Credit: Theresa Harvard Johnson, M.Div, M.A.P.W.
(The Scribal Conservatory)
The Ministry of The Scribe:
Psalms 45:1:
“My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”
The ministry of the Scribe is visible throughout the Bible. Scribes may be viewed as spiritual secretaries. A Scribe expresses their spiritual gifts through administration and communications. God uses Scribes to preserve and protect the foundations of a community through administrative, instructional, and/or creative solutions that touch every aspect of life.
A scribe usually has one or two areas of general focus: writing, administration, instruction, creative writing, book-keeping, etc.”
Scribes throughout the Bible wore many hats including teacher, secretary, recorder, treasurer, copyist, lawyer, census takers, etc.). Scribes were not limited to being writers with a writing anointing. However, Scribes are often gifted writers. In fact, Scribes were first storytellers. Scribes were also artists (carving Hebrew symbols), money changers (keeping ledgers for trade), and later copyists of scripture.
Someone walking in the office of the Scribe, will have administrative, instructional, and creative giftings demonstrated CONSISTENTLY in their lives.”
Yeshua said this in (Matthew 13:52) to the religious leaders of His day: “Therefore every Scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.”
Scribes are often creative and intuitive in expressing the Father-heart of God; revealing His treasures… new things and old. Therefore, Scribes often possess prophetic giftings.
Although Matthew 23 records a series of woes or rebukes, Yeshua valued and understood their purpose. In (Matthew 23:34) Yeshua declared: “Therefore behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you will put to death and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city…”
Unknown to the religious leaders of that time, their religious order ended with Yeshua’s words in (Matthew 23:34). At that moment, a new pathway opened for the “prophetic” ministry of the scribe today. In addition, it would be sealed on the day of Pentecost and guided by Holy Spirit thereafter.
These two passages confirm Yeshua’s prophetic plan for the Scribe. They also reveal that after He confronted and rebuked their corruptible practices, He established a new, prophetic order for Scribes through that powerful declaration to “send them out” on His behalf.
Yeshua Affirmed The Ministry Of The Scribe:
In His infinite wisdom, Yeshua’s declaration in (Matthew 13:52), was familiar to the ears of the Pharisees and scribes to whom He spoke. That passage was a parable surrounding Ezra 7:6: “This Esdras went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God had given to Israel…”
The phrase “ready scribe” is another way of saying “the instructed scribe.” It was also an opportunity for Yeshua to remind those He rebuked that Ezra the priest and the scribe was the standard of righteousness set before them.
In addition, Ezra’s scribal ministry exhibited mastery in administration, instruction, and creative strategy. It was through his efforts that additional teachers, those scribes who taught the word, were equipped strategically to reorganize, instruct and guide the people.
Acts 2:17 says, “And it shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the Lord,) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…”
In its simplest form, prophecy is defined as being divinely inspired to teach or preach. From this comes the concept of the Prophetic Scribe, who express the nature of God through creativity, administration, and communication.
Additional Resources By Theresa Harvard Johnson:
Do you have a Scribal gifting? To better understand this anointing, please view this video presentation on The Ministry Of The Scribe.