I prayed for strength today. I'm not sure why, but I felt like that's what I might need today. I hope it's not a clue as to what the day ahead of me has in store. If so, at least my bases are covered and I listened to what the Spirit whispered to me!
2 Kings 21
After king Hezekiah's death his twelve year old son, Manasseh, takes over as king. He turns out to be one of the most wicked of Judah's kings, leading the people back to idolatry and human sacrifices. He will reign for fifty-five years.
Although it sounds like the majority of the people are participating in the sinful acts, there are a few that choose not to participate. The Lord sends his "servants the prophets" (v 10) to warn the people of the destruction of Jerusalem if they continue in these abominations.
Most of the study material focuses on the wicked people and Manasseh, but my thoughts were led to the prophets. What would it be like to be among the few that were against the majority? How do you continue in righteousness when there is so much wickedness around you?
TASK OF A PROPHET:
A prophets job was to call the people back to God and to the truth of God. It involved warning them of the consequences of their actions and a call to repentance. At times it was a message of God's plan for the future of His Kingdom. They were men through whom God spoke His message of love for sinners, and warned them of the consequences of their sins. The heart of their message was God's promise of eternal redemption through the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
As a mother, teacher, and church leader one of the most painful experiences I have had is watching someone you love turn his/her back on God. It breaks your heart and it causes you to think that maybe you didn't do enough to help this person. You say things like, "What if I had loved them more? Or called them more? Or been a better example?" It is hard to let others choose a path that you know will only lead to heartache. You try to warn them, to protect them, to help them see the problems with their choices, but sometimes they just don't want to listen.
As the prophets during this time, they witnessed a whole people being led away from God. They watched the tragic progression in Manasseh’s sin and it’s affect upon the people:
First, idolatry is tolerated among God’s people.
Then idolatry is promoted.
Then idolatry is supported and funded.
Then the worship of the true God is undermined.
Then the worshippers of the true God are persecuted and murdered.
How heartbreaking this must have been. I have a hard time losing one person, I can't imagine how it would feel to watch an entire people turn from God! So much sadness.
PREPARATION:
God prepared each of these men for their special task. There were also "schools" of the prophets in Ramah (1 Samuel 19:18), Bethel (2 Kings 2:3), Jericho (2 Kings 2:5), and Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38).
One form of preparation was the spiritual gift of prophecy. This gift includes both the idea of foretelling and forth telling, predicting the future and preaching. A prophet was God's mouthpiece: he spoke for God and gave His message. Sometimes that message was regarding the future. Other times it concerned the present, even the past, or simply doctrinal truth, but it was always God's message spoken forth.
In the case of the prophets in this chapter, they were foretelling what God had planned for Jerusalem because of the people's iniquity. Now think about that. How would you feel knowing that you have to deliver a message to the people that is true, but you know may not be received well? How do you tell an entire people that they will be destroyed or conquered and taken into captivity?
I don't know about you, but I have a hard enough time dealing with tragedies as they come up. I'm not sure how I would deal with knowing ahead of time that something was going to happen. Especially, something that is stated as: "I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down" (v13). This does not sound pleasant, nor easy to live through. How did these great men deal with this knowledge? How did it not eat them up inside?
I have to believe that as God prepared them to receive this spiritual gift that He took these things into consideration. These men loved the Lord and He loved them too, surely He would provide the means for these men to deal with the knowledge He was giving them.
I think I might have found the answer to my questions:
What would it be like to be among the few that were against the majority?
It was probably lonely from a social standpoint, but they must have had an amazing relationship with God. A bond so strong that everything else was secondary. It would be interesting to be in a place where God's love was enough.
How do you continue in righteousness when there is so much wickedness around you?
These men were prepared for their task. The Lord did not just throw them into a situation, He had prepared them before hand. He knew what the people would do and so He prepared these righteous men to withstand what was going on around them. Also, I think that if I knew the consequences of my actions in such detail as the prophets did, I would be less likely to commit the sins in the first place.
I admire the men that God has called to be His prophets over the years. They sacrifice much to do the will of the Lord. Their humility is worth emulating. Their strength and faith are great examples for me to learn from. I may never be called to be a prophet of God, but I am called to be a Christian and to stand among the few when He calls me to. May I always be ready to answer that call.
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