A Letter to Young People

My dear young Friends,

In writing a short letter to you this month on certain current trends, we feel that it might be helpful to you to take as a parallel an outstanding incident in the life of the prophet Micaiah. This event is recorded in 2 Chronicles 18 which you can all look up and read for yourselves.

Briefly, Ahab, King of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, had determined to join forces and go up to recapture Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. At this juncture, however, Jehoshaphat, who was in fact a good king wished to know whether it was the will of God that they should do so. At his request, Ahab summoned his four hundred prophets to inquire of them regarding this matter. Now, Ahab was a wicked man and in like manner his prophets were evil, and had in no way the mind of the Lord. These false prophets immediately encouraged the kings to go on with their proposal, telling them that the issue would be a successful one. But Jehoshaphat still seemed dissatisfied and wished to enquire further as to the Lord's will. Ahab informed him that there was another man by whom they might inquire of the Lord, but that he hated him, because he never prophesied good for him, but always evil. Nevertheless this prophet, Micaiah, was sent for and advised to agree with the other prophets. His response to this course was, "As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak." In answer to Ahab's question, he had to say that Israel was to return shepherdless from Ramoth-gilead. Ahab was enraged and immediately ordered Micaiah to prison saying, "Thus saith the king, put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace." So, despite Micaiah's prophecy, the kings went up to battle, Jehoshaphat in his royal apparel, but Ahab, in order to be sure that Micaiah would be proven wrong, in disguise. But the day appointed of the Lord in which Ahab was to be called to judgment had come, and no disguise nor any other show of satanic wisdom would bring the decree of heaven to nought. A certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote Ahab, so that we read, "about the time of the sun going down he died." "The way of wicked men shall quite be overthrown."

There are many lessons, applicable to the times in which we live, to be learned from this narrative.

You will often feel alone and companionless, but there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

For a time Jehoshaphat, a man of God, involved himself and his subjects in danger by joining with wicked Ahab. The people of God today must beware of being seduced by the plausible approaches of those who are led captive by the devil at his will. We need grace to be always on the watchtower, lest we fall into one of many traps laid by Satan to ensnare the Church of God and the people of God. Watch and pray; there are many adversaries. There is a plausible movement at present for all the churches to join forces. A truce is called for. There is a plea for tolerance and brotherly love in the name of the Lord. On a national and international level churches are apparently willing to put aside their constitutional differences and forget what they are supposed to stand for in order that they present a united front. Men of all sorts of supposedly religious persuasions can, in the name of the Lord, join forces. What blasphemy in the name of religion! "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect."

There can never be true prosperity where there is an affinity with evil. There can be no compromise. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils." "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" The true servants of God must in this, as in every other age, be of the same spirit as Micaiah, "As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak." It has been written recently that we should not begin a discussion of religious issues by assuming that we are right and others wrong: we are saved and others damned. But it matters not what any man says, except in so far as he possesses the mind of the Lord. What saith the Lord? should be the all-important question with churches and individuals, and having ascertained this from His unerring Word, and having through His grace been enabled to do what is therein commanded, they can then be sure that they are on the right path. Their duty then is clear. They must contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

Notice that unanimity is no evidence of a cause being right and, therefore, of being that which should be espoused. King Ahab's four hundred prophets pronounced a unanimous verdict which proved to be wrong, while one despised individual, Micaiah, gave the right verdict. Let us beware of the sin of following the crowd, which it is so easy to fall into today. "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Be sure that if you are followers of that which is good, you will be despised by many with whom you come in contact, and you will often feel alone and companionless, but there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This article was extracted from an editorial in the April 1962 issue of Young People's Magazine.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen