Commentary on "Baruch: Building a Legacy in a Crumbling World"

PHIL HARRIS

 

Day 7: Friday, December 24, 2010 - Further Study

 

Overview

While the quarterly focuses on a quote from Prophets and Kings, page 437 by Ellen G. White, it is appropriate that this commentary be directed only towards the first of the discussion questions and delve further into the topic of God’s prophets and what is inspiration.

The lesson question is: “What is our understanding of how inspiration works?”

 

Observations

It is important to remember that prophecy, all prophecy, is initiated by the Lord as demonstrated in this passage from the book of Jeremiah:

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. (Jer. 36:1,2 ESV)

Now, let’s expanded upon a verse quoted earlier this week and see at what Peter has to say about the use and trustworthiness of scripture:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:16-21 ESV)

Paul also supports this theme when he says; “all Scripture is breathed out by God”:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (II Tim. 3:14-17 ESV)

In Jeremiah’s time and in our age as well, there are both those who speak the true word of God and those whose words are false. To understand the difference we should study and understand Romans chapter three where Paul clearly demonstrates that God is totally righteous and fallen mankind is totally without righteousness. This means that among God’s many other attributes, he cannot sin or tell a lie. He is the source of all that is true.

Those who claim to be prophets and are led by the Holy Spirit are the ones who speak God’s truth. Therefore, since God does not lie, all those who we recognize as true prophets of God will not contradict any other of God’s prophets.

False prophets along with all those allied with them, on the other hand, speak lies because their father is Satan, the father of lies, John 8:44. This is what was declared by Jesus and it is certainly true in our time. Furthermore, it was also true in Jeremiah’s time.

 

Summary

1. All scripture and all true prophecy is initiated by an act of God. It is never by the will of man.
2. The source of the information spoken by a false prophet is from the world and the prince of this world, Satan. It follows then that anyone who uses worldly sources and claims to be speaking the very words of God must be a false prophet.
3. The bible, Paul and Peter in particular, declares that ‘all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work’.
4. Knowing the importance of Scripture in the life of a Christian makes it very clear why we must separate what is the inspired word of God from what is the heresy and lies of the world brought to us by the father of lies, Satan. Ephesians 6:17 declares that when we put on the full armor of God, the sword of the Spirit, it is the word of God. By this, it is referring only to the Holy Bible.

 

 

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