Seeking Only What We Want To Hear
Seeking Only What We Want to Hear
1 Kings 22-2 Kings 3
“But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?”
After the division of Israel and Judah, they became divided politically and religiously. In the history of the divided kingdom, the northern kings were consistently marked by their evil and idolatry. In the southern nation of Judah, some kings followed the Canaanites' idolatry, while others obeyed God and sought obedience to Him. The reigns of Jehoshaphat and Ahab illustrate the contrast of the two nations. Ahab and Jezebel became the personification of the northern kings who rejected God. Throughout his reign, he not only refused to listen to the prophets of God but he openly sought to have them destroyed. Even when he acknowledged his sin, it was more of an act to avert God’s judgment than an act of true repentance.
What distinguished the reign of Ahab and his descendants in Israel and Jehoshaphat's reign in Judah was their attitude towards the prophets of God and their desire to listen to God’s word and seek His will. Ahab and His descendants saw the prophets of God as a threat. Instead of listening to their warning, they saw them as the problem. When Israel and Judah were joining forces to fight against the armies of Ramoth-Gilead, and again when they were in a war with Moab, Jehoshaphat desire to inquire of the Lord. For Jehoshaphat, the most critical question when confronted with the battle was whether or not God was with them. However, for Ahab and his sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, the prophets were troublesome because they predicted judgment because of idolatry. They refused to turn from their sin but only wanted to hear from God when he pronounced a blessing rather than a warning.
Tragically, the same is true for many today. We go to church, but we only want to hear affirming messages that make us feel good, rather than messages that confront us with our sin and our need to change. We want a God of mercy and grace, but deny He is a God of holiness and judgment. We embrace the God who promises heaven, but reject the God who warns us of hell. Like Ahab and his sons, we do not want to hear a message confronting us with our sin and the threat of judgment. Rather than listen to the warning, we want to ignore it. In his classic work, “The Existence and Attributes of God,” Stephen Charnock warns us of the dangers of practical atheism. He writes, “There is something of a secret atheism in all, which is the foundation of the evil practices in their lives—not an utter disowning of the being of God but a denial or doubting of some of the rights of his nature. The absolute disowning of the being of a God is not natural to men, but the contrary is natural. Yet an inconsideration of God or misrepresentation of his nature is natural to man as corrupt.” We want a God who gives us the victory in the battle, but not one who demands obedience in life. Genuine success is found in a life of submission to God, no matter how difficult that journey may be. It is to surrender to God whether things go well or things go poorly, whether it be in times of blessing or times of adversity. As we journey through life, we must seek God’s guidance and trust in His plan even when it does not align with ours. Faith begins with the surrender of our lives to Him so that we follow His commands and surrender to His will.
1 Kings 22-2 Kings 3
“But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?”
After the division of Israel and Judah, they became divided politically and religiously. In the history of the divided kingdom, the northern kings were consistently marked by their evil and idolatry. In the southern nation of Judah, some kings followed the Canaanites' idolatry, while others obeyed God and sought obedience to Him. The reigns of Jehoshaphat and Ahab illustrate the contrast of the two nations. Ahab and Jezebel became the personification of the northern kings who rejected God. Throughout his reign, he not only refused to listen to the prophets of God but he openly sought to have them destroyed. Even when he acknowledged his sin, it was more of an act to avert God’s judgment than an act of true repentance.
What distinguished the reign of Ahab and his descendants in Israel and Jehoshaphat's reign in Judah was their attitude towards the prophets of God and their desire to listen to God’s word and seek His will. Ahab and His descendants saw the prophets of God as a threat. Instead of listening to their warning, they saw them as the problem. When Israel and Judah were joining forces to fight against the armies of Ramoth-Gilead, and again when they were in a war with Moab, Jehoshaphat desire to inquire of the Lord. For Jehoshaphat, the most critical question when confronted with the battle was whether or not God was with them. However, for Ahab and his sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, the prophets were troublesome because they predicted judgment because of idolatry. They refused to turn from their sin but only wanted to hear from God when he pronounced a blessing rather than a warning.
Tragically, the same is true for many today. We go to church, but we only want to hear affirming messages that make us feel good, rather than messages that confront us with our sin and our need to change. We want a God of mercy and grace, but deny He is a God of holiness and judgment. We embrace the God who promises heaven, but reject the God who warns us of hell. Like Ahab and his sons, we do not want to hear a message confronting us with our sin and the threat of judgment. Rather than listen to the warning, we want to ignore it. In his classic work, “The Existence and Attributes of God,” Stephen Charnock warns us of the dangers of practical atheism. He writes, “There is something of a secret atheism in all, which is the foundation of the evil practices in their lives—not an utter disowning of the being of God but a denial or doubting of some of the rights of his nature. The absolute disowning of the being of a God is not natural to men, but the contrary is natural. Yet an inconsideration of God or misrepresentation of his nature is natural to man as corrupt.” We want a God who gives us the victory in the battle, but not one who demands obedience in life. Genuine success is found in a life of submission to God, no matter how difficult that journey may be. It is to surrender to God whether things go well or things go poorly, whether it be in times of blessing or times of adversity. As we journey through life, we must seek God’s guidance and trust in His plan even when it does not align with ours. Faith begins with the surrender of our lives to Him so that we follow His commands and surrender to His will.
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