Prophetic Focus

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)

We talk a lot about prophets and prophecy. I have actually been teaching on prophets in church the past few weeks.

Today I want us to look at one aspect that will never confuse anyone to distinguish between false and true prophets, focus.

Where does the prophet direct his people to? Who or what is the object the prophet leads his people to? Whose word can be called unmistakably his?

You see, fulfillment of prophecy is a small part of a prophet’s ministry. Though even one failed prophecy among thousands qualifies a prophet as false, the accuracy of all prophecies does not necessarily qualify a prophet as true.

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. (Deuteronomy 13: 1 – 5)

A prophet’s only focus should be on God. Everything about him should always direct your focus from anything and everything and centre it on God.

He has no name to protect. He has no property to guard. He has no ministry to hold on to as God is his all compassing focus.

A prophet who seeks to remind people of his prophecies is a false prophet. A prophet who parades his prophecies and miracles is a false prophet. And a prophet who demands to be recognized as a prophet is false.

Look at John the Baptist; the one Christ called the greatest.

And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3: 26 – 30)

The joy of John the prophet was that Christ takes the ministry he had started. Remember that even when he pointed Jesus out two of his disciples left him for Jesus? Yet that to him, instead of being a disaster was his greatest joy.

And the study of any other prophet will lead to the same conclusion. A prophet points people to the God he serves. He therefore has no bones to pick with people along the way as his focus is fixed.

Moses’ wife goes back to her father and he has no time to go looking, let alone negotiating for her return. It is her father who has to look for time to return her.

Remember when people old Moses that some people were prophesying outside the prescribed place? Moses said that his desire was that every Israelite prophesied. God’s glory and revelation was paramount to him. The more people connecting to God, the better.

That was how Isaiah could walk naked for three years, a whole prince with a wife and children. That was how David could dance so crazily that his wife despised him. That was how Ezekiel refused to mourn his wife. It was the reason Jeremiah could waste money buying land when the captivity he had prophesied was being actualized.

Prophets were killed for the most part because their comfort, even life was subject to God and His revelation. Even death could not pose any threat to that focus.

In 2 Kings 1, we see Elijah sending messengers to Ahab’s son. How is it that they do not recognize this great prophet the king had to ask them to describe him yet not a very short time had passed after his last encounter with Ahab? It is doubtless because his concern was God’s message as opposed to his prominence. He would thus just give God’s message and disappear. We see that when he prophesies famine and after dealing with idolatrous prophets.

I do not know whether you realize when you read the Bible that prophets were normally looked for unless God sent them with a message. They never established offices or organized congregations. The few who organized anything had schools of prophets, which I believe were centres where the prophetic gift was polished as they sought God together. I doubt it is what modern ‘prophets’ are trying to do, schools where people are taught to prophesy. It must have been a place where young prophets would join a more established prophet to rightly grow the gift. It must also have been for the purposes of comradeship as prophets were normally estranged from society, many times because, as it is now, hearing God clearly is queer to the majority.

A true prophet has no name to protect. His concern is God’s name and word. He has no reputation to guard. He has no class to maintain. No wonder we see Elijah and John the Baptist so coarsely dressed.

Does it surprise you that no prophet made any monument or memorial? That even Moses’ grave was hidden by God Himself? Do you realize that we only know one name of most of the prophets, and probably where they came from?

The records we have of them are the prophecy they were given, the greatest being the Bible we read.

If a prophet is directing you to his prophecies, please run away for your own good. If he is hearing what God is saying concerning your resources, especially moving them to him, treat him as a fraudster, because that is who he is. Forget how many of his prophecies have been fulfilled. If a prophet is seeking recognition, treat him as an attention seeking fraudster also because no prophet seeks his own.

And finally, please remember that a prophet does not speak in a vacuum. A prophet is normally sent to God’s people who know the workings of God and therefore are able to hear God’s voice independent of a prophet. A prophet therefore comes to reconnect people to God’s voice, or confirm God’s guidance. Call a prophet an accessory.

A prophet who is the only one who hears God’s voice is highly suspect.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:27)

Be wary of a prophet who sees the money in your pocket. Flee a prophet who seeks loyalty from you. And do not even give a cup of water to a prophet whose prophecies have no relation at all with the scriptures.

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 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. (2Peter 1: 19 – 21)

Refer any prophecy you are given to the scriptures.

In summary let me say this. A prophet from God will point people to God and not himself or his prophecy. He will also relate his prophecy to the plain teaching of scripture.

If he does not do that, like God Himself said, do not fear him. Do not fear his curses. Do not fear his counter prophesies when you refuse to give him what he says God has told him you give him.

Hold fast to God. He is stronger than any damage the fraudster may, and will, attempt on you.

I have fought many such battles. And the Bible is the only weapon I use. And I am still strong and safe. I know that even now many are throwing anything they can as I am taking food from their mouths. But I will continue being faithful to God and His word as that is our greatest security.