This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – Standing in the Council – I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible.
dom-Trek Podcast Script - Day: hamberlain, and we are on Day:Today is the twenty-sixth lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church.
The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. Today, our lesson is: Standing in the Council.
Most people think a prophet is someone God empowers to foretell the future. No doubt, prophets announced God’s intentions, but forecasting future events wasn’t their primary job description. A prophet’s chief task was to serve as God’s mouthpiece to His covenant people, Israel, and her enemies. So, how did someone become a prophet? Was there some sort of heavenly qualification? In fact, there was.
pass exactly as uttered (Deut: my words to my people” (Jer:What does it mean to “stand in the council”? Jeremiah elaborates: “to see and to hear his word ... to pay attention to his word and listen.” The one essential test of a prophet—that preceded their ability to deliver a divine message—was that the prophet had to see and hear God in His council.
In the Bible, God and His heavenly host were thought to live and conduct business in the divine throne room. This assembly, with God as its CEO, is called “a divine council” (Pss 82:1; 89:5-7).- God chose prophets and commissioned them directly for ministry. When a prophet “stood in the council,” they had a direct encounter with God in His throne room. This motif of “standing in the council” is a repeated pattern in the Bible.
In the case of Isaiah, the prophet was transported to the throne room of Yahweh (Isa 6:1-6) to receive his call to service (Isa 6:8-9). For Ezekiel, the circumstances were reversed, with the throne of the Lord coming to him (Ezek 1:1-14, 26-28). Jeremiah was also commissioned via a direct encounter with God. At the beginning of his ministry, the “word of the Lord” came to him (Jer 1:4) and appointed him a prophet. The “word” is identified as Yahweh (Jer 1:6-7) who has come in human form. He reaches out His hand to touch Jeremiah’s mouth (Jer 1:9). It was this encounter that distinguished Jeremiah from false prophets.
The pattern began with the first man, Adam, as Job 15:7-8 indicates:
“Were you the first person ever born?
Were you born before the hills were made?
Were you listening at God’s secret council?
Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
Eden was the abode of God and His heavenly host. If Job could say he had such access, then he could speak with authority about his innocence.
). and Jacob (Gen: :: only spread the gospel (Matt:The lessons that make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you’ll enjoy them—and, of course, not be bored.
Reflect…
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Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this Trek together, let us always:
Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to’ Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday! See you next time for more daily wisdom!