2 CHRONICLES MOMENT – (15MAY19) King Ahab asked his son-in-law,
King Jehoshaphat, to go to battle alongside him. Jehoshaphat agreed, but he
wanted to get a Word from the Lord first. Ahab sent for the Prophet Micaiah whom
he disliked. Here are a few brief important points to take from this story.
a.)
Jehoshaphat aligned himself with the evil King
Ahab. Even though King Ahab was his father-in-law, Jehoshaphat should never
have come into agreement with him on anything. We as Christians must be careful
not to align ourselves with the world regardless of if it is family, friend, or
foe. This is taking place with many of today’s gospel artists who are aligning
themselves with secular artists like Snoop Dog, Nicki Minaj, R. Kelly, and the
likes in an attempt to become popular on both sides of the fence. They claim
that it is to win souls, but when you compromise the gospel, who are your
really going to win?
b.)
Jehoshaphat had to have a discerning spirit.
King Ahab had his false prophets to prophesy and claim that he would be
victorious on the battlefield, but Jehoshaphat discerned that they were not
true prophets and wanted one from the Lord. It is important for us to know the
difference between the fakes and real. One way that Jehoshaphat was able to
tell that they were false was because they were prophets who worshiped Baal and
Asherah. No one can serve two masters. Therefore, if you want a true Word from
the Lord, you must be sure that whomever is giving the Word is right with God,
and when in doubt, go to the Lord yourself, which should be done first and
foremost anyway.
c.)
Micaiah was told to come into agreement with the
false prophets in declaring great success. The pressure was on, and even though
Micaiah told the official that he could only say what the Lord wanted him to
say, his first response was that of agreement with those who prophesied
success. But Jehoshaphat discerned that this was not true and told him to tell
him the truth of what the Lord had to say. There are times when we may feel the
need to go along to get along. Nevertheless, we must pray for the Lord to give
us strength and courage to stand firm on His WORD. The pressure may come with
losing your job, being ridiculed by family, receiving scorn from friends, or
some other source of loss. Yet, the Bible poses the question of what it profits
a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Your soul is more valuable then
any earthly relationships and/or treasures.
d.)
Micaiah told the kings that the battle would be lost,
and that Ahab had been enticed from a spirit into going to battle to face his
death. Sometimes, when the Lord gives a Word, it can be harsh and painful. In
today’s times, many Christians want to hear sugar-coated sermons that offer
promises of fancy homes, job promotions, luxury cars, bigger bank accounts, and
wealthy spouses – just to name a few. Yet, few people want to hear the truth about
holiness, righteousness, hell, and the need to repent. Nevertheless, we must
give these words even when they are rejected.
e.)
God allowed a deceiving spirit to come into the
mouths of the lying prophets. Why did God do this? King Ahab did not want a
true Word from the Lord, so He allowed him to receive what he wanted to hear.
The Bible lets us know that the Lord will turn you over to a reprobate mind
when you refuse and reject Him. Therefore, since Ahab had no interest in the
things of the Lord, he initially received the Word that He wanted to hear
because he did not want to hear Truth.
f.)
Zedekiah, the false prophet, slapped Micaiah in
the face. Sometimes when you operate in obedience to the Lord’s word, you will
be persecuted because of it. Many of the Lord’s prophets died because they were
hated by those who hated Him. We must remember that we wrestle not against
flesh and blood but against dark forces. Jesus said that if they hated Him,
they would hate His followers. We can expect persecution from those who hate
Christ and from some who “claim” to know Him but do not.
g.)
Everything that Micaiah prophesied came to past.
The test of a true prophet is that whatever they say comes from the Lord MUST
come to past UNLESS the Lord placed conditions on the prophecy. This does not
mean that that person changes it to fit what they think the Lord says by
setting dates that He did not give. A prophet must not add nor take away from
what the Lord says, and if he/she claims that a Word came from the Lord and it
does not come to pass, that word was not from the Lord. As we see with King
Ahab, he did lose the battle and died that day as Micaiah prophesied.
There are many lessons that we can take from the Word of God.
When we read and study the Word, it should be more than just an attempt to gain
knowledge, but we should do our best to apply the lessons learned in our daily lives.
Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (15MAY19) Jehoshaphat appointed judges to administer the Lord’s
justice throughout the land of Judah. He had the priests and Levites to do the
Lord’s service as well. He reminded them that they were to serve and judge
righteously without taking any bribes, being partial or unjust because they
were not just serving the people, they were serving the Lord and acting on behalf
of Him. We can see with all the recent political events that are taking place
within the United States, we are guilty of having a two-tiered justice system. Should certain politicians be allowed to get
away with what the average citizen cannot? NO! We should pray that those who
are guilty of wrongdoing will have their day before the courts of the land and
receive the due penalty that they deserve. When justice is no longer in the
land, the people will soon lose the freedoms of their land. Something to ponder…
2 CHRONICLES
MOMENT – (15MAY19) Jehoshaphat was facing the battle of a lifetime that was
impossible for him to win of his own accord. He needed some major help and he
knew exactly where to go. He called the people of Judah on a fast and they went
to the temple before the Lord. The Lord answered their prayers and told them
that they would not even have to fight the battle themselves, but He was going
to fight the battle for them because the battle was HIS. They took their places
as if they were going to battle, but watched as the enemies of their enemies
fought each other and then killed one another. When the people of Judah looked
down after the battle had ceased, not one soldier was alive, and the land was
full of dead bodies. The Lord indeed fought the battle on their behalf, and not
only did He fight for them, but Judah was able to plunder all that they had. It
took them three days to get everything that was left for them. When we face
life’s challenges, we must be mindful that there is nothing too hard for the
Lord to handle. We are to go to God as
Jehoshaphat did and watch the Lord fight our battles. Whatever instructions He
gives us, we are to follow. Just remember that the battle is not ours, but the
Lord’s. Something to ponder…
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