II Chronicles 17-18
False prophets! What an abomination!
The king of Israel wants to pretend to hear from God, but he only wants good words spoken over him. He wants his ears tickled. So he gathers to himself four hundred false prophets who will stand before him and say what the king wants to hear.
Ahab asks Jehoshaphat to go to battle with him, and Jehoshaphat agrees. However, the king of Judah suggests that they hear from God before going. The four hundred prophets gather before them and with great demonstration, say that there will be victory.
Jehoshaphat must have recognized some error, because he wants to know if there are any other prophets. There is one more, but he always says bad things.
So Micaiah speaks the true word of God – which is a warning that Ahab will die if he goes. Needless to say this word is ignored, and comes true. The kings go out to battle, and Ahab gets killed.
This sounds like what’s going on today, doesn’t it?
II Timothy 4:3 says “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”
There are many today who want to ignore the truths of the Bible and make up their own doctrine in accordance with their evil desires. That trend is rampant.
So to ease their consciences, they accumulate teachers who will tickle their ears. There are now many false prophets who say what men want to hear, and not what God is really saying.
That’s why the Bible is so important. God’s Word is written down, and He speaks to us personally as we read it.
As we read it, we get wisdom as to what is from God and what isn’t. The abundant life that Jesus has provided comes to us as we live by God’s principles. There is tremendous reward in living honestly with God.
John 13:1-20
By the prophetic demonstration of washing their feet , Jesus shows one of the guidelines for his disciples. Go in humility and not in arrogance. The least shall be the greatest; the leader is the servant.
The ones who are to go out must follow His example. In a world where the leaders have strolled among the people in long robes and phylacteries, pompously lording over their followers, this has to seem strange. However, it’s the way of Jesus.
Jesus, the Son of God, the One who has demonstrated God’s healing and miracle-working power, is about to lay down His life and die a cruel death for us. The greatest is becoming the least, but from that obedience, He will become the greatest again – as He ascends into heaven.
This paradox is one of the hardest to understand and “get right.” As God’s children, we certainly are not worms, we are children of the King. However, as we interact with others, we should not have a pious, better-than attitude, because the Lord has instructed us against that. Our reward comes from Him.
In fact, when we get to the whole counsel of God, we see that He exalts the humble. But resists the proud.
Today, as we deal with those around us, let us truly represent God. Let us regard them as highly as ourselves, and show them God’s redeeming love. We are important – but so are they!
