2 Chronicles 18, Proverbs 31:1-21, Matthew 13:31-58
What God said to me – One of the purposes of scripture is to teach you and to reveal Myself and My ways to you. You can learn much even from the accounts about people and events in the Old Testament. Look at the story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the prophet Micaiah. Jehoshaphat went to visit his ally by marriage, Ahab, king of Israel, and Ahab asked him to join him in a war against the king of Aram. Jehoshaphat wisely asked Ahab to inquire of Me before he committed so Ahab brought out four hundred of his prophets – note I said “his” prophets, not Mine – and they said what they thought Ahab wanted to hear and not what I had to say. Jehoshaphat was still unsettled so he asked if there was a prophet of Mine that could speak so Ahab brought in Micaiah with the caveat that “he never prophesies anything good concerning me.” When Micaiah came before the two kings, although he had been warned to prophesy in agreement with the other prophets, he began by stating “what My God says, I will speak.” He ultimately prophesied about the defeat of Israel and the death of Ahab. Unfortunately, King Jehoshaphat listened to the four hundred prophets rather than to My one true prophet and as a result he was nearly killed in the battle and Michaiah was jailed for speaking the truth. So, what are you to learn from this account? First of all, there are many “false” prophets in society. Just because someone says they are a Christian or has theological degrees doesn’t mean they really know Me or My word. There are many who speak and preach things that are not from Me but appease their listeners and deceive them into accepting sin as normal and not abhorrent to Me. Secondly, even though Jehoshaphat sensed something was not quite right about what Ahab’s prophets said, he still went with them and almost lost his life. You must learn to pay attention to that “tweak” in your spirit that says something is not quite right even though it may sound good, or you can’t quite pinpoint what’s not right about it. Trust that it is My Spirt alerting you to come to Me and My word for confirmation or to stop entirely. Last, Michaiah spoke the truth and stood for Me and suffered for it. You may lose or damage relationships with family and friends even though you speak the truth in love. Walking with Me is not always easy, but you must seek My approval above all else. Ultimately you will hear Me say “well done.”