PEOPLE WHO TALK WITH GOD

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The Way, the Truth, and the Life

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The New Testament

Who Were the People Who Spoke for God During the Old Testament Period? (The Old Testament Prophets)

The Bible says that during the Old Testament period, God’s revelation to humanity came through a group of people known as the prophets. Scripture tells us a number of things about the Old Testament prophets. They include the following:

The Prophet Speaks for Another Person

The English word, “prophet,” comes from two Greek words, pro which means “before, in front of, or in place of,” and fayme, which means “to speak.” A prophet, therefore, is someone who speaks in place of someone else. For example, Aaron spoke on behalf of his brother Moses.

The Bible says:

So the Lord replied to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.” (Exodus 7:1)

The Bible says that Aaron performed the job of Moses’ spokesman. We also read about this in the Book of Exodus. It says:

And Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people. (Exodus 4:30)

The New Revised Standard Version translates this verse as follows:

Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people. (Exodus 4:30)

Aaron was the one who spoke for his younger brother Moses.

The Prophet Spoke God’s Word

The biblical prophet was one who spoke forth the word of God. While every prophet spoke forth God’s Word, not every prophet spoke of the future. The title “prophet” has the main idea of receiving and delivering the message of God on any subject.

The Prophet Says What the Lord Said

The prophets were spokesmen for the Lord. They spoke to the people on behalf of God. The Lord said to Moses:

I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I want. (Deuteronomy 18:18 NET)

The prophets said what the Lord said. The Old Testament prophets spoke the words of God. The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel the following:

You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. (Ezekiel 2:7)

The prophet Amos wrote:

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken – who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8)

Balaam the prophet made the same type of admission. We read the following in the Book of Numbers:

“Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me.” So the Moabite princes stayed with him. (Numbers 22:8)

The biblical prophets unanimously testified that the words they spoke were not their own, but were ultimately derived from the Lord.

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