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Many

 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Really? God spoke through the prophets at many times? Define many. No, I’m not suggesting that Scripture is wrong. I’m suggesting that we need to consider what the author has said. The links below provide lists of at least some of the prophets:

Prophets in the Bible — Who are the prophets in the Bible? | NeverThirsty

Prophetesses in the Bible — Who are the women prophets in the Bible? | NeverThirsty

Just to make it simple, fewer than one hundred, and we’re considering several thousand years. Of course, we don’t know. There could have been hundreds of thousands – but these were the ones listed. Fewer than one hundred from creation to the First Century. And if you trace them, I suspect you’ll find that most of them prophesied leading up to or during the captivity.

This might lead us to disagree with the author of Hebrews. Not many. Many means at least two in every generation, or many means something else, but more than one hundred over several thousand years. Doesn’t it? How many is necessary for it to be many? And while we’re at it, why didn’t the “various ways” include clear, blunt facts like names, dates, places and the other things journalists would have asked about?

What is many means more than enough to give anyone who wished to look the clues needed to build hope? What if many means that God wasn’t being a reporter? What if His response to our “Gimme!” is “Look for it”? Because it’s in  the looking that we’ll grow?

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