I'm thinking of the "business man" right now, who heard that "the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." When he head this, his heart was strangely warmed. Now he is out of a job, sits at home and awaits the divine redistribution of riches. He claims to act upon a genuine revelation, but it is not even consistent with good ole common sense, let alone the Word of God. He is being blindsided by feelings. (We charismatics tend to think that God's voice and our feelings are pretty much the same thing.)
Much damage has been done to the body of Christ by flaky revelations and superspirituality.
Or have you ever been desperate to hear from God, yet it seemed that he was in no mood to talk?
Maybe you needed to make a crucial decision and desperately wanted God's input, but heaven seemed to be sealed shut? You were left with the impression that you had to make that crucial decision all by yourself.
Well, the Word states plain and clear that his sheep hear his voice. (John 10, 3.) And we are assured that he'll never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb. 13, 5.) God does speak! So where do we get mixed up?
Let's see.
In the Old Testament God anointed three kinds of people with the Holy Ghost: the prophet, the priest and the king. These three were led by God. They in turn led the people.
Jesus is all three: prophet, priest and king.
When he was on the earth two thousand years ago, he stood in the office of prophet. (Luke 13, 33.)
Right this moment he is our High Priest in heaven. (Heb. 3, 1.)
When he will come back, he will reign as King of Kings over all the earth in the Millennium. (Rev. 20, 6).
The prophetic way of receiving guidance is easily understood: to the prophet God speaks by revelations, visions and dreams. He opens his ear and unveils his eye. The word of the Lord comes to him in an audible voice. This is spectacular. Is it any wonder that charismatic christians cater to the prophetic way of receiving leadership? Visions and dreams are a very entertaining! Sure beats plain old bible reading.
Samuel for instance was led by audible voices. (1 Samuel 3, 4.)
Besides offering up prayers and sacrifices for the nation an OT priest had the duty to read the word of the law to the people. His way of providing leadership was through the teaching the word. (Malachi 2, 6+7; 2 Chronicles 17, 8+9.) Today a pastor who teaches makes the will of God known to his people in this priestly way.
Teaching is the PRIESTLY way of giving divine guidance! God speaks through his word.
You can be led by God by doing what his word tells you to do. This may not be very spectacular, but it is very, very effective. God's blessing is on it. And: everybody can do it, even without weeks of fasting and praying in the solitude of a log cabin way up in the ragged mountains. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119, 105.
Joshua was to be led primarily by the word. (Joshua 1, 8.)
The royal way of receiving guidance is the most overlooked and disregarded one of all. God leads kings by means of wisdom.
How does that work?
Look at Solomon.
After young king Solomon had sacrificed a great offering out of a pure heart, God appeared to him in a dream at night. The Lord said "Ask what I shall give thee." (1 Kings 3, 5.)
What an offer! The king could have asked for anything.
Solomon asked specifically for wisdom to judge and to guide his people properly. The nation was to be moving forward on the right track, and he wanted wisdom to accomplish that task.
Solomon did not ask the Lord to make him into a prophet. He did not ask that audible voices or angelic visitations would guide him whenever he had to make up his mind. God would have granted him visions and revelations. He did Samuel. But no, the king wanted wisdom!
Also, Solomon did not ask God for a good memory. You may recall that Joshua was told to constantly study the book of Moses. In Joshua 1, 8 the Lord basically instructed the Hebrew leader to learn the Law by heart: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night." Instead of good, Joshua-grade memory cells the king asked for wisdom.
To know the letter of the law is fine, but even better is: to understand the letter of the law properly, and to interpret it in the right spirit. That entails wisdom.
God was so pleased with his request that he made Solomon into the wisest man ever. This king had the spirit of wisdom to overflowing. Nobles from the ends of the earth journeyed to Jerusalem to hear his homilies. Solomon became the counselor of the whole world.
Solomon's being guided by wisdom was no exception to other kings. Look at the young man Saul. Samuel had anointed him and told him to go home. On the way home he would meet a group of prophets. Right there the spirit of God would come upon him and he would be turned into another man. And then? "And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee, for God is with thee." (1 Samuel 10, 7.) In plain English: Saul, after the spirit comes upon you, do what you think is right, for God will back you up. No visions, no revelations. Just do what you think is right.
That is wisdom? To do what I think is right?
Wisdom is the ability to see and do what is right in any given circumstance.
Somebody with the spirit of wisdom sees a problem and perceives it's solution with almost clairvoyant brightness. He masters the situation by intuition and with uncanny ease. Other people are amazed.
Wisdom is sort of when the Word and the Spirit team up with one another.
Wisdom is a forgotten way God guides his people. This is because on the surface it seems as if God is not even involved. It seems that by some genius of his own the wise person helps himself. And we know that we are not to help ourselves. We are not to do anything in our own strength. Then, many times we end up doing nothing, because we don't want to do anything in our own strength and God does not speak to us as we think he should, even though the situation would demand swift action.
Let me clarify something here:
When we say: don't do it in your own strength, what we actually mean is: don't to it in your own wisdom! Because works we will do, one way or the other. You just don't want to do works in your own wisdom, but in the wisdom of God. (Psalm 127.) Like Paul said: I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15, 10.)
Most christians think that the ONLY way God speaks and provides leadership is by way of direct communication. They assume that the only way to hear God is by a direct signal in their spirit.
But the unveiled eye and the opened ear are very much the domain of the fivefold ministry gift called prophet. Remember:
God calls us NT believers a royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2, 9.) And Revelation 5, 10 states that Jesus made us into kings and priests unto our God.
Notice: kings and priests.
What is conspicuous by it's absence is prophet. We all are kings and priests, but we are not all prophets. There are prophets among us, bless God, but we are not all prophets.
Thus God will lead his people primarily by the word and by wisdom. Not by visions!
No christian is constantly led by prophetic revelations or strong witnesses in his spirit. It would be wonderful if that were so. Then we could retire the whole idea of personal choice and responsibility once and for all. God would be responsible for everything we do, since he told us to do it. But I have found long ago that the ones who harp most on having heard from the Holy Ghost are the most insecure people. They hide behind "having heard from God." This relieves them of personal accountability. They're "just obedient" and do what God supposedly said. Let me remind you though: the prophetic way of direct communication is only one of three ways God may choose to lead.
God may choose to lead by
1. his written word only.
Remember Adam.
After God gave him the Word: "Don't eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden," he did not warn him again through a vision when Adam was about to eat the forbidden fruit. We don't even read anything about his inner peace being disturbed before the transgression. Eating was surely not wise.
2. Revelations or visions.
The favourite among charismatics. Yet even Jesus prayed all night before he chose the twelve. Not even he had revelations all the time.
3. wisdom.
The biblical instances where God led his people by wisdom are legion.
Solomon demonstrated wisdom when the two harlots came with their two newborns - one dead and one alive - and he had to find out who the real mother of the surviving child was. (1 Kings 3, 16-28.)
Saul demonstrated wisdom when Israel was attacked by marauders. The Spirit of God came upon him and he took a yoke of oxen, "hewed them into pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel, .. saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent." (1 Samuel 12, 7.)
Saul provided decisive leadership in a crucial moment of national emergency.
Jesus demonstrated wisdom when he hypocrites asked him: "Master, is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?" Any answer to this question would ordinarily result in trouble. His foes tried to put Jesus into a no-win situation: if Jesus said: "No, don't pay taxes!" he would be in trouble with the Roman overlords. If he said: "Yes," he would have the popular sentiment of the Jews against him, because they hated the Romans. And besides: taxes were sky high, because the publicans could charge whatever they wanted.
But Jesus - in the wisdom of God - asked for a coin. Then he asked: "Whose image and superscription is on it?" They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. Luke 20, 25
The coin was made in the likeness of Caesar.
Man is made in the image of God.
In other words, Jesus said: "Pay your taxes and serve God."
And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. (Luke 20, 26.)
So, the next time you find yourself in a fix and God doesn't seem to speak, - the Word seems dull and the Spirit far away - ask for wisdom. James says: " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth (chides) not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." (James 1, 5-6.)
God does not chide you for stupidity. He understands and gives you wisdom, as you ponder the problem in prayer. But then, MAKE UP YOUR MIND, choose a solution, and do something, believing you have received God's wisdom. You see, even the spirit of wisdom is received through faith.
May waves of wisdom wash over you always,
Gert Hoinle
Editor of Teaching News
P.S.: Here's an after-thought:
The prophet in visions and dreams cooperates strongly with the Holy Spirit.
The priest's main focus is on the Law of the Lord: Jesus the Son is theWord made flesh.
The king rules by the supreme power of his will, much like the God the Father in the Kingdom of God.
The prophetic way has primarily to do with our spirit.
The priestly way has to do with the body: we can open the written word - the bible - with our hand, and read it with our eyeballs.
The royal way deals with the soul, since it involves wisdom, which has to do with drawing conclusions.