Elisha responded, "As the Lord of Hosts lives, I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I would not look at you; I wouldn’t take notice of you." - 2 Kings 3:14
The wicked king of Israel and the righteous king of Judah went (together) into battle, but only the latter sought the counsel of God's prophet (Elisha). When Elisha arrived to speak to the two kings, he agreed to speak God's Word, but only because the righteous king of Judah was present to receive it. He deemed that the wicked king of Israel was not even worthy of God's attention or notice, because he had consistently ignored God's previous counsel.
While we may not always appreciate God's advice in its many forms (the Bible, prayer, and God's people), we should always appreciate that it is available. While the wicked king could "listen in" on God's counsel, he could no longer benefit from it or directly receive it because it was no longer there for him.
Let us be careful to live our lives in a manner worthy of the blessed wisdom that God provides and let us also be thankful that He still cares enough to correct. Let us also take advantage of all that He offers by His grace.
The word of God is full of sad and grave counsel, full of the knowledge of God, of examples of virtues, and of correction of vices, of the end of this life, and of the life to come. - John Jewel
Comentários