Prophets

These words are in contrast to God's prohibition against sorcery and divination. These acts seek to manipulate created forces in order to ascertain or affect both the material and spiritual worlds. Throughout the centuries people have attempted to do this for a variety of reasons. But apart from these various motives God speaks against such acts themselves.

Instead he says that he would use people called prophets. God would speak to these prophets, who would then relay God's messages to the people in general.

It seems that God's desire originally was to speak to all his people directly. He says,

For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." (Devarim / Deuteronomy 18:16; see also Shemot / Exodus 20:19).

The people had asked not to be addressed directly by God, but rather receive his words through Moses. In keeping with this wish, God would send others like Moses to the people.

There are a few things for us to take note of:

First, God speaks. Whether it is to the prophet directly or through the prophet to others God speaks to people. We see this over and over again throughout the entire Bible. No matter how uncomfortable we may be with this notion, it was, and still is, the case.

Second, God is alive and well. And he who is alive is not far off. God communicates with people. We are not left just trying to figure out God by deducing his truths through what has been written nor through our observations of life.

Third, we must avoid the temptation to determine God's will through our own devices. And it is not just people like tea leave readers who do this. We often seek to read circumstances, or pick Bible verses at random, or go by feelings to determine what God's will may be in a certain circumstance. God wants to communicate to us by revelation.

Finally, the prophetic tradition in Israel was to prepare us for God's greatest revelation of all, the Messiah. In fact, the term "the Prophet" became associated with the coming of the Messiah or a messiah-like person.

No prophet ever communicated God to us like Yeshua has:

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Yeshua did not just communicate God's word to us, but is himself the very revelation of God.

God wants us to really know him, not just know about him. Let us hear his voice.