Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 16:29-17:7
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn says we are the average of the five people with whom we spend the most time. He asserts that surrounding yourself with people that look like you want to look and/or act like you want to act, increases your propensity to become who you want to be.
Our text for today introduces us to King Ahab who, like the seven kings before him, did evil in the sight of the Lord. In fact, verse 33 tells us King Ahab was the most evil of all the Israeli kings.
He did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:33).
Do you know why King Ahab was so evil? You guessed it, he spent all his time with the wrong people. King Ahab married Jezebel, a pagan woman. Not only did she lead King Ahab to worship idols instead of following the ways of the Lord, she also encouraged him to listen only to people who brought him good news and who encouraged him to do whatever he wanted.
God sent the prophet Elijah to advise King Ahab, much like he had sent prophets to counsel the kings before him. (Remember King David’s friend and trusted advisor Nathan?) The problem was that King Ahab didn’t want to spend any time with Elijah because Elijah only gave him bad news that he didn’t want to hear. Ultimately, by refusing to listen to Elijah’s warnings and humble himself before God, King Ahab brought destruction on himself and all his descendants (1 Kings 21:29).
Bad news, or counsel that goes against what we want, is hard to accept. Sometimes, however, it is just what we need to set our paths straight. God encourages us to seek advice from wise counselors. But how do you know if your advisors are wise and their guidance is good? Wise counsel always aligns with the principles outlined in God’s word, the Bible.
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20).