Jehoshaphat – Page 2 – Praying Pint

2.g. “Therefore hear the word of the Lord

2 Chronicles 18:14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 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 on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, 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 these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way 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 with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

Numbers 16:29     If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.

Amos 9:10     All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

Jeremiah 23:36    But ‘the burden of the LORD’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man’s own word, and you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

Acts 20:30    and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things,

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

We see Ahab, King of Israel wanting to hear from God but only wanting to hear what he had determined already in his own heart and mind. He surrounded himself and more than likely previously punished those who did not speak what he wanted to hear. They were trained to speak in line with his wants and not what God would have him do.

When our heart, soul, and mind are not wholly for following and trusting in God there is an inner self that rules in His place. This inner self will convince us we are following after God even though we are lukewarm, neglectful, and complacent. We can not serve both self and God. We will serve the one we yield to. We will serve the one that occupies our desires and wants. We will serve the one we think will give us satisfaction and purpose. Sad to say but many times this is self.

You have to imagine that at some point, at the beginning of our deception, where we began to listen to self over following God, we were aware of this and we chose to push this awareness away. We were able to drown out the voice of God. Our heart became hard, our ears deaf, and our choice to turn away was blinded from our mind. Soon self became the only voice we listen to, the only thing we trusted in, and the only thing we found satisfaction in.

Remember the devil is a roaring lion seeking to deceive and draw us away from following God. He will send many false hopes of satisfaction into our lives. He will try to confuse us, entice us, and fill us with things of this world that will never satisfy but will always lead us away from seeking, trusting, relying on, following, honoring, glorifying, and obeying God.

The word of God is our stronghold, our hope, and our strength, for in it we find wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of God. We see a glimpse of eternity and the love of God poured out to us through Jesus Christ. Fill all your heart, mind and soul with the want and desire of and through Jesus Christ. Stay in His word to find peace, joy, love, rest, strength, and hope for today and forever. Do not allow self a second in your heart and mind for it will take this single second and turn it into a lifetime of deception.

2.f. That I may know what more the LORD will say to me.

2 Chronicles 18:5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God 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 always 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. And they were sitting 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 my God says, that I will speak.”

Numbers 22:18-20   But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more.  So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.”  And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”

Jeremiah 23:28    Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.

Ezekiel 2:7    And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Galatians 1:10    For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:4    but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Micaiah spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Balaam spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Ezekiel spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Paul spoke what the Holy Spirit spoke into his heart and mind. Jeremiah spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind.

We must want to be in the presence of God and have a deep desire to hear the leading of the Holy Spirit. “Seek Me and I will be found,” “Desire Me and I will give you the desires of your heart,” “Come to Me and I will give you rest,” “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.”

All of these words from God invite us to come to Him, seek Him, run to Him, desire Him, love Him, and believe, trust, rely upon and cling to Him. They are words inviting us to surrender ourselves into His arms. They are words inviting us to want Him more that things of this world. They are words inviting us to open wide our heart and let Him flood us with knowledge and understanding of grace, mercy, and love for those who are called by His name and thereby love, seek, and desire Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

We only get to this place of surrender by intentionally choosing to surrender our self-centered, self-satisfying, self-honoring, self-pleasing, self-reliant, self-trusting, self-honoring lives. It is almost impossible to fathom how this change could happen because we have lived so long with this way of living. How is it we could change from listening to self to that of actively listening to the Holy Spirit? The good thing is it is not up to our strength and power. It is only by when we surrender our heart, mind, and soul to the full control, full purpose, and full authority to Jesus Christ will we be able to. In this humble servant attitude, we find our ears hearing clearly and our mind understanding and our soul rejoicing in and how the Holy Spirit of God is indwelling and leading every moment of our lives. His word takes on a new refreshing place in our heart. Every day we seem to see something more profound, more clear, and more applicable from Him. We grow and mature in our walk with Him. We learn to hear His whispers of leading. We rely on Him more. We cling to Him more. We trust in Him more. And though it sounds backward, the weaker we are to self the stronger we become in and through this yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our goal is to live every moment in humble service, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, obeying, and trusting Him and saying “As the Lord speaks so shall I do and speak”

2.e. “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 23:2     Therefore David inquired of the LORD,

Psalms 27:4    One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.

1 Samuel 23:9-12  David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”  Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.  Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”  Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”

Jeremiah 21:2    “Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us.

Ezekiel 20:3    “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD, Is it to inquire of me that you come? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

How many days go by that we are not inquiring of Jesus Christ? How many issues, trials, troubles, and mixed up days do we seek to handle on our own, define our own plan, and take our own path? Why is it we choose to go through these days alone? Why is it we think we can handle the decision making on our own? Why do we pretend our decision is correct and the outcome will be good for us?

The main reason we go it alone is that we choose to be alone. We intentionally choose to face each moment of each day on our own. We choose NOT to have Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our presence. We choose NOT to seek Him, NOT to listen to Him, NOT to trust Him, NOT to follow Him, NOT to honor Him, NOT to obey Him, and NOT to rely on Him. We seek blessings but do not want to be constantly near and clinging to the One who blesses us. We seek to find satisfaction and purpose in our lives apart from Him.

Don’t receive this the wrong way. We definitely finally run to Him in times of trials but it is the daily moments, the minutes and hours we choose to keep Him away at arm’s length. We choose to be in His presence. We choose to do that which honors, glorifies, and obeys Him. Staying in His word is not a burden but adds a renewing to our heart soul and mind. We choose to stay in His word and hear it speak into our life. We choose to stay in His word to know Him more and more so that our life is not lived for self but for the purpose, He has given to us and how He is leading us. We choose to stay in His word and His presence for it brings life and purpose to our heart and soul that nothing on earth can match or fulfill. We choose Him because He first chose us, and He loved us so much that He gave is life up to redeem us. He died for our sin so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He died so that we might live victoriously. He died so that we would find forgiveness, and know mercy and grace. He died so that we might know true peace, joy, hope, strength, power, and love.

Why is it we go hours on end without even wanting Him in our presence and thoughts? Why is it we do not desire and seek His leading? We can go boldly to the throne of grace, into His presence at all times, and we seem to choose to hide safely behind the curtain until the flames of our issues have all but consumed us before we step into His presence. Choose to come into His presence with thanksgiving, rejoicing, and praise.

2.d. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them

2 Chronicles 17:1 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah.

Psalms 18:21-22   For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.  For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them

Psalms 119:1   Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

Asa’s son Jehoshaphat reigned after him. He sought God and walked in His commandments. He was courageous in the ways of the Lord. One of the greatest verses in this chapter, to me, is “he sent his officials to teach in the cities, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them” “They went through all the cities and taught among the people.”

Jehoshaphat, it seems, knew the need to know God’s word and to have it as your purpose and guide for your life. Can you imagine what it would be like to live in cities away from the temple, away from the presence of God, and away from leaders in worship and sacrifice? There would be no daily reminder of His word other than what you put to memory. Can you imagine what it would be like to not have God word at your fingertips?

Jehoshaphat sent his officials, Levites, and Priests to teach in the cities. He did not want the people to fall away from following after God. He took the word of God to them. He set an example of the importance of God’s word to his officials and to the people in all the cities he governed.

Setting an example of the importance of God’s word is more than going to church on Sunday. It is more than reading a daily devotional. It is more than having a head knowledge of His word. God’s word must permeate the heart and mind to take root in our purpose for life. God’s word is able to divide thoughts and intents in the heart of man. It can soften or harden a heart depending on the heart of the person receiving it.

To intentionally choose, desire, and seek after God’s word must be for the reasons of wanting to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow, trust, and obey God with all your heart, mind, and soul. If we look at God’s word like it is a medicine cabinet and only there for when we have a need, we will soon see His as nothing more than a bandaid for trouble. God’s word is so much more. It gives peace and rest to the weary soul in confusion. It gives courage to the mind of the alone and afraid. It gives hope and faith to the lost. It refreshes the hear, mind, and soul to those who hunger and thirst for it.

Jehoshaphat knew the heart and mind were easily attracted toward what can be seen and took steps to remove the high places and Asherim out of Judah. He took out these false places of hope and replaced them with the word of God. We would do well to take inventory of what is in our heart and mind and where we place our hope and trust.

173. It is not light thing

2 Kings 3:4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he had to deliver to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So King Jehoram marched out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. And he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to battle against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” Then he said, “By which way shall we march?” Jehoram answered, “By the way of the wilderness of Edom.”

So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.

Isaiah 49:6     he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 42:6     “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,

Isaiah 60:3   And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Luke 2:32   a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

John 1:4-9    In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.  The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

Acts 26:18    to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

The miracles of God which seem hard are not for God. They are a light thing. Think about it. God created all there was from the voice of His mouth. Universes, galaxies, light, every living thing, and mankind. God creator, our Heavenly Father, our Redeemer Jesus Christ, and our helper the Holy Spirit, are all of God. It is a light thing for Him to do what we think impossible. It is not something we should think a light thing for us to honor Him, worship Him, glorify Him, follow Him, obey Him, rely on Him, and trust in Him. This is our purpose in life. What is not light for God should not be thought of light by us. Forgiveness, repentance, and humble service to Jesus Christ require us to see this as a BIG THING from God to us. Pray that God will open your heart and mind to the depth and width of His love demonstrated in and through Jesus Christ.

172. Is it because there is no God

1 Kings 22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.

2 Kings 1:1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went. The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down quickly!’” But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.

I am intrigued by this statement; “Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire”. How many times are we needing to walk with God but we search for something else to comfort, satisfy, or to trust in. When God is first in our life, His presence is always there with us, in our heart, mind, and soul. When God is not first, and though He is there, His presence is not in our heart, mind, and soul. The reason it is not there is that we do not want it there. We don’t want to submit. We don’t want to live to honor Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul. We don’t want to leave the pleasures and comforts of our lifestyle. We want to be the one in charge. We want to be the one who decides what will be prioritized in our life each day. We want control.

God is always there but will not share (our heart, mind, and soul) with another. If we push Him out – out He will stay, howbeit knocking at the door to our heart. We need to be intentional in our commitment, service, following, trusting, reliance, and obedience.

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.

18. Bow and Worship God

Exodus 34:8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

Exodus 4:33 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Exodus 12:27 for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

Nehemiah 8:6   And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

2 Chronicles 20:18    Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.

2 Chronicles 29:30    And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

What in our lives brings us to a place where we bow and worship God? We can see the people bowed and worshiped when they saw the mighty powerful and sovereign hand of God. How many times does the mighty powerful and sovereign go unnoticed in our lives? What is it we could be or are missing?

Beauty and wonder of creation

His word

His promises

Saved Lives

Changed lives

Repentant lives

Healed relationships

Peace and calm in chaos

Refuge in the storm

Protection and Safety in danger

Purpose and plans for our life

Holy Spirit leading, directing, convicting

Opening His word to understanding and knowledge of Him

Fruits of the Spirit

Joy

Love

Kindness

Generous heart

Humbleness

Glimpses of eternity

Steadfast love

Forgiveness

Encouragements

Strength for today, hope for tomorrow

Food, warmth, shelter, clothing, employment

Friends

Family

Children

Grandchildren

We have much to thank, bow and worship God for.