The role of the Old Testament prophet was often a difficult one. Many times the message they were called to bring was poorly received by the multitudes of their day. At times the message was confrontational, and precipitated a violent reaction from those who rejected it. At other times, it was well illustrated, clearly understood, but ignored in light of the “good times” being celebrated. Repeatedly, such events were followed by the painful result of rejecting the word of the Lord.
Today, we find the multitudes uninspired by prophetic voices. The preference is for those who espouse an “easy to hear” message. Lost are the warnings and implications of sin, instead replaced with the welcomed invitations to double prosperity and worldly success. Multitudes flock to the stadiums of “happiness” to be inspired by corny jokes, bumper sticker platitudes and affirmations of desires to get something for nothing, to find prosperity as the aim for life apart from any talk that includes Christ’s call for repentance, service, commitment, and sacrifice. Such pulpits to not proclaim Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected…instead they call for investment, instant success, and wealth.
Today, biblical illiteracy is at an all time high, in the pew and in the culture at large. People take Ben Franklin’s quotes as “scripture” and “take the language of scripture and adapt it to the latest advertising campaigns” We are told to find our “sole” in the shoe department; to have faith in our used car salesman; to wear diamonds that are “forever,” and to discover our “security” in the latest home protection company.
While the Psalmist reasonably asks “Why do the nations rage?”(Psalm 2); we find our nation of prosperity being ever linked as the initiator of conflict in a world that longs for peace. It is time to listen to the prophets again. To ignore their truth-bearing witness is to fall prey to the political machines, the manipulating marketers, and the sin which will always bring its consequences.
Peoples across the globe are engaged in cultures of conflict that will only be transformed in the power of Christ to bring a new mind and heart for God and for others, instructed by His word. Justice must move from the courthouse mandate to the common life of every believer. Truth must not be heralded as an ambiguous compromise of vague never-to-be-known values, but must be centered in the heart of God by hearts of men and women and children turned to God for guidance. Our unpeaceful world longs for God’s peace. The common lack of civility and the bloodlust for power seen in so many corners of the world can only be changed by the power of God at work in and through his people.
The voices of the prophets are called to remain faithful “in season and out.” The truth of their message will always come to light in the testimony of history bearing witness to God’s faithful revelation. As Jesus said, “Those with ears to hear, let them hear.”
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