There are examples of this in Scripture; however, they are the exceptions, not the rule. Most who were called as prophets were devoted seekers of knowledge and understandingthey were lovers of the truth enough to seek it.
In the case of the truly exceptional ones, such as Isaiah and Daniel, they excelled in their breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding beyond possibly anyone else in their times. It is a basic principle that those who seek will find, and they are the ones most used by God. It is a basic tenet throughout the Scriptures that God rewards diligence, faithfulness, endurance, and steadfastness.
The exceptional prophets under the Old Covenant were well-educated in the Scriptures, history, and current events. This was a foundation that the Lord could build a message on. Most of prophecy is composed of keys that the Lord gives to bring understanding to the times and direction for Gods people in them. Because the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God (see I Corinthians 2:10), if we are led by the Spirit, we will be searchers, always wanting more understanding, especially in the purposes of God.
There are exceptions to this principle of how to build a foundation for prophetic perspective and ministry. There have been simple, uneducated, and even illiterate people whom God gave a great gift of prophecy. Brother Klaus, who lived in the 1400s in Switzerland, is an example. Brother Klaus, who was sainted by the Catholic Church as Saint Nicholas of Flue, is sometimes confused with an Italian Saint Nicholas, the one we call Santa Claus.
Brother Klaus did have many children, but he was far from the jolly, fat fellow we view as Santa Claus. He reportedly did not eat for 30 years, a fact which was verified by government agents who watched him day and night for part of that time. He did not claim to be fasting, but that his food was to do the will of the Lord, and as a sign of this, he did not need natural food. The only food he took in was communion, which he took once a month.
Brother Klaus is considered by historians as the father of Switzerland because he gave a prophetic word to the seven cantons which were about to go to war with each other. Because of this word, instead of going to war, they united and formed a nation. No one knows what the word was that Brother Klaus sent to the cantons, but it accomplished something that all marvelled about, and still do when they read the story. It is possibly because of this foundation that to this day Switzerland seems to have an anointing for brokering peace between nations.
Brother Klaus had such a gift of a word of knowledge that people from all over central Europe would make pilgrimages to visit him for counsel, including popes. Often he would know they were coming and send word through a messenger to give them the answer they were seeking, saving them the difficult trek through the mountains to his place. This was in the 1400s, and to this day his little cabin is visited by a continual stream of pilgrims which has included almost every pope. Brother Klaus was illiterate and lived during a time when even being caught with a Bible would have meant execution. Even so, he had a remarkable grasp of the teachings of the Bible and knew Gods ways, most of which he seemed to receive during his long periods of isolation to seek the Lord.
Brother Klaus is a remarkable exception, and there are others. However, they did not have access to the Bible and all of the resources we have today. To have the Bible, as well as all of the other resources available to us, and neglect them is a form of irresponsibility that the Lord does not reward.
Post published in: Opinions