“Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, ‘Please strike me.’ But the man refused to strike him. Then he said to him, ‘Because you have not listened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you.’ And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him” (1 Kings 20:35-36).

It is essential to note the one-for-one correlation between the prophet’s word and the voice of the LORD in this passage. By refusing to listen to the prophet’s words, as strange or distasteful as that word may have seemed, the other prophet disobeyed God’s word and had to face the consequences. Today, God still speaks to his people through the written words of his prophets and apostles. Because there is a one-for-one correlation between their written words and the LORD’s voice, we cannot pick and choose the verses we want to obey, for it is Scripture, not our own personal preferences and opinions, which define God’s good and perfect will for our lives.

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn” (Isa 8:20). “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet 1:19-21).