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 18:15-22, ESV)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2, ESV)
It’s hard to imagine golf without its ‘voices.’ Think about how dull the game would be without the color commentary of Peter Alliss, Jim Nantz, or Verne Lundquist—to name just a few.
It wouldn’t have been the same without Vern Lundquist’s animated description of Jack’s putt on the 17th green in the 1986 Masters, with his famous “Yes, Sir!”
As we watched Tiger’s chip finally drop on the 16th during the 2005 Masters, it was spectacular. Still, Vern made it unforgettable by asking in astonishment, “In your life, have you ever seen anything like that?”
Listening to Peter Alliss agonize over Jean Van De Velde’s meltdown on the 72nd hole of the 1999 Open was legendary. As Van De Velde waded into the Barry Burn, Alliss captured the moment with, “Would somebody kindly go and stop him? Give him a large brandy and mop him down.” Colorful, indeed!
Having these analysts share their perspectives on unforgettable moments in golf adds a new layer of enjoyment to the game. In televised golf, we always see two things: the player’s shot(s) and the reporter’s interpretation of those shots.
When examining the history of redemption recorded in Scripture, we notice two realities: the supernatural event itself and how a prophet interprets and explains its meaning—that is, what it signifies.
For example, we might ask, “Would you prefer being on site when Moses led Israel through the Red Sea or reading about that event in Exodus?” If we answer, “being on site,” then we have failed to understand how prophets and prophecy function.
Whenever a supernatural event occurred, it was explained by a prophet inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we read the book of Exodus, we see God’s interpretation of what that event signified through Moses’ written record—the rescue of Israel is a prophetic picture pointing to an even greater redemption in Christ (Luke 24:25-27).
If time travel were possible, and we could have been present at Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, though we would have been awe-struck by seeing a man conquer death, we would still need a God-authorized interpretation of what it meant.
In other words, relying only on our rational and imaginative abilities, we would never grasp the meaning and significance of any redemptive-historical moment without a prophetic explanation.
This is why the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit’s illumination, are writing the New Testament — they are explaining the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
If one starts with the belief that supernatural events don’t happen, then reading the Old or New Testaments will be nothing more than a collection of fanciful stories created by the wild imaginations of men suffering from heat stroke in the desert.
However, if the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes to the wonder of God’s providential control over historical events, then you will recognize that all the events and their prophetically interpreted significance point to the person of Christ Jesus and his kingdom.
Though there is much more to say, the main point of this devotional is that these Old Testament prophets point forward to the Son of God, the final spokesperson for God, who came to tell us the “true story of the whole world.”
Which is to say, Jesus is God’s final and trustworthy prophetic narrator, revealing who God is, what he has done for us through Jesus, who we are, how we should live, the origin of the world, and where it is heading.
We can disagree with Alliss or Lundquist’s perspective without loss, but dismissing prophets, especially the final prophet, Jesus Christ, is alarmingly dangerous. Listen to him!
Prayer: Jesus! Give us ears to hear your voice!