Three Characteristics of Prophetic Language

Dr Michael P V Barrett in his book, "God's Unfailing Purpose", described three characteristics of prophetic language:
Prophecy tends to use symbolic languages;
Prophecy tends to use language of imminency;
Prophecy tends to link distinct epochal events into single predictive contexts.

Prophetic Ambiguity - 1

In his book "God's Unfailing Purpose", Dr Michael P V Barrett wrote that "An intentional ambiguity inheres in prophecy. God reveals enough clarity to testify to His control of time and faithfulness to His word, but He does not make us privy to every single detail of His plan."
He gives 2 Kings 7 as an illustration. The prophet Elisha gave two specific prophecies - cheap food (2 Kings 7:1) and the fate of the doubter (2 Kings 7:2). The prophecies were specific, but strategic details were left out.

Then Elisha said, "Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.'"
The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" Then he said, "Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it."
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?
“If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there; and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we will live; and if they kill us, we will but die.”
They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans; when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there.
For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.”
Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life.
When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.
Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.”
The gatekeepers called and told it within the king’s household.
Then the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and get into the city.’”
One of his servants said, “Please, let some men take five of the horses which remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it; behold, they will be in any case like all the multitude of Israel who have already perished, so let us send and see.”
They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”
They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.
So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate; but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
It happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two measures of barley for a shekel and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, will be sold tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria.”
Then the royal officer answered the man of God and said, “Now behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”
And so it happened to him, for the people trampled on him at the gate and he died (2 Kings 7 NASB).

Eat, sleep and cuddle

What does a baby need? Baby only need to eat, sleep and be cuddled. When the baby grows up, he still have the same three needs, except it appears in many forms.

Eat: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4 KJV). See also Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3.

Sleep: God gives his beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2).

Cuddle: Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23 KJV).

Seventy Years of Mercy

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11 KJV).
God was very merciful to Israel. For the first exile, God gave Israel a specific timing so that Israel did not have to live with uncertainty about the length of the punishment. When the prophecy came true, it also glorified God, revealing Him as the true and living God.

Manna (Exodus 16)

The food which God gave to the Israelites in the Wilderness. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. (16:31)

The rules:

1. They are to gather it in the morning. (16:21)


2. They are to gather according to their need. On the sixth day they have to gather twice as much food. None will be given on Sabbath. (16:16, 22)


3. They may gather it for six days, but rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath. (16:26)


4. No one is to let any of it remain until the next morning, except on the sixth day. (16:9, 23-24)

Their action:

1. They gathered it every morning. When the sun grew hot, it melted. (16:17)


2. Some gathered a lot, some a little. But when they measured it with an omer, the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. God supplied exactly what each person needed, which is an omer per head. (16:17-18)


3. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. (16:22)

Their disobedience:

1. On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. (16:27)


2. Some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. (16:20)

Our lesson:

1. God will supply all your needs daily.


2. You may put in a lot of effort and save much surplus, but in the end, you will only spend what you need. The rest will breed worms and smell.


3. There were many Richest Men in World and Great Rulers in the past, but they left us no legacy and we do not know who they were. We know our Richest Man now, but a thousand years later, who would know him? The worms will take their toll.

That in all things he might have the preeminence

Three questions:
1. Why is Christ preeminent?
2. What is Christ's preeminence?
3. Is Christ's preeminence reflecting in your life?

Why is Christ preeminent?
1. He is the Creator - For by him were all things created (1:16-17).
2. Firstborn from the dead (1:18)
3. For it pleased the Father (1:19)

What is Christ's preeminence?
1. In all things - that in all things he might have the preeminence (1:18).

Is Christ's preeminence reflecting in your life?
1. Word - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col 3:17
2. Walk - that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called (Eph 4:1)
3. Motive - That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:10)
4. Testimony - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:6).

From sermon by Rev Koh Hock Heng.

Is it scriptural for a lady to shave bald?

I read in the papers of some women shaving bald for charity. It looked so odd to me to see a lady bald and I wondered what the Bible says about it. Of course it said about long hair being the glory of a woman. But what about some African women who could not have long hair by nature? It seem that the scriptures also said that there need to be a separation between male and female.