And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 1 Corinthians 14:32
As with all the churches of apostolic times, the congregation at Corinth had received a rich measure of spiritual gifts. But these freely-given endowments were being used inappropriately. Those with the gift of tongues would all speak at once, and those with the gift of prophecy would likewise talk over each other. Seeking to hush the din of confusion that these assemblies had become, Paul admonished the church to exercise self control in the use of their gifts. Said Paul, ‘ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted’. After restricting the prophets to speaking one at a time, Paul added, ‘And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets’.
In its immediate context, Paul’s statement may be understood to mean that any true prophet speaking at Corinth should be subject to any other prophet in the congregation. As in, the declarations of one prophet should be in harmony with those of another, seeing that both are voicing inspiration from God. Ensuring that a harmonious message came through was Paul’s intent behind these words, as is clearly affirmed by his succeeding sentence: ‘For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints’ (1 Corinthians 14:33). Yet while a rule of consistency among the prophets at Corinth may be the local application of this verse, the principle may also be carried to a broader sense and be applied to all the prophets of the Bible.
The holy prophets were not seized by a mindless frenzy as were the heathen prophets. The most degrading of all pagan Greek rites centred around the worship of the god Bacchus. This god of confusion was associated with wine drinking, fornication, and revelry, and is likely what Paul is alluding to in 1 Corinthians 14:33. The worshippers of Bacchus were said to enter into a frenzied state called ‘bakkheia’. Having lost all control of themselves through wild dancing, narcotics, and sinful acts, prophetic declarations from Bacchus were said to be forced from the lips of his possessed votaries. But the words that Jehovah’s prophets spoke or wrote down involved the will of the prophet himself. In most cases, the prophet was given a message, which was then delivered in a composed manner when he saw the opportune moment.
‘The spirits [minds] of the prophets [were] subject to the prophets’.
The Bible prophets were both acquainted with and informed by the prophets that had come before them. As such, the sayings of the prophets were in harmony with each other. While they were given new and unique revelations, each prophet consciously subjected his mind to the true sayings he had learned from scripture. If he hadn’t, God would not have bestowed upon him such a gift or called him for prophetic ministry. In some cases, it is evident that the very words a prophet has used to frame his prophecy had been acquired from another prophet. Therefore, when we read passages that sound similar or identical to other passages in scripture, it is fair to assume that the latter prophet had the words of the former in mind. Having subjected his spirit to the prophets, a latter prophet’s inspiration sheds light upon the inspiration of the former prophet, and visa versa.
God is not the author of confusion. His prophets complement one another in an intricate harmony. If all would follow this same guiding principle, subjecting our own spirits to the prophets, the confusion and division we see today would instantly vanish. In its place there would be ‘peace…in all churches of the saints’.
Christopher Sparks