The Prophet

The online definition of a prophet is someone who claims to interpret or transmit the commands of a deity; an individual who claims to have been contacted by the supernatural or divine and serves as an intermediary with humanity.

God had a big problem with prophets in Judah and asked Jeremiah, “Which of them has stood in the council of the Lord (in the presence of the Lord) to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?”

“….but if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.”

If a prophet is someone who interprets or transmits the commands of a deity, that means that his main job when he wakes up every morning is to listen to what that deity is saying, write it down and go read it to his audience. If he turns off his alarm, oversleeps, he has nothing to say. He’s either going to have to confess he overslept and the paper was not delivered or make something up.

We know that the only deity is God Almighty. He had His thoughts transcribed in the Bible. He sent His Son to earth to explain Him in the flesh. His Holy Spirit lives within His children to teach, correct, admonish, prompt, guide and direct them. And on top of that, as we pray and as we meditate or sit quietly before Him, He speaks to our hearts. In other words, He’s covered all the bases.

There is a gift of prophecy. But my premise today is that all of us are, to some extent, prophets. We live in a world that for the most part, hasn’t a clue about God, much less truth. The majority are unchurched. God is not in the newspaper or in schools so if people aren’t taught at home or get it at church, we’re it. We stand in sharp contrast to our world, making those who know truth…prophets. We’ve sat in some sort of Bible teaching since birth. In comparison, we are experts. And because of that, we are interpreting what God is saying to the world making this passage incredibly applicable. It’s kind of like a job description. What to do, what not to do.

Why is God so upset with these prophets? To have gotten the tag of prophet, early on, they probably were doing it right…they were standing in the council of God, listening to Him, hearing His word, then interpreting it to the people.

At some point, they quit listening…got too busy, thought they had listened enough and knew it cold. They could play the part, parrot words rote, without even thinking and wonder of wonders, no one could tell! So they slept in the next morning, had an extra cup of coffee, showed up at the town square, put on a show and no one ever knew.

Had the relationship died long ago and rather than admit it, they continued to act like nothing was different…nothing had changed?

Were they just so good at what they did and enjoyed the status of the job so much, that they didn’t really need God anymore? Thanks for the boost, for getting my foot in the door, but I have it now?

The prophets in Jeremiah’s day “were evil, used power unjustly, godless, wicked” and that’s just a partial list. Were they so comfortable in their sin and liked it so much, that when they had to choose, they chose to continue that lifestyle and wing it in their day job?

Sin blocks fellowship with God so God had nothing to say even if they stood in His council until confession took place, repentance.

Before we judge these prophets, are we stuck in revelation received in 1967? 1984? Have we learned the dance so well, we can keep dancing even though we’re dancing alone, without our Partner and no one, unless they have real spiritual discernment, ever knows? Jeremiah seemed to be one of the few who knew. The majority did not.

Notice God did not say, “Which of them has read their Bible?” or in their case, the Law? He said, “Which of them has stood in My presence…stood in the council of the Lord….listened, heard?”

As we teach a class, or just one person, divine revelation found in His Word, have we truly stood in the council of the Lord that day to see or to hear His word? Have we listened and heard? Have we stood quietly so He could talk…so we could just listen? Or have we read the quarterly, researched the commentaries, written out our notes, asked God to bless our little presentation…a prayer which took exactly 10 seconds and then presented our lesson?

Or … to the ones hearing the lesson…they’ve all been in church longer than dirt too. They have the basics down cold too. They teach verbally or by their lives to their families, friends, employees, associates. So no one is exempt. People know we “know Jesus” so when they ask what we think, do we give them a word that reflects we have stood … today…in the council of God…in His presence and we listened and heard a word from Him? Or do we shoot from the hip?

The contrast is Isaiah 50:4. “The Lord has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord God has opened my ear and I was not disobedient nor did I turn back.”

If anyone could shoot from the hip it would have been wise, articulate, brilliant, experienced Isaiah. But unless he listened to God every day, morning by morning and was obedient to what he heard, he would not have had the tongue of a disciple and known how to sustain the weary one with the right word.

I think the lost art is listening to God. Honestly, most don’t expect Him to speak or to speak to them personally. Yet these verses have personal written all over them. “Which of them…has stood…in the presence of God…to see…to hear…His word.”

Sin had blocked their fellowship or their relationship with God. Rather than confess their sin and restore the relationship, they chose to continue in sin and play a part.

Matthew 7:21-23 is sobering. “”Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy……in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.””

I do not want to play a part…the stakes are too high.

Conversely, the fellowship as I stand in His council, in His presence, is too sweet to miss.