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The Interpretation of Prophecy Part One Chapter 3

Having traced the connection between history and prophecy, Fairbairn now shows that the target audience of the prophetic word is properly the Church, and not the world. According to Psalm 25.14 God reveals His secrets “to them that fear Him.” The primary purpose of prophecy is not to satisfy idle curiosity regarding future events, or even to provide evidential argumentation to the unbelieving world. Rather it is intended by God its author to provide light, encouragement and hope to His people, especially in times of darkness and distress, that they might live faithfully in their present circumstances.

In comprehending this purpose, we deduce other notable features with respect to the course of prophetic revelation. It follows that the chronological distribution of prophecy is irregular, as in its ebb and flow it comes forth forcefully in particular crucial times in the life of God’s church, e.g. the Exodus, the inception of the Monarchy, and the Exile. As the prophetic word is given by God for the exhortation, edification and comfort of His people, consequently all those and only those who are truly His are entitled to look with hope for its fulfillment. We can confidently conclude that the moral, ethical and spiritual elements of prophecy, rather than the bare predictive, must predominate in the response of the faithful. “God’s aim, on the contrary, is to raise us above the whirl of passing events, and to fix our attentive gaze on the Divine hand, which is moving all the complicated wheels of Providence.”