THE PURPOSE & EFFECT OF REVELATION
PART SEVEN (Continued)
The Prophetic Ministry of Jeremiah (Continued)
To Build
A pertinent example of God building through the prophetic utterances of Jeremiah is seen when God promises to bring the captives back from Babylon:
Jeremiah 24:3-7 Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.” Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
To build is to draw the people back to the knowledge of God, that they would turn their hearts to the Father in adoration and worship. The word for “build” implies a building of the family house or dwelling. Prophetic utterances ought to then call people to turn their heart to God and give themselves to him. This is not that dissimilar to what the author of Hebrews calls the new covenant ministry of Jesus:
Hebrews 8:8-10 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord , when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord . For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord : I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Prophetic ministry calls the people out of exile and into union. This is the story of the Bible: the continual exile of the people of God and the calling back to the Father. The ministry of Jesus is the prophetic spirit, which will call the people from exile into family. We are built into a living house (1 Peter 2:5), and God will use prophetic utterances to accomplish this.
To Plant
The Hebrew “to plant” (H5193) means to plant something as in a vineyard or a garden, or to establish, found, or fix something. As it relates to planting a garden or vineyard, the ministry of the prophetic can clarify when it is time for something to die and when it is time to build.
Planting can help to clarify the good that will come as people keep their heart continually turned toward the Lord.
Jeremiah 32:40-41 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.
The heart of God is made manifest to the Israelites as their hearts were ever more turned towards the Father. God had a season of cultivation in mind for the people and the prophecies of Jeremiah helped to clarify and call the people to that season of cultivation, blessing, and growth. Determining the timing of seasons of growth and blessing can be very difficult aspect of prophecy.
When is the word calling people into blessing to be released? And once it is released, when is the intended fulfillment? Many prophetic utterances today given a vague end-date for their fulfillment. It is very difficult to determine if a prophetic word has come to pass if there is no clear indication of when it shall come to pass. Some prophetic words seem to continually cycle through charismatic circles. Words pointed towards end-times revival, billion soul harvests, and church restoration are so vague today as to be nearly meaningless.
The clearest indication that a word is ripe in season is that the people will listen and the leadership will respond (when there is a clear call to action).
To Bring Understanding
Psalms 74:7 They have set fire to Your sanctuary; They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground.
According to Psalm 74:7-9, prophetic ministry is to help anchor the people and clarify what God is doing in their midst. Without the prophetic to bring clarity, the people of God will struggle to see why things don’t turn out as we expect.
There are signs that no one is able to interpret, signs that point out why the nation has been in such devastation. If there had been a prophetic voice to speak to the people, that voice may have brought clarity to what happened, why it was happening, and how to respond in the midst of what was happening. In this way prophecy strengthens the people to hold fast to God or brings relief as understanding of the season is clarified. The term for sign can mean mark or covenant, it is the seal of agreement. What the psalmist is saying is that they do not see the evidence of God in their midst, and they don't know the how long the process will play out. Have you ever been through a difficult season and wondered when it would end? Prophetic ministry can bring stability to that lack of insight by pointing to what God has done, is doing, and will do.
I recall a season of my life where I was reflecting on some of the difficult things I had gone through before I turned my heart to God. I had been in chaotic relationships, struggling with depression, and drinking heavily. In a moment of prayerful pondering, I was wondering why God had waited so long to rescue me. Ostensibly, my heart was too hard and I was not ready. That much is obvious. But the gentle whisper of the Lord brought great clarity to me and said something like this:
“I rescued you when I could no longer watch the pain you had subjected yourself to. I also allowed you to go through what you did in order to cultivate in you a heart that would care for others who have been hurt.”
That moment helped me to process some of the why of what I had been through. Understanding brough relief and healing.
In the fourth century, a Roman military commander named Lupicinus was concerned about a some ships that were supposed to bring provisions to the city. He went to a Christian monastic living in Syria named Macedonius who was known to have the gift of prophecy. Lupicinius was concerned because fifty days had passed and the ships should have arrived, yet no word had been sent. Without hesitation, Macedonius replied to Lupicinius:
“One ship, my friend, is lost, but the other will reach the harbor of Seleucia tomorrow.”
The prophetic insight from Macedonius brought understanding of what had happened and how long it would be until the ship arrived.
In 2 Kings 9-10, Elisha sends a prophet to anoint Jehu king over Israel. When the young prophet arrives, he prophesies over Jehu in private about the call on his life as king:
II Kings 9:6-10 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord , over Israel. You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord , at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. ’ ” And he opened the door and fled.
Jehu takes over as king Israel after overthrowing Joram and Ahaziah, the kings of both Israel and Judah. He spends the first part of his kingship destroying the family of Ahab and eradicating the worship of Baal in the nation. Jehu fulfills multiple prophecies about what will happen to Jezebel and the house of Ahab.
Because of his faithfulness to the initial call on his life, the Lord speaks to Jehu:
II Kings 10:3 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”
But Jehu stopped short and never removed the idols of golden calves that Israel worshipped. Ultimately, this idol worship was the downfall of Israel. Jehu was given prophetic insight and understood his role as king as a result. But without a prophet to bring him understanding, he ultimately failed as a king and the nation was divided in his time.
II Kings 10:32-33 In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.'
The lack of understanding caused the nation of Israel great distress.