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WORD STUDY

Your Sons and Daughters Will Prophesy

By Stanley M. Horton

Did God have children in mind when He inspired the prophet Joel to write, "Your sons and daughters will prophesy" (Joel 2:28*)? Looking at the context we see the passage begins with the promise, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people (Hebrew, kol basar, "all flesh"). Then God identifies first, sons and daughters; then old men and young men; then His servants, both men and women (Hebrew, ha`avadim and hashshephachoth, "the male slaves and the female slaves"). Clearly, the intent is to show that the promise of the Spirit and the impartation of prophetic gifts is for all people without regard to race, sex, age, social status, or national origin. These manifestations of prophetic gifts were important from early times, for they were and are evidences of the presence of God in the midst of His people (see 1 Corinthians 14:24,25, where prophesying will cause visitors to exclaim, "God is really among you!").

The word "prophet" (Hebrew, navi’) comes from an old word meaning "a speaker," but it came to mean "a person who spoke for God, or for gods," since there were pagans who claimed to be prophets, such as prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19). In most cases in the Old Testament, those who prophesied (spoke for God) were mature men and women. But God also used children. Samuel is an example.

God used Samuel to speak His word to Eli when Samuel was still a child. It is true that the Hebrew by which he is called, hanna`ar (1 Samuel 3:1), can mean a boy or a young man. However, the Bible says, "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, [emphasis mine] and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:19,20). This indicates that he was indeed a young boy when he began to prophesy and that he continued to speak for God "as he grew up." That he "did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him" (1 Samuel 3:7) also shows that he was still a child who had not yet come to know the Lord in a personal way when God first spoke to him.

Another who began to prophesy when he was quite young is Zephaniah. His genealogy in verse 1 of his book shows he was descended from King Hezekiah and that he prophesied in the days of King Josiah. Josiah was 8 years old when he became king and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. But Zephaniah’s genealogy shows there was one more generation between him and Hezekiah than between Josiah and Hezekiah. Because of this it seems probable that Zephaniah was a child or not more than a teenager when he began to prophesy.

On the Day of Pentecost, when the 120 received the promise and spoke in tongues (Acts 2:4), Peter said, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:17). Then he proceeded to manifest the gift of prophecy, glorifying Jesus Christ, calling those who were gathered to repentance, and warning and pleading with them by the gift of exhortation. He followed his call to repentance with the promise that after they repented and were baptized in water, they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He emphasized, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).

The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit would continue to be available to them, to their children, to the Gentiles (see Ephesians 2:17 where those who are far away are the Gentiles). More than that, the promise would continue to be available to all whom the Lord would call to be saved.

Does the mention of children in Acts 2:39 mean young children? That, as we have just seen, was not the point Peter was making. He wanted them to see that the promise was for the next generation–and the next and the next without limit. However, if we go back to the story of Samuel, the fact he did not yet know the Lord in a personal way tells us that God was bringing him into that personal knowledge so he could give God’s message and speak for God. If children are to be used by the Holy Spirit, they must be old enough to come into the personal knowledge of Jesus as Lord and Savior, so they can open their hearts and minds to God the Holy Spirit.

In the Azusa Street revival in 1906 in Los Angeles, California, my mother was 11 years old when she was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. People were coming from all over the world to that meeting. An African-American woman from one of the French-speaking islands told her she was speaking in French. When my mother was older she found the same woman who remembered and confirmed that to her. Other children were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. My sister was baptized in the Spirit when she was 8 years old and had a marvelous experience.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter took speaking in tongues as the equivalent of the prophesying promised in Joel. Today many children are receiving the Holy Spirit in our Sunday schools, churches, children’s revivals, and children’s camps. If they are old enough to understand what it means to come to the Lord and be saved, they are certainly old enough to seek and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

How else can children prophesy (other than speaking in tongues)? We must remember that prophecy in the Bible is speaking for God to people "for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). It is not primarily a matter of prophesying the future. It is forthtelling, rather than foretelling. A good example is found in Acts 15:32 where "Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers."

We should encourage children and young people to be open to the Holy Spirit, not only to be baptized in the Spirit, but to be used by Him. He can use them to encourage and strengthen one another spiritually, as well as to give comfort and encouragement in the midst of the difficulties and temptations of the world around them. Remember, too, the Spirit comes to make us Christ’s witnesses (Acts 1:8). Children and young people are most open to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Statistics show that the majority of Christians come to Christ when they are young. Children can be encouraged to let the Holy Spirit give them the wisdom and the words to win others to their Savior. If they are taught the Word of God, and memorize the Word of God, the Holy Spirit can make the Word His sword to cut through opposition and become His effective tool to win others through them.

Stanley M. Horton, Th.D., is professor emeritus, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, and former project coordinator for the Pentecostal Textbook Project, Springfield, Missouri.

*Scripture references are from the New International Version.