(A note that I’m writing this to be printed June 27th, and our popular definition of a prophet (being able to see into the future) is not something I claim. But I do think this is evergreen truth.)
It has always interested me how certain strains within the church have claimed to be “speaking prophetically.” I always think they must never have read the actual bible. Because when you actually read the bible you get confronted with what the prophetic voice actually means. Our modern day prophets seem to think it means “I get to change things and I win.” But when you read the bible you get confronted with calls like Isaiah who was to say “keep on hearing, but do not understand…and though a tenth remain in it, burn it again (Isa 6:9,13).” Or you get our Old Testament lesson today, “And whether they hear or refuse to hear, they will know that a prophet has been among them (Ezekiel 2:5).” In the Old Testament the prophetic voice was the simply the voice of truth. The only prophet who “won” was Jonah, and he didn’t want to. And lest you think the prophetic calling in the New Testament is dramatically better, please remember Paul’s “thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7).” The power and truth of God speaks more powerfully through that left hand of weakness. Even Jesus in his prophetic office is thrown out of his hometown. “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown…and he marveled because of their unbelief (Mark 6:4-6).” The prophetic call of Jesus leads directly to the cross.
The main point of Ezekiel’s call is that the people of Israel are a nation of rebels, impudent and stubborn. And this is simply the way of the World. Satan, the ruler of this age, has been in rebellion since the beginning. And this age, or this world, is his. This world groans at that. There are remnants. God created is so good, much of it continues. But when the powers that be are focused, the world is on their side. And that rebellion against the creator is as deep as our own flesh. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Ps. 51:5 KJV).” The prophetic voice is that voice which speaks truth to this situation. If the voice claiming to be a prophet is making peace with the devil, the world or our flesh, it is a false one.
But the promise of the gospel is present both in those Old Testament calls and even more in the word’s of Christ. Isaiah’s words may have burned Israel to a stump, yet “the holy seed is its stump (Isa 6:13).” Our Old Testament lesson cuts off for some reason, but it continues that “you (Ezekiel) be not afraid of them (Eze 2:6).” The Lord shall put flesh on the field of bones and breathe life into his people. Paul boasts in his weaknesses because that is the power of Christ in this world (2 Cor 12:9). And Jesus – rejected by his hometown – sends out the apostles two-by-two. And the demons flee and sickness is healed.
That prophetic voice is the voice of the Good Shepherd for all who hear it. It is the voice that calls us to repent of our wayward ways. It is the voice that reminds us that this age is the age of the cross. We fight not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. And if we are living the word, we are living behind enemy lines. But they know their time is short. This age is drawing to a close. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. When you hear that, you know you have heard a prophet.