March 7, 2024

Passage Read: 2 Chronicles 18-21
Meditation Verses: 18:6-7

Thought

Somehow Jehoshaphat was able to recognize that of all these prophets, not one was from the Lord, though they all claimed to speak a message from the Lord. When he asked Ahab for a prophet of God, Ahab knew of one, but that one never spoke good about him! We all welcome prophets who speak good to us and about us, but we can't recognize that few of them are from the Lord, because they all claim to speak in the name of the Lord. But there might be one guy who never says anything good about us…what if he's the only true prophet of God? And we hate him because he never says anything good about us! He's the one we need most, but he's the last one we ever want to hear from! If Ahab had believed him and listened to his warning, he would have lived. Instead, he put him in jail, and in short order, everyone knew he had spoken the truth from God.

Application

Jehoshaphat was rebuked by a prophet shortly after returning home, but he didn't jail the prophet; he was willing for God to rebuke him. There is a humility needed if we are going to appreciate and benefit from true prophets of God. We freely confess we are sinners, but we don't want to be called out; that's not wisdom, but folly. Ahab died for his foolishness; I need to be willing to receive rebuke from servants of God. False prophets want to be loved, but true prophets love God most, and want to help us by telling us the hard things we need to hear, to save our lives. I need to speak truth to those I love, and I need to receive truth from those who love God more than they seek my favor.