Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday January 20 2026
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2 Peter 1:19-21-And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
One of the intriguing questions about God’s Word that people have raised over the years goes something like this:
“How can fallible human beings correctly deliver the words of the infallible God?”
It is a good question!
Really, this question recognizes a very real problem. After all, human beings are fallible, frail, and flimsy. We often have trouble seeing, hearing, understanding, and communicating properly. So how could it be expected that these imperfect creatures could record the Word of the infinitely perfect God?
The answer lies in the doctrine of “inspiration.”
The all-powerful God has the ability to convey His Word to mankind, even with all of the problematic issues presented by human nature. That is why this passage in 2 Peter is so fascinating: for it gives us an insight into how God brought forth His Word to the world of man. Look especially at that word “moved” (borne along) in verse 21.
Rhodes has this for us:
“The Bible is not the product of man but is rather God-inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Inspiration does not mean the biblical writer just felt enthusiastic, like the composer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Nor does it mean the writings are necessarily inspiring to read, like an uplifting poem. The biblical Greek word for inspiration literally means “God-breathed.” Because Scripture is breathed out by God-because it originates from Him-it is true and inerrant….The Holy Spirit infallibly worked through each of these writers, through their individual styles, to inerrantly communicate His message to humankind. Second Peter 1:21 provides a key insight regarding the human-divine interchange in the process of inspiration. This verse informs us that “prophecy [or Scripture] never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The phrase carried along in this verse literally means “forcefully borne along.” Even though human beings were used in the process of writing down God’s Word, they were all literally “borne along” by the Holy Spirit. The human wills of the authors were not the originators of God’s message. God did not permit the will of sinful human beings to misdirect or erroneously record His message. Put another way, God moved and the prophet mouthed these revelational truths. Indeed, God revealed and man recorded His Word to humankind. Interestingly, the Greek word for “carried along” in 2 Peter 1:21 is the same as that found in Acts 27:15-17. In this passage the experienced sailors could not navigate the ship because the wind was so strong. The ship was being driven, directed, and carried along by the wind. This is similar to the Spirit’s driving, directing, and carrying the human authors of the Bible as He wished. The word is a strong one, indicating the Spirit’s complete superintendence of the human authors. Just as the sailors were active on the ship (though the wind, not the sailors, ultimately controlled the ship’s movement), so the human authors were active in writing as the Spirit directed. This assures us that biblical prophecy truly did derive from God, and not mere human beings.” (Ron Rhodes, The Popular Dictionary of Bible Prophecy: More than 350 Terms and Concepts Defined by Ron Rhodes, 1405-1421 (Kindle Edition); Eugene, Oregon; Harvest House Publishers)
God’s Spirit worked upon and through His chosen Prophets and Apostles in such a way that the very words which they spoke and wrote were from Him. Indeed, that is borne out by Peter’s words here also. Notice that he says no prophecy of Scripture is of any private “interpretation.” That word “interpretation” has the idea of “origin” (cf. NKJV footnote). God’s inspired Word came from His Spirit, not from the Prophets.
Notice some other passages of Scripture which tie into this:
2 Samuel 23:2-The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.
Isaiah 51:16-And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ “
Jeremiah 1:9-Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Matthew 10:19-20-But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
1 Corinthians 2:13-These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
A few thoughts to wrap all of this together.
First, the answer to the question of how imperfect creatures can record the words of the perfect Creator is found through the Bible doctrine of inspiration.
Second, when God brought forth His inspired Word to mankind through His chosen Prophets and Apostles, He confirmed it miraculously.
2 Corinthians 12:12-Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.
This is also one of the ways that we know that inspiration was confined to the age of miraculous gifts (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). Inspiration was for the purpose of miraculously revealing God’s Word to mankind. Since God’s fully inspired Word has been miraculously revealed and confirmed to mankind through the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then Divine inspiration no longer occurs. Inspired Prophets and Apostles were part of the church’s foundation at her beginning (cf. Ephesians 2:20-22).
Third, the Spirit did not merely inspire the thoughts or intuitions of His Prophets and Apostles: instead, He inspired the words that they spoke and wrote. Words are the vehicles through which God’s Spirit communicates.
John 6:63-It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
This helps us to better understand also the importance of carefully studying the words of inspiration. I have been asked before as to why Gospel preachers and others are often strong proponents of studying the Bible in it’s original languages. Why study words? Why dig into the Bible? It’s because those are the words that God chose to reveal Himself through! Serious students of the Bible will do what they can to not only read Scripture, but to study it (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15).
What are some things that we can do to better understand the Word of God?
Lord, thanks for Your Word. Bless us as we study and apply it. Amen.
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