When God tells you something... and then He "tells" them something else...
I hear people say things like, "The Lord told me this," or "The Lord has really impressed that upon my heart." And often times, I've heard it in conjunction with actions that don't particularly match up to God's word. Not that we can always dictate what God is telling others, but sometimes it seems that they are listening to the voices inside of their head rather than the voice of God. Of course, I'll admit, sometimes it's a struggle to decipher between our own thoughts and God's thoughts. But when we are trying to determine what God has said, or if it was Him who really spoke, we have to consider the source, consider the Word, and consider God's character.
We all know the word of God can't be challenged. Well, at least, we don't challenge it when it comes in a personal form. God's word is constantly being challenged on a daily basis, but the minute someone says they've received a specific word from the Lord, we count it as gospel and don't say a thing. People will tell you God told them this and God told them that, and the truth is, we often say that because it places the responsibility elsewhere and prohibits push back. Who can blame you if you're doing what God told you, right? And who would dare question what God said? After all, you're the one He is speaking to, so they can't say you're wrong. But what happens when God tells you one thing and then someone else says He told them another?
The King of Assyria showed up to defeat Jerusalem. The Assyrians were bad mamma-jammas, so they had every logical reason to believe they could easily defeat Jerusalem. They were bigger, stronger, and confident. And the King of Assyria had a bold message for King Hezekiah. In a nutshell, he basically said, "We're better than you. You don't stand a chance against us...blah, blah, blah," and then he finished it by saying, "What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the Lord's direction? The Lord himself told us. "Go and destroy it." (Isaiah 36:10)
Well, there you have it, the Lord told them to do it. Or did he? Let's pause for a moment and think about this. Does this sound like the Lord? If you read the Old Testament, you know that God did allow his people to be defeated and taken into captivity as retribution for their sins and waywardness, but it was God who made that decision. He, himself, handed them over to their enemies. And, he would send people to tell them what was to come before it happened. It was by his hand, by his allowance alone, his people would be defeated. Yet the Assyrians were speaking for God. They were playing on the emotions of God's people. They didn't receive a divine word from the Lord, but you wouldn't believe otherwise by simply listening to them. And God's people tore their clothes in despair when they heard what the King of Assyria had to say. After all, they knew that God never went back on his word.
Word got back to King Hezekiah and he followed suit. But rather than taking the Assyrians at their word and waving the white flag of surrender, he went to the temple and prayed. Rather than listening to what the King of Assyria had to say, Hezekiah sought out what God had to say. And as he prayed, and as God listened, Hezekiah received a message from the Lord that sounded like this:
"This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword." (Isaiah 37:6-7)
Listen to what God says. God may or may not be speaking to them, but don't take their word, take His. And if you aren't quite sure what He might say about the whole ordeal, well, follow Hezekiah's example and pray about it. Read His word. Determine if it lines up with God's character. Does it align with or contradict what His irrefutable word says? Does it even sound like something He would say? Remember, God keeps his word, he never goes back on it, and you can stand firm on that. God is not going to give contradicting messages. He is a God of consistency, and He will impress absolute, unifying truth upon the hearts of His children who earnestly seek Him. Those who truly desire to know and do His will.
“It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” - Isaiah 37:18-20
We all know the word of God can't be challenged. Well, at least, we don't challenge it when it comes in a personal form. God's word is constantly being challenged on a daily basis, but the minute someone says they've received a specific word from the Lord, we count it as gospel and don't say a thing. People will tell you God told them this and God told them that, and the truth is, we often say that because it places the responsibility elsewhere and prohibits push back. Who can blame you if you're doing what God told you, right? And who would dare question what God said? After all, you're the one He is speaking to, so they can't say you're wrong. But what happens when God tells you one thing and then someone else says He told them another?
The King of Assyria showed up to defeat Jerusalem. The Assyrians were bad mamma-jammas, so they had every logical reason to believe they could easily defeat Jerusalem. They were bigger, stronger, and confident. And the King of Assyria had a bold message for King Hezekiah. In a nutshell, he basically said, "We're better than you. You don't stand a chance against us...blah, blah, blah," and then he finished it by saying, "What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the Lord's direction? The Lord himself told us. "Go and destroy it." (Isaiah 36:10)
Well, there you have it, the Lord told them to do it. Or did he? Let's pause for a moment and think about this. Does this sound like the Lord? If you read the Old Testament, you know that God did allow his people to be defeated and taken into captivity as retribution for their sins and waywardness, but it was God who made that decision. He, himself, handed them over to their enemies. And, he would send people to tell them what was to come before it happened. It was by his hand, by his allowance alone, his people would be defeated. Yet the Assyrians were speaking for God. They were playing on the emotions of God's people. They didn't receive a divine word from the Lord, but you wouldn't believe otherwise by simply listening to them. And God's people tore their clothes in despair when they heard what the King of Assyria had to say. After all, they knew that God never went back on his word.
Word got back to King Hezekiah and he followed suit. But rather than taking the Assyrians at their word and waving the white flag of surrender, he went to the temple and prayed. Rather than listening to what the King of Assyria had to say, Hezekiah sought out what God had to say. And as he prayed, and as God listened, Hezekiah received a message from the Lord that sounded like this:
"This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers. Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword." (Isaiah 37:6-7)
Listen to what God says. God may or may not be speaking to them, but don't take their word, take His. And if you aren't quite sure what He might say about the whole ordeal, well, follow Hezekiah's example and pray about it. Read His word. Determine if it lines up with God's character. Does it align with or contradict what His irrefutable word says? Does it even sound like something He would say? Remember, God keeps his word, he never goes back on it, and you can stand firm on that. God is not going to give contradicting messages. He is a God of consistency, and He will impress absolute, unifying truth upon the hearts of His children who earnestly seek Him. Those who truly desire to know and do His will.
“It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” - Isaiah 37:18-20
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