The Inspiration of God

Scripture makes a clear and direct statement about its source, its development and the purposes that it serves.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." - 2 Timothy 3:16, 17


A thorough study of Scripture will yield information on what exactly is meant by "inspiration".  Throughout the Bible there are examples and explanations of what falls into that category, how it takes place and what (or who) is involved.

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." - 2 Peter 1:21

"For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets." - 1 Corinthians 14:31, 32


Scripture reveals a number of different forms of interaction between individuals and God that have been placed in the category of "inspiration".  In addition to the clear indication that inspiration occurs by way of the Holy Spirit and does not override the personality of the recipient, an example of the mechanics of at least one form of inspiration is given early on in the Old Testament.

"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother?  I know that he can speak well.  And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." - Exodus 4:14-16


"And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.  Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land." - Exodus 7:1, 2


What is described here in what God had arranged between Moses and Aaron is an example of what happens between God and a prophet in the relation of messages from God to man and all other aspects of the prosecution of a prophets ministry.

In the passage in Exodus 4 (see above), Aaron's ability to speak well is mentioned by God Himself as criteria for his being chosen as a spokesperson for Moses.  His ability to speak well being a part of the equation, it is clear that in this example, the personality and typical habits of communication are not overridden or replaced.

In Scripture, the majority of the time, the work of a prophet involved the revelation of the will of God to man on a corporate level.  There is at least one instance where such revelation was not delegated to a prophet in the fashion illustrated by the working relationship arranged by God between Moses and Aaron.  The Law of God, the Ten Commandments were given directly by God, spoken in the hearing of the people, then written by Him in and by His own hand.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai." - Exodus 19:10, 11


"And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.  And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice." - Exodus 19:17-19


"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.  Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.  Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.  Thou shalt not kill.  Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's." - Exodus 20:1-17

"And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." - Exodus 31:18


"At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto Me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.  And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.  And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.  And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me.  And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me." - Deuteronomy 10:1-5


In addition to the example of Moses and Aaron in Exodus chapters 4 and 7 (see above), there are a number of ways shown in Scripture in which the Holy Spirit influences those chosen to reveal the will of God.  There are instances where prophets are simply prompted in the delivery of their messages, the delivery of said message being typical to their personality and expression.  On other occasions, the participation of the Spirit is manifested in other ways like the experience of visions.  There are also instances recorded where there is some act that the prophet is instructed to perform, where there is strength, support, or instruction supplied by the Holy Spirit.  


"And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you." - 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2


"And He said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.  And the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me." - Ezekiel 2:1, 2


"And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.  Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of His loins even downward, fire; and from His loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of amber.  And He put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy." - Ezekiel 8:1-3


"And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them." - Ezekiel 11:5


"Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll.  And He said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.  Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.  And He said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them." - Ezekiel 3:1-4


"Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house." - Ezekiel 3:24


"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry." - Ezekiel 37:1, 2

Continued examination of what Scripture has to say on the subject will show that, though the personalities of God's prophets and messengers are not overridden, no license is given or taken outside of what is to be communicated.

"Now these be the last words of David.  David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue." - 2 Samuel 23:1, 2


"Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets." - 2 Kings 17:13


"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." - 1 Corinthians 2:12, 13

Ever since I was in high school, I've heard and read arguments to the effect that those bearing the title "prophet" (in Scripture or otherwise) gave messages and prophecies of their own devising for whatever purpose was suspected by whoever made the argument.  In Exodus chapters 4 and 7 (see above) Moses and Aaron are presented as a clear cut example of the working relationship between God and His prophet.  Their ministry also shows that the prosecution of a ministry in His service is not something left to the devices of the prophet.  


"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.  And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.  And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." - Numbers 20:7-12


"And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: because ye trespassed against Me among the children of Israel.  Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel." - Deuteronomy 32:48-52

From what happened with Moses it is clear that there are consequences for deviation from the instruction of God, particularly in the prosecution of a ministry in His service.  From the last words of King David to the messages to Israel from the prophets to the letters of Paul to the Christian churches, throughout the Bible there is evidence that God exerts effort and takes measures preserve the integrity of whatever messages are given to man, to preserve the integrity of His word.