“Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and said to him, ‘Do you certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?’ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.” (vv.13-14)
God’s word tells us that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom. Here in our text many came to warn Gedaliah of a plot to kill him, but he refused to believe it. He should have listened to this wise counsel of those who warned him and acted on it, as it would have saved his life.
God desires for us to use wisdom when making decisions and to respond quickly when He gives us supernatural information. The Old Testament prophet Nathan provides one of the best examples of how to confront someone well. Nathan told a non-threatening story of a small lamb to help King David understand the true nature of his sin with Bathsheba. God wants us to be gracious, loving, even creative in our confrontation of sin in a brother or sister's life, but also bold and unafraid.
Ignoring the elephant in the room only magnifies the differences between parties and keeps the pot simmering on low. It is far simpler to obey the voice of God than to shut our ears to what He is saying to us, or our eyes to what we see, just because we dislike confrontation. Find a way to creatively and lovingly speak to the heart of those you love, to give good council, and leave the rest to God. Who knows, you may just save a life, both on earth and into eternity.
The Truth: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)
God’s word tells us that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom. Here in our text many came to warn Gedaliah of a plot to kill him, but he refused to believe it. He should have listened to this wise counsel of those who warned him and acted on it, as it would have saved his life.
God desires for us to use wisdom when making decisions and to respond quickly when He gives us supernatural information. The Old Testament prophet Nathan provides one of the best examples of how to confront someone well. Nathan told a non-threatening story of a small lamb to help King David understand the true nature of his sin with Bathsheba. God wants us to be gracious, loving, even creative in our confrontation of sin in a brother or sister's life, but also bold and unafraid.
Ignoring the elephant in the room only magnifies the differences between parties and keeps the pot simmering on low. It is far simpler to obey the voice of God than to shut our ears to what He is saying to us, or our eyes to what we see, just because we dislike confrontation. Find a way to creatively and lovingly speak to the heart of those you love, to give good council, and leave the rest to God. Who knows, you may just save a life, both on earth and into eternity.
The Truth: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15)
