And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
By a prophet means by Moses, through whom the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt and kept them afterward. Deliverance and preservation belong together, for God both brought His people out and kept them by prophetic direction and guidance. Without that prophetic intercession and warning Israel would have returned to Egypt after Sinai and would have perished by ruin on many other occasions. The exodus was an organized movement under God's chosen prophet, and the same order is repeated in the calling out and leading of the Advent people to the eternal Canaan through the voice of the spirit of prophecy. As the final deliverance will be like the deliverance from Egypt, the gift of prophecy is joined to its preparation, and the only way to be established and to prosper is to believe the Lord and believe His prophets, whose plain testimony reproves, warns, preserves and prepares the church.
Words and Historical Context
The book belongs to Hosea, whose name means salvation, given through the last of the great prophets of the northern kingdom in the 700s B.C., with chapters 4-14 belonging to about 734. It belongs to a message that predicts the coming captivity of the tribes and warns against alliance with Egypt. That message exposes moral degeneration and decay and the gross iniquity of priests and princes, uses the prophet's painful personal history to symbolize Jehovah's separation from His people, and closes with remonstrance and tender exhortation with rich promises of blessing from God as the result of repentance. The prophet by whom the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and preserved them is Moses. He is recognized as the chief prophet and leader of Israel, even though Aaron and Miriam were also chosen to lead Israel, and he is identified as a prophet while his work and standing included more than the title prophet conveys.
God brought Israel out and preserved them through a prophet, Moses, rather than through a king. A prophet speaks for God, the true King, so Israel's later demand for a human king was a rejection of God's rule and led toward ruin. Through Moses God gave Israel His law and prophetic instruction, which was sufficient to guide them if they obeyed it. The prophet was God's appointed means of communicating revelation and counsel to earthly rulers and people, giving Israel God's guidance and distinguishing it from other nations. The verse recalls Israel's beginnings as a small and weak people and teaches that their growth into a mighty nation came through God's care and prophetic leadership.
Preservation and Final Deliverance
The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet and preserved Israel by a prophet, linking prophetic ministry both to deliverance and to continued preservation through prophetic direction and guidance. The prophet is Moses, recognized as chief prophet and leader even though Aaron and Miriam were also chosen to lead, and the deliverance came through a prophet rather than through a king, since a prophet speaks for God the true King. Prophetic ministry was the means by which God guided and kept His people through times of crisis, providing special help through the prophetic gift at each crisis in Israel's history.
Had it not been for Moses Israel would have gone straight back to Egypt after the apostasy at Sinai, and on numerous other occasions Israel was kept from utter ruin by the same prophetic instrumentality. The exodus was an organized movement led by God's chosen prophet and kept by prophetic guidance. That same order is repeated now, with God calling the Advent people out from the world and leading the organized advent movement to the eternal land of promise by the voice of the spirit of prophecy, holding to His purpose through murmuring and apostasy and bringing them into the eternal Canaan as surely as He brought Israel into Canaan.
As the final deliverance of God's people will be like the deliverance from Egypt, the gift of prophecy will be connected with the preparation for that later and final deliverance. The verse illustrates the spirit of prophecy as the means by which God leads and keeps His people, showing the need for prophetic guidance to reprove and warn His people and to help preserve and prepare His church. There is but one way marked out for men to become established and prosper, to believe in the Lord and believe His prophets, and the plain straight testimony must live in the church or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.
By a prophet means by Moses, through whom the Lord delivered Israel from Egypt and kept them afterward. Deliverance and preservation belong together, for God both brought His people out and kept them by prophetic direction and guidance. Without that prophetic intercession and warning Israel would have returned to Egypt after Sinai and would have perished by ruin on many other occasions. The exodus was an organized movement under God's chosen prophet, and the same order is repeated in the calling out and leading of the Advent people to the eternal Canaan through the voice of the spirit of prophecy. As the final deliverance will be like the deliverance from Egypt, the gift of prophecy is joined to its preparation, and the only way to be established and to prosper is to believe the Lord and believe His prophets, whose plain testimony reproves, warns, preserves and prepares the church.
Words and Historical Context
The book belongs to Hosea, whose name means salvation, given through the last of the great prophets of the northern kingdom in the 700s B.C., with chapters 4-14 belonging to about 734. It belongs to a message that predicts the coming captivity of the tribes and warns against alliance with Egypt. That message exposes moral degeneration and decay and the gross iniquity of priests and princes, uses the prophet's painful personal history to symbolize Jehovah's separation from His people, and closes with remonstrance and tender exhortation with rich promises of blessing from God as the result of repentance. The prophet by whom the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and preserved them is Moses. He is recognized as the chief prophet and leader of Israel, even though Aaron and Miriam were also chosen to lead Israel, and he is identified as a prophet while his work and standing included more than the title prophet conveys.
God brought Israel out and preserved them through a prophet, Moses, rather than through a king. A prophet speaks for God, the true King, so Israel's later demand for a human king was a rejection of God's rule and led toward ruin. Through Moses God gave Israel His law and prophetic instruction, which was sufficient to guide them if they obeyed it. The prophet was God's appointed means of communicating revelation and counsel to earthly rulers and people, giving Israel God's guidance and distinguishing it from other nations. The verse recalls Israel's beginnings as a small and weak people and teaches that their growth into a mighty nation came through God's care and prophetic leadership.
Preservation and Final Deliverance
The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet and preserved Israel by a prophet, linking prophetic ministry both to deliverance and to continued preservation through prophetic direction and guidance. The prophet is Moses, recognized as chief prophet and leader even though Aaron and Miriam were also chosen to lead, and the deliverance came through a prophet rather than through a king, since a prophet speaks for God the true King. Prophetic ministry was the means by which God guided and kept His people through times of crisis, providing special help through the prophetic gift at each crisis in Israel's history.
Had it not been for Moses Israel would have gone straight back to Egypt after the apostasy at Sinai, and on numerous other occasions Israel was kept from utter ruin by the same prophetic instrumentality. The exodus was an organized movement led by God's chosen prophet and kept by prophetic guidance. That same order is repeated now, with God calling the Advent people out from the world and leading the organized advent movement to the eternal land of promise by the voice of the spirit of prophecy, holding to His purpose through murmuring and apostasy and bringing them into the eternal Canaan as surely as He brought Israel into Canaan.
As the final deliverance of God's people will be like the deliverance from Egypt, the gift of prophecy will be connected with the preparation for that later and final deliverance. The verse illustrates the spirit of prophecy as the means by which God leads and keeps His people, showing the need for prophetic guidance to reprove and warn His people and to help preserve and prepare His church. There is but one way marked out for men to become established and prosper, to believe in the Lord and believe His prophets, and the plain straight testimony must live in the church or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins.