FOURTH QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #2
OCTOBER 10, 2026
"THE CALL OF A PROPHET".

 

 

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me' " (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV).

In our lesson this week we briefly examine the prophetic ministry of Abraham, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, and John the Baptist, with an emphasis on their calling to the prophetic office.

Paul writes, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;" (Ephesians 4:11-13, NKJV).

In the biblical sense, the word apostle most commonly refers to the original 12 disciples who personally knew Jesus and were among his closest circle of associates. To them was entrusted the preaching of the gospel and the leadership of the fledgling Christian church. While Matthias was chosen as a replacement for Judas, we know little about him. However, Paul, of whom we know much, states that he, too, was called to be an apostle.

Additionally, the apostles Matthew, John, Peter, and Paul had a prophetic ministry.

In God's remnant church today, we no longer have living apostles nor do we have a living prophet such as the Bible prophets of old or Sister Ellen White, who referred to herself as the Lord's messenger. But we do have evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Much time, money, and study has been put forth in recent times to determine who, exactly, is eligible to hold these positions within the Body of Christ. More on that later. Our lesson this week focuses on the call to prophetic office. 

Stepping back to examine the wider context of the prophetic ministry, we consider that in heaven—before creation—the gift of prophecy as we understand it today did not exist. However, Jesus, who "is before all things, and in Him all things consist," also described Himself as a prophet when he testified concerning Himself, "that a prophet hath no honour in his own country" (John 4:44). Indeed, it was through Him that all prophecy was given by the agency of the Holy Ghost.

Simply stated, a prophet is one who receives divinely inspired revelations of future events or prophetic messages for their own time. The prophetic gift was not needed in the garden of Eden when our first parents communed with God face to face, but after the fall God chose to communicate through His designated prophetic messengers. Seventh from Adam, Enoch was the first (see Jude 14), and for the next 2,500 years, the prophetic gift was only exercised orally. Moses was the first prophet to write out the messages given to Him by God; and his books later became the foundation of the Old Testament Scriptures. 

Our lesson highlights the call of five prophets: Abraham, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, and John the Baptist. One of the outstanding themes that runs through each of these prophets is that none were seeking after honor or vying for this gift. There were no campaigns or elections to see who could win. The call to each was unique, but humility was a common trait of all. 

Note below the commentary on each by the 1888 messenger E. J. Waggoner.

Abraham

"Perfect faith implies perfect worship. Faith and humility are inseparable. The greater one's faith in another, the lower his opinion of himself. So that perfect faith in God, such as Abraham exhibited, implied perfect willingness to do whatever God required of him. Such faith is as powerful to-day as it ever was. It suffices to secure pardon for sin, even as it did for Abraham, and nothing but such faith will secure pardon. The cleansing of a sinner from the defilement of sin is the greatest of all miracles, and it is one that is daily being performed in response to faith. Whenever God sees such trust and submission in the heart of anyone, nothing that that one can ask for can be denied. Then who would not pray, 'Lord, increase our faith?' "—E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, December 8, 1887, p. 746.

And this . . . "But why is it that this faith does not tend to presumption, and to looseness of life? The reason is this: The possession of such faith as Abraham had, indicates humility, and submission to the will of God. Faith and humility are co-existent. Neither can exist without the other. ‘Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.’ Hab. 2:4. The man who will implicitly trust God's word, even against his own judgment, shows that he believes that God knows more than he does; he has put himself into God's hands, to be guided as God shall think best. Then of course as long as he retains that faith, he will gladly do the will of God. Thus true faith always leads to obedience. Abraham's faith was shown to be perfect by his works."—E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, February 17, 1888, p. 106.

Isaiah

"[Isaiah 53] is prophecy, because it tells the truth of God, which can never be known without the special enlightenment of the Holy Spirit of God. 'No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.' The things contained in this chapter were as true when Isaiah wrote them as they are today. Prophets are not something out of the ordinary course of God's plan, but are indications of what God would do with all men. God would have all men know Him, and every one able to recognise His truth; but when all go astray, the prophet supplies the lack. It is in God's plan for all to be prophets (See Num. [xi.] 29; 1 Cor. xiv. 1, 5, [24,]25); yet this does not indicate that if this blessed state of things existed, no one would have a more full revelation than another, so that he would be able to impart to the rest; for we find that in all times God's acknowledged prophets have learned from one another. Isaiah simply gave utterance in this chapter to that which everybody ought to have known by the Spirit's own revelation to him personally."—E. J. Waggoner, Present Truth UK, March 29, 1900, p. 196. 

Daniel

"Human wisdom is always accompanied by iniquity. The fear of the Lord is the only true wisdom, and humility is a part of that wisdom. Joseph had the fear of God continually before his eyes, and God gave him divine wisdom. When called before Pharaoh to interpret his dream, Joseph said: 'It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.' Note the similar answer that Daniel gave when he went in to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Dan. 2:28, 30."—E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, May 4, 1888, p. 267.

Elijah and John

"Jesus had already said concerning John: 'Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: . . . And if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was to come.' Matt. xi. 11, 15. In his work as the prophet of the Lord, the true God, Elijah fearlessly reproved sin even in high places (1 Kings xviii. 17, 18) and called upon the people to recognise and worship Jehovah as God. And although 'John did no miracle,' yet his work was 'in the spirit and power of Elias,' and his words brought conviction of sin to the hearts of all classes, including Herod the tetrarch. His mission was to turn the minds of the people to the coming Messiah, saying to all, 'Behold the Lamb of God,' and this he did not merely by his word but by revealing Christlike principles in his life. 'His life was so unselfish, marked with humility and self-denial. His teachings, exhortations, and reproofs, were fervent, sincere, and courageous.' Thus the declaration of Herod, 'This is John the Baptist,' was a remarkable testimony to the character of John's work, as being done in the same power in which Jesus worked. Thus it ought to be with every faithful servant of Jesus now. So, after the resurrection of Christ, those who examined Peter and John concerning their work 'took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.'—E. J. Waggoner, Present Truth UK, March 10, 1898, p.149.

Observation

"At the very foundation of meekness, lies the conviction that the very best place for us to be is the place where God wants us to be. If that place is up above the heads of others, it is all right; and if it is down under their feet, it is just as well. Wherever it may be, it is the only place we can afford to be in. We cannot afford to occupy a high place when God wants us to fill a humble one; we cannot afford to remain in a humble place when God wants us to fill one higher up. There is a selfishness which affects humility as well as one which is proud. Moses displayed a touch of the former at the burning bush in the desert, when he begged to be released from going before Pharaoh, on the plea that he was too humble an instrument to accomplish the work; and there have been many since his day who evaded responsibilities in the work of God under the same plea. But such humility is only professed, not real. True humility never rebels against God's purposes under any pretext whatever. True humility is the absence of self, so that so far as the individual is concerned, there is nothing in the way of the accomplishment of God's will in any direction. 

"One of the greatest blessings of meekness is the peace which it brings into the individual's daily life. For if he is fully persuaded that the place God wants him to be in is the best place for him and the only place he can afford to be in, all chance for murmuring is taken out of his life. He simply feels that 'all things work together for good to them that love God,' and leaves the result with Him. He has 'godliness with contentment' which, the apostle says, 'is great gain.'

"But how will he know when he is in the position that God wants him to fill? The Bible has answered this question. The Psalmist says, 'the meek will He guide in judgment; the meek will He teach His way.' The meek person is the only one that God can teach, because he is the only one that will not trust in his own wisdom. It is with the meek person that God dwells, and that he should be led of God when God dwells with him, is inevitable. We are told that 'the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity,' said, 'I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.' Thus the meek person dwells with God, and in whatever place he may be, he knows that God is there too. God never asks an individual to be in a humbler place than He is willing to be in Himself. 

"The meek person dwells with God. He is safe; he is contented; he has instruction in the ways of the Highest. He will be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Zeph. ii. 3. He will inherit the earth. Ps. xxxvii. 11. He is willing, for all this, to give up self. Is not the exchange a good one? Truly we can well afford to exchange the highest position that earth can offer for the lowest place that God wants us to fill. The highest position without God is lower than the lowest place with the Him."—E. J. Waggoner, Present Truth UK, November 16, 1893, pp. 519-520.

Conclusion

Just before Jesus humbled Himself—even unto the death of the cross—the disciples were arguing about who would have the highest place in His kingdom.

In our beloved church today, many resources have been expended in discussing who is eligible to hold what position. As we have seen, none of the prophets in our study this week, though specially honored by God, ever sought for status or vied for a higher place. The great controversy in heaven began with one seeking a higher place—a place for which he was unsuited and which, in fact, he could never possibly reach as a created being. But that didn't prevent him from utilizing every artful deception imaginable to gain his object. In contrast, we see Jesus, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, voluntarily humble himself to the lowest parts of the earth, to save us from the self-exalting principle that has brought such misery to heaven and earth.

In heaven, striving for position will find no place. May God help us to experience the humility that characterized the prophets of old as we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

 

—Patti Guthrie