For prophecy was never brought about by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Truth to Learn
The Bible is the “inspired” Word of God.
Behind the Words
The word translated “will” is translated from the word thelemati, a form of thelema, which refers to the “determined will” as opposed to “desirous will.” This we could translate the opening phrase as, “For prophecy was never brought about by the determination of man …”
Both the phrases “brought about” and “carried along” are from a form of the Greek word pherō, meaning “to carry” or “to bring.”
Meaning Explained
This verse requires careful translation to get the true meaning. A literal translation is, “for prophecy was not at any time borne by the determination of man, but holy men of God spoke, being carried by the Holy Spirit.”
In the previous verse Peter said, “…no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,” meaning that the prophets did not proclaim the messages with their own meaning or intent. Remember that we said the word “interpretation” did not apply to the one receiving the message but the one proclaiming the message? In today’s verse Peter explains what he meant by that.
Peter says, in today’s verse, that prophecy (referring to the entire Old Testament) was not at any time carried by the determination of man. He says that their message was not proclaimed based on what man determined. Instead, these holy men were carried along by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Old Testament writers did not determine their message and then proclaim it. They were, rather, controlled by the Holy Spirit as they proclaimed their message.
In 2 Timothy 3:16, the Apostle Paul said it this way, “All scripture is inspired by God…” (NASB) or “All scripture is God-breathed…” (NIV). The word here translated “inspired” or “God-breathed” is theopneustos, a compound word made up of theos, which means “God” and a form of pneō which means “to breath” or “to blow.” So whether the prophet is “carried along by the Holy Spirit” or their message was “God-breathed,” the source and the content of the message are from God, while the prophet or author is simply the channel through which the message is conveyed.
The Bible is not just a collection of stories and predictions written by a bunch of different men over the span of several thousand years. It is the writing of men who were controlled by the Holy Spirit of God and it is, therefore, without error (in the original manuscripts) and perfectly accurate in its predictions of future events. And though not all of the prophecies in the Bible have come true (yet), not a single one that has come to pass has been wrong! That’s pretty amazing for a book that has been penned by so many human authors (under divine control) over such a long period of time. Only by the power of God could this be accomplished.
Application
The bottom line is that the Bible is truth. It is God’s truth, and contained within its pages is everything you and I need for salvation, godly living, and peace! Praise God!
We all need to read it more!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved