Week 3
"The President of the Church, the Presiding High Priest, is sustained as prophet, seer, and revelator for the Church, and he alone has the right to receive revelations for the Church...or to give authoritative interpretations of scriptures...or change in any way the existing doctrines of the Church. He is God's sole mouthpiece on earth for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true Church. He alone may declare the mind and will of God to his people. No officer of any other church in the world has this high right and lofty prerogative." (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Address to seminary and institute faculty, Brigham Young University, 7 July 1954).
Questions and Activities
- What is a prophet? a seer? a revelator?
- What are some common characteristics of ancient and modern prophets?
- Why does the Lord call prophets?
- Find several examples in the scriptures that illustrate the role of a prophet.
- What does it mean to sustain the prophet?
- What are some instances when you were blessed by following the counsel of modern prophets?
- What are you doing to sustain the prophet?
Topical Guide
False Prophets
Guidance, Divine
Prophecy
Prophets, Mission of
Prophets, Rejection of
Seer
Scriptures
1 Nephi 1:5-20
Mosiah 8:13-18; 11:20-29; 12-13
Helaman 10, 13-14
D&C 1; 68:3-5
Exodus 4
Articles of Faith 1:6
Bible Dictionary
Divination
Prophet
Revelation
Seer
Urim and Thummim
Other Sources
Gospel Principles, chapter 9
Truth Restored, chapter 14
What is a prophet? I looked it up in the LDS Bible DIctionary and there were many helpful definitions. The one that interested me most this time was that as a rule the prophet is a "forthteller" rather than a "foreteller." I went online to see the definition of that word and found this:
ReplyDeleteIn certain cases prophets predicted future events, e.g., there are the very important prophecies announcing the coming of Messiah’s kingdom; but as a rule a prophet was a forthteller rather than a foreteller.1
That last part is interesting, a prophet is a forthteller rather than a foreteller. The word forthteller is one that we’re not used to. President Anthony Ivins, counselor to President Heber J. Grant, once gave the definition of a prophet almost the same as we have it today in the Bible Dictionary, adding that a prophet’s “direct, and most important calling is to be a forth-teller, or director of present policy, rather than a foreteller of what is to come”2. Carolyn Rasmus commented on this:
"Isn’t that fascinating language? A forth-teller, meaning to present to the people the doctrine, to speak forth on things that we need to know. We often think of a prophet as foretelling the future. But consider even the word prophet itself: the prefix pro means “forth.” So a prophet declares or states forth the word of God.3
Indeed, the word prophet comes from two roots, pro meaning “before” or “forth,” and phanai meaning “to speak.” So both the word forthteller and prophet have the meaning that the person is speaking for someone else, that they are a spokesman, “speaking forth” the word of another. The Hebrew word for prophet is nabiy which literally means spokesman or speaker, speaking not his own words, but those delivered to him. In Greek the word is prophetes which has the meaning of someone who is moved by the Spirit of God and hence is his spokesman, who declares to mankind what he has received by inspiration from God. In many commentaries, a prophet is said to be the immediate organ, instrument, or mouthpiece of God for the communication of his will to men. This brings more meaning to the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants that says “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38). A prophet reports what he hears from God, sometimes even prefacing their words with, “Thus saith the Lord…”
Now we begin to see what a prophet is. He is a righteous man with much faith, but specifically called and commissioned to deliver the word and will of God to mankind on the earth. The most common way the will of the Lord has been communicated to mankind since the beginning was through the voice of his prophets. They were messengers from our Heavenly Father, servants. When the people wanted to know what God wanted them to do, they listened to the prophet. Almost all of the scriptures we possess were given to us through prophets, who not only declared the word of God, but wrote it down.
Since God will do nothing without revealing his will to the prophets (Amos 3:7), it is therefore reasonable to believe that he has called prophets today. And He has. God’s prophet on the earth today is President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (http://www.followtheprophet.net/what-is-a-prophet/)
I am so grateful for a living prophet. It is a privilege. On my mission I was telling an investigator about our prophet. He was very happy to hear that there is indeed a living prophet today. He asked me what he has said recently. I was dumbfounded. I did not have on the tip of my tongue specific words of our living prophet that I could share with him. I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I have tried to be more mindful of what he's saying. I have a poster on our bathroom wall with a summary of things spoken in last General Conference by the prophets. Julia helped me put that together. It helps...I would like to be better at remembering what our beloved, living prophet has told us.
ReplyDeleteWhat things are you finding helps you remember what the prophet tells us? I'd love to learn from your ideas.
Have a blessed day!
Jen
I loved your comments, Jen. I loved the idea in our study for this week that whoever bears testimony of Jesus Christ is being a prophet. That teaches us how important it is for us to have and share our testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to read the scriptures assigned for the week. I always spend way more time as I read around the assigned scripture for a fuller meaning.
I love your comments Jen, and the extra insight. I have enjoyed my study this week. I especially liked the idea that whenever we testify of Jesus Christ we are acting like a prophet.
ReplyDeleteIt is always great to read around the scriptures we are cited to read, and helps me to understand the scripture better.