Sunny Pathway

Friday, September 4, 2009

Prophetic Acts, Part 1 of 3

A recent event resulted in my becoming engaged in a prophetic act on the final day of our vacation. My exposure to prophetic acts began a long time ago. They seem normal to me now, but I wonder if perhaps they are still as controversial to others as they were to me when initially exposed to them.

I'm going to use what happened recently as a reason to explain what they are and why Christians do them. In this post I'll take the academic approach by explaining the Scriptural foundation for prophetic acts. On Monday I'll relate something about my earlier exposures to prophetic acts. Later in the week, I'll tell what happened recently.

A Definition -
Prophetic acts are physical activities that have spiritual significance because they are done in faith as a response to a specific instruction or Word from God.

Biblical Perspective -
People of the Old Testament engaged in numerous prophetic acts. For example, early in the Exodus, before the Israelites had become a cohesive group, Amalekite warriors attacked them. Moses told Joshua to select a group of men to fight. As he, Aaron, and Hur watched from a nearby hill, Moses held his rod high—the one he held when the waters parted in the red sea. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But where he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. (Ex. 17:11 LT)

The battle dragged on and Moses arms became weak. Then Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. (v. 12b) Moses' prophetic act, along with the help and support of Aaron and Hur, resulted in victory.

The prophetic books contain numerous examples of prophetic acts. Jeremiah bought a field when he was in prison—and when influential people wanted to kill him. Why would he do such a thing? The Babylonians were overrunning Israel and he would never benefit from the purchase. He didn’t even have heirs who would inherit the land.

But after completing the legal transaction in prison, Jeremiah prophesied: Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields. (Jer. 32:15b LT) He instructed his servant Baruch to place the deeds in pottery to preserve them—a sign of God’s plan for Israel’s future.

Then there's Ezekiel. If you think John the Baptist was strange, read Ezekiel. God told him to draw a map of the city of Jerusalem as it lay under siege—complete with siege ramps and battering rams. (Ez. 4:2b) Then he was to lie on his left side for many days and on his right side for many days—all the while staring at the map—all the while somehow carrying or representing the sins of the people of Israel—and all the while doing additional strange activities.

Why? To depict the coming judgment—including food and water shortages. Even sinful people had a right to know, and God gave them the information they needed.

In the New Testament, Agabus (also mentioned in Acts 11) met Paul as he traveled to Jerusalem. Agabus bound his own feet and hands with Paul’s belt. Then he prophesied, So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles. (Acts 21:11b) God demonstrated Paul’s future through a prophetic act.

Something to think about -
Moses, Aaron, and Hur saw immediate results when they responded with a physical act. Agabus at least saw results in the near future. How about Jeremiah and Ezekiel?

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