In the Old Testament they still had to listen for his voice

In the Old Testament Moses was given the Law as a prophecy from God, (Mt 11:13) yet even this was not supposed to alleviate the Israelites need to listen for and obey his voice as the following passages illustrate (Joyner 1999):

Ex 15 v 26 “And He said “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and keep all His statues, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

Ex 19 v 5-6 “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Deut. 9 v 23 “And when the Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you’ then you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; you neither believed Him nor listened to His voice.”

“But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.” Psalm 81:11-12

The wrath of God

The Old Testament prophets were held to be speaking God’s very words. Either they spoke the word of God and therefore had his full authority and it came true, or they were false prophets and deserved to die - Deut 18:20-22; 13:5.
There is no instance in the Old Testament of a word of prophecy needing to be judged or weighed (Grudem 1988). It was either a true or false word.

People like Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Elijah typify the picture of the Old Testament prophet. Much of what they said concerned the ‘Wrath of God.’
Jonah went reluctantly (via the belly of a large fish) to preach a message to repent or be destroyed to the wicked people of Nineveh.
Jeremiah was given this commission by God “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow.” Jer 1:10
Ezekiel thundered out “The end is now upon you and I will unleash my anger against you. I will repay you for all your detestable practices. I will not look on you with pity or spare you I will surely repay you for your conduct and the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” Ezek 7:3
Elijah called down fire from heaven to burn up the sacrifice at Mt Carmel. He then went on to kill all the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). He also called down fire to burn up two sets of troops sent out to capture him (2 Kings 1:10 + 12).

The main issue here is that they represented the Old Covenant under which they were operating. They were under the law, and the law’s main function was to point to the holiness of God and to show mankind what was wrong with them as they lived by the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Under this covenant the Holy one of Israel had no choice but to judge and hand out the punishment deserved if disobedience prevailed. If God’s people had sinned and they did not repent God used his prophets to speak His word of judgement.

Next.
1. Introduction - friendship with God.
2. Friendship is higher than service.
3. OT prophet. The Spirit came upon them.
4. God wanted prophecy for all in the OT.
5. The wrath of God.
6. God is a merciful judge.
7. John the Baptist - the prophet between the OT and NT
8. NT prophet. The Spirit within we can all prophesy!
9. The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.
10. Spiritual gifts are for building not destroying.
11. What you speak to rises up.
12. Prophesy truth not facts.
13. The primary purpose of prophecy in the NT.
Media
Speaking in Tongues
The Word of Knowledge
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