God Sends a Warning
by Dr. Ken Matto
(Mat 23:31 KJV) Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the
children of them which killed the prophets.
One of the greatest indictments leveled against the Scribes and Pharisees was
that they were doing the same thing that their ancestors did hundreds of years
before. Whenever God sent a prophet to the people of Judah or Israel, they were
killed for bringing the message from God. When we look back at the history of
Israel and Judah, we find that when they began to go apostate, God had sent a
prophet to warn them and to bring them back to Him. However, because the hearts
of the people were rebellious against God, they would not listen to the prophets
and that decision resulted in God having to take action against these rebellious
people.
We could look at the nation of Israel and claim that if we were there, we would
not have done what they did. Let us not look at the nation of Israel but let us
bring this situation down to a personal level. Just because we are saved, does
that mean we could never be rebellious against the Lord Jesus Christ? The
apostle Paul was a very strong Christian but he himself stated that the flesh
would get in the way with his walk. (Rom 7:22-23 KJV) For I delight in the law
of God after the inward man: {23} But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.
Paul knew that he was saved yet he also knew that there was a law of sin which
was present in his body. The fact that sin is always present in us, not just
around us, presents a problem to the Christian. We are told to let the flesh be
ruled by the Spirit. However, that does not always happen because it takes very
little to ignite the passions of the flesh within us and that ignition, unless
checked, can propel us into a rebellion against God.
One great principle which we read in Scripture is the principle of the Prophet,
that is, whenever Israel or Judah were about to enter into a sinful rebellion
against God, He would dispatch a prophet to bring them to their senses. Most of
the time they would not listen, instead, they would do what they could to bring
about the prophets destruction.
(Isa 30:9-11 KJV) That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children
that will not hear the law of the LORD: {10} Which say to the seers, See not;
and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth
things, prophesy deceits: {11} Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the
path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
They believed that if they could do away with the prophets that God sent, then
they would be able to continue in their sin without any repercussions. Here is a
nation where God had performed such miracles but they had become so rebellious
that they really wanted God out of their lives. Yet, they thought that they
could do anything they wanted because they believed that they already had such a
great relationship with God that they did not need any of the words of the
prophets. The essence of deception is that you do not know you are being
deceived. This is what happened to Israel.
They were not rebellious only as a corporate nation but we read that individuals
who were of the Family of God had rebelled against Him. Look at 1 Chronicles 21
when David had ordered Joab to number Israel. Joab had tried to convince David
that what he was planning to do would cause Israel to trespass. Nevertheless,
here was Joab trying to persuade David not to go ahead with this plan but did
David listen? No he did not! This resulted in God smiting Israel. (1 Chr 21:7
KJV) And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. David
had caused Israel to suffer because he had chosen not to listen to Joab. Satan
had stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel as we read in 1
Chronicles 21:1. If David was walking in the Spirit and was not sure if this
census was of the Lord or not, he could have taken this to the Lord and received
an answer which would have been to his advantage. Here was a man after God’s own
heart intentionally being disobedient. God knows the power which sin can have in
a person’s life so He allowed Joab to give David the warning that he should not
number Israel or it would incur the chastisement of the Lord. Sometimes a
Christian can be so deceived that they believe they are walking in concert with
God when in essence they have drifted.
Another king of Israel who paid no attention to the statutes of God was Ahab. Of
course, he was married to Jezebel who was the daughter of Ethbaal II who was
King of the Sidonians. Ahab did not concern himself with the word of God until
Elijah showed up at his door and told him that he was troubling Israel. (1 Ki
18:17-18 KJV) And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto
him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? {18} And he answered, I have not
troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the
commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. What happened following
this initial meeting was the great showdown on Mt. Carmel where God struck the
450 prophets of Baal through the people who saw that it was God who was God and
that Baal could not do anything for his false prophets. Here God sends Elijah to
Ahab before He wipes out all the prophets of Baal. This scenario is played out
many times in Scripture as we see God sending a number of prophets to the kings
of Israel and Judah before He pronounced judgment against them. He was giving
them an opportunity to come back in obedience to the word of God. Only a few
kings would understand this situation and would attempt to make amends. Josiah
was one of those kings who saw that Judah had drifted away from the Lord and was
living in rebellion, so Josiah attempted to bring Judah back to the Lord.
However, these reforms only lasted until the next king was chosen and if they
were evil, then the reforms would quickly come to an end. If there is one thing
evil rulers fear and hate, it is people and advisors with a conscience toward
God.
I wanted to give these two examples which present us with a great principle
found also in the New Testament. Every one of us, by reason of us being human,
can drift from the Lord without us knowing it. Drifting is not something which
happens overnight but is a slow process which can take years. All one has to do is
ask one simple question. When you were a new Christian, did you have a great
zeal for the Lord? The answer is normally, yes! Well, do you still have that
great zeal or have you lapsed into a comfortable lifestyle? Do you have the same
boldness today that you did when you were a new Christian? If the answer is no,
then guess what, you have drifted! Oh it doesn’t always mean you have drifted
into sin but if you have gone from a bold Christian life to a complacent
Christian life, then you have drifted. At one time we would go to the streets
and pass out tracts but now the only tract passing we do is in our bills or
business reply envelopes.
The great principle which we saw in the two examples is the fact that God sent
prophets to the nations before He pronounced judgment on them. He used Joab to
advise David not to number Israel. It does not matter that the prophets were not
heeded, the principle is there and that is, before we will drift into a sin or a
wrong lifestyle, God will send someone across our path to warn us. You may have
a Ph.D. and think that you possess enough smarts to prevent yourself from
drifting. The opposite is true, the more education one has, even in
Christianity, the easier it is to drift from the core teachings of the Bible.
God gives a Scriptural mandate for believers to keep a check on one another.
(Gal 6:1 KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted. If we see a person who is “overtaken” in a sin then
we must try and help them. Now the Greek word for “overtaken” carries with it
the idea that if a person is caught in a fault and is surprised at what has
transpired or unexpected consequences has hindered the person from offering any
resistance.
The problem is that some Christians, because of their pride, will refuse to be
helped or even believe they have a spiritual problem. Now if we go to someone in
the proper attitude and offer to help them, and if they refuse, then the
chastising hand of God must come upon them. God’s children must never
voluntarily walk in concert with the world because then the world mocks the name
of God. Christians are supposed to be different by not walking in the ways of
the world. When one does, God will send someone across their path to warn them
but if they refuse, they will face the consequences. Therefore, we should never
despise anyone coming to us in a proper spirit who sees us going down a wrong
path. After all, it is not them that will face the consequences for your
rebellion, it will be you. God is protecting you by sending another Christian
across your path but if you refuse, then the protection will turn to
chastisement. Sometimes he might send an unbeliever who may say something which
will get your attention.
I am going to conclude with a personal situation that happened to me many years
ago. I have written about this before but it bears repeating. When I was a young
Christian, (I got saved at 27, so I was already in the work place) I had a
pretty good job as a Production Control Supervisor with four departments under
me. I had gotten pretty frustrated at the job and was going to quit, without
having another job. So one day I had my resignation on my front seat which I was
going to hand in that very day. Well as I drove down Interstate 287 to get to my
job, Dr. Robert A. Cook on the King’s Hour was on the radio. He was speaking and
he said the following statement, “Somebody wants to quit their job today but
don’t do it because it is always to soon to quit.” (He is not one of those
charismatic false prophet types with the lay your hand on the screen mindset.) I
did not take that warning and handed in my resignation which led to 12 months of
unemployment and when I finally landed another job, it was farther from home and
less money plus much more frustrating.
Now God sent Dr. Cook, via radio, across my path to stop me from doing something
stupid. Guess what, the company I left was sold to a bigger company and I would
have had a better job with a four figure bonus which was part of the negotiation
on behalf of the company being sold. So when God sends someone across your path,
never think that what is being told to you is for someone else, it could be, but
never look beyond yourself initially. (Prov 27:6 KJV) Faithful are the wounds of
a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Your true friend in this
life is someone willing to tell you the truth for your own good. The one who
doesn’t care what happens to you is not your friend. You may have 100
acquaintances but those who are your true friends, you could probably count on
your hands and those are the ones who will care. (2/11/05)