Copyright 2018 Theresa Harvard Johnson
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1 Chronicles 29:29 New International Version (NIV)
29 As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE RECORDS of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer….
In this post, my focus from this passage of scripture is on “the records” of the prophets mentioned here. Note that this passage of scripture, among others, recognize that it was normal for prophets to keep records. In this case, the records were about King David’s reign but we also know that other prophets kept records as well like Habakkuk, Malachi, etc. In the New Covenant, we see the Apostle Paul make mention of keeping his personal scrolls (books, journals, etc.) with him (2 Tim 4:13). There is tremendous revelation in this realm, but we are going to start here.
We can draw a lot from the journey of “recording” prophecy in the Bible. The first lesson in this series is understanding that those who believe they are “scribal” prophets should be held accountable for the prophetic words they release. In fact, they should be taught to FIRST hold “themselves” accountable for what God says, reveals, demonstrates and demands that they place in written form.
When prophecy goes forth, we must recognize that it is not only been written on people’s hearts through verbal release but also through what enters the eyegates in digital or physical form. For those who specifically believe they hear the command to RECORD, the accountability is a bit different.
Why? Well, because their written words are witnesses to what God has said that can be archived and referenced later. God RECORDS THINGS so that they can stand as reminders, witnesses, evidence or proof for the READERS AND HEARERS. The goal of written prophecy is to bring the “truth of God… his will” into the remembrance of the hearer.
Because prophecy is judged by the words God speak coming to pass, written prophecy also becomes a tool for identifying and making known FALSE prophets. It exposes them for who they are — liars.
THE ANONYMOUS PROPHET
I teach people to be cautious of present-day “scribal prophets” who like to remain ANONYMOUS in their release or who refuse to sign or affix their names to websites, blogs, books or words.
Instead, there are people who release their lips and pens from the shadows unchallenged, hiding… unaccountable. In scripture – both Old & New Covenants, people KNEW who those prophets were that released God’s word in their time even if we do not have them named in our Bibles. Not everything transferred properly to us over the centuries in writing. So please, let’s not use “unknown prophets” as an excuse to do anonymous work.
Prophets must OWN their release…. standing before God and men… and allowing that word to be rightly proclaimed and/or judged under New Covenant guidelines. Yes, I could provide tons of scripture, but I love empowering people to study the Word and search things out on their own.
Written prophecies that are gathered in volumes will not only Chronicle God’s word for the scribal prophet and those assigned to their message, but it will also reveal (1) provide opportunities to discern the motive and heart behind those words; (2) measure if that word is true or false… by whether it comes to pass; (3) hold that prophet accountable for what they release; (4) reveal lying prophets; (5) measure where prophets might be in their maturity and knowledge of the word; (6) identify confusion operating or bad doctrine; (7) identify whether what is written is a prophetic word or the word of the Lord, and so much more.
Reviewing THE WRITING can instill a FEAR OF THE LORD in a growing prophet, especially if that written word is placed on public display within their respective group or environment. I believe if we begin to add a “scribal component” to the training of SCRIBAL prophets… we will see a greater effort put forth in honoring God. They will appreciate what it means to be QUICK TO LISTEN AND SLOW TO SPEAK. There will be a closer examination of God’s reverential fear…
While scribal prophets go through the same spiritual training as any called prophet, there are some training tactics that are unique to them. These are strategies that I have grown to implement among the prophetic people I oversee… even in the “scribal realm” of dreams and visions.
