Faithful Witness

How did the prophets of the Old Testament prepare for their part in sharing the words of God with rebellious Israel? In nearly all cases, the prophets didn’t ask for the job or want the task they were assigned to do. But they were obedient to God – so they went.

Perhaps similar to how a witness to a crime didn’t ask for that position--they may not want to bear witness to what they know about something in court, and it probably isn’t comfortable to know that their words could be what was needed to convict someone. Yet, as a good citizen, when the duty is theirs, they do their part to contribute to justice.

God’s messengers have a difficult task: confront, convict, correct the actions of God’s children for the purpose of change, or repentance. It’s difficult because we realize how easy it can be to get caught up in sin, to be lured into the snare of Satan. As Paul reminded Timothy that his words and his involvement in the lives of those in Ephesus (and beyond) might help them “come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” (2 Timothy 2:26)

Therefore, the witness has an agenda to wake up the people caught in darkness, trapped in sin, blinded by Satan. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:3- 4, “if our Good News is hidden, it's hidden to those who are spiritually sick and dying. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 9:12-13, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Every word spoken by God (via prophet or priest) was intended to help a person or a nation come to repentance. The words the prophets spoke served as a witness to God’s laws; those laws revealed how much God was protecting His people from unnecessary harm and headache. For the most part, God’s commands were actually quite simple to understand, but more difficult to consistently do.

As we read the ancient reminders of God’s provisions and His protections, we also see how He openly expressed the consequences of neglecting to trust and obey His words. It doesn’t take much to see how His instructions (like the 10 Commandments) actually benefit our life and the lives of people all around us. The question is will we heed His warnings and accept the instructions of God’s witnesses who have come so that we can see how much we need God to be our director and captain?