How do You Read the Prophets?
It is well known that some Christians highly enjoy and draw rich instruction from the reading of the prophets, while to others this part of the Bible seems dry and uninteresting. Why is this? We speak not now of writers on prophecy who claim to be skilled in foretelling the times and the seasons when predicted events shall transpire; nor of those who seek by a system of "spiritualizing" to discover hidden meanings which the words of inspiration do not convey; nor of those who have any favorite theory or peculiar scheme to support; but of Christians generally who come to the Bible in simplicity and sincerity to learn what God has said. Certainly the prophetic books, mainly written in high wrought Hebrew poetry and revealing things to come, are in some respects more obscure than the simply historical parts of the Bible: yet the plain humble man, who places God on the throne of his heart; who regards every word he has revealed as precious; who keeps in view the fact that an unchanging God regards both sin and humble faith now, just as he did in the days of the prophets, and that by his prophets he has revealed his will for all periods of time—such a man will find the prophetic books a most interesting and instructive portion of the sacred oracles. Prayerful attention and a docile, childlike spirit insure success in exploring these mines of heavenly wisdom. It should be observed that a prophecy may contain phrases or allusions not fully understood, and yet the main drift and aim be clear. This is doubtless true of thousands of passages. A divine richness and power seals the palpable instruction upon the heart, while yet there remain hidden treasures richly to reward further investigation. There is also incalculable benefit in searching into the times and circumstances in which a prophecy was written, the occasion which called it forth; and in receiving every word as from God, worthy of God, and certainly in harmony with all else he has revealed. Take for example, as one of a thousand illustrations equally pertinent, the different impressions which might be received from the words of Amos: "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." Amos vii, 14. The careless reader might think the prophet here made only a useless reference to himself. But look at the words in their connection. Amos prophesied, as we are told in chap. i, 1, "in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel," that is, of Jeroboam the second, who reigned over the ten tribes 150 years after Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Through the whole of this period, not146withstanding the most terrific divine warnings, the people were still worshiping the golden calves at Bethel, and were persisting in shameless and God-provoking idolatry. Amos is commissioned to proclaim from Jehovah this message: "The sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." Jeroboam, and Amaziah his idolatrous priest, resist Amos, and tell him to shut up his mouth and leave the country: who was Amos, that he should be prophesying and disturbing "the king's chapel, and the king's court?" "Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit, [I was a plain man pursuing my own business like other men, with no intention of prophesying,] and the Lord [Jehovah] took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 'Now, therefore, hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, [to its enemies,] and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of this land.' As if he had said. This is what God commanded me to proclaim. He commanded me, and I obey; and every word God has thus bid me utter, he will fulfill in all its terror, however you may regard or disregard it. The words first quoted, thus taken in their connection are as beautiful as they are full of import: and the message that follows them has in it a terrific majesty. Now let not us, or our readers, treat prophecy as Jeroboam did, either with rejection or neglect, as if it were of no consequence and did not concern us. What God speaks by his prophets he speaks to us, and to all men. He hates idolatry, licentiousness, and sin now, just as he did when Amos wrote, and he looks at the heart. If I make "gold my hope," or pleasure, or honor, or any thing that displaces God in my affections, I expose myself to a doom no less dreadful than that which fell on Jeroboam. The Old Testament prophets reveal the substance of the gospel as really as the New Testament. It is in them that we read: "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint." "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." "Look unto me and be saved, all ye ends of the earth." "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." As often as the prophets denounce wrath on the ungodly, so often do they proclaim mercy to all who turn to God and trust in him. Their pages are filled with the latter-day glory of the church, and the triumphs of the Redeemer's reign. If we have not been enriched from their inexhaustible mines the fault is not in God, nor in the prophets who wrote as inspired by him; and if in this respect we have neglected our own mercies, let us resolve in the strength of God, that this sin of omission shall rest upon us no more, that we will approach the table God has here spread for us, that we may eat and live.—Am. Messenger.