Progressive Revelation - Part 3: From Sinai to the Spirit: The Progression and Privilege of Prophecy in Scripture

Introduction: God’s Continuous Revelation and the Need for Correction

Read part 2 here.

As God continues to reveal Himself progressively over time, His expectations for His people increase. We have already examined the general revelation available before the Law (in the days of Job) and the foundational teaching provided through Moses (The Law or Torah : Genesis to Deuteronomy).

However, as the history of the Israelites unfolded, they repeatedly failed to meet God’s expectations, and that is when God started sending prophets.

The function of a prophet in Scripture is not merely to predict the future. While prophets did predict the future partly, their primary role and duty was to speak on behalf of God. For example, great prophets like Elijah never predicted the future as other prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah did; they only spoke and did what God told them to do. Moses himself was a prophet, as God promised to raise up another prophet "like you(Moses) from among their brothers" (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18).

The first man who was called prophet by God was Abraham.

• Genesis 20:7 (ESV): "Now then, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live".

So, the fundamental duty and starting point of a prophet, revealed in the first mention of the word in Scripture, is prayer for others. Every believer can become a prophet in this sense. 

The Origin of Prophecy and God's Promise

The initial need for prophets arose from the Israelites’ fear of hearing God directly at Mount Sinai. God came down in great fire and thunder, and the people were terrified, trembling, and feared death if they even touched the mountain. They told Moses they did not want to hear God's voice directly, asking him to speak to them instead.

However, because Moses would not live forever, there had to be a continuation of this work of prophecy and a continuous mediator between God and man. Thus, God promised:

• Deuteronomy 18:15 (ESV): "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen".
• Deuteronomy 18:18 (ESV): "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him".

The prophets (Nabi, meaning "one who is called") were those called by God and sent as His representatives to deliver His message, especially when people went away from Him.

Hence, the condition is that the prophet must speak only what God commanded.

• Deuteronomy 18:20 (ESV): "For the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die".

The Universal Nature of Prophecy

God was ready to use people from all walks of life—kings, servants, slaves, and free men—to prophesy. God’s choice was not restricted by gender, as women were also prophetesses. We see examples of prophetesses like Hilda (1 Kings 22) and Isaiah’s wife. 

Moses himself expressed a desire for this calling to be universal:

• Numbers 11:29 (ESV): "But Moses said to him, 'Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his spirit on them!'".

God is willing to use those who were ready, willing to work with His Spirit, obey His word, and hear His word. The history of the prophets includes people right from the highest position to the lowest, such as Amos, who made his living by picking up figs in the forest.

Three Essential Qualifications for a Prophet

God has conditions and qualifications for those He uses. If these qualities were absent, God would prefer even to remain silent, as He did for 400 years after Malachi.

1. Careful Listening and Paying Attention

The primary eligibility for a prophet was the willingness to stand in the counsel of the Lord, see, hear, and pay careful attention to His word.

• Jeremiah 23:22 (ESV): "But if they had stood in my counsel, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds".

Without careful listening, God stopped speaking. The old prophet Eli, though a judge, was not ready to listen, so God raised the young boy Samuel. Samuel's willingness to hear established him as a prophet:

• 1 Samuel 3:20-21 (ESV): "And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord".

2. Readiness to Respond to the Call

A prophet must be ready to respond to God's need when He calls. Even after the prophet Isaiah received a great vision of heaven and had his lips cleansed, God still issued a general call:

• Isaiah 6:8 (ESV): "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am. Send me'".

The prophet’s response must be solely for the call of God, not for any personal gain, money, or profit, contrasting with the warning given concerning the prophet Balaam (referenced in 2 Peter and Jude).

3. Living a Separated Life

The prophet must live a life distinctly different from the rebellious people he serves. God commanded Isaiah not to walk in the way of the rebellious people:

• Isaiah 8:11 (ESV): "For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people".

Unless a prophet lives a separated and distinguished life, they cannot be God’s representative, serve God, or hear His voice.

The Greater Privilege of the New Covenant Believer

The line of prophecy culminated in Jesus Christ, who was the fulfillment of the promise of the prophet like Moses (referenced in Acts 3:22,23 and Acts 7:37). John the Baptist marked the transition, as the phrase used for the Old Testament prophets ("the word of the Lord came to...") was also used for him (Luke 3:2).

Jesus declared that John the Baptist was the greatest among those born of women, but then revealed a great New Covenant truth:

• Luke 7:28 (ESV): "I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he".

The New Testament believers, who constitute the kingdom of God, are granted greater privileges than John the Baptist or any Old Testament prophet through two key differences:

1. The Indwelling Spirit

In the Old Testament, the Spirit rested upon people to enable them to prophesy (as with the 70 elders in Numbers 11). In the New Testament, the Spirit dwells inside us.

• John 14:17 (ESV): "Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you".

2. The Inscribed Word

While Old Testament prophets heard God’s word externally, we have the word within us. This fulfills the New Covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26,27), where God writes His laws not on tablets of stone, but on the heart.

• Romans 10:8 (ESV): "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim)".
• Colossians 3:16 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God".

Prophecy in the Church Today

With the indwelling Spirit and the inscribed Word, all believers have the privilege to be prophets of God. We are explicitly encouraged to seek this gift:

• 1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV): "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy".

This spiritual gift should be genuinely desired, and when we approach God with true desire, He will give it.

The function of prophecy in the church is three-fold (1 Corinthians 14:3):

1. Upbuilding/Welfare: To grow and be built up (like a organism or body and like a building).
2. Encouragement: Bringing encouragement amidst discouragements.
3. Consolation: Providing comfort in disappointment.

While all believers should desire this gift individually, the universal church is also gifted with specific individuals for the benefit of the whole body. Crucially, true prophecy must not come from human imagination:

• 2 Peter 1:20-21 (ESV): "Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit".

The role of prophecy requires dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit to ensure the message is inspired by God, not human will.

Conclusion: Starting with Prayer

We are called to be Christ's representatives and execute this prophetic role in our own circles, regardless of status or gender. If we find ourselves lacking in the ability to share God's word or if we feel we don't have the gift of prophecy, we should start where Abraham, the first person called a prophet by God, started. Abraham’s role as a prophet was defined by his readiness to pray for others (Genesis 20:7).

We must examine our lives and ask if we are ready to listen to God’s word, willing to live a separated life, and ready to respond to His call. If we are at least willing to spend time in prayer for others, we are already doing the job of a prophet.

(To be continued...)