I am amazed how the Bible remains as relevant as ever: the very issues faced by the early church concerning practices, doctrine, liberty and society are ongoing. Seeing the scriptures have been inspired by God for our learning, one might assume the lessons would have been learned by now. Alas, our own lives are a testimony against this idea. Like the children of Israel who saw God's miraculous wonders and did not obey Him, we can be exposed to the teaching of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and remain in darkness.
Psalm 119:105 says, "Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path." There are a lot of people who claim to have knowledge to shed light on the true meaning of the scriptures who distort the truth, a practice far more dangerous than outright lies. With the internet it has never been easier to share the scriptures or espouse twisted interpretations of them than today. It is very easy to choose interpretations which suit our own prejudice and bias and to reject wholesale those who do not align with our current understanding. With our feet firmly planted in the truth of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, the light of God's word guides us to a safe haven like a lighthouse does a ship in a stormy sea.
I increasingly appreciate the power of God to reveal Himself and to protect us from error. In the days of Jeremiah the prophet, people prophesied falsely in God's name and shared dreams which contradicted the word of God spoken through him. In a land rife with error Jeremiah did not try to censure or oppose all the error which floated around. God spoke in Jeremiah 23:28-29: "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD. 29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" There is a difference between the word of men and the word of God even as chaff is separate to wheat. Chaff is the thin, papery and indigestible covering of grain which blows away in the wind and is lost forever during threshing. Wheat can be planted, produce a crop, be ground into flour to make bread and sustains life. Chaff and wheat grow together yet are fundamentally different.
God's word is not threatened, undermined or undone by dreamers and false prophets. God does at times speak through dreams and through prophetic utterances, but His word spoken faithfully and rightly divided provides all people need to thrive. God compared His word to a fire that consumes, a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. Prophets spoke God had not spoken to, and they ran when He had not sent them. They were spiritual plagiarists and forgers, repeating lies rather than speaking God's word faithfully. God was against the false prophets and would hold them to account. The exhortation given to Jeremiah is a fitting one for those who fear the LORD today: we have His word and let us speak God's word faithfully. It is implied we would also walk according to it in the fear of the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:32 says, "Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams," says
the LORD, "and tell them, and
cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not
send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all,"
says the LORD." Better to stick to the truth revealed through scripture than to rely on dreams for guidance. There were reckless prophets before Jesus, and those promoting falsehood remain to this day. If we will profit and cause others to do so, let us be those who seek the LORD and speak His word faithfully. There are many who recklessly lead others to err, but what is the chaff to the wheat? Should we cease from sowing grain to pursue those who scatter chaff? God's word is good and satisfying for our souls, and we ought not to become weary of feeding on it, following and sharing it.
Thanks for what you have written here.I have been reading Jerimiah over the past few days and what I find difficult to understand is the way God communicates with people when he wants a person to speak his word.Does he speak verbally to a prophet, like he did with Jerimiah, or does he use different forms of communication.
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous and thanks for reading and commenting. Concerning how God speaks, it is first important to establish He has spoken. He has provided us His word in the Bible, and the God who created speech, written communication and human understanding is able to communicate however He wants. He could speak in an audible voice (as we see many times in scripture) and also through realisations that were not a product of our thinking. These thoughts we are to measure against the plumbline of God's word He has already spoken in the Bible, and thus we can be confident of the accuracy. Our role is to humble ourselves and examine our motives in speaking forth this word, for claiming to speak God's word puts ourselves under the burden the prophets of old carried: 100% accuracy without fail (see Deuteronomy 18:20-22). The God who speaks is able to transcend language, as He is unlimited in power and ability to make Himself and His truth known--and all legitimate revelations will be in agreement with what God has already said in the Bible or it must come to pass as the prophet has said. :)
ReplyDeleteHullo again Ben, and many thanks for your wise words. Please could you expand what you mean when you say, " and also through realisations that were not a product of our thinking". I have been studying a non-biblical prophecy for a long time now, which i am sure has the hidden word of God placed in it and i feel that i am able to interpret the meaning. This has been with me for 40 years and i am sure that i am not imagining things.it has recently been fulfilled in my understanding, but it leads to another prophecy by the same person and to do with the same happening. I can not speak about it here as it is an extremely sensitive issue. Again i can see The word of God hidden in the second prophecy. These prophecies were written a few hundred years ago. Have you any thoughts on this. I would be grateful.
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous! What I mean by realisations is when we think something that is not natural to our flesh or thinking that agrees with God's word--like reaching out or giving to someone who has wronged us--and this is evidence of God being behind this prompting. God is faithful to confirm His word and calling, like He did with Gideon, and we can be encouraged as we take steps of obedience by faith in Him. Regarding this extra-biblical "prophecy" as you call it, I would reject the concept "the word of God" is hidden in it--for the word of God is complete. It is possible, of course, that God can speak to you and others through a prophet, writing, circumstances, or what someone says, yet I would never put it as the level of God's word. It is possible the person was writing by the inspiration of God and even then it would need to be tested. I am reminded of what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20 that "no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation," and to suggest the word of God is hidden within an extra-biblical text is the same well-worn path blazed by the heretical Gnostics in the first century. Examine the text by the light of God's word (the 66 books of the Bible) and this will provide solid footing for your interpretation. Also other claims of this "prophet" would need to be examined...if they are obviously false it would greatly weaken your position. My recommendation would be to stick with the real thing (God's word) in regards to prophetic study, and may the LORD guide you into all truth. :) Blessings in Christ!
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