Seer and Watchman

A reader asked me about the difference between a seer and a watchman. I have always seen the watchman seen the watchmen and the seer as being quite similar. I presume that at time every seer will have to give warnings to the people in the same way as the watchman.

I noted in my response that when I wrote my book about the Ministry of the Prophet, I should probably should have included a bit more about the seer. I was probably side-tracked by 1 Sam 9:9, which says that prophets were previously called seers. The word seer is not really used outside that chapter.

I see the prophetic ministry as having a broad spectrum. The Holy Spirit is infinitely creative, so every prophetic ministry will be different from others. Some will be strong at hearing God’s voice, others will be better at seeing. Others will do a bit of both. The main thing is that each person learns who they are and develop a way of operating that pleases God.

On the other hand, we must be careful not to put ourselves into a box that limits how the Spirit can use us. The Holy Spirit will often work through us in ways that we do not expect, and that are outside our comfort zone. We must be prepared for these opportunities.