Ungodly Counsel
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly." (Psalm 1:1)
At a recent women's a young women told me that her husband wanted a divorce, but consented to see a Christian counselor before making it final. A member of the team in the counselling center told him that he himself was divorced and very happily remarried. That was all the husband needed. The man whom he looked for help set the example he was hoping to find. Of course he went ahead and divorced his wife.
The 23rd Chapter of Jeremiah describes what is happening in our country today. The land is full of adulterers.
Pastures have dried up. Powers are misused. prophet and priest alike are godless, doing evil in the Lords house. Jeremiah's description of the prophet's seems terribly fitting for some of those from whom Christian people are seeking guidance: "the vision they report springs from their won imagination. it is not from the mouth of the Lord.... to all who follow the promptings of their own stubborn heart they say, 'No disaster shall befall you.' but which of them have stood in the counsel of the Lord, seen Him and heard His word? Which of them have listened to His word and obeyed?" (Jeremiah 16-18 NEB)
Here is a good test to apply to any of whom we seek counsel. Has he stood in the counsel of the Lord? Has he seen Him? Has he heard His word? Has he listened and obeyed? Note the few who have actually paid a price for their obedience (like Jeremiah who was flogged, imprisoned, dropped into a pit of slime, etc.) These few are the ones to follow.
The chapter goes on to describe prophets who speak lies in Gods name, dream dreams, give voice to their own inventions, concoct words of their own, and then say, "This is His very word." They mislead with "wild and reckless falsehoods."
"If a prophet has a dream, let him tell his dream; if he has my word, let him speak my word in truth. What has chaff to do with grain? says the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:28)
Beware of those who are afraid to quote scripture, who say it's too "simplistic", doesn't apply here, won't work. Beware of the counselor who is "non-directional". Be cautious when the advice makes you feel comfortable when you know you're really wrong. "Do not my words scorch like fire? says the Lord. Are they not like a hammer that splinters rock?" (Jeremiah 23:29)
It wasn't only the awesome prophets of the Old Testament who spoke this way. Think of the words of Jesus. Though often He spoke "comfortable words," words that brought peace and hope, He spoke also those words that seared like fire ("depart from me, i never knew you"; "Get behind me, satan") and splintered rock ("you will never get out until you have paid the last farthing"; 'Whoever wants to be first must be the willing slave of all").
"The form of words you shall use in speaking amongst yourselves is: 'What answer has the Lord given?' or 'what has the Lord said?'" (Jeremiah 23:35)
This applies, of course, only to those who care what the Lord wants. Those who have already decided to do their own thing need not apply for truly godly counsel.
Reminds me of the hymn: Blessed is the man
ReplyDeleteBlessed is the man,
the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly;
blessed is that man.
He who rejects the way, rejects the way of sin
and who turns away from scoffing:
blessed is that man.
But his delight, by day and night,
is the law of God Almighty.
He is like a tree, a tree that flourishes,
being planted by the water:
blessed is that man.
He will bring forth fruit,
his leaf will wither not,
for in all he does he prospers:
blessed is that man.
For his delight, by day and night,
is th law of God Almighty.
The ungodly are not so,
for they are like the chaff which the wind blows clean away.
The ungodly are not so.
The unglodly will not stand upon the judgment day
nor belong to God's own people:
the ungodly will not stand.
But God knows the way of righteous man
and ungodly ways will perish.
Blessed is the man,
the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly:
blessed is that man.