Chapter 5—One Book Rightly Divided: Prophetic Edition
God’s Spokesmen—OT
Bible students devoted
to the truth believe God to be the Author of the entirety
of scripture—all sixty-six books.
Yet, God did not select a postal carrier to send His word from Heaven to earth.
He instead revealed His word to various
spokesmen to facilitate the delivery of scripture. Simply put, God
spoke to men; these men spoke the words, but it was ultimately God speaking to
the end recipients.
Hebrews
1:1 God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets,
The Bible reiterates this truth when it declares that “holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2
Peter 1:21).
Yet,
while God’s word emphatically points heavenward toward the true Author of
divine scripture, the world unfortunately declares the Bible man-made. As Haggai testified, every spokesman was simply “the LORD’S messenger
in the LORD’S message.”
Haggai
1:13 Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people,
saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
It is always important to give God the preeminence when considering His
word while remembering that this fact does not exclude man’s responsibility and
accountability. God committed His message to
His messenger and then closely personalized that message to His messenger.
Consider these few
phrases as examples of this truth: “the law of Moses” in the Old Testament
(Joshua 8:31) or “my gospel” (Romans 2:16) in Paul’s epistles.
Further confirming this line of
reasoning was Paul’s ownership of that which God had committed to him.
1
Corinthians 9:17 For if I do this thing willingly,
I have a reward: but if against my will, a
dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
Not only was the message inseparably
associated to its spokesman, but the
message was also custom-made for the particular
audience God deemed to be its primary
intended recipients. Each of God’s spokesmen had a message for a specific audience living
in a particular time. Unfortunately,
this presents two very real dangers for the misguided Bible
student:
1. Following
any spokesman appointed
to a previous time period or people group
2. Ignoring
any spokesman
intended for the student’s generation,
people, or time period
In order
to further develop this thought, consider the
spokesmen as they relate to the various sections found within scripture. They are presented
in the following order based upon the basic divisions
given in the previous chapter.
- The Pentateuch (Section
A)
- History (Section B)
- Poetry (Section C)
- Prophecy (Old Testament) (Section
D)
- The Gospels (Section E)
- The Acts of the Apostles (Section F)
- The Epistles (Section G)
- Prophecy (New
Testament) (Section H)
It is important to consider
two additional thoughts as we explore some of the details linked to the
spokesmen associated with each of
these scripture segments:
1. Most sections have multiple spokesmen, and
2. Those sections containing several
contemporaneous spokesmen generally have one spokesman serving
as the primary spokesman at any given time.
Section A—The Pentateuch (Genesis Through Deuteronomy)
As previously discussed, the section titled The Pentateuch covers
nearly 2,500 years. Obviously, such
a lengthy time frame means that this period contained several different
spokesmen. Some of the primary spokesmen include Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc. Each of these men received
a particular God-given
message and, as God’s spokesman, presented his message to his respective audience(s). In a later chapter, we will discuss the further
divisions found within this section which, include the Ages of Innocence,
Conscience, Government, and Patriarchs.
Those living during
this time had to listen to God’s chosen
spokesmen to ensure knowing God’s will for
their lives. Those who refused to heed their spokesman’s message neglected the message to their
own peril. The choice was and is very simply: ignore the spokesman (like Korah rejected the words of Moses—Numbers 16:1-3) or follow
your spokesman (like Joshua and Caleb hearkened
to the words of Moses and faithfully strove to enter the land
of promise—Numbers 32:11-12)!
When
an individual follows God’s spokesman, he displays
genuine faith in God and in God’s word. The
specifics of
that faith (or content of that faith)
have obviously changed throughout history, but God always
REQUIRES faith stating a transdispensational truth that it is
IMPOSSIBLE to please Him without it.
Hebrews
11:6 But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Moses’
ministry serves as an excellent demonstration of the
validity of these claims. Forty years after fleeing Egypt, Moses returned with a message from God for
the children of Israel. God required Moses’ audience to accept His word as delivered by Moses. The Bible offers several
examples of God’s word and the people’s obedience. For example, by faith, Israel put the blood on the doorposts and
walked safely out of
Egypt. Those
who refused to trust God
(through their spokesman Moses) helplessly watched their firstborn die.
Hebrews
11:28 Through
faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling
of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Shortly
thereafter, the people’s faith in Moses’ message carried them
safely across the Red Sea.
Hebrews
11:29 By
faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians
assaying to do were drowned.
In the
wilderness, God used His spokesman to deliver the Law. Those who despised that Law died
“without mercy.”
Hebrews
10:28 He
that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
No doubt that at
least in content, Moses was the primary spokesman during this period.
Unquestionably, wholly following the message given by Moses was the will of God for
those living during Moses’ ministry. Those who followed the word of Moses demonstrated their faith though
their obedience to the word of God. Their faith in Moses’ word would be borne
out through their outward obedience.
James
2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Every sincere Bible student recognizes many distinctions between
the message of God through Moses
to the Jews and God’s message given
to the New Testament Church. This
is easy to prove by simply considering a few matters. Certainly, no New
Testament believer would give any credence to someone claiming deliverance
through blood placed upon doorposts.
Likewise, no Christian would be willing to
walk out into the Red Sea expecting anything less than a good soaking. For this
reason, among many others, it is inconceivable how anyone could claim to be a nondispensationalist in doctrine and practice
and simultaneously claim to believe the whole Bible. All those who believe the Bible are obedient
to God by rightly dividing it.
2
Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Section B—History (Joshua Through Esther)
The next section
(History) and the one following
it (Prophets—Old
Testament) overlap each other by approximately 300 years. As for content, the previous section, The Pentateuch, dealt with the giving and receiving of God’s truths
and rules for living. However, Joshua (and the books that follow) reflects more
of an action book indicative of a historical account. (Interestingly, one can
readily see that the transition began with the book of Deuteronomy, which is
very much a recounting of Israel’s history in the wilderness.) Like the previous section, which
spanned several centuries, this period covers an extended period of approximately 1,000 years. Some of the most prominent spokesmen include men like Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah,
etc.
The spokesmen in this section delivered God’s
message through the initial triumphs in Canaan, the ensuing years of
complacency, the days of apostasy, the toilsome years of captivity, and the
glorious days as God’s children returned to their once forsaken land.
Unlike the
previous section with Moses (Pentateuch), this portion (History) did not have one predominate
spokesman. When Moses died, God called Joshua
to pick up his mantle.
Joshua had been present at Sinai when Moses received the commandments and supported Moses’ efforts
to enter the land of promise despite the opposition from the ten faithless spies (Numbers 13:30-33). He loved and served Moses faithfully;
yet, his task was to lead people into Canaan.
Joshua’s
message did
not contradict the message
of Moses but
rather built upon it (Joshua 11:15). Any man who truly accepted Moses as God’s spokesman would
likewise accept Joshua as God’s ordained replacement. With the mantel shifting,
so did the responsibility to follow the new God-called spokesman. No one could safely reject Joshua’s message in deference to remaining strictly a follower of Moses. Those who rejected Joshua,
even if to remain a follower of Moses, did so to their own peril.
Joshua
1:16 And they
answered Joshua, saying, All that
thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will
go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in
all things, so will we hearken
unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with
Moses. 18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy
commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong
and of a good courage.
If Joshua’s
message varied from that of Moses, it was not a message contradictory but a different message for a different audience in different circumstances for a different time period. Another unique aspect to this section is the fact that there were times when God left
the people without a
true spokesman. The Book of Judges records these instances when God did not provide a particular spokesman. The tragic consequences of such circumstances
were also repeatedly described: without a spokesman, the people did their own
thing.
Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
During these periods
described in Judges (Judges 17:6; Judges 18:1; Judges 19:1; Judges 21:25), Israel had Moses (in written
form) but no visible national leader to follow. Each
time the children of Israel turned away from the Lord, God delivered them into the
hands of their enemies. Sadly, the children of Israel always seemed to follow the same pattern following their rejection of the Lord. Their rebellion would bring persecution. This
persecution would cause them to cry unto the Lord for
deliverance. God would then raise up a deliverer known as a judge (Judges 3:9; Judges 3:15).
Clearly, when God
did not appoint a spokesman, man remained in a state of utter confusion. Darkness
reigned! In such cases, people generally did whatever they deemed to be right
in their own eyes. The same unfortunate outcomes show themselves prevalent each
time people ignorantly refused to follow their appointed spokesman.
Section C—Poetry (Job Through Song of Solomon)
As
previously stated, this section is grouped more for the type of its content
than for any chronology. Yet, this poetry section of scripture, like the others, had
defined spokesmen. These spokesmen included Job, David, and Solomon, along with lesser known figures like Elihu and Asaph. All were greatly used of
God.
Section D—Prophecy (Old Testament) (Isaiah Through Malachi)
This period
of time yielded the final spokesmen of the Old Testament period. More
importantly, it was the work of these men to prepare the way for the first and
second coming of Christ. The content of their messages was often twofold:
- Israel’s pending judgment and
- Israel’s restoration.
Every book
in this section bore the name of its spokesman with the exception of
Lamentations, which contained the lamentations of
the weeping prophet Jeremiah. Like the previous sections, this portion of scripture provided several different spokesmen. Although they each had their distinct audience
and purpose, their ministries often intertwined and certainly built upon each other. Chronologically, this section is best divided as:
- pre-captivity prophets (e.g., Amos, Hosea, Joel, Isaiah)
- captivity prophets (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel)
- post-captivity prophets (e.g., Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi)
The “400 years of silence” refers to the time between the last of
the Old Testament prophets and the arrival of Jesus in the New Testament. The phrase refers to the lack of new biblical
revelation to the Jews (also called the intertestimental period). Yet,
God remained
active in world history causing major political and
military events to occur,
especially as He had predicted in the book of Daniel. During
this time, the nation of Greece came to power and was conquered by Rome,
fulfilling prophecy. This period should not be equated with the absence of God
from any direct communication with people but as simply a period of no new transmission of the sacred scripture.
