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Commentary on "Heaven's Means of Communication"
Day 4: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
This lesson introduces the concept of prophets as mouthpieces for God. The lesson begins with this statement: “After the Fall, when God no longer spoke to humanity directly, He communicated with them through men and women whom the Bible calls seers or prophets (1 Sam. 9:9).”The lesson continues by discussing the Hebrew and Greek roots of the word “prophet” and establishes that a prophet is “one called [by God]”or one who “speaks for” God.
The lesson introduces Moses who felt unable to speak for God before Pharaoh, so God appointed Aaron to be his spokesman. It says this, “As Moses was to be the spokesperson for God, so Aaron would be the spokesperson for Moses. Thus, a prophet speaks for someone. The prophet may speak to humankind on behalf of God or vice versa. The primary task of a biblical prophet was not to predict the future but to declare the divine will.”
The Teachers Comments (p. 11) under “God Communicates Through the Prophets” says this: “Ironically, Moses’ reluctance to speak before Pharaoh reveals a very telling detail about the work of a prophet. The specific work that Moses feared to do is at the heart of a prophet’s work: serving as a divine spokesperson, a voice that articulates Heaven’s will on earth.”
The lesson ends with “thought questions”: “Notice the humility of Moses and the sense of his own weakness. Why is that a good attitude for anyone, not just a prophet, to have? What dangers do we face if we get a sense of our own self- sufficiency?”
Problems
First, this day’s discussion assumes as its premise that “God no longer [speaks] to humanity directly.” As discussed earlier in this week’s commentary, the Bible never hints that God ceased to communicate directly with mankind. Sin brought spiritual death to humanity, and they lost their ability to be literally in the full presence of God and live. God, however, never stopped His own direct communication with mankind. He Himself spoke to those who trusted and believed Him. People such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham and the patriarchs, Job, and all the prophets heard directly from God. Moses, in fact, was a prophet “whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10, ESV).
Further, we cannot separate God from Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God is One, and when God speaks, no matter which member of the Trinity is doing the direct communication, it is God who is speaking. No one heard “merely” from Jesus or the Holy Spirit. When any member of the Trinity speaks, the message is from the almighty, eternal God.
Second, the lesson suggests that reluctance, which they call “humility”, is a characteristic of a prophet. The biblical account of Moses, however, reveals that Moses’ reluctance to speak to Pharaoh was not a positive quality or an indication of humility. Rather, it was a self-protective lack of trust in God. Exodus 4:14 states, “Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
God accommodated Moses’ fear, but his reluctance was not pleasing to God. Moses’ timidity was a weakness, not a sign of humility or spiritual maturity. It cannot be used to provide biblical support for the timidity or reluctance of any modern-day, extra-biblical prophet or messenger.
Third, although the lesson addresses God’s call of Moses and also His appointment of Aaron to be Moses’ mouthpiece, it fails to mention God’s further instruction to Israel through Moses concerning the tests of a true prophet. Deuteronomy 18:20-22, for example, identifies a prophet who speaks words in God’s name that He has not commanded or that do not come to pass, such a prophet “has spoken presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
Summary
- The assumption that God no longer speaks directly to humanity is false. Scripture nowhere declares this idea. In fact, it declares God spoke to many people directly, including Moses whom He “knew face to face”, Enoch Noah, Abraham, Job, and many more.
- Moses’ reluctance to deliver God’s message to Pharaoh was not “humility”; it was a lack of trust in God which drew God’s anger (Exodus 4:14).
- The Torah not only reveals God’s call of Moses as His prophet, it also gave instructions for recognizing false prophets.
Copyright 2008 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised December 27, 2008. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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