Today's Reading September 4

Hope everyone is doing well this morning.
This morning's Old Testament passage is Proverbs chapters 5 and 6. These are just packed with good advice for living the sort of life that we should be living, developing that godly character out of practice. Consider, for example, these verses from Proverbs 6

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

which was at one time embodied and reinforced in stories told to children.
Or

16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

which sounds like the sort of thing our society now praises.
and a warning against adultery

24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.

We've all seen that one played out, have we not?

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This afternoon we look at 1st Corinthians, Chapter 14, verses 1 through 20. Paul is speaking still of spiritual gifts, and speaking in particular of the gift of prophecy.

Chapter 14

1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

As was said previously, the issue of spiritual gifts is one that we've heard a lot of discussion about, discussion that frequently generated more heat than light, and the issue of prophecy is one of the most contentious of them. There are many who point out, quite correctly, that with the closing of the canon, meaning the completion of the Bible, that the situation has changed. Up to that point, and the time of this letter is certainly before the New Testament was completed, the Lord spoke through prophets, those who had the authority to say ''thus says the Lord!''. With the Bible, there is no longer a call for such. And they point out, with some justice, the number of false prophets in history, and the regrettable record of those in our own time who claim the title of prophet (or, recently, Prophetess) whose record include public immorality and fraud.
While acknowledging all of that, I am not so sure. While it puts me into somewhat of a minority position, I believe that there is still a place for prophecy in the church today. The gift is, I believe, still extant in many preachers and teachers, and I say that with this definition: that the gift is used not in the sense of revelation, but of illumination; not of foretelling (as in the future) but of forthtelling, as in ''pay attention to this, look at this passage this way''.