The Prophets of God — Part 2
In the last post, I mentioned how prophets are sent to warn people and nations to stop their bad behavior. In the case of Pharaoh of Egypt, Moses (a prophet) was sent to warn Pharaoh on ten different occasions, telling him to let the Israelites go or else! Each warning that Pharaoh ignored resulted in a plague being unleashed upon Egypt.
The ten plagues of Egypt are actually prophecies. Prophecy — the ability to predict the future — is the other part of the prophet’s job, which I will address in the next post.
Eventually, Pharaoh suffered the greatest loss of all: the death of his firstborn son, the heir to Pharaoh’s throne. This tragic loss was the result of Pharaoh’s refusal to pay attention to God’s warning through the prophet Moses.
If a prophet fails to perform his job, there is a great consequence.
“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die; if you (the prophet) do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.”
Ouch. The Bible is even ‘warning’ the prophet to do his job correctly! Understand that the prophet is not responsible for the ’soul’ of the person he’s sent to warn: he is only responsible to deliver the warning. If he does that, he’s done his job.
“Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
When you consider that God is our Father, these warnings make perfect sense. He is simply trying to ‘wake us up’ and get us on the right path. The stakes are high because they involve our blessings here on Earth and in the world to come.
“If you endure chastening (correction), God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”
As a parent, it takes time and energy to correct a child. It’s much easier to be ‘cool’ and let things slide. But that’s not going to help the child develop the character he or she needs to be a Godly human being. Bottom line, if you’re a child of God, you can expect God to kick you in the butt when you need it.
My advice? Don’t wait for a prophet to be sent to you. Get into the Bible now and learn what God expects from you. Examine your life through the lens of the Bible and start correcting your own bad behavior.
“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
“Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves.”
To be continued…
-Jo
Bible passages: Ezekiel 33:8, Ezekiel 33:9, Hebrews 12:7-9, 1 Corinthians 11:31, 2 Corinthians 13:5
Tags: bible, Bible Prophecy, christianity, egypt, God, judaism, judgment, life, moses, new covenant, new testament, old covenant, old testament, pharaoh, prophets of God, religion, repentance, ten plagues
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