What Are The Oracles Of God?

Conversations At The Ironing Board

A much appreciated breeze came from the old ceiling fan whirling in my bedroom. The ironing board screeched as I opened it, setting it to the right height. I plugged in the iron and straighten my shirt to ready it for pressing. As the hot steam penetrated the fabric, I listened to the music playing from the neighboring room. While moving the iron back and forth, I prayed, and for the first time in my life, I notice the words in my head were no longer mine, but from God.

“Tell her not to marry him.”

These are the words that God spoke to me and nearly caused me to burn myself from the awe of what was happening. Before this point, prayers had always been a one sided conversation. In this moment, I was praying for a friend that was soon to get married when I felt the Lord say to me to tell her not to get married.

The wedding was a week away, and the Lord had asked me to do this challenging task. I don’t like confrontation and to tell someone they should not get married was more than I was comfortable with. I followed through. She moved forward with the wedding and sadly divorced within the first year.

From that moment on, God has stirred within me a desire to hear Him speak. The thought that God who created the universe wants to speak to me, to each of us, is amazing. I have since been on a journey of studying all the ways God has spoken to people throughout the Bible and in modern times.

The Oracles Of God

As I studied Romans this week, I came across a term I had not noticed before, the Oracles of God. Not all translations say it like this. Some say the Word of God or Living Word. Paul uses this phrase when telling the church in Rome that the Jews have one advantage over the Gentiles and that is God had given them Oracles of God.

God had spoken to His chosen people through burning bushes, through prophets, and many other ways. He presented Himself to them in ways He did not with any other group prior to Jesus. They had an advantage over everyone else because they knew His word and had studied it and heard the ancient stories passed down through generations.

The Law

Only four times in the New Testament will you find the Oracles of God mentioned. The first is in Acts 7:38 when Stephen gave his speech before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) before getting stoned.

“This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living Oracles to give to us.”

Act 7:38 ESV

Stephen shares the history of the Jewish people and he mentions Moses, and all God had spoken to him in the wilderness. Here, the Oracles of God are the law God gave to Moses to give to the Israelites. It always seems to be in the wilderness experiences God speaks to us the most.

The Old Testament

The second time we find the Oracles of God is in Romans 3:2. I mentioned earlier this is regarding Paul telling the Jews they have one advantage over the Gentiles and that is because they have the Oracles of God. Here, this is referring to the entire Old Testament.

“Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the Oracles of God.”

Romans 3:2 ESV

The Gospels

The third place we read of this is in Hebrews 5:12. The author of Hebrews reminds his readers that we need to know the word and grow closer to God from what we learn about Him in the Oracles of God. To grow in our faith and fall more in love with God, there is no better way than reading His Word. How do we expect to know who He is if we do not read the Scriptures He has given us? In Hebrews, the Oracles of God refer to the Gospels.

“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the Oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV

The final place we find this term is in 1 Peter 4:11. Peter tells his readers that we are to do everything the best we can so that we can bring glory to God. In the verse, it also refers to the Gospels.

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks Oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

1 Peter 4:7-12 ESV

Divine Utterances

Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the Oracles of God as divine utterances, miraculous statements, and divine pronouncements. He also states, “There is no higher privilege to a human being that to be spoken to by God.” I could not agree more. He also says, “The greatest suffering is for God to never speak.” Between the Old Testament and the New is 400 years in which God never spoke.

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.’”

Amos 8:11 ESV

God Entrusted Us With His Word

Just as God gave the Old Testament to the Jews, He has entrusted us with His entire word. I met a man from the middle-east and he had two prayer requests. One was to see the inside of a church and the other was to have a Bible. We take for granted this beautiful gift God has given us. How to we expect to know the King of King and Lord of Lords if we do not read the Words He has given us?

I encourage you, if you are not in the Word daily, do so. Even if it’s one verse a day. I have put together a Bible reading program I welcome you to do. It’s a daily reading plan you can stick to or take at your own pace. I also have lots of videos that go along with it to help you better understand what you are reading. Whether you do this or read a little on your own each day, get in the Word and get to know the One who loves you and wants to share His heart with you.

This week I read a fantastic book…

I love Beth Moore and every study I have done of hers has left me changed for the better. In this book she shares of the joys and sorrows of her life and how Jesus was in the midst of them all. If you have not yet read this book, you should. I listened to the audio that she read and that made it all that much better. Check it out here. You can also see some of my other favorite books here.