1 Peter 1:10 – 12 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who foretold the grace to come to you, searched and investigated carefully, trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
When I was in medical school, I had to decide which specialty I would study. I chose surgery because I like seeing results promptly. I specialized in pediatric surgery because most pediatric problems are congenital and when you have repaired a congenital anomaly, you have given that child a life. It’s very satisfying when a grateful patient comes back completely healed. But I don’t think I would make a very good prophet. Why? Because prophets frequently are speaking things that will not come to pass for generations. A true prophet must seek God’s face and must truly hear from the Lord before saying anything.
These days, there are lots of self – styled prophets who will make all kinds of pronouncements. The Bible says that the test of a prophet is whether or not the prophecy comes true. Based on that test, many individuals calling themselves prophets need to be silent. But there is such a thing as true prophecy.
The Old Testament contains many books of prophecy and the exciting thing is that many of those prophecies have already been fulfilled. There were over 300 prophecies regarding the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus’ life, and it is these prophecies to which Peter is referring. Most of these prophecies were given several hundred years before Jesus was born. And God allowed these prophets to understand that He was giving them these prophecies for future generations, not just for the prophets themselves.
One Christian friend from my mother’s generation told me that she only believed the Bible when Israel became a nation and Jews from all over the world began flocking there. When my friend saw the Biblical prophecies being fulfilled before her very eyes, she felt this was evidence that could not be denied or ignored.
There are prophecies in the Bible that are hard to understand. Some of the prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel and the Book of Revelations have led to arguments for years. But we also must trust that the same God who gave these prophecies also will give us wisdom to understand the prophecies that apply to us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the faithfulness of your prophets! Thank you that they were willing to pay the price of obedience and to listen to your voice and record your prophecies for the rest of us. Lord, help us to listen to you and to obey your word. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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