Good Life pt. 4

Intro.

The prophets, is a very real sense, can be aptly compared to a GPS. These instruments are designed to guide a driver from Point A to Point B as simply as possible. When a driver gets off the course, makes a wrong turn, or misses their correct turn the GPS says, “Rerouting!” It then tells the driver where to go from their incorrect location to the correct place — this is exactly, we will see, what the prophets would do.

So-called modern prophets crop up in our day every so often, coming with their own various ideas of things and proclaiming that which they are assured is to come. However, time after time these modern would-be prophets fail miserably. The Pentecostal movement has been a champion for these sort. It has, it seems to me, caused some great confusion regarding what prophets did and who they even were.

So let us take a moment to ask that very question:

Who were the prophets, and what did is prophecy?

The Prophet as a Person

Each Prophet Was Directly Called by God

Every prophet, beginning all the way back to our father Abraham, was directly and undeniably called by God. It was no secret affair shut up in the mind of the individual; rather, it was a vision or a dream given to them, and accompanied by evidences of God’s own words being spoken.

Abraham was given Isaac

Daniel was given to interpret dreams

Elijah performed miracles

God never gives a revelation contrary to His previously revealed word

At various times in the OT, multiple prophets were at work as contemporaries; neither these, their predecessors, nor their successors ever were given a word which nullified another prophet.

The Prophets were just normal, common people.

Amos 7:12–15 “12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and there do your prophesying! 13 “But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal house.” 14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. 15 “But Yahweh took me from following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’”

Amos a lowly herdsman, taken from among the flocks to face persecution for righteousness sake by his countrymen. He was removed, called out, from his life as a shepherd and given a message from God that he was to bring to the people of Israel and demand their repentance.

The Point of Prophecy

That demand for repentance and change from Israel, or even other nations, is exactly what prophets were sent to do!

If you ask many people, it may be true that most would tell you that prophecy was only about seeing the future or foretelling events. This isn’t without precedent of course, because there is an aspect to that. However, if we see God’s prophets merely as foretellers, then we sorely miss the point of their ministry, which was to instruct Israel toward how to live well before God.

Malachi, for example, even from the first chapter is rebuking Israel’s attitude and faithless offerings. Near the end of the book, we do see some foretelling but the majority of the book is forthtelling — delivering the word has given to the prophet.

Malachi 2:11–14 “11 “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of Yahweh which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 “As for the man who does this, may Yahweh cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers or who presents an offering to Yahweh of hosts. 13 “And this is a second thing you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with groaning because He no longer regards the offering or receives it as acceptable from your hand. 14 “But you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because Yahweh has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.”

Malachi 3:13–18 “13 “Your words have been strong against Me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 “You have said, ‘It is worthless to serve God; and what gain is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahweh of hosts? 15 ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and escape.’” 16 Then those who feared Yahweh spoke to one another, and Yahweh gave heed and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahweh and who think upon His name. 17 “And they will be Mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” 18 So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” ‘’

Hear also the Prophet Jonah’s call on Nineveh to repent:

Jonah 3:1–10 “1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out to it this very call which I am going to speak to you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. 4 Then Jonah began to go into the city, one day’s walk; and he called out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then the word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, laid aside his mantle from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7 And he cried out and said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, animal, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat, and do not let them drink water. 8 “But both man and animal must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God with their strength that each may turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9 “Who knows, God may turn and relent and turn away from His burning anger so that we will not perish.” 10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, so God relented concerning the evil which He had spoken He would bring upon them. And He did not bring it upon them.”

Thirdly, Amos says,

Amos 5:3–7 “3 For thus says Lord Yahweh, “The city which goes forth one thousand strong Will have one hundred left, And the one which goes forth one hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel.” 4 For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live. 5 “But do not seek Bethel, And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into exile, And Bethel will become evil. 6 “Seek Yahweh that you may live, Lest He come mightily like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel, 7 For those who overturn justice into wormwood And put righteousness down to the earth.””

The prophet’s were given, as some of their books have it, a burden from God to call the People to repent and leave their wickedness behind them.

Some nations, like Assyria, were known for violence; Samaria in Amos’ day was greedy and oppressive; Hosea spoke to Israel of her infidelity against God...

Keeping in mind that sin that which is against the character and nature of God, the Prophets will show us a lot about what is against God — but they also show us a lot about what it means to be living as God calls us!

Take the previous Amos passage for example — the warning is for Israel to not put trust in Bethel, Beersheba, nor Gilgal. Only put trust in God because the nations of the world are evil!

Only God is going to offer true guidance and just judgments, faithful protection and righteousness, peace and holiness. The people of the earth cannot save from the calamity God brings in judgment; only turning to God and pursuing Him in faith will. In today’s world do we not see people falling away from God by trusting in the world over God and His promises?

Amos 4:1 “1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, Who say to their husbands, “Bring now, that we may drink!”” Within Israel (Samaria being the northern kingdom of Israel’s capital) We find in just one verse multiple wrongs:

Gluttony — they are fat from greed. But God is not given to undisciplined consumption; rather God is a giver of all good and glorious gifts! Gluttony is simply consumerism at its worst, with no giving or charity.

Laziness — the women seem simply to lay around and command of their husbands to answer their beck and call for wine and bread; on the other side of the coin there, the men of the land are not leading their families in the way of God! God is not lazy, but He acts on behalf of His people willingly; nor is He slack in guidance and example, because God has always been intimately involved in guiding His people to where they ought to go and defending them against wickedness — the men and women in Israel failed to reflect God’s character.

Oppression — Finally, here is one that perhaps doesn’t get thought of in our culture much. The rich and powerful pushing down the needy beneath, using them as tools. The word “oppress” here also means “extortion,” which is the practice of accumulating goods and money through force. Do we not see that in our own world today? Are we not surrounded by those who do exactly that? And yet, God does not ever crush the needy and helpless, instead God raises them up to sit among places of honor; God defends the cause of those who are oppressed and victimized and uncared for in society. One of the greatest and most consistent demands of God’s people in the Bible is to behave this way toward the helpless.

James 1:27 “27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Conclusion

We see now that the Prophets are to lead the People to the life God wants for them; prophets were called to correct that which was wrong and to set the people on the right path.

Modern so-called prophets, as far as I’ve ever seen, never come with this mission in mind at all. In fact, many of them are committing extortion themselves.

This is not a lesson solely against false prophets, though; more so, as we are seeing ethical living through the lens of the Bible , I want to show us this morning how we can see the Good Life God calls us to.

Do we find ourselves guilty and in need of correction? Are we not representing God’s heart and character? Do we not yet know what His heart is like? I encourage each of us to dive into the prophets this week; feast on the Word of God and hear what He has to say about Himself and mankind.