My Journey to Life - Daily Study Guide

Q3. How did biblical prophets receive and communicate messages?

Picture: Q3. How did biblical prophets receive and communicate messages? JTLD 291.1

The Lord uses visions and dreams as the primary method of communicating with his prophets (Numbers 12:6). He also uses impressions on the heart, visitations from angels, and from Christ Himself to reveal His will. Sometimes in vision, the prophet experienced physical phenomena, such as Balaam hearing God’s words while lying prostrate (Numbers 24:3, 4, 15, 16), Daniel losing physical strength and apparently not breathing (Daniel 10:8-11, 17), or leaving Paul temporarily blind after his first vision (Acts 9:3-8). John the Revelator fell to the ground as though dead (Revelation 1:17). JTLD 291.2

God’s messages were communicated to the people through prophets in various ways— sometimes orally, by letter, and even through pantomime! Several biblical prophets used assistants in writing out messages received from God. When Jeremiah’s prophetic message was destroyed by King Jehoiakim, he dictated it again to his assistant Baruch, making additions to the original (Jeremiah 36:32). JTLD 291.3

We could describe the communication the prophets received from God as “thought inspiration” rather than “verbal inspiration.” This means that the messages were not dictated from God to the prophets word-for-word. The prophets received ideas from God, which they then communicated in the best words they could, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Thus, each prophet and Bible writer communicates in the language of humanity. JTLD 291.4

• Bible Discovery: 2 Samuel 12:7-12; Jeremiah 36:1-4; Ezekiel 4:5, 12; Habakkuk 2:2; Acts 21:10-12; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 1:1, 2; 2:1 — 3:22
• Further Reading: Ellen G. White, 14LtMs, Letter 32, 1899, par. 6; The Great Controversy, p.521.3; 20LtMs, Manuscript 129, 1905, par. 2; Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 21.1-2