Why do people use Deuteronomy 18:21-22 as a test of a true prophet?

Question

Deuteronomy 18:21-22
21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

I hear people say this is a test of whether a prophet is a true prophet or not. And yet, when I read those two versus, I do not see where it says this. All I see is that if a prophet speak, and it does not come to pass, the prophet spoke presumptuously. There is no indication of whether this is a test of true or false prophets, it just says the prophet (who apparently is still called a prophet) spoke on his own, presumptuously.

This is a question for Christians, Mormons, and anyone else that would like to contribute. Please don't copy/paste reams of verbiage, or answer rudely - those get well deserved insta-Blocks so you don't contaminate future questions.

Answer 1

Back in those days "prophets" represented the established priesthood and government. Like some modern day news channel, they want you to listen to what they say and not judge them as to the accuracy of their "reporting".



So no. It is NOT a test of a true prophet.

Answer 2

People have an erroneous belief that the main function of a prophet is to predict the future. Actually, a prophet is a “spokesman” or “speaker.” A true prophet acts as God’s messenger and makes known God’s will. Perhaps because God sometimes sent his messengers to warn the people that unless they repented some future calamity would occur, we get the idea that prophets were foretellers rather than primarily forthtellers.



Whenever there is a controversy over the meaning of a word in the Bible I like to go to www.blueletterbible.org and look up the verse and find the Hebrew or Greek word that was translated into the English word. I can compare how that Hebrew word was used in other verses of the Bible. In Deut. 18: 22 the word “presumptuously” comes from the Hebrew word “zadown,” meaning “pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance.” “Zadown” is used 11 times in the KJV Bible and is translate as “pride” 6 times, as “presumptuously” twice, and “proud” 3 times. I think this shows that the translators could easily have said that “the speaker (prophet) hath spoken it proudly” in the sense of arrogantly or with haughtiness.



In Deuteronomy 18: 20 where it says “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak…” the word “presume” comes from the Hebrew “zuwd,” meaning “to boil, boil up, seethe, act proudly, act presumptuously, act rebelliously, be presumptuous, be arrogant, be rebelliously proud.” Four times out of ten it is translated “deal proudly.”



All the English words “follow not, nor come to pass” in Deut. 18: 22 come from a single Hebrew word “bow’.” That word is used 2577 times in the Bible, and can mean a great many different things, including “ to go in, enter, come, go, come in, to come with, fall or light upon, attack (enemy), to come to pass, to attain to, to be enumerated, to go.” So, it isn’t clear that this verse is even really talking about a prophecy; it could refer merely to something said that doesn’t go with other things that the Lord has spoken. The translators have a great deal of leeway in how to translate the verse.



Let me rephrase the scripture in a way it could have possibly been translated into English, “When a speaker speaks in the name of the Lord, and what he says does not go with what the Lord has said, then the speaker has spoken arrogantly: thou shalt not turn aside from the way with him.” However, I am not a speaker of Hebrew, and this is not the way anyone else has translated it that I am aware of.



You might ask your question, why do people who don’t believe that there were prophets after Jesus need a test for who is a prophet? Is it not that they want a reason to discredit the person who claims to be a spokesman for God, looking for ways of interpreting what he says in a way that can’t have come to pass?



Another problem with this “test” is that if I were to falsely claim to be a prophet, why would I give a prediction that could be verified? If I limit my predictions to things that wouldn’t come to pass in a hundred years, how could the people tell if I were a prophet or not? I could pretend to be a prophet as long as I lived, and no one could disprove it using this so-called test.



However, a good test for a spokesman or prophet is to determine if what he says really comes from God or not. Does it agree with, or “come with,” what the Spirit and other scriptures have said?

Answer 3

Grace unto you, and peace,

from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.



As for a prophet (servant), there is no true prophet, since

a prophet = "know not" what his master doeth: John 15:15.

http://www.godshew.org/AboveAServant.htm



So Revelation is written unto prophets (servants): Rev 1:1,

and notably to "shew" them how awful their law law can be.

http://www.godshew.org/Revelation2.htm



As for the law and the prophets, this "it" expired long ago:

Eg: The law and the prophets WERE until John (the Baptist),

but since that time the kingdom of God is preached: Lk 16:16.



As for Deuteronomy, informed people kNOW

both such Do-teronomy and Don't-eronomy is

as damned if you Do and damned if you Don't.

So it's not unto life, but rather unto death: Rom 7:10.



As for Deuteronomy 18, well, it also reveals the

Jews at Mt Sinai requested the abolition of law,

because it was too awful to even hear, lest they die;

And in doing so, they notably well spoke: Dt 18:16,17.

Yet the Jews still reject Christ = the abolition of the law.



As for all law prophecy, it "shall fail": 1Corinthians 13:8.

http://www.godshew.org/ShewBread4.htm#psf



Eg: destructive law prophecy for Nineveh failed: Jonah.

http://www.godshew.org/ShewBread2.htm#FishStory



As for law priests, who promote destructive law prophecy,

Hebrews 7:23 notes them are all not suffered to continue,

and the stated reason notably is: by reason of death (law).



Conclusion: them under law did not profit: Heb 13:9,

not even if they were called a true prophet. Go figure.



The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 4

With your head buried in the Old Testament, you've forgotten the more important points:



"By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" [I John 4:2-3].



"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" [Matthew 7:15] True Prophets are always concerned with your well being. The true prophet would not tell you that you are going to die, but would tell you how to keep from dying, it at all possible. That INCLUDES telling you the truth about Jesus Christ and His offer of Eternal Life.





As for the Old Testament, remember to read the whole thing, NOT JUST ONE VERSE. in MANY other places, "false Prophets" are equated with liars. The difference between an every-day lair and a False Perophet is that the Prophet CLAIMS to have a special connection to God.



But your problem seems to be the word "presumption". Go ALWASY tells the truth, and ALWAYS converys the truth through His Prophets. IF a prophecy does not come true as stated, then the prophet is a liar. His prophecy could NOT have come from God (as he claimed) and therefore he is PRESUMPTUOUS to claim that he speaKs on behalf of God.



Under Hebrew law, THAT gets you a death sentencE! This was, in fact , part of the reason why Jesus was killed -- He PRESUMED to speak on behalf of God, and claiming a certain amount of equality TO God. the exception is the JESUS IS GOD, and has every right and ability to speak on God's behalf!

Answer 5

IF YOU are a reader of the Bible, you cannot help but acknowledge that its prophecies, if true, are marvelous and of extraordinary importance. You will say that they deserve the most intensive study and attention. Jesus and his apostles had full faith in prophecy and believed equally in all the prophecies of the Scriptures. (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19, 20) Prophecy was a governing factor in their lives. But not all persons possess this faith. Such faith can be yours—not blind credulity, but faith with a sound basis. (Heb. 11:1) How can this assured reliance on prophecy be gained?

The best method of proof is to put a prophecy to the test of time and circumstances. The Bible invites such a test. (1 John 4:1; Isa. 45:11) To conduct such an examination, we must have a standard, a set of requirements. The Bible itself establishes the rules for testing a prophecy, at Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and 13:1-3: (1) It must be spoken in Jehovah’s name and at his command; (2) it must come to pass; (3) it must be in harmony with God’s commandments and thus promote right worship

For Example:Please turn, now, to Isaiah, chapter 44, verses 24 to 28. There you find Isaiah speaking in Jehovah’s name, at his command: “This is what Jehovah has said, . . . the One making the word of his servant come true, . . . the One saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt, and her desolated places I shall raise up’; the One saying to the watery deep, ‘Be evaporated; and all your rivers I shall dry up’; the One saying of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and all that I delight in he will completely carry out’; even in my saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘You will have your foundation laid.’”

What is remarkable about this prophecy? It was stated, mind you, when Jerusalem was still flourishing, a power to be reckoned with for any nation wanting world domination. Babylon was yet far from becoming the mighty Third World Power of sacred history. Assyria appeared at that time to be a much greater threat to Jerusalem’s existence. The prophecy foretold the rise of the Persian named Cyrus about 150 years before his birth, and also that his nation would become the Fourth World Power. It indicated that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and the Jews be put in bondage by Babylon, the coming Third World Power, that Cyrus would later liberate the Jews by conquering Babylon, and that Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt under Cyrus’ authority.—See also Isaiah 39:3-7

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Answer 6

that is EXACTLY what it says.....and using this as a definitive "test" creates confusion from a few possible points....

1) prophecy works on it's own time-table and may be fulfilled in ways/at times that those hearing do not consider.

2) a study of prophecy shows that a good bunch of them are contingent and that the free agent choices of mortals can impact when and even whether a given prophecy might come to pass.

3) using this as a definitive test also precludes applying this standard to biblical prophets already deemed "acceptable" as prophets, creating a double standard when applied to any modern prophet)s) condemning them 'out-of-hand' and allowing them to be dismissed w/out adequate comparison. (if applied to ezekiel, nathan, jeremiah, an angel of God, or jonah - condemn the OT a fraud.)

4) this negates the use of free agency. each prophecy offered from every prophet is an invitation to communicate with God and obtain the testimony of Jesus and of His gospel for ourselves.



IMHO only, of course.....

Answer 7

If a person speaks presumptuously (i.e. makes stuff up) and then says God told him to say it, isn't that sort of...fibbing? And if that person repeats this behavior habitually (i.e. has many prophecies that weren't fulfilled), then isn't that person sort of...a liar?



Why would you consider such a person a prophet of God? Why would you want to follow that person and trust your eternal salvation in his teachings?



Jesus taught along the same lines: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" (i.e. if a man is a liar, does it make sense for you to try to learn God's will from him?)



I think you're mincing words and missing the bigger issue.

Answer 8

"true prophet" and "false prophet" are Englsih terms of convenience.



Prophet is a profession. There are a number of places in the Bible when "prophets" who prophecy other than according to God's word come up.



"True Prophet" implies 18:18 ... and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.



"False Prophet" implies 18:20 ...the prophet, that shall speak a word ...in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods



Also -- the Deuteronomy 18 test must be taken together with Deuteronomy 13:

2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams--and he give thee a sign or a wonder,

3 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee--saying: 'Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them';

4 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

5 After the LORD your God shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep, and unto His voice shall ye hearken, and Him shall ye serve, and unto Him shall ye cleave.

Answer 9

You are absolutely right, that's my take on it, too. It says nothing about false PROPHETS, just about false prophecy from TRUE prophets.

Answer 10

Most would agree that the most important thing about a prophet would be the things he spoke. Jesus related that many would come claiming to be the Christ or to represent the true God.

(Mark 13:22) For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen ones. The giving of signs and wonders shows that these prophets would seem be accurate and have power. But the most important aspect would be missing, that being the True God's backing. How would the false be identified from the true? Christ said:

John 7:18 He that speaks of his own originality is seeking his own glory; but he that seeks the glory of him that sent him, this one is TRUE, and there is no unrighteousness in him.



Looking at verses 14-19 in Deuteronomy reveals that this is not just talking about any prophet. This is Moses fortelling the coming of the Messiah. Jesus, like Moses, ‘declared the name of Jehovah.' (De 32:3; Joh 17:6, 26)



14 “For these nations whom you are dispossessing used to listen to those practicing magic and to those who divine; but as for you, Jehovah your God has not given you anything like this. 15 A prophet from your own midst, from your brothers, like me, is what Jehovah your God will raise up for you—to him YOU people should listen— 16 in response to all that you asked of Jehovah your God in Ho′reb on the day of the congregation, saying, ‘Do not let me hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, and this great fire do not let me see anymore, that I may not die.’ 17 At that Jehovah said to me, ‘They have done well in speaking what they did. 18 A prophet I shall raise up for them from the midst of their brothers, like you; and I shall indeed put my words in his mouth, and he will certainly speak to them all that I shall command him. 19 And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him.



Peter spoke to this point when he applied the words of Moses in Deuteronomy to Jesus.

Acts 3:20 and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for YOU, Jesus, 21 whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time. 22 In fact, Moses said, ‘Jehovah God will raise up for YOU from among YOUR brothers a prophet like me. YOU must listen to him according to all the things he speaks to YOU. 23 Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’



What is meant by "true"

adj. tru·er, tru·est

1.

a. Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous.

b. Truthful.

2. Real; genuine. See Synonyms at authentic.

3. Reliable; accurate: a true prophecy.

4. Rightful; legitimate: the true heir.

Antonyms : made-up, false, pretended, artificial, fake, unofficial



Carefully considering verse 14 shows that other nations looked to practicers of divination as their source of prophecy however, this was not in relation to Jehovah God's way of revealing prophecy to his true followers.



If someone purposely gave you baseless information it would be counterfeit, unreliable, and ill-intended,false. True prophets and the true Christ would originate with the only true God.

John 17:3 This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the ONLY TRUE GOD, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.