2 Chronicles 18 is an interesting little story that reveals much about the nature of the prophetic word and the life of a prophet. I plan on referring to it throughout the sermon series on the prophets, but decided against focusing an entire sermon on it. I will be making comments on it over the next few days.
I invite you to read it yourself to grab the bigger picture. It will put my comments into a better context.
Two kings, Ahab of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah were together for a political summit. Ahab was trying to convince Jehoshaphat to join him in battle against the city of Ramoth-gilead, which lied on the northeast border of Israel.
Jehoshaphat is agreeable to help, but before making it official he asks this question:
"but first let's find out what the Lord says..." v. 4 (NLT)
Ahab then gathers all of his prophets, 400 in all (that's a pretty big crowd), and asks them to prophecy about the chances of success against Ramoth-gilead. All 400 tell Ahab that the Lord will provide a great victory.
400 people, 400 prophets, chanting in unison, "go for it, go for it". Must have been a powerful, convincing display. If I was Jehoshaphat, I'd of been grabbing my spear.
But instead Jehoshaphat asks a telling question, "Isn't there a prophet of the Lord around, too? I would like to ask him the same question." v. 6 (NLT)
I wonder how or why Jehoshaphat knew that these guys were not prophets of the Lord. There could be many reasons, but the fact remains that Jehoshaphat was not impressed with their words, as encouraging as they might have been. Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from the Lord.
Advice often comes from multiple angles. Some people are very quick to tell you what you should do. Sometimes it's only to serve their own self-interest. Sometimes they are sincerely trying to consider what is best for you. Sometimes they are only telling you what your itching ears want to hear.
Often advice is given in "spiritual vocab". Words cloaked in godspeak, making it difficult to discern the true source of the advice. After all, the prophets of Ahab declared that "God" would give them a great victory. But Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from the Lord.
We need to hear from the Lord. We need to learn to hear from the Lord. We need to learn how to discern what is/what isn't from God. 2 Chronicles 18 offers some help in this matter. As we continue on this theme, ask the Lord to help you hear his voice. Tell Him you desire to grow. Ask Him to give you the same Spirit that was in Jehoshaphat when he asked to hear from a prophet of the Lord.
grace & blessings,
pjim
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Why didn't Jehoshaphat trust the counsel of 400 prophets? My guess is that something in Jehoshaphat's gut (or spirit) wasn't sitting right. I'm learning as I age to trust my gut more and more. Something about whatever...a person, a situation, or a decision just doesn't seem quite right to me. I believe this uncomfortableness is really the Holy Spirit causing me to feel unsettled. On the flipside, sometimes my uncomfortableness is the result of being scared or anxious to try something new which may be a great opportunity for growth. So I really need to discern between the 2 situations. My advice for those who are seeking advice is: ONLY seek advice from people whom you truly trust and that you KNOW are actively seeking to honor Christ in their lives.
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