1. The gift of prophecy was used to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. “Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17. To work out the plan of salvation it was essential that God become man, partake fully of his nature, live among men, be tempted in all points as other men are, and in human flesh gain complete victory over sin. To bring man’s thinking and living back into harmony with God’s, a revelation had to be given through a life. Choosing men to work for other men and to pass on to them special messages from God is obviously the most effective general method that could have been chosen. Thus, through prophets the Creator accomplished the preparation needed before Jesus came to earth.APAY 24.1

2. Prophets stood before the people as representatives of the Lord. Their very presence showed the people that God was sufficiently interested in them and close enough to them to choose men from among them to represent Him. They were men “subject to like passions” as their neighbors; not visitors from another world, but men among men. While the plan was subject to dangers because of the weakness of humanity in the persons selected, yet it possessed inherent possibilities for success not present in any other method.APAY 24.2

In a sense all the prophets of the Old Testament were forerunners of Christ, types of the coming Messiah. Peter, addressing the people in Solomon’s porch, avouched that in Jesus was fulfilled Moses’ prediction. He said, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear.” Acts 3:22. Compare Deuteronomy 18:15. Jesus is listed among the prophets, for He represented God before the people, spoke the messages of heaven, by divine revelation penetrated the future and unveiled things to come, and called men to loyalty to the Father. Every loyal and devoted prophet either typified or memorialized the Master as the greatest of prophets. They did the same kind of work He did. They were His men, and as such did a work that could never have been done so effectively by an angel or a voice from heaven. As the life of Christ revealed to mankind God’s personal interest and love, so the lives of the prophets demonstrated that the Lord was going as far as He could to reveal Himself to His people. The presence of the prophet was a constant reminder of the presence of God.APAY 24.3

3. Prophets kept men constantly aware of God’s instruction to them. They must never entertain the idea that they had no access to divine counsel. A prophet among them would be a continual reminder of the nearness and availability of all the instruction they needed. This was emphasized by the Lord in Deuteronomy 30:11-14: “For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”APAY 25.1

What was true of times when a prophet was personally among God’s people is also true of those who have access to the written testimony of the prophets in the Bible. Counsel is always available and is never far off.APAY 25.2

4. Through the prophets God could maintain direct connection with the people without talking with them face to face. Visions and dreams served the same purposes as would face-to-face conversation. In vision the prophet could be taken into the very presence of the Lord. His eyes could see the King in His glory on His throne, a sight that no natural eye could see. His reaction to what he had seen would be that of a man, his descriptions in human language. The Spirit of God guided as these revelations were passed on to the people, so there was no misrepresentation. They were described in the best manner of which the prophet was capable. Messages through the chosen prophet were intended to accomplish the same purposes as a personal communication from the Creator.APAY 25.3

5. It was essential that the people should have before them a demonstration of what fellowship with God could accomplish in a human life. Though “subject to like passions as we are,” the prophets were men who walked with God, and as such could give witness to the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit and the molding influence of His power in the daily life. While the evidences were not always so striking as when Moses came down from the mount with his face shining, yet there was no mistaking the fact that the personal communion of the prophet with God made a distinct difference in his experience. To the people who were receptive and responsive, this served as an invitation to a closer walk with God. This kind of witness could have been given only by one man to another.APAY 26.1

6. The presence of the prophets tested the people as to their attitude toward God. The Lord knew that the way the people treated His prophets was the way they would treat Him if He was among them. His position appears to have been well taken when we consider the manner in which Christ was received.APAY 26.2

7. Prophets assisted in the plan of salvation, for God has consistently used a combination of the human and the divine as His most effective means for reaching men. Noah and his family could have been saved without the building of an ark, but God wanted human effort combined with His. The tables of stone that were preserved in the earthly sanctuary were the ones cut out by the hands of Moses on which the law was inscribed by the finger of God. Man provided the fuel, but God kindled the fire that consumed the sacrifices of the sanctuary. Jesus Himself was the product of a mysterious blending of the divine with the human. Man, as God’s major means of communication, only rounds out the picture of His most effective method of dealing with the human race.APAY 26.3

8. As God worked through the prophets, He had in mind a broad plan which included the preparation of a written record that He would put into the hands of all men. The great principles of His government, and illustrations of how these principles had worked in the lives of men, were set forth. A consistent cumulative record, a product of human effort under divine guidance, was intended to wield a constant influence and give a sense of continuity and unity in the working out of the plan of salvation. In every age the plan has been the same, but the teaching of it has been adapted to the particular needs of the people of the age. From the lives of men through the centuries have been selected those incidents best suited to teach succeeding generations the lessons they needed most. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11.APAY 27.1

Nothing, of course, was left entirely in the hands of men. God’s plan was, and still is, to link divine power with the communications given to the prophets so that they would be effective in the lives of those who were willing to accept them. The instruction itself would bring about the necessary transformation; that was the work of the Holy Spirit in making the word of God “quick, and powerful.”APAY 27.2

While there are obvious reasons for the general utilization of the prophets in communicating the divine will to mankind, yet each of the other methods revealed in the Scriptures has had its particular place. Each has been used in special instances when it served more effectively than the gift of prophecy. It is profitable to analyze the type of situation in which each method was used. Since God always uses the most effective means possible under the circumstances, it is clear that no single method would have served His purposes. He was endeavoring to turn men from sin to righteousness so it would be possible for Him to completely transform their minds and restore in them the image of Christ. The ministry of the prophets was the most effective general means God could devise for reaching man with the plan of salvation.APAY 27.3

The outstanding product of the ministry of the prophets is the Bible. As Christ revealed God in His life, so the Bible stands in written form as the supreme revelation of the character and will of God. Had there been no personal ministry on the part of the prophets other than the writing of the Book, the word would reveal the way by which man might be restored to oneness with God. Earlier in this chapter we noted eight results of sin upon the human mind. Through the gift of prophecy—the ministry of individual prophets, and the writing of the Scriptures—God has revealed the correction for each defect, the way of supplying each deficiency, the path of return from each defection. The changes in man’s relations and thinking will be noted again, and with these will be the Bible remedy for each defect. Let us give particular attention to the close connection between the revelations through the prophets and the proposed means of restoration.APAY 28.1

God’s Problem

The Results of Sin and the Remedy for Each