Skip to main content

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?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

              Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me . (John 14:6)           If “I am the gate of the sheep…I am the good shepherd” from chapter 10 is a double whammy, this verse is a triple whammy. And its first victim is the notion that any other so-called god was acceptable or the same as Jesus. He, and He alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to get to the Father. There is no other Savior, or Redeemer, according to Jesus. Now, to be fair, other religions will claim that their religion or god(s) are the only way. That is the nature of gods and of religions. If this and that are equally good and agree on what’s necessary, then this and that are the same thing, so there’s no need to from the other to one. If that’s the case, then why speak against the other or promote the one? There’s a song I’ve been listening to i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more