“Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.” (Ezra 5:1-2 ESV)
A prophet is one who speaks for God to men. He utters God's words to the people. Prophets aren't perfect. Not everything they say is correct. Not all of the ways of thinking are correct. They are not infallible. However, they are the means that God uses to get His message to His people.
It is interesting to me that when Jerrubbabel, and Jeshua began to rebuild the Temple, The Bible says that the "prophets of God were with them, supporting them." They were not just taking on this project on their own. This was not just a whim of theirs. This was the will of God, and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.
How we need the prophets of God to be with us in our lives and supporting us! Those who truly speak the words of God to men, are the ones whose presence and support we need in our lives.
This means that anything that we undertake to do, needs to be something that Scripture would support. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2Pet 1:20-21 KJVS)
But this also means that we need the support of those men, through whom God speaks today, as they proclaim the Scriptures, and as the Holy Spirit speaks through them to particular situations in our lives.
As we build our homes, our marriages, our businesses, we need the support of God's Word, and God's men in our lives.
I thank God for the elders in my church who speak into my life, and support me and help me. I am especially appreciative of my pastor, and friend Russell Taylor, who loves me enough to meet with me and speak into my life, and hear my confessions of sin, and pray for me.
I am thankful for Terry Spears who loves me and speaks into my life almost daily. I have watched this man go through very difficult trials, and stay steadfast in the Lord.
I am thankful for the Scriptures, those written words of the prophets of old who spoke the message of God. I have not been as faithful to them as I ought for several days. These men have been faithful to gently remind me to get back into the Word. I am thankful for them.
Dear reader, you need the support of the prophets in whatever endeavors you are engaged, especially when you are inundated with the cares of this life, and struggling. Opposition is going to come just like it did for these two men. But blessed is the man, who, when facing opposition in his endeavors, has the support of the prophets of God.
"Father, thank you for giving us those through whom you speak to us. Grant us the wisdom to seek the support and presence of the prophets in our lives."
2 comments:
Hello Brother,
I thank God for you and every rembrtance of you. Wish I could see you Saturday. Love you!
Turey
Hi Pal,
Glad you guys are home>
This, perhaps, has nothing to do with your post but in reading your post and one particular point, this thought came to mind.
What is Legitimate in one’s actions or even one’s pleasures or, and better yet, could be defined as such. What ever is not illegal, immoral, unethical, unscriptural, ungodly or distracts you from your original goal could be considered a legitimate action.
One could consider this in your thought “This means that anything that we undertake to do, needs to be something that Scripture would support.”
Perhaps the greatest consideration of all of these is the one which distracts One from his original goal as it could encompass all of the others for the Christian.
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
I have also, often, considered this scripture and thought it the answer the personal interrupation of scripture which all men seem to do. It would be, possibility, evident that all men must interrupted scripture if One is to {“work out his own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who worketh to do His will in you} (accuse the paraphrase)
Not that this is leveled against the right of private judgment of Scripture; or to be understood as if a private believer had not a right of reading, searching, examining, and judging, and interpreting the Scriptures himself, by virtue of the unction which teaches all things; and who, as a spiritual man, judgeth all things; otherwise, why are such commended as doing well, by taking heed to prophecy, in the preceding verse, and this given as a reason to encourage them to it? the words may be rendered, "of one's own interpretation"; that is, such as a natural man forms of himself, by the mere force of natural parts and wisdom, without the assistance of the Spirit of God; and which is done without comparing spiritual things with spiritual; and which is not agreeably to the Scripture, to the analogy of faith, and mind of Christ; though rather this phrase should be rendered, "no prophecy of the Scripture is of a man's own impulse", invention, or composition; is not human, but purely divine: and this sense carries in it a reason why the sure word of prophecy, concerning the second coming of Christ, should be taken heed to, and made use of as a light, till he does come; because as no Scripture prophecy, so not that, is a contrivance of man's, his own project and device, and what his own spirit prompts and impels him to, but what is made by the dictates and impulse of the Spirit of God; for whatever may be said of human predictions, or the false prophecies of lying men, who deliver them out how and when they please, nothing of this kind can be said of any Scripture prophecy, nor of this concerning the second coming of Christ. Or, for that matter, any proper exegesis if sacred text as this would be distracting from One’s original goal.
David
(Gill)
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