“Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 13:3 KJV)
This is a very interesting command. It has volumes to say in a single sentence. Do you see the protocol here? Prophecy and dreams may be all well and good, but what is it that even false prophecy or flawed dreams are to be proving out? Verse four shows that it proves if we are adhering to his commandments and his voice. Notice that it does not say his commandments or his voice, but his commandments and his voice.
The intellectual cheat would be to separate written word from spoken word. As though what you see in writing is solid, but what you hear may be less reliable. For example, have you ever read a newspaper article that you knew was absolute garbage? You can read the article a second time to make sure that you read that right, but no matter what the editor allowed through, you know you’ve seen high school poetry that is closer to the truth. It’s not just reading any commands or anyone’s law; it’s knowing His commands. Similarly, we see passages like 1 Samuel 16 where Samuel is selecting a new king based solely on what he knows the Lord is speaking to him in the moment. No review of seminary degrees. No review of attendance at the local synagogue. No background check or a review of giving receipts. Samuel knows God’s voice.
This idea of being proved out tells us that there is more than enough realness in his commandments and his voice to learn who he is. To recognize his character. To see that he is so much bigger than anything else. To see his strict requirements of holiness while providing a path for forgiveness. To know that his Word and his Spirit never disagree. In fact, his Spirit often gives us reasons why his Word is true. People study his Word hoping to find Him; whereas studying Him actually shows you his glory in his Word and in turn makes his voice very clear.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20 KJV)