By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 4: The Seer Realm & Divine Senses
Week 17: Interpretation & The Prophetic Riddle
Anchor Scripture: “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses… I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings…” — Numbers 12:6–8 (NKJV)
It is one thing to see; it is another to understand correctly.
The Teaching
One of the most common frustrations for a developing prophet is the “mystery” of God’s communication. We often wonder, “If God wants me to deliver a message, why doesn’t He just say it clearly?” Yet, in Numbers 12, God explicitly states that His standard mode of communication with prophets (with the exception of Moses) is through visions, dreams, and “dark sayings.”
The Hebrew word for “dark sayings” is Chidah, which means a riddle, a puzzle, or a hard question. It is the same word used for the riddles Samson posed to the Philistines. God intentionally speaks to the Prophet in a “Divine Riddle.”
Why would the God of Truth speak in puzzles?
- To Protect the Word: Like a coded message in wartime, the riddle ensures that only those with the “Key” (The Holy Spirit) can understand it.
- To Require Partnership: A riddle forces the Prophet to return to the Lord for the interpretation. If the word were always plain, we would be tempted to take the word and run, independent of the Speaker.
- To Test Hunger: Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” God conceals the meaning to see if we have the “royal hunger” to seek Him for the answer.
Prophetic Insight
A “word” from God is often like a seed—you can see the seed, but you can’t see the tree inside it yet. The “riddle” is the seed. To be a prophet is to be a Code-Breaker. You must move past the frustration of not understanding what you see or hear. The confusion you feel is actually an invitation to the Council (Day 15). When God gives you a “dark saying”—a confusing dream or a symbolic vision—He is saying, “Come back to Me and let’s talk about this.” The interpretation is not found in a dictionary; it is found in the “Sod” (the secret conversation) with the Holy Spirit.
The Activation
Think of a dream, a vision, or a “word” you received recently that made no sense to you. Today, stop trying to “analyze” it with your logic. Instead, present it to God as a “Divine Riddle.” Say, “Lord, I acknowledge that You have concealed the meaning of this matter. I come to You now as a king to search it out. What is the key to this riddle?” Spend 10 minutes in quiet waiting, looking for the “click” of understanding in your spirit.
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You are the revealer of mysteries. I thank You for the ‘dark sayings’ and the visions of the night. Forgive me for my impatience and my desire for easy answers. I ask for the ‘spirit of wisdom’ to decode the riddles You place in my spirit. Teach me to search out the matters You have concealed. I choose to partner with You in the interpretation of every word. Amen.
