by Dr. Richard Blackaby
I love history. I can’t help myself. Whenever I see something old and dusty my heart starts to race! My daughter claims this fact makes me about as exciting as asparagus. But for me, history is not primarily about meaningless dates and boring documents. It involves people and the struggles that perennially plague them. There truly is nothing new under the sun. There is merely this year’s model. So when I examine society’s present condition, I naturally look to history (especially that found in Scripture) to find answers.
What history reveals is that in every generation, society has tended to drift away from God and toward moral and spiritual relativism. If left unchecked, society can descend to shockingly low levels of depravity and irreverence. Even the godliest of generations produced prodigal children in the next. And, when this inevitably happened, God would generally respond in one of two ways: He would send a prophet or a spiritual leader.
We live in an age that desperately requires prophets and spiritual leaders. Both are crucial, but they are far from being the same thing. Many people are called to be leaders, at least at some level. Far fewer seem to be commissioned to speak prophetically. We need both. But we also must understand the significant differences between the two divinely appointed roles.
The Role of the Prophet
Despite popular misconceptions, prophets are not simply long-bearded, bombastic preachers who predict the future. (Otherwise people like Elijah would have won the company football pool every year!) Rather, biblical prophets were people who delivered a word from God to the people. Usually a prophet would show up in Scripture after God’s people had seriously departed from His standards and commandments. Many Christians today are praying for God to anoint a prophet for our day. But as my father always points out, don’t be too quick to pray for a prophet. They are God’s last line of defense before He metes out judgment. Generally by the time a prophet came on the scene it was too late. The people’s apostasy was already too advanced for them to be restored without more drastic measures being applied.
Typically a biblical prophet was someone who spoke an unpopular message to a morally and spiritually bankrupt people. When King Ahab and his wicked queen Jezebel infested the land with idol worship, Elijah appeared on the scene and declared that God was sending a drought. He later came to Mount Carmel and called fire down from heaven before he had the popular priests of Baal slaughtered. The public at large didn’t generally enjoy having Elijah show up because he usually came with unwelcome news.
When you read the biblical prophets such as Amos and Hosea, you see the heart and holiness of God. Through His spokespeople, God condemned the exploitation of the poor, unethical business practices, and extravagant, selfish lifestyles. He also challenged behaviors and attitudes that contravened His righteous standards. Most importantly, God used prophets to alert people to how far they have drifted in their relationship with Him. While society tends to be blind to its shortcomings and sins, prophets shine a bright light on society so its transgressions cannot be hidden.
It takes courage to be a prophet. Just look at the manner in which many of them met their end! Kings and powerful leaders were constantly angry with them and trying to silence them. Religious leaders often mocked and imprisoned them (There is a reason Jeremiah is called the ”Weeping Prophet”). It is generally much easier to turn a blind eye to societal sins or loose morals than to stand out as the only one who has a problem with the behavior. Ironically, it is even more difficult to challenge the complacency, secular creep, and sinful attitudes that permeate God’s people. Jesus did so and it infuriated the religious leaders of His day.
In recent days it has become increasingly evident that we live in a society desperate for a prophetic word. The suffocating pressure of “political correctness” has muted many a Christian voice. When Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-A commented that God’s standard for marriage was being abused and redefined by society, the cacophony of angry voices denouncing him was deafening. When people speak up about abortion or biblical compromise, they are angrily shouted down. At the same time people can go on television and chronicle any number of graphic, depraved experiences and be praised for their authenticity. It would seem the only politically correct, approved target these days to assault with impunity is the Christian church. To point out discrepancies or inaccuracies in anyone else is to commit the unforgivable sin of intolerance.
It is in fact, a documented strategy of the homosexual agenda to loudly attack and intimidate anyone who questions their lifestyle or moral views. When they can’t win a debate with reason and facts, they simply shout louder. As Dan Cathy discovered, in our morally charged society, even when you affirm a traditionally held value such as heterosexual marriage, you are castigated as a bigot and hatemonger. We live in a day when there are plenty of job vacancies for prophets.
Is a Prophet Enough?
The problem is that by the time a prophetic voice is required, society is already in deplorable condition. And, generally speaking, while prophets condemned people’s moral and spiritual condition, they rarely led people to where they needed to be. Elijah preached a thundering denunciation of Baal worship on Mount Carmel. Then he ran for his life! Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and others spoke magnificently on behalf of God, but they were largely limited by what the reigning king did with their message. Jeremiah was one of the greatest of biblical prophets. When he served under the righteous King Josiah, his message was largely heeded. After Josiah was gone, the prophet found himself in prison. Even a spectacular fireworks display could not bring about changes under Elijah if the queen was determined to have his head.
That is why a prophet is never enough. Prophets are great at pointing out what is wrong. They are not necessarily hardwired to move people to where they need to be. Don’t get me wrong. I think it takes great courage to be a prophet. It can be a lonely, and even dangerous calling. But it is never enough. I spoke with someone recently who told me about his frustrating years of ministry as a pastor. While the man gave evidence of a prophetic calling, the only paying jobs available had been pastorates. In every church this man came to lead, he would inevitably find himself condemning sin and challenging ungodly leadership. And, just as inevitably, the cleric would find himself unemployed. I don’t doubt the man’s courage or integrity, but over the course of his ministry, he had never been able to successfully lead people. He had only denounced them. And that is the problem for many prophets. There aren’t many paying jobs these days for those with the prophetic gift. That’s why many assume the role of pastor (Which calls for shepherding skills rather than prophetic ones).
It is never enough to merely denounce what is wrong. Someone must stand up and lead the people to where people ought to be. With the proliferation of blogs and Twitter these days, it is easy to issue public condemnations. The church does not lack analysts or critics! Condemning what is, while often necessary, is only half the job. At times it is easier to wax eloquent in the pulpit, or in a blog, than it is to take people by the hand and draw them to their divinely appointed destination.
Perhaps that is also why prophets are primarily for God’s people, and not unbelievers. While no one particularly enjoys a thundering denouncement, at least believers have the Holy Spirit convicting them that what is being said is true. But unbelievers have no such Spirit dwelling within them. When Christians denounce unbelievers, it does not generally draw them to faith (Jonah is an obvious exception). Unfortunately modern society often views Christians in terms of what they denounce rather than what they affirm. To exert a significant impact on society today, someone in addition to a prophet, is required.
Spiritual Leaders
There is an intriguing story in Judges Chapter Six. We all know the account of the Midianites who swept into Israel like a plague of locusts, devouring everything in sight. But what is less known is that before God called Gideon, He sent a prophet. In Judges 6:7-10 we are told:
And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God: do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’”
This incident is unusual because Samuel is generally viewed as the bridge between the last of the judges and the first of the prophets. But in this chapter a prophet appears and draws a direct connection between the people’s difficult circumstances and their sin (Never a popular sermon topic). The prophet arrives. He delivers his message. Then he is gone, lost in the annals of time. The prophet may well have accomplished some good, but none is recorded.
What happened next? God raised up a leader. Gideon. At first, he’s anything but a sterling example of statesmanship. But God chose him anyway. Through a God-appointed leader, God’s people are liberated from their oppressors. As long as Gideon lived, there was peace. What a prophet had been unable to do, a youngest son, in an insignificant family, who was divinely appointed to lead, accomplished. Unfortunately, immediately after Gideon’s death, it became clear that the people’s hearts were not wholly committed to God. Perhaps events might have ended differently had that prophet preached more during Gideon’s rule. It would seem that the best combination for keeping a society walking with God is a partnership between prophets and leaders.
In our book, Spiritual Leadership, my father and I describe the task of spiritual leaders as “moving people on to God’s agenda.” If people have not moved, you have not led. You may have pointed out what is wrong; you may have castigated transgressors, but if people remain where they are, you have failed to lead.
What we need today is not only to condemn moral laxness and biblical apostasy. We also require leaders who will rise up and show their people the way. I greatly appreciate pastors who not only refuse to compromise biblical truth, but also lead their congregations to make a positive difference in their community. I enjoy working with Christian business leaders who realize that God has gifted them to lead, not to preach. These men and women are using their business skills to be salt and light in society just as Jesus instructed them to (Matt. 5:13-16). Christian parents are taking their leadership role in the home seriously and consequently are rearing a superb generation of bright, articulate, accomplished defenders of the faith for the next generation. While today’s spiritual leaders may never mount the pulpit with a fire and brimstone message, they are quietly going about their workweeks making a profoundly positive difference on everything they touch.
Where are you? Have you been cowed by liberal and secular society to tone down your convictions and to focus on less controversial subjects? Or, have you found it easy to condemn, but not to lead? The Church is crying out for positive, effective, godly leadership. And, though it is not calling for them, the Church desperately needs prophets too. If you are a leader or a prophet, be certain you highly value your counterpart’s gift. Perhaps you may even collaborate with others to ensure that your people receive everything God has for them.
Where are the prophets and spiritual leaders for our day?