The prophets in this text were promising things God did not tell them. They lied, and their lies represented God. God was watching. They spoke from arrogance. They thought that they would not be held accountable. In verses 1-2 " “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord."
God tells them if they had prophesied truthfully, they could have saved the people from their downfall. Instead, they chose what was politically expedient over spiritually beneficial, true, and right. They said things like, “God’s will is irrelevant to running the country.” That is my paraphrase. They did not call the people back to God's Law and Covenant. Neglecting those did impact how the Country was led and was run. Things like that might have been the resounding pronunciation, not of sin but the dismissal of God.
1 Kings 22 tells how the prophets lying to King Ahab demanded that Micaiah, God's true prophet, plagiarize their lies or be canceled. Micaiah would not lie but spoke the Truth. He spoke about the fall and death of Ahab. That landed him in prison. God’s grace appropriated to him at the time because he stood firm in humility. He knew he must speak only what God spoke. It did not matter who liked it. At first, he sarcastically said what the prophets wanted him to say. Interestingly, Ahab knew he was not speaking the truth and insisted he only tell him what God said. He relented from his sarcasm. He would not capitulate from the dire message God spoke to him. He did not stutter. He spoke truthfully the words of God. This is what Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" looks like. He was willing to speak the truth no matter how unpopular or if it cost him his life. This is the humility that God gives grace to.
When we walk humbly with God, we will never be left alone. His grace empowers us to stand on truth. God will find in us faithfulness to him, and he will walk beside us in a way we could never imagine. When we are stalwart for God's purposes, he will gracefully meet us in our weakness. Counting the cost of being his, with all the persecution it can bring, will be for us, Joy. Micaiah's boldness was such that even though he could stay out of jail, he was willing to stay where the flesh would want relief. He continued pronouncing the truth from God. 1 Kings 22: 26 So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ”28 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”
When you go through Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, you must ask yourself, "How were these people able to withstand the agony of their deaths?" They were given grace in their humility, their time of need, which we aren't experiencing because we are not walking in their shoes. We don't need this kind of Grace at the moment. Maybe some of you are experiencing some hardship. If you want God to meet you with His Grace, stay humble. That is encouragement that your testimony might be like Micaiah's, and doing all to stand, WE STAND! God gives the grace needed for each situation when something difficult is faced. We prepare by walking humbly before him daily and counting the cost. Be willing to speak the truth every day. When we are called to give an account to others, we will speak only what God says, no matter the cross we must bear.
I end with one of my favorite words of God to the proud, from Psalm 50:21, “THESE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE, AND I KEPT SILENT. YOU THOUGHT I WAS ALTOGETHER LIKE YOU, BUT I WILL REBUKE YOU AND SET THEM IN ORDER BEFORE YOUR EYES! Now consider this, YOU WHO FORGET GOD, lest I tear you to pieces, and there be NONE TO DELIVER: "Whoever offers praises glorifies ME, And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” The latter is a call to the humble. I love these verses. We need to be desperate for humility before The Only True God! He gives grace to the humble. That was Micaiah. God opposes the proud. That's where the false lying prophets landed. God offers salvation to those who praise Him. We have the responsibility, like Micaiah, to be those "who orders his conduct aright..." How do we do this? Walking humbly with our God.
He’s slow to judge because his loving-kindness is LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGG! But it is not perpetual! Father, I don’t think you are altogether like us; I hold you in “the fear” that brings wisdom! I know you oppose pride, so help those who read this and me be humble, so we receive Your Grace.
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