Be
Careful Whom You Ignore!
As a very young Christian I was still
in law school. I spent a
LOT of time at the university library, and usually walked home from the
library at about 4:30 each afternoon. It seemed like the Lord
would lie in wait for me as I walked past a certain dormitory.
One day as I walked past that
dormitory the Lord spoke to my heart and
said, "No one is always right except Me, and no one is always wrong,
including Caiaphas. So listen to everyone, but don't believe what
you hear from anyone until you check with Me first."
I pondered that statement, and
realized that it is obvious that Jesus
is always right. But I also pondered the second half of that
statement and realized that even the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas, who
delivered Jesus to the Romans to be crucified, have a true word of
prophesy recorded in the Gospel according to John, Chapter 11:
John 11:49
But a certain one of
them, Caiaphas being high priest of that year, said to them, You know
nothing,
John 11:50 nor consider that it is profitable for us that one man
die for the people, and not all the nation to perish.
John 11:51 But he did not say this from himself, but being high
priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was about to die on behalf
of the nation,
John 11:52 and not only on behalf of the nation, but that He also
might gather into one the children of God who had been scattered.
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Later that year, as I read through
the Bible for the first time, I came
across a passage which tells of a King of Israel who violated the
direction which Jesus gave to me, and suffered dire consequences:
1Ki 22:2 And
it happened in the
third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of
Israel. And the king of Israel said to his servants, Have you known
that Ramoth-gilead is ours? And we remain still from taking it from the
king of Syria's hand. And he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go to battle
with me, to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,
I am as you, my people as your people; my horses as your horses.
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please inquire at the Word
of Jehovah today. And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about
four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go to battle against
Ramoth-gilead, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, that the Lord
may give it into the hand of the king.
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides,
that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, Yet one man, to seek Jehovah by him. But I hate him, for
he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil, Micaiah the son of
Imlah. And Jehoshaphat said, let not the king say so.
And the king of Israel called to a certain eunuch and said, Cause
Micaiah the son of Imlah to hurry. And the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah each was sitting on his throne having put
on their robes, in a grain-floor in the entrance of the gate of
Samaria. And all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah the
son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself. And he said, So says
Jehovah, With these you shall push the Syrians until you have consumed
them. And all the prophets were prophesying so, saying, Go up to
Ramoth-gilead, and prosper. For Jehovah shall give it into the king's
hand.
And the messenger that had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying,
Behold now, the words of the prophets with one mouth are good to the
king. Please let your word be as the word of one of them, and speak
good. And Micaiah said, As Jehovah lives, Surely that which
Jehovah says to me, that I will speak.
And he came in to the king. And the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we
go to battle to Ramoth-gilead, or shall we forbear? And he said to him,
Go up, and prosper, and Jehovah shall give it into the king's
hand. And the king said to him, How many times have I
adjured you that you shall speak nothing to me but truth in the name of
Jehovah? And he said, I have seen all Israel scattered on the
hills like sheep that have no shepherd. And Jehovah said, These have no
ruler; they shall each return to his house in peace.
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say to you, He
will not prophesy good of me, but evil?
And he said, Therefore, hear the Word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting
on His throne, and all the host of Heaven were standing by Him, on His
right and on His left. And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab,
and he shall go up and fall in Ramoth-gilead? And this one said this,
and this one said that. And a spirit came forth and stood before
Jehovah, and said, I surely will entice him. And Jehovah said to
him, By what means? And he said, I will go out and shall be a spirit of
falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, You shall
entice him, and also you are able. Go out and do so.
And now, behold, Jehovah has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of
all these prophets of yours; and Jehovah has spoken evil as to you!
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the
cheek, and said, Where did the Spirit of Jehovah pass over from me to
speak with you? And Micaiah said, Behold, You shall see on
that day when you go into the innermost room to be hidden.
And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the
ruler of the city, and to Joash the king's son, and say, So says
the king, Put this one in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat
the bread of oppression, and the water of oppression, until I come in
peace. And Micaiah said, If you at all return in peace, Jehovah
has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, O people, all of them.
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to
Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will
disguise myself and enter into the battle. But you put on your robes.
And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the
battle. And the king of Syria commanded the thirty two commanders
of the chariots, saying, You shall not fight with small or great, but
with the king of Israel.
And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat,
they said, Surely he is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to
fight with him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. And it happened when the
commanders of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they
turned back from following him. And a man drew a bow in his
simplicity, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints and the
breastplate. And he said to his charioteer, Turn your hand and take me
out from the host, for I have been wounded.
And on that day the battle went on, and the king was caused to stand up
in the chariot against Syria. And he died in the evening, and the blood
of the wound poured out into the middle of the chariot. And the
cry passed through the camp when the sun went, saying, Each to his
city, and each to his land. And the king died, and came to
Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. And they rinsed the
chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood when
they had washed the armor, according to the Word of Jehovah that He
spoke.
As a result I have learned to listen
even to my harshest critics
because sometimes the Lord speaks to me through them. And I would
not be able to do this if Jesus had not instructed me to crucify my
flesh so that I might hear Him and obey by His grace and mercy working
in me and through me.
Thanks be to God for His
indescribable gift!!