2139AFC092421 – THUS SAYS THE Lord
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Numbers 11:29 – 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”
James 5:5-6 – 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
Mark 9:39-40 – 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us.
THUS SAITH THE Lord. That phrase occurs well over 400 times in the Bible, all of them in the Old Testament. It is the announcement made by a Prophet appointed by God to speak the Word of God to his people. Speaking what God says must be spoken is a powerful state of life. It is also a precarious state of life because if one misspeaks or, even worse, fabricates a prophecy, the outcome is completely unpleasant. God will not be misquoted. Our Triune God says in Ezekiel 12:25 – 25 But I the Lord will speak the word that I speak, and it will be fulfilled. It will no longer be delayed; but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and fulfill it, says the Lord God. One of his prophets summed it up like this in 1 Kings 22:14 – 14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” [He was prophesying against King Ahab and predicting his death. Micaiah (↔ Click Link) means “who is like Yah.”] The Lord does not speak without intent. When the Lord speaks, he speaks through humans – usually men but sometimes women as well – and his messages are always given proper attribution. Let me explain what I mean by that.
The title of this piece is “Thus saith the Lord.” When that announcement is made, whatever follows is communicated to the Prophet directly and intended to be proclaimed to the People – most usually (and always in the Old Testament) Israel. When I’m reading something in a book or magazine or (worse even) online, and I see this introduction – “I believe the Lord is telling us to …” – as far as I’m concerned, that’s an opinion, not a prophecy. Nowadays it’s pretty rare for someone to stand up and say “Thus saith the Lord.” The people hearing would think “That guy is nuts.” It’s not really any surprise that in ancient Israel, prophets were viewed that same way. Jesus mentions that the ancestors of the Jews killed the prophets. The Bible tells us that Zachariah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah ben Jehoiada were murdered. Jezebel and King Ahab murdered hundreds of prophets. Elijah ordered the death of 850 Prophets of Baal (See 1 Kings 18:16-45). Prophets never have been popular because they make it clear they work for and with God. Sinners do not, and therefore don’t like to be reminded that God always has an Absolutely Perfect Plan (the APP) that always includes repentance, forgiveness, and blessings for love and obedience and also always includes accusation, judgment, and punishment for indifference and disobedience. It’s a pretty simple system. And it works very well as long as the People pay attention to the Prophets – the real, true prophets. We are reminded to be aware of the false prophets. We should take a moment to see how they work.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:24 – 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. They do have power, but it is not power from God. Here’s how they get and use that power. First, they are deceivers. Jesus calls them wolves dressed up like sheep. They seem good, kind, gracious even, and certainly religious; but, “religious” is not the same as “righteous.” Their piety is petty and shallow, and they are quick to retaliate when criticized although the retaliation is from their own heart, not the Holy Spirit. Moreover, their “prophecies” are limited in scope because their understanding of the history, content, and purpose of Scripture is narrow and selective. These are the “proof-verse” spiritualists who usually pull things out of context and make them sound believable only within the context of their interpretations. In addition – and this is the most dangerous part. – they set themselves up as the final arbiters or authorities on what they proclaim. They may claim to have exclusive information from God or perhaps his permission to shepherd God’s people. Well, the People of God who are in Christ will not be persuaded because they know his voice and follow him. (See John 10:27) False prophets are looking for idolization, income, and ideology. They pretend to understand the Scriptures, but they fail every time. Whenever God raises up righteous Prophets, Satan raises up as many or more religious Prophets. If what they say is inconsistent with Scripture, Tradition, or Teaching – RUN! Let’s look at some real Prophets.
In our first Key Verse, Moses is wishing that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them! That way all the Lord’s people would be intimately connected with God and would be “a light for all the nations.” Obedience would be much improved, as would their love and respect (“fear of the Lord”) for God. Indeed, a nation, a society, even a Church or a family, so devoted to God would be a worthy ideal. But, we are sinners, and we simply are not able to consistently serve God properly. What is often surprising, though, is when someone seems to sort of “fall into” that role like Jonah. Sometimes that includes strangers not even named. In the passage from Matthew, the Disciples are all in a fit about someone who is “not us” doing what “only us” has been doing, and they are apparently doing it in Jesus’ name. (See Mark 9:38-41) Jesus wisely tells them to cool their jets by saying no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. Belovéd, the Prophets are for us and for God; the false Prophets are not. I mentioned some of them like to rake in the cash (do not read that as a sweeping characterization of the so-called Tele-evangelists!) and have huge beautiful buildings, churches with thousands of members, jets, cars, and a formidable entourage. Let’s look at what James said about that. I reiterate:
5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. Prophecy is not a job one takes to improve one’s status in life! Imagine being told to lay on your side for a whole year, or having to run for your life because the Queen is sending her henchmen to kill you. The Prophets who did best in the eyes of God were the ones who repeatedly said “THUS SAITH THE Lord GOD,” and then stood their ground regardless of the opposition. They believe that what the Lord says is true and they know that God can do anything he says. One of my favorite examples of that is the story The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit. You’ll find that in Mark 9:14-25. Jesus asks the boy’s father about his son’s behavior. After the description, the father says (See Mark 22b-25) but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” I have used that father’s prayer many, many times. Sometimes I pray in a similar way, I love; help my lack of Love! There is a reason God sends us Prophets; he wants us to know the power of belief. “Faith can move mountains” is a familiar adage based on a Bible verse (can you find it in your Bible?) Saying that does not make one a Prophet, nonetheless it is a Word from God – it tells us how to trust him in all things. That’s the purpose of prophecy – to let us know what God is thinking, and then how to think as he thinks. Sometimes he gives us a warning and tells us the dire consequences of failure to act on that warning; but, guess what? Every warning comes with a blessing, every curse comes with a blessing, every punishment comes with a blessing FOR WHOEVER REPENTS, OBEYS, AND BELIEVES THE WORD. Prophets remind us that God always, always, always Loves us and all he requires from us is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (See Deuteronomy 6:5) and but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. So easy to remember … until we forget. Belovéd, let’s take a moment to make a moment.
If we want to be inspired, to be instructed, to be edified, to discover a revelation from, for, or about God, we are looking for a Prophet because that’s what Prophets do. Some prophecies come with conditions (do this and/or I’ll do that) and often the conditions are rather explicit. The outcomes are also often explicit – reward or punishment based on obedience. He expects us to be finished with sin.
Today, I ask all of us, “Are we done with sin? Do we commit to loving God and neighbor as he commanded? Are we done with the life we have chosen to live, including the times we suppressed our consciences? Are we ready to hear God ask us, “ARE YOU DONE WITH THAT?” Well, are we? Like you, I’m doing the best I can – I hope – but, honestly, it’s not enough. In whatever way God decides to deal with those who are deemed unworthy of Heaven, I absolutely aspire to be in that other group and I absolutely do not want to be guilty of failing to warn, to coax, or to plead with and for any soul that could end up being separated from God in any fashion whatsoever. I just want to encourage you to Take Time To Be Holy (↔ Music Link) and to remember You Can’t Be A Beacon if your light don’t shine (↔ Music Link) so that God may be all in all as his Prophets foretold. Belovéd, come to the Light and share in the Feast. Come to the Table of Plenty (↔ Music Link). God will provide for all that you need. Do not let that old liar and thief break in and steal your Joy! Come to the Table and live The Abundant Life. Here is an excellent reason to do so: Joel 2:28 – 28 Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Moses’ prayer that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them, will come into being when all of us open our hearts and minds to the Power of the Holy Spirit as testify as Prophets for the Lord.
For further study, please read 1804AFC012618 – A Prophet In Deed for a little Prophet humor.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
