“Now D’vorah, a woman and a prophet, the wife of Lapidot, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under D’vorah’s Palm between Ramah and Beit-El, in the hills of Efrayim; and the people of Israel would come to her for judgment.”-Judges 4:4-5
There’s one characteristic that makes Devorah unique and separates her from all the other judges.
It’s that in addition to being a judge, she was also a prophetess.
Verse 5 tells us she served the people in “the hills of Ephraim” which meant the northern part of Israel.
Let’s not overlook the fact Devorah was held in great esteem by all the tribes and clans of the north who would come to her with their legal disputes.
These people weren’t seeking simple advice or suggestions.
What Devorah was handing down were legal rulings that were binding…similar to a Supreme Court ruling.
Of course, each tribe had their own lower courts that handled petty disputes.
But if a member of a tribe had some major beef with a member of another tribe, the matter had to be taken to a third party who would be neutral in judging the matter.
No doubt, it was Devorah’s prophetic ability that established her position of authority in the northern regions of Israel.
Notice in verse 5 she says “Adonai has given you this order: ‘Go, march to Mount Tavor, and take with you 10,000 men from the people of Naftali and Z’vulun”.
Can you see how specific these instructions are?
There ain’t any room for ambiguity whatsoever.
And this isn’t a paraphrase either.
We’re talking about precise word-for-word instructions from the Lord Himself.
Compare this to the broad and generic prophecies of the so-called prophet Nostradamus.
For example…
“The sudden death of the first character, he will be changed and they will put another in his kingdom.”
Some speculate this is referring to Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Korea or even Joe Biden, the current president of the United States.
Or how about this one?
“Like the sun, the head will seal the shining sea, the live fish of the Black Sea will almost boil.”
A lot of folks surmise this is referring to the devastating effects of climate change (which I don’t for one second believe is real by the way).
And for my last example, I submit this one to you.
“Sacred temples of the Roman time, will reject the foundations of their foundation.”
Have any idea what that one might be about?
Of course you don’t, because it’s too ridiculously vague.
Folks who have dedicated themselves to interpreting the writings of this French prophet say he’s referring to the fall of the European Union which I guess is gonna happen some time in the future.
Interestingly, Nostradamus was of Jewish descent and ironically played up to the mystique of this Godly heritage saying it gave him a natural instinct for prophecy that he inherited from his Biblical ancestors.
Regardless, Jewish or not, when we compare his utterances to Devorah’s prophecies or those of any other true Biblical prophet, we’re gonna see there’s a huge difference in terms of clearness and clarity.
Understand that prophets of the Bible had to be PERFECT in what they predicted or they would be put to death for their error.
While that might seem barbaric, it is actually a good way to protect lives from being harmed by false prophecies.
If someone comes to you with a “word from the Lord”, then whatever he or she pronounced has to occur EXACTLY as predicted
If it doesn’t, then you can write that person off as being a prophet from God.
The source of that person’s prophecy may have sprung from wild imagination or even a satanic source.
But it certainly wasn’t from God.
And this goes for you as well.
Be careful about throwing out words from the Lord willy nilly.
Because if even one little thing you pronounced doesn’t come true, what you are speaking is NOT of God.
Period.
I know today one can do a quick search on YouTube and find a bunch of fools claiming to be prophets from God.
But understand that during the Biblical era, being a prophet was a dangerous profession.
Because just one wrong prediction and it would cost you your life.
In fact, one of the worst things you can be called in the Bible is a false prophet.
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