DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A TRUE PROPHET

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A TRUE PROPHET

"Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel (Ahab), 'Please inquire for the word of the LORD today.' The king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, 'Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?' So they said, 'Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.' And Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?' So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil; And Jehoshaphat said, 'Let not the king say such things.' " (I Kings 22:6-8)

Here's the background. Ahab, The King of Israel, wanted to wage war against the king of Syria, but he wanted the help of King Jehoshaphat and the Southern kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat agreed to help Ahab but wanted to see if this was the will of God. So Ahab called 400 of his prophets to inquire whether God was in this or not. They all said, "Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king." Now you would think that in the multitude of counselors, there would be safety. But something did not set right in Jehoshaphat's spirit. So he asked if there might be another prophet. There was – Micaiah – but Ahab didn't like him because he told the truth. Micaiah prophesied that they would be defeated. But Ahab and Jehoshaphat ignored him, and Ahab ended up losing his life in that battle.

People generally do not like to hear things that go against what they want to hear. We see many large churches filled with people who want to have their ears tickled with positive sermons. They do not want to hear about sin and judgment – only about how to be successful in business or how to have good families, or something to assuage their consciences to make them feel good about themselves.

God does not call the prophet to make people feel good about themselves, but to declare the whole counsel of God, which includes warnings about violating God's standards. There is much in the Bible about the joy of the Lord, and how wonderful Jesus is. However, sermons with no conviction of sin and warnings of judgment may make us feel good, but a constant diet of positive preaching does not grow us in our Christian life.

May we not be like Ahab and Jehoshaphat, and ignore God's truth. It will only lead to ultimate disaster.

Love, Dad