16/08/2023
LIMITATIONS OF A PROPHET
- There is the general belief by many that prophets of God knows anything and everything.
- This belief is held by those who have actually not read their Bibles deeply.
- Prophets of God are highly limited. It is ONLY God that is omniscience(all-knowing).
1) A prophet of God does not know anything and everything EXCEPT what the Lord reveals to him.
See examples below:
a) Prophet Samuel,
1 Samuel 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, SURELY THE LORD's ANOINTED is before him. 16:7 BUT THE LORD SAID UNTO SAMUEL, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; BECAUSE I HAVE REFUSED HIM: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, NEITHER HATH THE LORD CHOSEN THIS. 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, NEITHER HATH THE LORD CHOSEN THIS. 16:10 AGAIN, JESSE MADE SEVEN OF HIS SONS TO PASS BEFORE SAMUEL. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
- Prophet Samuel was a man highly respected in Israel.
1 Samuel 9:6 And he said unto him, Behold now, THERE IS IN THIS CITY A MAN OF GOD, AND HE IS AN HONOURABLE MAN; ALL THAT HE SAITH COMETH SURELY TO PASS: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
- Yet Samuel missed it SEVEN TIMES at the house of Jesse trying to anoint the wrong person. This is because he was a man who is limited in knowledge.
Psalms 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
- Thank God that Samuel was still hearing God telling him that is not the right person.
b) Prophet Elisha,
2 Kings 4:25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: 4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 4:27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: AND THE LORD HATH HID IT FROM ME, AND HATH NOT TOLD ME.
- The Shunammite woman lost her son and came to see Elisha for her dead son. Elisha was asking her about herself, her husband and her child if they are all well. Yet the child was dead.
- At the end of verse 27 Elisha said "the Lord hath his it from me, and had not told me."
- This shows that even true prophets of God don't know everything except what the Lord has revealed to them.
- Any Prophet who ALWAYS gets a word from the Lord whenever people come to see him, is NOT a prophet of God. No man of God can see into the realm of the Spirit and hear from the realm of the Spirit 24 hours a day. I stand to be corrected.
- It is those false prophets that seeks familiar spirits that can 'see' into the realm of the spirit 24 hours.
- The absence of revelation from God to the prophet is the presence of blindness of the prophet.
- until the Shunammite woman told Elisha that the son was dead, he knew it not.
2 Kings 4:28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
- Prophet Elijah had a double portion of Elijah's spirit(anointing), yet he does not know everything. This is because double, triple, or hundredfold portion of an anointing does NOT equal omniscience(all-knowing).
2) A prophet MUST be led of God, he can't lead himself. If he does, he speaketh lies.
Jeremiah 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, THE PROPHETS PROPHESY LIES IN MY NAME: I SENT THEM NOT, NEITHER HAVE I COMMANDED THEM, NEITHER SPAKE UNTO THEM: THEY PROPHESY UNTO YOU A FALSE VISION AND DIVINATION, AND A THING OF NOUGHT, AND THE DECEIT OF THEIR HEART.
*From Daniel Izuagbe