How the Messages Were Passed on to the People

Even as the Lord called different types of persons to be His prophets and sent various kinds of messages through them, so He employed many methods in delivering the prophecies to the people. What we know of the messages of the prophets has come to us through the portions recorded in the Bible. However, all messages were not presented originally in written form. Many of them must have been sermons or discussions which were later recorded. Some were written as letters to friends, or church groups, or as official communications of kings to their subjects. Some of the communications recorded by the prophets were not originally given by the prophets themselves. The Lord has had preserved in written form the portions of the messages He sent in ancient times which are of particular help to us. 1 Corinthians 10:11. There were three basic methods of delivery:APAY 67.1

1. Oral.APAY 67.2

2. Written.APAY 67.3

3. Enacted.APAY 67.4

Oral delivery. Perhaps the best remembered of the forms of delivery is that of the regular sermon type of presentation. These were not always formal sermons, but they were at least oral presentations before a group of persons for the purpose of instructing, warning, or rebuking them. Among these are Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7); Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2); Paul’s declaration before Agrippa (Acts 26); Moses’ review of the history of Israel (Deuteronomy); Amos’s denunciation of the nations (Amos 1, 2); Jonah’s proclamation to Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). It is not always possible to know certainly whether or not a particular message was first delivered in this form, but this seems to be indicated in large portions of the messages of the prophets.APAY 68.1

In addition to these more formal oral presentations, there were interviews with the prophets in which answers to specific questions and problems were desired from the Lord. We have already mentioned Hezekiah’s inquiry of Isaiah and the prophet’s response. Isaiah 37. At the time of Ezekiel’s vision recorded in chapters 8 to 11, he mentions that “I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me.” Ezekiel 8:1. Later he tells of another visit and its purpose in these words: “And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.” Ezekiel 20:1. Jesus’ disciples “Came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?” Matthew 24:3. His response makes up the wellknown series of predictions concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the events that should precede His return.APAY 68.2

Beyond these group interviews were the important personal conversations which occurred in the lives of the prophets. Jesus opened the eyes of Nicodemus to spiritual truth (John 3); Nathan related to David the parable of his guilt and the king’s pronouncement of the merited punishment (2 Samuel 12:1-7); Jeremiah repeated to Zedekiah the counsel of the Lord that he should surrender to the Babylonians (Jeremiah 38:14-19)— these were weighty matters in which particular individuals were involved and where much depended on personal decisions. The prophets were not so busy giving messages for the multitudes that they could not bring God’s counsel to one man who had a special need.APAY 68.3

Written delivery. The clearest description in the Bible of the preparation of a manuscript containing the word of the Lord is found in Jeremiah 36. During the reign of Jehoiakim, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah, saying, “Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.” Verse 2. “Then Jeremiah called Baruch: ... and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which He had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.” Verse 4. In verse 3 the Lord intimates that the reason for writing the record is to give the nation a full written report of its sins and the threatened punishment in order that it may lead to repentance. A book can be read again and again; the message can be repeated verbatim to people in many places. It is not so readily subject to errors that creep in when a message is transmitted orally.APAY 69.1

Later on Daniel tells how he studied the word of the Lord that was recorded in the messages of Jeremiah, and he learned there of the promise of deliverance at the end of the seventy years’ Captivity. Daniel 9:2. He also gives instruction concerning his own writings, for he says, “Shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” Daniel 12:4. Isaiah, too, was commanded to take a great roll and write on it some of the things God had revealed to him. Isaiah 8:1. At the direction of the Lord manuscripts were prepared, and some of them have become a part of the sacred record in our possession today.APAY 69.2

Letters also figure largely in the Bible record, especially in the New Testament. We find that the fourteen books by Paul were originally written as letters. “When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea,” Paul wrote to the Christians at Colosse. Colossians 4:16. To those at Corinth he explained, “I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.” 1 Corinthians 4:14.APAY 69.3

Nor was Paul the only letter writer among the authors of the New Testament. To the Christians scattered in many places, Peter commented, “I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying.” 1 Peter 5:12. Sometime later he wrote, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you.” 2 Peter 3:1. “These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full,” declared John the beloved to those who should read his letter, 1 John 1:4. His second epistle begins, “The elder unto the elect lady and her children.” 2 John 1.APAY 70.1

The Old Testament contains at least two examples of messages which were originally addressed to individuals or groups as letters from the prophets. Jeremiah’s letter to the Jewish captives in Babylon contains a message fully as applicable to the church today as it was to the Hebrew exiles. See Jeremiah 29. Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram, king of Judah, in which he rebuked the king for his sinful course, and predicted a fatal sickness to afflict the rule. 2 Chronicles 21:12-15.APAY 70.2

Letters written by the prophets as messages from God to the persons addressed were to be accepted as of equal significance with any other kind of message given through the prophet. In one sense it is because these messages were sent as letters that they prove to be especially helpful. They were written to help persons who were meeting particular problems or battling specific temptations. They apply eternal principles to the everyday situations of life. It is no wonder that the epistles of Paul and John and Peter have become popular today with those who are seeking to live the Christian life. It was not necessary for the prophet to deliver messages in person, and some of the letters thus written have become a vital part of the sacred record.APAY 70.3

Enacted communications. Parables occupy a prominent place in Bible teachings, both in the Old Testament and in the New. They were employed to awaken inquiry, to present truths that the people were unready or unwilling to accept, to teach lessons in a manner that would not arouse the people against the prophet, or to make especially vivid an important truth or prediction. Some of the prophets seem to have used none, while others utilized them as one of their most helpful devices.APAY 71.1

After Saul had failed to carry out the commandment of the Lord to destroy the Amalekites, Samuel told the king that because he had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected him. As Samuel turned to leave, Saul took hold of the prophet’s mantle, and as Samuel moved away the mantle was torn. Samuel used the incident as a parable of the removal of the kingdom from Saul’s family. “The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.” 1 Samuel 15:28. Jeremiah was forbidden by the Lord to marry and rear a family in order that he might be a constant reminder to the Jews of the cruel suffering that would be the lot of mothers, fathers, and children in the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 16:1-6.APAY 71.2

The most notable example in the Old Testament of one who taught by enacted parables is Ezekiel. Even the prophet becomes a sign to the people. Ezekiel is pictured as happily married to one whom the Lord calls “the desire of thine eyes.” However, one evening the Lord revealed to him that his wife was to die of a sudden illness, and by the next evening she was dead. Ezekiel was not permitted to weep or mourn for her, because he was to represent the time when Jerusalem would be destroyed without mourning and weeping. “Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.” Ezekiel 24:24.APAY 71.3

We should also note that the entire sacrificial system of ancient times was a parable illustrating the plan of salvation.APAY 71.4

Enacted parables as instruction or prediction are more common in the Old Testament than in the New; but the example of Agabus, who “took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles,” shows that the technique had not been lost.APAY 72.1

Why such variety? One of the most remarkable features of the Bible is the way its truths fit the needs of every individual in every generation. Second only to this is the perpetual and effective appeal to young and old in every station of life and every degree of education. Much of its appeal and adaptability stem from the fact that its materials were originally presented to meet the needs of men and women whose experience and problems are common to those of every other age. Therefore, they were brought forth in a fashion that will be most impressive and of greatest benefit. It must be kept continually in mind that these messages of the prophets came from one common source, and they repeatedly manifested that in their declarations, “Thus saith the Lord.” The divine inspiration was not affected by the method of communication. Thus Jeremiah’s letter, Ezekiel’s enacted parable, Peter’s sermon, Isaiah’s manuscript, Jesus’ interview,—all were prompted by the Spirit of God. In all these methods “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” The Bible does not, and we cannot, emphasize the value of one variety of communication above another. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16.APAY 72.2

Some messages not preserved. It is obvious that the Bible does not contain a complete account of all that was taught to God’s people by the prophets. In the life of the Master we have only a sketch of His numerous sermons and interviews. See John 21:25. As far as their messages are concerned, prophets may be placed in four groups:APAY 72.3

1. Prophets who wrote some portion of the Holy Scriptures, such as Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Paul.APAY 73.1

2. Prophets who wrote none of the Bible, but whose life and teachings are sketched in the Scriptures, such as Elijah, Elisha, and Enoch.APAY 73.2

3. Prophets who seemingly gave only oral testimonies, no portion of which has been preserved. In this group are many unnamed prophets, such as the seventy elders who received the Holy Spirit and prophesied during the time of Moses (Numbers 11:24, 25), and the group that Saul joined after he had been anointed king over Israel (1 Samuel 10:5, 6, 10). See also 1 Samuel 19:18-24. Again, there are the godly men who were hidden in caves by Obadiah during the drought and famine. 1 Kings 18:4, 13.APAY 73.3

4. Prophets who wrote books that have not been preserved—the book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chronicles 29:29), the book of Gad the seer (1 Chronicles 29:29), the book of Shemaiah the prophet (2 Chronicles 12:15), the book of Jasher (Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18), the book of Iddo the seer (2 Chronicles 12:15; 9:29), the prophecy of Oded the prophet (2 Chronicles 15:8), the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (2 Chronicles 9:29), the book of Jehu the son of Hanani (2 Chronicles 20:34), Paul’s epistle to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16).APAY 73.4

What of the oral messages of those prophets in group 3? Does the fact that we know nothing of what these men said under inspiration mean that their words were inconsequential? Not at all. It simply indicates that their messages were of local and relatively temporary value, and not of a character that would be profitable to preserve for future generations.APAY 73.5

What of the messages recorded in books that have not been kept? Were these records unimportant? God does not occupy His prophets with the unimportant. However, the significance of the writings was not such that later generations of God’s people would be benefited. Consequently the Lord did not see fit to preserve them. They served their purpose, and it was a purpose vital to those to whom the messages were directed.APAY 73.6

What relation did these written messages sustain to the prophetic writings that were included in the canon of the Scriptures? Did they conflict? Certainly not, for all the prophets were moved by the same Spirit. 2 Peter 1:21. Did these writings form an addition to the canon? They did not. They served at a particular time in communicating the purpose of God to those who needed the messages. Inspired by the same Spirit who prompted the writers of the Bible books, these writings moved the people to more faithful obedience to divine truth.APAY 74.1