I’ve heard a saying that goes like this, “A man is not known by the friends that he keeps, but the enemies.” A rather deep, introspective quote to say the least. I mean isn’t our goal in life to have zero enemies? Or is that even possible? In my 50 years I have been afforded the ability to observe many groups of friends whether I was among their ranks or not and what I largely observed is that birds of a feather flock together. And within that friendly flock the message is amiable to all, whether there is any truth present or not. You see, we prefer a life where our friends will always tell us what we want to hear, tell us what makes us happy, and will always agree with us. And for many, if their friends don’t tell them what they want to hear, they simply get new friends.
When we do encounter a friend that will speak the hard truth into our lives, we recoil. What am I supposed to do with a so-called friend that speaks against me and my behavior? You see at the core, we are not dealing with the friend or their words, we are dealing with the truth. It is not the messenger that us humans are at odds with, it is the simple fact that our inborne sin nature has us diametrically opposed to the message of absolute truth.
When truth is spoken into your life, how do you react? If the truth is something that you do no prefer, do you simply reject it, making it an automatic untruth in your own mind? If I attempted to pin down just one problem that is fueling the evil within the world today, it would be this very issue. People do not want the truth. They want to be told what favors them, their situation and ultimately will move them closer to what they think they deserve. You see, the truth, when we are seeking our own prideful selfish ways, does nothing to advance our personal agenda. In fact, many times the truth moves us back 7 spaces just like an unlucky roll in Chutes and Ladders. And you know how that feels.
Today in 1 Kings 22 we witness just such a scenario. Evil King Ahab of Israel has united with Godly King Jehoshaphat of Judah and they intend to attack Syria. But, as was the practice of the day, Ahab consulted with the "prophets" of God before going into battle. I mean it’s always good to know if you will win triumphantly or die in disgrace before you go, right? But you see, Ahab has assembled not a group of Godly prophets but a group of 400 friends posing as Godly prophets. And his friends told him whatever it was that he wanted to hear. Four hundred “prophets of God” and every single time Ahab asked them a question, it always came back 100% unified and 100% favorable to the king's agenda. But Godly king Jehoshaphat could see the ruse and he wisely asked for a second opinion.
“But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied. So, the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” 1 Kings 22:7-9
As Micaiah is ushered into the presence of Ahab, he witnesses a spectacle. The 400 prophets of Ahab are dancing around and really selling their message. The lead false prophet Zedekiah even pulled out some stage props to help sell his lie, running around with a set of iron horns on his head, which represent power and victory. I can only imagine Micaiah's thoughts as he walked into this madhouse. Folks, there is a huge life lesson here. The truth is the truth. It does not need window dressing, you cannot make it more attractive than it is, and you cannot sell it for more than it is. The truth rests upon itself. But lies, lies have to be sold. Lies need to be doctored up, dressed up and spiffed up. It takes more effort to sell one lie than it does to simply speak a thousand truths.
Sure enough, the truth that Micaiah speaks from God is not favorable at all to Ahab. He predicts his defeat and ultimately his death in the battle. Man, talk about the truth cutting like a knife. But in this instance, it rather pierced like an arrow as a random arrow strikes Ahab and takes him into eternity just as Micaiah prophesied.
Folks, today if you are seeking the truth, it lies in one place and one place only…the divinely inspired, God breathed, Holy Words of God. What are you doing with the Word of God today? Do you think it’s really the Words of God or do you think a random bunch of ancient desert-dwelling guys wrote some jargon on parchment thousands of years ago? You see, within the pages of God’s Word lies the truth. And it is there for you to accept or reject. No one can make you believe the Word of God, much less love it and apply it to your life. But regardless of what you think about God’s Word and the truth that lies within it, your choice of belief does not alter or lessen the truth. The truth of God is a North Star in this world and regardless of belief, it cannot be pulled from its place in the Heavens.
I pray today that at all costs, you seek the truth. Search for it, journey for it, plead for it, yearn for it. For only within the truth of God can you be set free. Only within the truth of God and the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross can you find peace, joy, and satisfaction in this world. And if you put aside your own agenda and truly seek the truth of God with all of your heart...you will find it.
Don’t let the truth become your enemy today because it doesn’t carry the message you desire.
“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" Paul to the church at Galatia. Galatians 4:16
Blessings ~ Dan
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