Counsel

I am in I Kings in my daily Bible reading.  Today I read I Kings 12-13.  One of the things the Lord has been showing me in my Bible reading is seek counsel.  We don't know everything there is to know.  Other people have gone through things and can help us sort out some of the things we are going through.  Get counsel!!! 

Today in my reading the Lord showed me some things about counsel.

I Kings 12 is about Rehoboam, Solomon's son.  Rehoboam has just become king.  His "subjects" come to him and say, "Your dad was a rough king.   Give us a break and we will be your servants."  (my version).  Rehoboam wisely tells them to come back in three days so he can think about it.  During these three days Rehoboam gets counsel. 

Rehoboam starts out right.  He goes to the older, wiser men who counseled his father, Kind Solomon...the wisest man who ever lived...good choice, Rehoboam.   I Kings 12:7 gives their answer, "...If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever."  Isn't that what Rehoboam wanted?  I guess the process of getting to  having loyal servants was the hard part.  It says there that Rehoboam would have to be a servant first before he would have loyal servants...he would have to be humble before his subjects before they would give him their heart, love and servitude.   Rehoboam apparently didn't care for this advice.  He was the king after all.  Why would he serve the people?  They should be serving him.

What happens now?  Verse 8, "But he forsook the counsel of the old men...and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him..."   So, now he didn't like the older, wiser counsel so he goes to his friends and says, "What counsel give ye that we may answer this people?"  In verse 10, his friends basically tell him, "Make it hard for these people.  They thought your dad was tough!  Just wait. they haven't seen bondage and servitude." (my version, again). 

Rehoboam has his counsel.  What does he choose?  Verse 13 tells us that he forsook the counsel of the old men.  The result...The people reject David's (Rehoboam's grandpa) house from being king (verse 19).  Israel is now going to have a man named Jeroboam for a king.  There is more to the story, but I really want to focus on the fact that Rehoboam didn't listen to the counsel of the older men.  What does this teach us?  Seek counsel among the elders

BUT...

Then I continued my reading in I Kings 13.   The people of Israel have rejected Rehoboam from being king and established Jeroboam to be king.  (You really need to read this for yourself.) Chapter 13 opens with a man of God coming out of Judah to prophesy to King Jeroboam.  It is important what he said, but I can't go into all the details because I don't have time to write a book.  Anyway, Jeroboam has made idols and has the people worshipping them and the prophet comes and speaks against Jeroboam (see chapter 13:1-11). 

I am going to switch our focus from King Jeroboam to the prophet.  Here comes this prophet.  God has not only given him what to say, but He has given him some other instructions.  Verses 7 tells us, "And the king (Jeroboam) said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward."   The man of God answers him in verses 8-9, "If thou give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat...nor drink...For so it was charged me by the Lord..."  The next verse tells us this man leaves "another way." 

Something interesting happens next.  Verses 11-13 tell us there was an old Prophet...old, elderly, older and wiser?...in Bethel (where all this is taking place).  His sons tell him about the man of God who came and prophesied to Jeroboam.  Their father then sets out to find this other prophet.  The older prophet finds the prophet and in verse 15 we see he says, "...come home with me, and eat." 

In verse 16 the prophet tells the older prophet (I should give them names it would be easier) that God told him not to eat and stuff in that place(vs, 16-17).  Now pay attention to the next verse.  Verse 18...the older prophet is speaking...you really need to pull out your Bible and read this yourself...the older prophet says, "I am a prophet...an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house...But he lied unto him."   Wait a minute!!!  I thought this was the older, wise man...the older, wiser counsel.  I won't take the time to tell all that happens you can read it for yourself in I Kings 13...basically this younger prophet is killed by a lion.  WHY????  He listened to the older, wiser prophet.

Ok, Lord, I am confused.  First Rehoboam rejects the older, wiser counsel and he is rejected from being Israel's king.  Now the prophet listens to the older, wiser counsel and he is killed by a lion.

Remember I said in a previous post I read a Proverb daily.  Well, today I read Proverbs 28.  Verse 5 says, "Evil men understand not judgement: but they that seek the Lord understand all things."

"They that SEEK the Lord"  I get it, Lord!!!  What was missing?  The seeking the Lord part.  Neither Rehoboam nor the prophet sought GOD's Counsel.  Counsel is good.  But seeking the Lord is where it is at.  What does HE say about our situation?  Is the counsel we are receiving in line with HIS word or are we "leaning to our own understanding."  Choosing what we want and how we think things should be handled instead of seeking what God wants us to do.  Seek counsel.  Seek counsel from the older and wiser...even seek it from your friends.  BUT ultimately we must filter it through God's counsel. Remember, Proverbs 19:21, "...nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

I know this is kind of long.  I again say this is a personal blog.  It is for me.  I can keep my thoughts here.  If someone reads it and gets a blessing...well...Praise the Lord!!!  If not, God showed this to me.  It was for me.  We have a God that wants to speak to us, use us and have a relationship with us.  Take some time today to see what He has for you.  This was for me, but I know he has something for you.

Seek Him today.
Di