angel: The objective is to deliver a message, and apart from seeing the angel there is no other visual content.
2. A picture: The revelation is pictorial and conveys no words; a stairway, a flock of speckled goats, a sheaf of corn, some fat and lean cattle, and a loaf of barley bread. Those outside God's people needed an interpretation of the meaning of what they saw.
3. A revelation: The dreams of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, together with the visions of John on Patmos recorded in the Revelation, give an outline of God's purpose for the nations and his church.
4. Divine instructions: Telling people what God wants them to do, such as going back to one's native land, escaping to Egypt, calling at Judas' house or coming over to Macedonia.
5. Divine encouragement: Spoken to Abram when he was still childless; to Solomon letting him choose what he wanted; to Joseph when he discovered Mary's condition; and to Paul when he was tempted to be afraid.
6. Divine warning: Spoken to David through Nathan, to Eli's house through Samuel and to Pilate through his wife.

In studying the content of dreams and visions, it is also important to see that they were given at vital turning points in the history of God's people. For example, in the early history: Abraham's wife being kept undefiled by Abimelech, and Jacob fleeing from his brother and subsequently returning to the land. In the infancy of Jesus: Joseph being told not to divorce Mary, and later to flee to Egypt and to return to settle in Galilee.

In the early history of the Church: Peter being told to go to the house of Cornelius, Ananias being directed to the house of Judas to meet Saul and later Paul, to cross to take the gospel westwards to Europe. All these important decisions were consequent upon dreams or visions.

It is important to realise that dreams and visions crop up in Scripture at vital turning points in the history of God's people.

Dreams and visions in church history

When the last apostle died, there was no sudden end to the function of dreams and visions in the church as it continued to grow and develop. Church historians quote incidents showing that God continued in picture language to speak by dreams and visions to Polycarp, Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine and Jerome.

Nearer our own times, John Newton, who was concerned about his condition before God, had a dream which made the way of salvation clear to him. Charles Finney in his autobiography recalls a number of visions he received. In the early days of the Pentecostal movement, William F P Burton, an engineer, went out to Africa to spread the gospel. He had regularly, in his room when he was praying about Africa, seen a vision of a sad native, with a yearning look and a white growth over one eye. At a later date he saw this very man sitting in one of their meetings listening to the message in Africa.

There is insufficient space here to tell of a tent full of angels (in the early days of the British Pentecostal movement), or of a church on fire and yet not being burnt down (in the Indonesian stories of Mel Tari); of the visions that have transformed the life and ministry of David du Plessis, and of Demos Shakarian who founded the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International; or of the thrice-repeated vision of fires burning all over Great Britain from Lands End to the top of Scotland, given to Jean Darnall and which found their fulfilment in the 1971 Festival of Light.

Finally, consider the Asian minister who was present at the Carmel Gathering in 1986 and had been given a vision of men asleep on the benches in their church whilst the women were standing with their arms uplifted, crying to God (click here for full details of the vision). He knew it showed the true situation in the church in Britain, but to whom should he deliver the content of his vision? The Lord answered his question by giving him a vision of the face of a woman, well-known to us but unknown to him. All he had to do was to wait at the foot of the stairs until the woman appeared whose face he had seen in the vision.

God's forgotten language

Someone coined dreams and visions as 'God's forgotten language', but we cannot afford to forget or neglect them. It would be foolish to become addicted to them, but every one who is seeking to discharge a prophetic ministry needs to present God's 'now' word visually as well as verbally. As Bruce Yocum puts it (Prophecy, p97): "Through visions God opens up to us his action and his plan in a new and powerful way; they have impact." They are also 'faith-building', and that is the purpose for which prophets are in business.

Offer your sub-conscious to God

Without the enabling of the Holy Spirit, no-one can function as a prophet and it is only as we yield our sub-conscious mind to be directed by the Spirit that we shall be able to give visual prophecy its proper place.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3, No 4, July/August 1987.

References

1 The prophets Jonah and Daniel do not have the usual biographical introduction.

Balaam: a biblical warning against mingling the exercise of spiritual gifts with unGodly living...

Balaam steps into the pages of Old Testament history at the request of Balak, king of the Moabites, at the time when the Children of Israel were on the point of moving into Canaan, the Promised Land. Like the inhabitants of Jericho, the Moabites had heard how Jehovah had rescued the Israelites from Egypt by drying up the Red Sea and by destroying Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings and - to quote the later words of Rahab the prostitute – "When we heard of it, our hearts sank and everyone's courage failed" (Josh 2:11).

It was because Balak and his people felt threatened by the proximity, strength and reputation of the Israelites that he sent a deputation to Pethor on the Euphrates to ask the well-known soothsayer Balaam if he would come and curse the children of Israel. In fact, Balak and his people need have had no such fear as Jehovah had given strict orders to Moses to pass through their country without hurting them in any way. It was a case of "there they were, overwhelmed with dread, when there was nothing to dread" (Psa 53:5).

Balak's request to Balaam

Balak, filled with fear, sent messengers to summon Balaam to come and curse Israel, in the belief that if the soothsayer did so the Moabite king would be able to defeat them and drive them out of his territory. The deputation brought with them the usual fee for Balaam's services (Num 22:1-7).

Balaam's reply was to give them overnight hospitality while he consulted Yahweh to discover whether it was right to go with these men on the long journey to where the Moabites and the Israelites were in close proximity on the east of the Jordan, where that river runs into the Dead Sea. The reply Balaam received from Jehovah was short but clear: "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on them, because they are blessed" (Num 22:12). So the deputation returned to Balak and told him that Balaam had refused to come.

Convert to Yahweh

Before going further to discover what special understanding of prophetic character we may learn from the story of this strange man, we must come to terms with the fact that although Balaam was not numbered among the Children of Israel and indeed lived a long way from them, he had come to acknowledge Yahweh as the true God in a remarkable way.

The American scholar William F Albright, whose definitive work shed so much light on this era, described Balaam as "a north Syrian diviner from the Euphrates Valley...who became a convert to Yahwehism" (Journal of Biblical Literature, September 1944, p232).

There are elements in his way of doing things which are reminiscent of heathen divination (cf. Num 24:1), but it is clear beyond all doubt that Balaam knew the true God and could hear what he was saying.

Although Balaam was not an Israelite, and his ways incorporated elements of heathen divination, he had come to acknowledge Yahweh as the true God in a remarkable way.

A genuine prophet

The prophetic words of Balaam (which together number more than those written by the prophet Obadiah) were not the product of incantations or occultic rites, neither was he in any trance state when he spoke them; they were spoken directly under the direction of the Spirit of God (Num 24:2).

King Balak made three attempts at getting Balaam to curse the Israel people by taking him to different vantage points from which he could see less or more of their encampment (Num 22:41, 23:13, 23:27 and 24:2), but God caused Balaam to bless rather than curse them. Moses said that this was because the Lord loved them (Deut 23:5).

Evidence of genuine prophecy

We have already seen that the manner in which Balaam prophesied showed him to be a genuine prophet. To this we can add the testimony of the Bible writer as he reports the attitude of Balaam when he says; "I must speak only what God puts in my mouth...Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?...I must say only what the Lord says" (Num 22:38, 23:12 and 24:13).

The manner in which Balaam prophesied showed him to be a genuine prophet, speaking directly under the direction of the Spirit of God.

The writer himself records, "The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth" (Num 23:5). The third line of evidence that Balaam was a genuine prophet may be seen in the subject matter of his prophesying, to which we now turn.

Balaam's four 'oracles'

Balaam spoke three oracles (an oracle means that which is spoken directly from God, see 1 Pet 4:11) in response to Balak's threefold request that Balaam should curse the Children of Israel (Num 23:7-10, 23:17-24 and 24:2-9). But instead of curses, on each occasion he blessed them. After these he added a fourth oracle describing how Israel would conquer her enemies, including Balak's own kingdom of Moab.

A short final oracle foretold the ruin of the Amalekites and the destruction of the Kenites. The reference to Asshur being subdued does not refer to Assyria, the mighty kingdom that conquered Israel in later years, but to an Arabian tribe (see Gen 25:3, 18 and Psa 83:8). This reference is therefore no evidence for the late dating of Balaam's story. As Albright (in the article noted above) says, "There is nothing in the matter of these poems which requires a date in the tenth century or later for original composition".

Theology of God

In his oracles Balaam refers to God as 'El' the mighty God, as 'Shaddai' the almighty provider, as 'Elyon' the supreme, and 'Melek' the King, and constantly calls him by his covenant name Jehovah or Yahweh. This reveals, for a heathen soothsayer, an amazing grasp of the nature of God.

He also makes a statement about the utter reliability of the God who keeps his promises, a passage that has brought untold reassurance to God's people in times of testing and doubt: "God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and then not fulfil?" (Num 23:19).

Israel's future

The Lion Handbook of the Bible is right in calling Balaam's words "a remarkable prediction of Israel's future" (p190). Balaam declares that Israel is a separated nation: "I see a people dwelling alone, who do not consider themselves one of the nations" (Num 23:9). Israel is unique in the purposes of God, with its religious rites, its diet and its destiny. Israel is to be numerous like the dust; as God said to Abram, "I will make your offspring like the dust of the Earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted" (Gen 13:16).

Israel will be victorious over all her enemies: "The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey" (Num 23:24). "Israel will grow strong" or, as some translators prefer, "Israel performs valiantly" (Num 24:18b).

For a heathen soothsayer, Balaam had an amazing grasp of the nature of God.

Balaam shows that the reason for these things is God's special care for her and her future. God acts on behalf of Israel (Num 23:23b). God rescued Israel from Pharaoh (Num 24:8). God's presence is with Israel (Num 23:21 b) and therefore she is protected and no sorcery or divination can hurt her (Num 23:23b). Misery and misfortune are not to be found in her borders (Num 23:21). Balaam draws our attention to God's people saying, "See what God has done!" (Num 23:23b).

The promised Messiah

Balaam is privileged to have his eyes opened to see the coming Messiah: "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not close at hand. A star will come out of Jacob and a sceptre will rise out of Israel...a ruler will come out of Jacob" (Num 24:17, 19). Was it this prophecy of Balaam that was treasured in the East, that brought wise men to Bethlehem because of the sight of an unusual star over the land of Judea?

Universal condemnation

With so much about Balaam that was commendable, why is it that the scriptures of both Old and New Testaments are unanimous in their condemnation of him? We do not know all the reasons but Scripture gives us sufficient information to constitute a terrible warning to any who dare to combine the exercise of supernatural gifts with unholy living.

He is shown to be headstrong and persistently disobedient. When Balak's deputation asked Balaam to go to their king, Balaam was told categorically by the Lord; "Do not go with them!" (Num 22:12). Because of this he sent Balak's deputation back to Moab, refusing to accompany them. However, when a second deputation arrived consisting of a larger number of more distinguished princes (Num 22:15), instead of telling them that God had forbidden him to go, he began to slip, saying he would see whether perhaps God might have changed his mind! (Num 22:19). Remember, this was the prophet who had affirmed that God never did change his mind! (Num 23:19).

Recognising that Balaam was determined to go to Balak, God gave him permission (Num 22:20), but made it abundantly clear through an opposing angel and a speaking ass that he did not approve of Balaam's action (Num 22:21-35).

Though so much about Balaam was commendable, Scripture uses his example as a terrible warning against the exercise of supernatural gifts with unholy living.

Other passages of Scripture make it clear that there was a financial aspect to Balaam's sin. At first sight this is surprising when we remember that in answering Balak's second deputation Balaam had claimed, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold I could not go" (Num 22:18). There are other Bible references however which accuse him of avarice, and Peter states that Balaam "loved the wages of wickedness" (e.g. Jude 11, 2 Pet 2:15). Matthew Henry in his famous commentary remarks, "We may here discern in Balaam a struggle between his convictions and his corruptions".

The third thing of which Balaam is accused in scripture is sexual immorality. No one would have suspected this had not the Bible made it clear that after his repeated refusal to curse Israel he joined himself to the Midianites and led them to corrupt Israel by blatant immorality (Num 25:1-9, Rev 2:14). The same passage in Revelation also accuses Balaam of idolatry in that he encouraged Israel to eat food sacrificed to idols.

Balaam is killed

In Balaam's first oracle he had expressed a wish concerning his death, which many people have echoed since that time: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!" (Num 23:10b). Sadly, this was not to be his experience, for if we want to die the death of the righteous we must live the life of the righteous.

When the time came for Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites for the way they had corrupted Israel, they also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword (Num 31:1-8). Later on, when the time came to divide the Promised Land between the tribes, the record states: "the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam the son of Beor, who practised divination" (Josh 13:22).

If we want to die the death of the righteous, we must live the life of the righteous.

Not a false prophet but an unholy one

The story of this true prophet who lived an immoral life is a very strong warning to any who are manifesting prophetic or other supernatural gifts, but whose lives are at variance with the standards of Christ. Eagerness for financial remuneration and carelessness in the use of funds has wrecked the work of some whose words were irresistibly powerful.

Others have ended their effectiveness in ministry by wrong sexual relationships. Some have turned aside to the occult or to spiritualism, whilst many more have halted the power that once flooded through them by persistent disobedience.

By their fruits..!

Jesus said it was not by their gifts but by their fruit that we are to recognise those who are genuine (Matt 7:16). We reason that if people can hear God and bring a clear prophetic word, if they can bring an accurate word of knowledge or heal the sick, doesn't that prove they are living in a right relationship with God? The answer as seen in Jesus' words and Balaam's life is No! How tragic was the fall of Balaam!

People might hear God, bring clear prophetic words or words of knowledge, or heal the sick. That doesn't prove they are living in a right relationship with God.

How much more tragic is the fall of those who have much more light than Balaam had and yet whose spiritual gifts are not matched by holiness! Jesus said that many in that day will say to him, "Did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" They like Balaam will merit the wrath of the Lamb and must at the last hear him say, "I never knew you!"

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 3, May/June 1987.

Edmund Heddle looks at the relationship between prophecy and song.

While it is true that among the prophets of the Bible there are those whose ministry seems to be carried out in an atmosphere of 'doom and gloom', there are numbers who sing under the inspiration of the Spirit prophetic songs which rejoice in revealing what God has done and celebrating it with music and dancing.

Rejoicing at the Exodus

The earliest example in scripture occurs when Miriam, older sister of Moses and Aaron, took her tambourine and with dancing steps sang a song of victory over their cruel Egyptian overlords. "Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea" (Ex 15:20-21). The word translated 'sang' is the word for 'answered' and indicates that she and the women with her were singing antiphonally with Moses and his men's choir.

Many years later, in AD 387 during the night before Easter Day on the occasion of the baptism of Augustine, the Te Deum Laudamus came into existence as Ambrose and Augustine sang its alternate lines under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In our own day antiphonal singing has started to reappear with Graham Kendrick's song, 'For This Purpose Christ was Revealed' and similar songs by himself, Dave Fellingham and others. I wonder when it will be attempted under the direct inspiration of the Spirit, trusting the prophetic spirit to give us both words and tune?

Celebrating Victory

In the days of the judges, Israel came under the cruel oppression of a Canaanite king, Jabin, and his military commander Sisera. God raised up a deliverer, a woman named Deborah. She together with Barak was granted a decisive victory which was celebrated, as with Miriam and Moses, by prophetic singing (Judges 5:1-31).

Deborah's name means 'bee', and in his commentary Matthew Henry shows that she lived up to her name "by her industry and sagacity...by her sweetness to her friends and her sharpness to her enemies"! Once again we see a man and a woman united in prophetic singing, for this is a ministry equally open to both sexes.

Prophetic Music Schools

It is in the time of Samuel that we first meet the 'schools of the prophets' which were still functioning in the days of Elijah and Elisha. On one famous occasion, some of the student body of one of these schools met Saul, shortly after Samuel had anointed him, with extraordinary results (1 Sam 10:9-12): "A procession of prophets met him, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying..."

Once Eli had died and the temple at Shiloh had been desecrated these schools of the prophets became vital to the future of Israel's religion. They probably kept and copied the records of Israel's past and not only maintained times for quiet worship but also nourished their religious devotion and heightened it by the sacred music which they composed and sang under the inspiration of the Spirit. They would have sung not only within their headquarters but also in the open air as they processed along with their musical instruments, offering prophetic praise to Israel's God.

As Saul met them and heard their prophesying, he became aware that some indescribable power was filling his being and he would connect it with his recent experience of being anointed by Samuel when they were alone on the house-top in Ramah. Prophetic praise today could have this same effect of stirring men into action for God.

Just as Saul was moved to prophesy when he met a procession of prophets, so prophetic praise today should have the effect of stirring men into action for God.

Practical Arrangements

It was not until the time of David that prophetic praise finds its appointed place and is organised by 'Israel's singer of songs' - David himself (2 Sam 23:1). He knew that real singing was impossible apart from the anointing of God's Spirit, but he saw that it was necessary to make working arrangements of a practical nature. Details of these arrangements are found in 1 Chronicles 25 where we read, "David set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthan for the ministry of prophesying accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals".

David chose four of Asaph's sons who were under the direction of their father, Asaph, himself prophesying under the king's direction. He chose six of Jeduthun's sons; Jeduthun himself prophesied using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord. And he chose fourteen of the sons of Heman, who was the king's seer. Under these leaders there were no fewer than 288 men set apart for this prophetic ministry, all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord.

They undertook their duties as determined by lot, and we are shown that there was no competition or place-seeking, for junior and senior, master and pupil alike accepted the duties allocated to them (1 Chron 25:1-6). It is sad that jealousy and place-seeking has at times plagued our choirs. How beautiful it is when those who lead our worship are truly anointed to sing, not for their credit but for God's glory.

How beautiful it is when those who lead our worship are truly anointed to sing, not for their credit but for God's glory.

David's Arrangements Maintained

The arrangements David made for prophetic singing in the Temple were still adhered to by godly kings for many years. There are references to the way prescribed by David during the reign of the boy-king Joash (2 Chron 23:18); in the revival under King Hezekiah (2 Chron 29:25-30) and under King Josiah (2 Chron 35:15). Even after the return from exile, when Ezra's builders had laid the foundation of the Temple, they were still following the plan prescribed by David (Ezra 3:10).

Nehemiah arranged two choirs at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem by bringing in those Levites who had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. They were accompanied by "the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God" (Neh 12:27-36, 46).

For more than five hundred years godly kings and priests maintained the ministry of prophetic song and we even know the words of the song that stood 'top of the pops' for those hundreds of years! The words of that song were, "He is good, his love endures forever" (1 Chron 16:34,41 and 2 Chron 5:13, 7:3,6, 20:21, Jer 33:11 and many times in the Book of Psalms, for example 106:1, 107:1, 118:1). What a beautiful message to sing about!

Canticles of the Quiet People

In the interim period between the Old Testament and the New, we have the prophetic praise of Mary, Zachariah and Simeon. The Magnificat has been sung in the liturgy of the Gallican Church from AD 507; Mary's prophetic song is modelled on Psalms. The Benedictus, Zacharias' song, is modelled on prophecies. The Nunc Dimittis seems always to have been used in the evening services of the church down the ages of Christian history, in the East at Vespers and in the West at Compline.

There are nine themes common to these three prophetic songs, though each Canticle has its particular setting; one at Mary's conception, one at the naming of John the Baptist and the third at the culmination of Simeon's waiting for the Messiah. These nine themes are the essential stuff of prophetic song. They are:

1. God's mercy
2. God's mighty deeds
3. Victory over God's enemies
4. Our salvation
5. God's promises fulfilled
6. God's covenant obligations honoured
7. Light in our darkness
8. Care for the humble and hungry
9. Future blessing.

Characterised by Singing

Having established that it was those who had been anointed by the Spirit who became the prophetic singers of the Old Testament period, we shall not be surprised to discover that the New Testament church was also characterised by song.

Pliny the younger (61-113 AD) served as governor of Bithynia and carried on a notable correspondence with the Roman Emperor Trajan (52-117 AD). His comment on the Christians living in his province was that "They are accustomed to meet before daybreak to sing a hymn antiphonally to Christ, as to a god"; they were distinguished by their habit of singing. This was a practice encouraged by Paul. His letter to the Ephesians exhorts them to "be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:18-19).

The New Testament believers were known for their habit of singing to God, which Paul strongly encouraged. Snatches and sometimes the whole of their hymns found their way into his letters.

We know there was much singing in the New Testament church, for snatches and sometimes the whole of their hymns have found their way into Paul's letters. Outstanding examples of this are to be found in Ephesians 5:14 (sleepers awake); Philippians 2:6-11 (hymn of the incarnation); 1 Timothy 3:6 (a Christian creed) and 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (steadfast endurance). The New International Version of the Bible has printed these and other passages to indicate their rhythmic character. Arthur S. Way in The Letters of St Paul believes there are many more snatches of hymns and songs in the apostle's writings.

Power of Christian Song

Gregory Wilson said of Martin Luther: "Rome scoffed at his theology, but trembled at his hymns". Charles Wesley, three years younger than his brother, John, helped to regenerate a decadent society through song, while his brother undertook the same task through the spoken word. In all, more than 6,500 hymns came from the inspired pen of the younger Wesley.

We have a great responsibility to discharge the stewardship of prophetic song for it is of vital importance in bringing about the revolution to which we are committed, that is the Jesus revolution. When both the words and the music of a song are put together under divine inspiration, that song will have the power to unite the singers as one and to make for a very powerful impact on unbelievers.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 3 No 2, March/April 1987.

Prophets not only understood God's words and relayed them to others, they also gained God's ear. Edmund Heddle looks at this profound intercessory relationship...

It was the special privilege of the true Old Testament prophets to stand in the council of the Almighty to listen to his words. It was this access that ensured the accuracy and authority of the prophecies they spoke.

But this access also gave them the privilege of gaining the ear of God as they interceded on behalf of their people and ensured the success of their intercession. God spoke to them and they spoke to God. Both of these aspects need to be kept in mind if we are to gain a true understanding of what a prophet is.

First Bible Prophet an Intercessor

The earliest example of a prophet interceding occurs in Genesis 20:7, which is where the first reference to a prophet in Scripture occurs. In a dream God told Abimelech, king of Gerar, to hand back Sarah, Abraham's wife, and said that Abraham's intercession would save him from certain death "because he is a prophet" (Gen 20:7, 17).

There is however an earlier reference to Abraham praying when he interceded for the wicked city of Sodom (Gen 18:22-23). Six times Abraham besought God to spare Sodom and each time God accepted his prayer. What an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society! It was a sad commentary on Sodom's widespread homosexuality that there were fewer than ten righteous men in the city and so the inevitable judgment fell, a lasting warning to the cities that are moving in that direction before our eyes today.

Abraham's intercession spared kings and cities judgment- what an encouragement today to pray for our increasingly immoral society!"

Prayers of the Writing Prophets

The close link between prophesying and interceding is also found in the writing prophets of the Old Testament. We find Amos asking God's pardon for Israel and for respite from the utter destruction caused by a divinely ordained plague of locusts (Amos 7:1-2).

In similar fashion Joel cries to God for the ending of the drought which has caused the "seed to shrivel under the clods" and the wild beasts to cry out because "the water brooks are dried up" (Joel 1:17-¬20). In contrast, Hosea calls down an awful judgement on the homes of Israel by requesting "wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry" (Hos 9:14).

Habakkuk's Fiddle!

In his long prayer forming the whole of Habakkuk 3, the prophet expresses his absolute confidence in Yahweh, no matter how many calamities might befall him or however bad things might become. One quaint old commentator advises his readers to strum away on 'Habakkuk's Fiddle' when we are facing days of trouble.

Hebrew scholars tell us that the rhythm of the last part of this prayer is very beautiful, consisting of short lines of three words each and obviously intended to be set to music. He says that he will wait patiently until the day of calamity overwhelms the nation that was invading his land (Hab 3:16b).

Amos interceded for God's pardon, Hosea called for judgment and Habakkuk expressed his complete confidence in God, whatever the future might hold."

The Prophet's Arguments with God

Ezekiel wrestles with God and hints that his reputation is at stake if he utterly wipes out the remnant of Israel (Eze 9:8-11; 11:13-16). The reputation of Yahweh is one of the strongest arguments advanced by the prophets in their interceding for God's people. It was used by Moses several times, as he argues that the surrounding nations would conclude that Yahweh had failed to bring his people into the Promised Land (Ex 32:12; Deut 9:25-29).

A variation of this argument, also used by Moses, was to remind God of his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to tell him that he dare not break them. A similar argument that Yahweh would bring disgrace to his name if he let his people down had been used by Joshua at the defeat of Ai (Josh 7:9). These arguments are just as strong today if we adapt them to our New Testament understanding of the character and promises of our Heavenly Father and the victory of his Son, our Saviour.

Many prophets interceded by reminding God of his character and promises- and by arguing that his reputation was at stake. These arguments are just as strong today"

Prayer's Powerful Effect

Of all the prophets, Elijah is chosen as the example of the powerful effect of a righteous man's intercession (James 5:16-17) and it is from this New Testament account that we learn that the disastrous three and a half years' drought in the reign of King Ahab happened in answer to Elijah's praying. Had we only the narrative in 1 Kings 17, we should not have known the part that his prayers had in bringing about the drought, as a judgement upon the idolatrous activity of the wicked Queen Jezebel.

As this three-year period came to an end the power of Elijah's praying was again demonstrated when, after total failure on the part of Baal's prophets to bring fire from heaven, God answered his servant's prayer by causing the enormous power of his lightning falling from heaven to consume not only the wood and the sacrifice but also the soil and the stones!

In 1 Kings and James, we find that Elijah's powerful intercession caused drought in Israel for three and a half years, brought down fire from heaven and then finally brought rain"

Having brought about this convincing demonstration of Yahweh's superiority, Elijah tells the king that rain was on its way. Yet again Elijah turned to prayer, bending down to the ground with his head between his knees, having first climbed to the top of Carmel. After six reports from his servant that there was not a cloud in the sky, when he looked the seventh time a cloud no larger than a man's hand convinced him that torrential rain was about to fall.

Intercessor's Options

From the foregoing stories it is clear that, on occasion, a prophet may in prayer invoke the judgement of God upon a sinful nation whereas at another time he may terminate the judgement. An example of both options may be found in the story of Elisha, Elijah's successor. He invoked blindness on Israel's enemy, but later prayed that their vision might be restored (2 Kings 6:18-20).

There is in fact another option, making three in all. Elisha could ask either (i) that God would bring judgement to reveal his displeasure (eg Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1), or (ii) that God would pardon his people and rescue them from judgement (eg Moses in Numbers 11:1-3), or again (iii) that God would modify the intensity of his judgement (eg Ezekiel in Ezekiel 11:13) so as to avoid their total overthrow.

It might well be asked which option that today's intercessors should adopt, though they are not left without direction: "For the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought...the Spirit intercedes...according to the will of God" (Rom 8:26-27).

Moses - Intercessor for Israel

Moses is the supreme example of a prophet who was also an intercessor. Moses prayed for Israel at least four times during the wilderness wanderings and secured the mercy and pardon of God for his sinning people. They turned to idolatry, they constantly grumbled, they wanted to return to Egypt and on one occasion were about to stone Moses and his few faithful companions. But time and time again Moses' intercession secured them God's deliverance (Ex 32:9-14; see also Deut 9:20-29; Ex 32:30¬-34; Num 14:13-19 & 21:7-9).

Moses' example of fervent, vicarious intercession has only been surpassed by that of Jesus."

The fervency of Moses' intercession – "I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord had said he would destroy you" (Deut 9:25) - and the vicariousness of his pleading as he says to God "forgive their sin - and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book..." (Ex 32:32), together with his refusal of the divine suggestion that the people should be wiped out so that God could make a new nation of him, form an example for today's intercessors to emulate, though never to surpass. Only one has ever done that when "in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears" (Heb 5:7).

Other Prayers of Moses

Moses' intercession bringing victory to Israel over the Amalekites is the classic story of the power of the intercessor (Ex 17:8-16). Moses' prayers also secured mercy for Miriam his jealous sister (Num 12:13), God's presence in their onward pilgrimage (Ex 33:12-¬16) and a new leader to take over from him (Num 27:15-23).

When we see the achievements that result from praying for others we are ashamed that we so often neglect this part of the prophetic ministry and cry out with John Calvin "what deep-seated malice against God is this, that I will do anything and everything, but go to him and remain with him in secret prayer!".

Another Prophet Intercessor

Psalm 99:6-8 refers to Samuel as another intercessor who called on the name of the Lord to have mercy on his people. When the Israelites were terrified at the impending attack of the Philistines, they begged Samuel to pray for them. God's thunder was his answer and the enemy was routed (1 Sam 6:7-10).

When the people sinned against God by demanding a king, to be like the other nations, the Lord showed his displeasure by sending thunder and rain, seldom experienced at that particular season. This was in answer to Samuel's praying. However, when they repented, Samuel (though personally rejected by their demands for asking) magnanimously assured them that he would not cease to pray for them and would continue to teach them the "good and right way".

Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected?"

For Samuel to cease to pray would have amounted to "sin against the Lord" (1 Sam 12:23). Are we guilty of giving up praying because we have been rejected? Samuel's attitude is one which today's intercessors would do well to copy.

Courageous Praying

The prophet Daniel is well known for his faithfulness in continuing to pray even when the threat of being thrown to the lions had been made. "He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed...as he did afore time" (Dan 6:10). Most of his prayers are concerning the hidden mysteries God was gracious enough to unveil to him. But chapter 9 contains his prayer of confession, which is an aspect of prophetic praying we have not so far mentioned.

In the context of reminding Yahweh of his promise through the prophet Jeremiah to restore his people to their land after seventy years, Daniel confesses vicariously on behalf of God's sinful nation. A most important part of the prophet's intercession is to 'stand in the shoes' of the people being prayed for as prayer is offered on their behalf.

When Prayer is Forbidden

Jeremiah's prophecy contains a number of prayers for God's people (Jer 14:7-9; 19-22; 42:1-7). But the time came when it was too late to pray and Jeremiah was forbidden to do so. God's order to his servant was "do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede for them, and do not intercede with me, for I do not hear you" (Jer 7:16; see also 11:14, 14:11). How important that prayer should be offered before it is too late!

Prophet's Privilege

If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God."

Everyone knows that it is the responsibility of the prophet to speak God's word to whoever he is sent. Sometimes that word can be hard and condemnatory - unless the prophet has also interceded for whoever is on the receiving end of the prophecy. If we are to speak for God, we need first to speak to God. Then only will the prophets of today really copy the example of the prophets of the Bible.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2, No 4, July/August 1986.