Tag: i will entice him

171. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching

I Kings 22:1  For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. But 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, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

Isaiah 30:10    who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,

Micah 2:11    If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!

2Timothy 4:3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

From the old testament to the new and even now people have an appearance of wanting the the truth but God’s word is far from them.  We see a great example of this in the King of Israel and Jehoshaphat having 400 prophets who spoke favorably but they did not want to hear from the one prophet that spoke truth, howbeit unfavorable, to them.  The new testament says that people will become hearers only and not doers of the word. James 1:22  “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”  Paul says to Timothy “People will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

2Ti 3:5  “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”  “they are always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of the truth”

Where has the searching scripture for knowledge and understanding and wisdom gone?  It used to be the daily bread of life in the heart and mind of Christians but seems to have been replaced with emptiness.  God’s word used to be valued, read, and studied every day because it was known to be “profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”.  If His word is not reverenced and valued for each new day how are we to be equipped for what that day brings into our life.  When we become lovers of self more than lovers of God we will see a falling away from wanting and desiring to know His word.  We will become complacent and neglectful.  We will come up with a host of reasons why we do not spend time in His word.  Day after day our heart will become harder and harder, our eyes blinded, and our ears deafer to the things of God.  When this happens our lives bear no fruit, have no power, and give no honor to God.

How are we to be used by God when His word is not known by us?  How are we to be a light to the world when His word is dark to us?  How are we to honor and glorify God when we determine we no longer have time to spend in His word?  How are we to grow in Christ without His word in our lives each day?  How are we to make disciples when His word is not in our heart and mind?  How are we to find purpose and meaning in life apart from knowing and being in His word?  How are we to fight satan’s lies and attacks on our lives?  How are we to find a place of refuge, power, hope, peace, joy, trust, courage, and strength when the very word of God that brings this knowledge to our heart, mind, and soul is neglected and put aside?

Neglecting God’s word and having Itching ears for words of worldly comfort will never bring us closer to Jesus Christ.  Now is the time to intentionally commit to a life of being in His word each day for the single purpose of being able to humbly know Him, honor Him, glorify Him, follow Him, obey Him, trust and rely on Him.

126. Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

2 Samuel 16:5   When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.

Genesis 50:20     As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

1 Kings 22:21-23    Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’  And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’  Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

Lamentations 3:38-39     Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?  Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?

John 18:11    So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Job 9:12     Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Matthew Henry Commentary; – David bore Shimei’s curses much better than Ziba’s flatteries; by these, he was brought to pass a wrong judgment on another, by those to pass a right judgment on himself: the world’s smiles are more dangerous than its frowns. Once and again David spared Saul’s life, while Saul sought his. But innocence is no defense against malice and falsehood; nor are we to think it strange, if we are charged with that which we have been most careful to keep ourselves from. It is well for us, that men are not to be our judges, but He whose judgment is according to truth. See how patient David was under this abuse. Let this remind us of Christ, who prayed for those who reviled and crucified him. A humble spirit will turn reproaches into reproofs, and get good from them, instead of being provoked by them. David the hand of God in it, and comforts himself that God would bring good out of his affliction. We may depend upon God to repay, not only our services but our sufferings.

jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary;  Shimei, … a man of the family of Saul—The misfortune of his family, and the occupation by David of what they considered their rightful possessions, afforded a natural, if not a justifiable cause for this ebullition of rude insults and violence. He upbraided David as an ambitious usurper, and charged him, as one whose misdeeds had recoiled upon his own head, to surrender a throne to which he was not entitled. His language was that of a man incensed by the wrongs that he conceived had been done to his house. David was guiltless of the crime of which Shimei accused him, but his conscience reminded him of other flagrant iniquities; and he, therefore, regarded the cursing of this man as a chastisement from heaven. His answer to Abishai’s proposal evinced the spirit of deep and humble resignation—the spirit of a man who watched the course of Providence and acknowledged Shimei as the instrument of God’s chastening hand. One thing is remarkable, that he acted more independently of the sons of Zeruiah in this season of great distress than he could often muster courage to do in the days of his prosperity and power.