Prophecy XII

 Another misconception regarding prophecy is that it’s somehow ruled by democratic fiat. More people agree than disagree with the word; therefore, it must be true. One lone voice against a chorus of voices saying the opposite is suspect, especially if that lone voice is saying things that scour the heart or bring warning of God’s displeasure against an individual or a nation that knows itself to have surrendered to rebellion and hypocrisy.

If a prophecy originates from God and is faithfully delivered by a chosen servant, how many give it a thumbs up versus a thumbs down is as irrelevant as how many Instagram followers you have, or how many people hearted your latest hot take on topics you know nothing about but feel as though you must expound upon because it’s the newest thing to go mega viral and you want to be part of it.

When you're burdened with delivering a prophetic warning or message, nothing matters except delivering it without adding to it, taking away from it, or letting your biases color it in any way. I can promise you none of the Old Testament prophets who had to deliver words of warning or judgment felt good about it. They did not revel in the idea of their people being subjugated, mistreated, taken into bondage, or vanquished by worshippers of strange gods or idols.

They were likely cognizant enough to realize that the prophecy they were delivering would affect them in some form or fashion, whether directly or indirectly, whether through retaliation from those they were tasked with prophesying to, or the effects of the fulfillment of the word they spoke.

It’s not as though, when Jeremiah prophesied about the coming Babylonian destruction and exile, he thought himself exempt from it, or that he would be spared and left to live out his days in peace and harmony on a plot of land somewhere. He was among them and knew full well that if the word came to pass, he would suffer along with his countrymen.

That his countrymen chose to persecute him for the words he delivered was likewise unsurprising because all one needed to do was look to those who came before and see how they fared to get an idea of what was coming.

Acts 7:51-53, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen’s words were not only an indictment that made those who heard them gnash their teeth at him, but also a synopsis of how the prophets were treated throughout the centuries. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? This wasn’t a question that demanded an answer; it was rhetorical. Stephen wasn’t trying to test their knowledge of the prophets, but to point out the reality that not one prophet of God had escaped persecution.

The only ones to escape persecution were the false prophets, and those always outnumbered the true prophets of God.

One of the most one-sided examples in the Bible occurred when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah and Ahab was king of Israel. Three years without war seemed a bit of a stretch, so when Jehoshaphat came to visit the king of Israel, the first item on the agenda was whether they should go to war against Syria and take Ramoth in Gilead.

Given that Jehoshaphat was a man of faith who believed and obeyed God, before agreeing to go to war, he asked the king of Israel to inquire of the word of the Lord.

After gathering the prophets together, some four hundred, all told, and asking whether he should go to war or refrain, the answer was unanimous: “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

That should have settled it. Four hundred voices insisted that victory was theirs, no one dissenting, and Ahab was likely all smiles by this point. Then Jehoshaphat asked something that reveals how discerning he truly was. Men often confuse skepticism with discernment, and the two are not the same.

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve always been naturally skeptical, but not to the degree I’m at currently. Life’s hard lessons have not only made skepticism necessary, but have grown it. That said, I don’t rely on skepticism; rather, I rely on discernment when it comes to spiritual matters, words of prophecy, or the proclamations of individuals insisting they are prophets of the Lord and should be heard and obeyed.

If you have discernment, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s that sense that even though the individual is saying all the right things, something you can’t quite put your finger on, or momentarily identify, is off, ringing hollow, or striking a discordant note somehow.

Jehoshaphat was sensitive enough to give his discernment a voice, and even though the words of the prophets were in line, unanimous, and harmonious, something felt wrong. And so, he asked a simple question, to which he received an unexpectedly vitriolic answer: “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?”

The one whom Jehoshaphat wanted to inquire of was not the prophet, but God. He wasn’t looking for a four hundred and first opinion. He was looking for a true word from the Lord, whatever that might be.

If you want to hear a word from the Lord, a true word, and not some general affirmation or validation of your lukewarmness, you cannot dictate terms as to what that word should be, or how it will frame you in the eyes of those you hope to impress with God’s praise of you.

1 Kings 22:8, “So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.’”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.