Whose Voice Do You Listen To?
“So [the King of Israel] asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
1 Kings 22:4-5
Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, goes to great lengths over his reign to build a good relationship with Israel. In this Old Testament story we read Jehoshaphat being asked to go into battle by the King of Israel, Ahab, as his friend and ally. Jehoshaphat asks for council, as does the King of Israel and all the voices around them are saying that it is a brilliant idea, and that the land will be delivered into their hands. After they’ve sought advice of many prophets, Jehoshaphat asks Ahab if there is a prophet of the Lord that they can speak to. It transpires that there is someone, but Ahab has long since given up asking him for wisdom as he gives advice that isn’t palatable, and his prophecies are not what Ahab wants to hear. Jehoshaphat tracks down the prophet, Micaiah, so that he might hear from God, rather than the myriad of voices around him – and the rest is a story for another day…
Needless to say, Micaiah doesn’t have such great news, in fact, he foretells the King of Israel’s death if such a mission is accomplished. After some twists and turns, the pair go into battle, and as the Lord said, Ahab perishes on the battle field. A sobering tale.
How often it is that we surround ourselves with people who tell us what we want to hear, and put distance between those whom we know speak truth, but whose voices we find irritating or maybe sanctimonious. When I’m making decisions I am sometimes like the King of Israel here: caught up in my own agenda and desires, and unable or unwilling to hear the voice of God. And while God is still working out his purposes in the world, with or without me, I wonder how many times I may have strayed into battles that were not mine to fight, or situations where — if had I sought His wisdom — I would never have found myself in at all.
Today, my prayer is that we may be like Jehoshaphat – a person seeking after truth even if it is unpalatable–person listening for the small voice of God amidst the myriad of voices that may tell us what we want to hear so that no day will be wasted and God may use us fully and for His glory as we trust Him to lead us in good and righteous ways.
