God’s Covenant Prosecutors

GOD’S COVENANT PROSECUTORS

Read Deuteronomy 18:15-22

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen. Deuteronomy 18:15

God’s intended government for His people, the Church, included three officials: the prophet, the priest and the judges. Though Israel rejected this triumvirate in favor of a monarchy (see First Samuel 8), God nevertheless continued to rule His Old Testament Church through three offices: the prophet who spoke for God to the people; the priest who represented the people before God; and the king who ruled through the counsel and guidance of prophets and priests.

These three governmental offices reflect the three-fold office of Jesus Christ: Prophet, Priest and King. They are reflected in the offices of the New Testament Church and in the Presbyterian Church in America, though in modified form. Teaching elders are preachers who are to speak with a prophetic voice. Deacons exercise a priestly function through their ministry of prayer, service and mercy, and financial care of the needy. Ruling elders rule the Church and thus perform the kingly (pastoral) office. As such, the Church lives in the world with three perspectives in mind––the prophetic, the priestly and the pastoral.

In our churches today we experience the pastoral aspects of ministry often, primarily, but not exclusively, from the ones we call “pastors” (clergymen). And we can see a growing interest in the priestly ministry of the Church as congregations become involved in the ministries of justice and mercy. But it appears to me that the prophetic voice of the Church is fading away. Why is this so? Let me venture a guess.

Ours is a culture that values civility. Ironically, it is in short supply, but people long for it, especially the younger folks. This longing for civility makes any confrontation undesirable. The prophets and their books seem controversial, harsh and even too dogmatic. The prophets are simply not civil…not nice. As such, we shy away from them, until we learn why God raised them up to speak to us.

Willem Van Gemeren describes the essence of the prophetic office in his wonderful survey of the Old Testament prophets: Interpreting the Prophetic Word. Van Gemeren refers to these prophets as “God’s covenant prosecutors.” Here is how he describes their purpose and function:

Elijah is the beginning of a long line of prophets who charged God’s people with breaking the covenant and pronounced God’s judgment on them. He was God’s first covenant prosecutor, for he charged Israel with its failures to conform to the covenantal expectations. This is the essence of the prophetic lawsuit.⁵

These prophets were not censorious old curmudgeons who bludgeoned people into their own way of doing things. They were men who loved God and deeply loved their peo-ple…their country. They spanned the course of history from Moses to Jesus––the last being the Great Prophet of God: the Word of God incarnate.

They called out to their fellow countrymen with voices choked by tears, exhorting them to “return to the Lord,” and to the covenant God had made with them. They prosecuted God’s case against His people: They had broken their covenant with God. That covenant was multifaceted: the covenant of marriage, the covenant of church, the covenant of community, the national covenant, and most importantly, the covenant of grace with God (faith).

If we examine the state of divorce and the American marriage, our strife torn communities, our deeply divided churches and the rift revealed in our latest national election, we can only conclude that God’s covenant with the American church and the American people has been violated. On this National Day of Prayer, let us begin a 50-day journey through the Prophets. And let us listen to the voice of the Lord and the case His covenant prosecutors set before us. Then let us “seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

AC: Please pray that the Holy Spirit will draw the Assembly together in unity of heart, vision and a deep desire to glorify Jesus Christ. Pray that His unity will pervade the Assembly gatherings during worship, committee meetings, business sessions and beyond. And join us in praise to God the Almighty for His grace, mercy, and care. To His Name be all honor and glory.

CTS: Praise the Lord for his great blessings on Covenant Seminary’s By His Grace, For His Glory capital campaign, which was completed in December. Thank him for the many generous donors who gave of their time, their treasure and their talents to make the campaign the most successful in the Seminary’s history.

MTW: By God’s providence, the number of missionary applicants seems to be growing, even in challenging times. Please pray that these whom He has called will also find His provision to get to the field.

RUM: Pray that the Lord will protect and strengthen the marriages of our campus ministers.

RBI: RBI has a Strategic Plan to direct its ministry to the PCA, and the Mission Statement broadly expresses this service plan to the denomination. The RBI Mission Statement is: “RBI is committed to serve the Lord and His Church by providing financial direction and ministries of encouragement and support. As a member of God’s covenant family, RBI will deliver its services through a trusted and confidential relationship. We will provide professional expertise and competitive products designed to meet the retirement, insurance and ministerial relief needs of our Church family.” Please pray RBI can fulfill this Mission Statement for God’s honor.