The prophet's dictionary guide to the supernatural

A wicked messenger or an unfaithful one could cause much ruin. That is the premise for Proverbs 13:17, 17:11, and 25:13. Not all messengers were verbalizers, some were sent to perform what was spoken, or exercise the authority of the sender. These couriers were then ambassadors, emissaries, agents, deputies, or specially commissioned officers. However, all messengers took great pride in their work. They had exceptional memories as some words they were sent to relay were not allowed to be written, being intended for the ears of the addressee only. Recognizing the dangers and pitfalls along the way, professional not incidental, messengers were skilled combatants who were knowledgeable of their route’s terrain. Using shrewdness and stealth, they could evade ambush, while remaining ready to defend to the death the charge entrusted to them. Professional messengers knew better than to let anything interfere with their deliveries and confronted by a powerful figure died before they let their messages fall into the wrong hands. Many of them chose to do so rather than return to their sender without the proper response. They dreaded having to say that they could not get through to deliver the word. Review Ezekiel 9. (This attitude is also seen in Daniel’s angelic messenger in chapter ten of his prophecy.) To be entrusted with a message was not inconsequential and many years of training and proving went into being relied on as a messenger. An inner probity that demonstrated concern about accurately receiving what was to be delivered and accurately reciting it to the designated hearer had to be displayed. A principle crucial to biblical prophetics. Messengers were not gossips who could not keep secrets, nor were they inclined to deliver their words to the wrong ears. Most of them would just as soon take the word to their graves rather than deliver them contrary to the instructions of their senders. To modify or paraphrase a message during these days was tantamount to being both a false witness and a liar because the messenger and the sender for the period of the assignment merge as one with the messenger surrendering all personhood to rightly represent and perform for the sender. See Proverbs 30:6. Here is the natural fundament of the prophet’s ministry. The prophet as the scribal courier and commissioned agent of the Godhead has a high obligation to see that their words are accurate, timely, and relevant to those who hear them. His or her task of hearing from God, interpreting what was heard, and writing it down to be delivered at the appointed time constitute the crux of the ministry. Like their secular counterparts, prophets are to guard the calls of God with their lives and every effort is to be made to see that the