Follow the prophet

The instruction to receive the words of the prophet as if they had come from the Lord is not about the prophet being infallible. Obedience to the Lord’s duly appointed servant is a demonstration of our faith and will bless us in our relationship with the Lord even when the words we are following were imperfectly delivered or imperfectly received. It’s like a soldier following the instructions of his captain—if those instructions did not reflect the orders of the general the front line soldier is responsible for his obedience, not for the accuracy of his leader.

The fact is that if we know that the Lord has called someone as a prophet and that the prophet has told us something it demonstrates our faith in the Lord to trust the words of His prophet because we are showing that we trust the Lord’s ability to work through this person even when we don’t fully understand the instructions. (It doesn’t take much faith to follow when the words already make sense to us.)