Comes the Word of Yahweh in Parables
Prophecy for Today

Comes the Word of Yahweh to Shemael

Thus comes the Word of Yahweh to Shemael¹, saying, “Ben-Adam², lift up your eyes and look.”

And Shemael lifts up his eyes and sees people praising Yahweh and singing songs of praise in the temple.

And calls Yahweh to Shemael, saying, “Ben-Adam, tell me, what do you see.”

So Shemael answers Yahweh with these words, saying, “I see people praising Almighty God, Yahweh, in the temple and singing songs of Yahweh’s wondrous deed!”

Comes the Word of Yahweh to Shemael again, saying, “Ben-Adam, look again. Listen once more. Open your eyes and tell me what you see.”

And Shemael looks and he hears. And Shemael cries. And comes the Word of Yahweh to Shemael again, saying, “Why do you cry, Ben-Adam, and why are your tears on your face? What do you hear, and what do you see that causes your pain?”

And Shemael cannot bear to speak the words that are on his heart. So the Word of Yahweh comes again to Shemael, saying, “This is what you see, Ben-Adam, and this is what you hear: You see the temple of Yahweh filled with people who lift up their voices in songs of praise. And you look into their hearts and see that their hearts are empty of understanding and void of the knowledge of the One whose praises they sing. They speak and they sing words which hold for them no meaning. The songs are empty and speak of nothing, for the people are without understanding.

“Rise, Shemael, take to your feet, Ben-Adam! You shall go to this people who sing empty songs of praise to the One they do not know. You shall go to this people who are void of understanding and you shall teach them the words that are on their lips, but are not on their hearts. You shall fill them with the knowledge of the One of whom they sing, that their voices be not dull and that their hearts may be full and no longer void of meaning.”

And Shemael answers Yahweh with these words, saying, “Be not angry with me, my Lord, but how shall I go, and how shall I teach them what is on their lips but not on their hearts? They do not see inside their hearts, nor do they hear what their own voices proclaim! How shall I teach them words they already speak and do not understand?”

And comes the Word of Yahweh to Shemael as before, saying, “Go, for I AM sends you. Thus shall you say to this people: ‘Be silent that you may hear the words that are on your lips. Speak them not into the air, but speak them into your hearts. Hear the Word of the One whose praises are on your tongues, and be filled with the meaning of His praise.’ Thus shall you say to this people.”

So Shemael arises and goes out among the people whose voices are thick with the praises of the One they do not know. And Shemael calls to them, saying, “Silence your lips that your hearts may hear and be filled with understanding of the words that you speak, the songs you sing! Be silent and listen, that you might hear the meaning of your words.”

But the people are afraid of the silence, for their hearts are empty and the words on their lips remains void.

Thus is the Word of Yahweh come to Shemael, the seer.

¹ Shemael: "Hear God"

² Ben Adam: "Son of Man"

—©Copyright 2005 Christopher B. Harbin