“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-20)
Speaking presumptuously in the Lord’s Name is no light matter. In fact, to do so is to warrant the Lord’s destruction. If we are to avoid speaking presumptuously we must be diligent to hear the words of our one Teacher, Prophet, and Lord, who the Father has raised up from among His brethren. We err when we afford to any other this singular place.
The history of the church is strewn with the wreckage caused by men arising from its midst and drawing disciples after themselves. Such men have made obedience to them and their doctrine the touchstone of blessing and rightness in God. But on the Mount of Transfiguration, even Moses and Elijah disappeared and only Christ remained. The Father then spoke: “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.”
Much leaven has entered the church, and is still with us today, because of those who have added to or taken away from the words of Christ. Many have ran whom the Lord has not sent and spoken in His Name without first standing in His counsel. It is time to return to a greater spiritual sobriety and fidelity to the Words of our one Shepherd. The day of fire will soon be upon us when all the accumulated wood, hay, and stubble of centuries will be burnt up.
Let us learn to be quick to hear the words of our Master and slow to speak anything that would form in our minds apart from Him. We will soon be answering to Him for every idle word we have spoken.