Day 117, or April 27. Some advice is easier to take.
Our thoughts today are rooted in 2 Chronicles chapter 25 verse 16. While he was still speaking,
the king said to him, Have we appointed you an advisor to the king? Stop! Why be struck
down? So the prophet stopped, but said, I know that God has determined to destroy you,
because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. As the northern kingdom comes towards its
final acts, the southern kingdom of Judah continues to vacillate between following God
faithfully and joining in with the pagan rituals of its neighbors. The Assyrians will soon
attack but Judah is not worried. As it happens, they should have been, as they will be attacked
and scattered, and, but for a miraculous act of God, would have been defeated just as the
northern tribes were. During these years there were some good godly kings in the south,
but not a single one in the north.
And now today's action step. An unnamed prophet told King Amaziah that God was displeased
with his actions, and Amaziah's response was similar to that of a spoilt child. He
ignored him. You can almost see him in your imagination, putting his fingers in his ears
and singing, La, la, la, la. Advice is often easier to take when it comes from a source
that we respect and trust. However, when an unknown prophet comes to the king, his message
is dismissed, partly because of where it comes from, but probably, and I suspect mainly,
due to it not being what the king wanted to hear. If we only listen to those we approve
of or admire, we are in danger of missing something important. When we meet opposition
in life, we have three possible responses. We can ignore it, or slavishly obey it. Both
of these bypass the brain and are not recommended. The third and best response is to evaluate
it before God with a view to possibly changing our minds. Be ready today to hear from God,
even through individuals you don't particularly like.