What does it mean to not despise prophecies in 1 Thessalonians 5:20?

Answer

In his instructions to the Thessalonian church, Paul encourages the believers to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; NKJV). The instruction to not despise prophecies is positioned between the exhortations to not quench the Spirit and to test all things. By following these guidelines, we can achieve a perfect balance in discerning the messages we receive.

To despise something is to reject, disregard, or treat it as if it holds no value. Believers are urged to test all things, including prophecies «Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. », (1 Thessalonians 5:21), but we should not despise genuine prophecies. The NIV version states, “do not treat prophecies with contempt.”

Prophecies are divine messages. They may not always predict the future or introduce entirely new truths, although they are capable of both. Fundamentally, prophecy involves “forth-telling” or proclaiming God’s Word. Ephesians 4:11–13 explains that God appointed prophets to assist the church in spiritual growth. Believers are instructed not to despise prophecies because God’s Word was given to us for “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We should not despise prophecies when they accurately convey God’s Word.

The believers in Thessalonica often relied on prophets to proclaim God’s Word and reveal God’s will for the church.

They lived in apostolic times before the New Testament was completed. However, there were many wolves in sheep’s clothing « Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. », (Matthew 7:15), false prophets who sought to lead people astray. False prophets followed the god of their bellies and sought to mislead believers, proclaiming corrupt messages that did not agree with Scripture (see Philippians 3:18-19). This is why Paul warns believers to test all things «Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. », (1 Thessalonians 5:21) but to not despise genuine prophecies. To despise prophecy would be to quench the Spirit (verse 19).

True prophets are led by God’s Spirit and proclaim messages that align with Scripture. Believers are not to despise these prophecies. A true prophet proclaims God’s message; he does not promote himself or his interpretation: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). True prophets faithfully proclaim God’s Word.

In exercising discernment concerning the messages we hear, we must not quench the Holy Spirit or despise true prophecies. Believers can never lose the Holy Spirit, but we can quench His work «Quench not the Spirit. », (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The Spirit is quenched when we dampen the effect of His influence in our lives. One o

One of the ways He influences us is through prophesying or the preaching of the Word; therefore, Paul says, do not despise prophecies. Believers cannot discern and uphold true prophecy when they quench the Holy Spirit.

Believers must test prophecies against God’s Word and ensure the person proclaiming the message is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing. If a message is genuinely from the Lord, we must heed it and not despise it. We must cling to what is good and abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). By doing so, we will grow in our faith.