CLOUDED
by
EMOTION

Any time God has commissioned a prophet in the past, it was because He had a message to either share or reinforce with people. The Holy Spirit would inspire the prophets, moving them to utter the very words of God. A faithful prophet would know to not get in between the message and the people. Peter explains:

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:19–21

If the prophet were to have inserted his own interpretation of the message, he would have been violating the will of the Holy Spirit. It appears, then, that God knew His message would have been clear enough for the average hearer to understand.

​Unfortunately, it is normal for people to look at the Scriptures as some mystical thing reserved only for the “elite” to understand. In fact, some religious groups have gone so far as to tell their members that reading, understanding, and teaching the Scriptures should be left only to the “ordained.” But, of course, that is not true. God means what He says, He says what He means, and He has given us the mental capacity to read and understand His will.

The apostle Paul was given a specific commission to take the gospel to the Gentiles. To equip him for that commission, God provided miraculous revelations to him. Apparently, these revelations were so wonderful that, if Paul were not kept in check, he would have boasted about them. Paul said:

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 2 Corinthians 12:7

The revelation itself was miraculous. It came with information that previously only God knew. But the Holy Spirit revealed the mystery through the apostles and prophets. Though inspiration of the Holy Spirit was reserved for a set group of people—the apostles and prophets—the ultimate purpose is clearly explained to us.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. Ephesians 3:1–7

The working of God’s power provided the apostles and prophets the mystery of God. They were commissioned to pass that mystery on to the rest of the world, first, by preaching, and then, by recording it into the Scriptures.

​When we read the Scriptures, we can understand the insight the Holy Spirit provided these people. Everyone can, not just so-called “clergy,” which, by the way, is a word never found in the Scriptures!

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15–17

​When Jesus came, He proclaimed the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:18). When the gospel was preached, those whom the world considered foolish were usually those who responded to it.

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:20–21

Since God has revealed His will to us in His word, let us pay close attention to it—as to a lamp shining in a dark place. When we do, we will be awestruck by God’s infinite wisdom.

Discussion Question: In what areas of your life should you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you even more by His word?

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Scripture quotations are taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation