The Road to Delphi
Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:8 NASB
Gifts of prophecy – Read this verse in a few other translations. You will immediately notice that the NASB adds “gifts of” to the sentence. Paul is not telling us that some spiritual gift will pass away. He is telling us that prophecy in general will be made inoperative. The verb is katargeo, “to be useless, incapable, inactive.” Prophecy will cease. Why? Because of the nature of Hebrew prophecy.
This means we must be careful not to confuse Hebrew prophecy with the Greek concept of an oracle.
Oracles do not belong in Israelite religion. They belong to the world of myth, the world the Hebrew Bible rejects.
This is not a small point but a fundamental one. Oracles and prophecies belong to two different types of civilization. Oracles belong to the cluster of ideas—fate, hubris, nemesis—that yield tragedy in the classic, Greek sense. In tragedy the outcome is signalled [sic] in advance, and the more the characters fight against their fate, the more enmeshed in it they become. Prophecy, by contrast, belongs to open, non-predetermined, historical time, the time that makes its first appearance in the Hebrew Bible, and constitutes one of its most original contributions to human thought. The prophet warns; he does not predict. Tomorrow is made by our choices today. Time, for the prophets, is not the inexorable unfolding of destiny but the arena of human freedom in response to the call of God.[1]
Do you understand? Prophecy ends because no more warnings are needed. In the Millennial kingdom, Torah pours forth from Zion and all are obedient. What warning is necessary? The contingency of disobedient human action has disappeared.
We need to correct our penchant for Greek oracles. Neusner made the telling remark that the purpose of Hebrew prophecy was to never come true. Now we understand why, and at the same time, we see that all the predictive “prophecies” of our Greek-based worldview are really pagan misdirection. We are no different than the ancient warriors and politicians who marched to Delphi to discover their fate. We do the same thing with words like, “What is God’s destiny for my life?” “Who does God want me to marry?” “How can I know God’s will for me?” We want a God of fate, a God who knows it all in advance and who is willing (for the right price) to spill the beans. We want Delphi, not Jerusalem.
“Gifts of prophecy”? What gifts? The navi is a man called to warn. He does not foretell. His gift is to suffer the agony of God’s broken heart. With an open universe, most of our anxiety over what will happen next is reduced to one simple task: Choose wisely. Those who want their future foretold probably end up in this Indiana Jones movie.
FIRST VIDEO CLIP HERE
Those who want their future foretold probably end up in this Indiana Jones movie.
SECOND VIDEO CLIP HERE
Topical Index: prophecy, oracle, 1 Corinthians 13:8, cease, katargeo
[1] Jonathan Sacks, Not In God’s Name, pp. 140-141.
If an individual keeps you in a constant state of flux be it by spoken or written word, then I say time to turn tail and run like h&$# back to YHVH!
And yes, I want the road to Jerusalem not Delphi. And there would have been a time not so long ago when I would have taken off to Delphi without a thought to consequences or thinking I could handle whatever they might be. Such arrogance on my part. Yes, choices are so important and believe you me I’ve made wrong choices and have been torched! Thank you YHVH for showing me a better way. I choose Him! Hands down. Nothing better. And I thank Yeshua for showing me how I too can live if I surrender!!
Skip, this may be one of the finer things I have seen you do, and thank you so much for doing it! Much needed!
Humans don’t like the biggest gift they got, I have decided, which would be that gift of choice. We don’t like open ends, and I have thought it may be because choice represents responsibility. We want, like Adam, to put the blame somewhere else.
Righteousness (connection) returns us to 360 degrees of choice, which, if you think about it, makes us RESPONSIBLE for everything in all those directions. The single biggest temptation of sin is that we DON’T have to take responsibility or choose in that place: sin chooses for us. Sin compels. Wait. That sounds like fate! LOL!
Most people that I meet do not really want to hear that they have a part in their salvation. They want to be free from compulsion or sickness, but they don’t want to hear that they have to agree to take back their responsibility in that place. They would rather stay sick and shoved around. Its easier. Likewise, people want to relax about the future. When they want a ‘word from the Lord’ what they really want is to hear that they don’t have to do anything. Hello, that is what we are trained by sin to want! The very dead last thing people want to hear, however, is that they need to change. This is always where I seem to lose them. They want to hear about the good stuff, and they want to hear about all the benefits, but when you pull out what it is going to cost, they shut down. A predetermined future does not cost anything. Freedom (of choice, of course) costs everything. Back go the pigs to their wallow and the dogs to their vomit! Sigh.
AMEN! Thanks to Laurita and Skip. Skip, your post here is perfectly timed for what we’re facing in our lives at this moment (and for the last year specifically.) Wow. I’ll print this off and concentrate on it, meditating on the Word of YHVH (as close to it as I can get!) Keep going! Be brave!
Hope to see you in Spokane in July!
Laurita,
I concur, this is one of Skip’s finer daily works. I also appreciate your comments and would say that you have brought a finer point to the discussion as well (at least for me).
“A predetermined future does not cost anything. Freedom (of choice, of course) costs everything.”
Thank you for your thoughts and words that add so much to the conversation each day.
Shalom
Kevin
As Skip says, God is a God of order, not chaos!! Or confusion.
So the implications for ‘charismatic ‘ and Pentecostal assemblies are…? 🙂
I don’t intend to limit this to Assemblies since they are not the only denomination that puts a great deal of emphasis on “personal” prophecy. The tradition is quite pronounced among some Black churches, and frankly, regardless of the more sedate expression of liturgy, many churches continue with the Greek idea of “Ood’s word for you.” But the implication across the board seem to be the need to re-examine what we think prophecy really is–and perhaps why it is so misused and abused.
Very interesting, thank you.
So did Paul say when we come together and we are free let three prophesy by turn… Here prophecy seems to take on the form of preaching. This is different from the prophet we read of in the OT. Would this be what will cease or will it be the OT gift…
As the promise is YHVH will inscribe us self…
The “OT gift”? Not sure what you mean by that since it is never called a “gift” in the Tanakh. The prophet is the mouthpiece of God, shares God’s feelings and concerns and usually dies for it. Not much of a “gift.” Paul’s remarks in Corinthians must be understood in the CONTEXT of Corinth, the Greek-based idea of a prophet and “seer” and the Gentiles who were coming into the assembly.
So what does Paul mean when he says, “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged” 1 Cor. 14:31.? What kind of prophecy is he talking about? Was is meant only for the Corinthians as your reply seems to imply?
I realize that Old Testament prophecy is all that you wrote about and that there is a huge difference between that and what we call prophecy in most churches today, and it really bothers me. I think many “charismatics” do seek personal prophesy in an unhealthy way, putting that first, instead of just walking out Torah in their daily lives. But…I have also seen, heard, experienced – time and again – that God does speak specific things to people or groups, and as they “move” on that word, it comes to pass and amazing things happen. How do I deal with this puzzle? To me, those things are experiences with God…and you say in your seminar “Paradigms and Hebrew Thought” (great seminar btw, I recommend it to anyone) that “nothing you say can threaten or question my/our experience with God, but I need to investigate the meaning of that experience.This is where the paradigm comes into play.” I have no idea how to do that in this situation. If my concept of prophecy unwittingly has been based on the Greek concept of an oracle and not OT prophecy, how do I interpret it and just as important: where do I go from here?
A lot of what Paul writes in Corinthians is indeed for the Corinthians, and the special circumstances they encountered with the Gentile population and religious environment in Corinth. My argument was not that God doesn’t speak to individuals. It was that “prophecy” as understood in the biblical world is not what we typically call prophecy today. I am quite sure God gives messages to people today, but I haven’t seen a navi in my lifetime. Paul concern in Corinthians is about ORDER in an assembly that was filled with chaos, but he addressed that concern within the context of Corinthian practice.
Yes, I get the context, I get the difference between OT prophecy and what most churches call prophecy today, and it bothers me. I’m still left with the question what Paul actually had in mind when he wrote things like “you can all prophecy – to learn and be encouraged,” and “seek spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophecy,” or “he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.” It does sound different from the navi, but can it be? There is so much to wrestle with. Thanks for “stirring” things (I think) and for you patience in responding.
What about the understanding that Yahshua was the FINAL prophet?
Seems to concur with Paul’s … prophesies will be done away with.
The first statement implies that Mohamad (or Gabrial for that matter) was (is) a false prophet
First time response ,long time reader! Having received a few prophetic words over my life as a believer I have seen these as more affirming than directional. The Father has shown me what He has imparted to me and lets me see His great love for me. I do know that prophecy can and is abused but lets not say it ceases for can’t God still speak to us for today. Maybe this is just the Greek thinking still but why could’t God use it to confirm or affirm us?
Interesting Yeshua said all three prophetic gifts will be manifested in that day… Which day we can debate but I believe there will come a time when even these gifts will no longer exist. As God self will inscribe all and I believe this time is already beginning…
I do agree with Skip that the OT type of prophets will never be again… But yes for me we will still experience the prophetic gifts until that day when God calls and equips as all His other instruments.
We must just remain in Jerusalem in the breaking of the bread…
Prophecies are warnings rather than predictions, understood. But in Deut. 18:22 it seems that false prophet’s are recognized when their words do not come to pass. So Neusner’s pithy comment is a bit too general, I presume?
Perhaps I can say, the road to Delphi is a real bumpy one.
Having been in and out of churches, that I have not been comfortable with, being grounded in pretty meaty teachings of the Word, gathered from various good Bible teachers around the world since I was a spiritual baby, experiences of personal ‘prophecies’ were uplifting, as Thom’s comment above.
There would be a difference in prophecy that forewarns, to “prophecy” that brings forth a word from the Lord to an individual.
All gifts of prophecies are supposed to edify / strengthen / console the Body of Believers in His ways/Torah.
The necessity of love and wisdom is the motive for exercising spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 13:1-3) to benefit Believers.
This purpose of prophecy could be attained only when the prophet had love and concern for those to whom his words were directed.
This gift is NOT granted to exalt the recipients, often emphasized in churches. They had been given to benefit fellow believers. Therefore, without love being the motivating and guiding force in the use of these gifts, Paul could rightly say that he would be “nothing.”
I know of “prophecies” that go flatly against the Word of YHWH, yet, it was imposed upon that person to comply!! Scary!!!
Thus, when “I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”! Torah is the way for me.
Without love, and wisdom, knowledge can breed conceit and contempt.
I can remember a meeting I attended at a Pentecostal church one Sunday evening, the pastor of the assembly gave people the chance to speak words of prophesy or speak words they believed were from God. Several people did so. Mostly they were fairly brief words of praise of God, but one gentleman stood up and started with ” Thus sayeth the Lord——“. He continued in this manner for 15 – 20 minutes until the paster had to step in and stop him. I don’t remember there was anything encouraging or admonishing in what the man said and was glad the pastor stopped it when he did.
I like Sha’ul’s exhortation to the Messianic Corinthian community.
I am sure you will all be familiar with 1 Corinthians 13. I quote only verse 13.
” But for now, three things last – trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love.
Pursue love.” – CJB
A great challenging TW Skip.
Not all prophesies were warnings.
Isaiah 53 comes to mind.
But, was Isaiah speaking as “navi” here? The first verse of Isaiah says these words were a vision. Perhaps the concepts of “navi”, and “eesh Elohim” (man of God), and the one who sees “visions” are not synonymous. That’s not to say that one man could not function in all three capacities; just that all three services might not be present in a single person.
Read 1Kings 13 — there is a distinct difference between the “man of God” and the “navi” in this chapter. And recall that navi was also once called a “seer.” (1Sam 9:9) That throws a whammy into our modern vernacular use as well. We lump all the ideas together, but it seems to me that Hebrew gives them different meanings.
While the book of Isaiah is primarily a collection of visions, my understanding is that it’s regarded as authentic history, prophecy and poetry. But, I’m certainly no authority.
Whatever the case…Isaiah 53 is definitely not a warning.
As for 1 Kings 13, my commentary states that “man of God” is a common title for a prophet. I can’t say that I ever use the word “navi” but, the google definition is “prophet.” I believe it’s the singular word, in Hebrew, for Nevi i’m… (the Books of the Prophets.)
I know there are many commentaries out there. Perhaps others would offer different/conflicting explanations. Keeps us on our toes eh?