‘But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?”’ (1 Kings 22:7 ESV).
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, requested that Ahab, king of Israel, would inquire of the LORD before they united to go to war against Syria. Ahab gathered his 400 prophets and they all positively affirmed the Lord’s support. However, Jehoshaphat was a righteous king and he took note that the prophets were not worshipers of the LORD (In most English translations, all caps “LORD” is used to translate “Yahweh,” while “Lord” is used to translate “Adonai.”). He asked whether Ahab still had a “Yahweh” prophet. Ahab did, but he said that he hated him because the prophet never spoke good for him. Sure enough, when the Yahweh prophet was brought before the kings, he prophesied Ahab’s death, which in fact, came to pass.
The modern reader may consider Ahab foolish for preferring to surround himself with preachers that only told him what he wanted to hear, while rejecting the one who called him to repentance with the truth. Yet, Ahab’s generation is here today and Ahab’s prophets are too. For as the apostle Paul warned, “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (1 Tim. 4:3-4).
What type of preaching do you prefer?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to hear preachers who preach Your Word. We love Your Word and we are filled with joy even when such preaching calls us to repentance. For we want to please You in all things. We pray today for preachers that will stand and preach Your Word boldly and fully. In Jesus’ name, amen.