Prophets and historians have something in common. Both need to remain distant from the undisciplined emotion and biased interpretation of the prevailing status quo. This is needed if they are to remain clear-headed and free to properly forecast the future or interpret the past.
The Lord speaks about the future using the voice of His prophets. They warn us about what is taking place and what is to come. He uses historians to reveal the errors of our past and warn us about similar issues we will encounter as we move into the future.
Today, it is critical that we listen to the voice of the prophets and explore the insight of the historians. The input provided by those two contributors will reveal that we are at a very dangerous intersection of human history. To move through this time without undue peril requires the insight provided by prophets and the history provided by historians. Without those two influences guiding our steps we will naïvely repeat the sins of the past and walk forward into the future spiritually blind and historically uninformed.
Powerful.
Winston Churchill is reported to have said “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Another wag claimed “Smart men learn from their own mistakes. Wise men learn from the mistakes of others”
May we adhere to the wise counsel of St Paul who remarked that the testimonies of Israel in scripture are there for our instruction.
Amen. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is insanity. “All sin is a form of insanity. ” (Ed Cole)