Of God’s Voice and Friends

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? (2Chronicles 18:6

Have you realized that though the prophet came with God’s clear voice the seeker of that voice did nothing different from what he had initially planned?

Why then did he seek to hear a different message from the one hired prophets were proclaiming?

I want us to look at friends and friendship. And I want to state that a friend has a very great chance of either connecting or disconnecting one from their destiny.

Jehoshaphat was a godly king. He is famously known as the king who had the choir leading the army to war due to his faith.

But like Solomon before him he makes alliances with a neighboring king, thus making this king his brother.

But then this king was very wicked. He is known as the most wicked king Israel had.

He even had many prophets he had hired to further his kingdom, many owing allegiances to the gods that were the reason Canaan was replaced from their lands.

It is interesting that he still had so many prophets after Elijah had killed eight hundred and fifty others earlier.

Jehoshaphat can see through the smokescreen of all that prophecy and therefore asks for a proper prophet.

It is interesting that we do not see him taking the true prophet serious.

Why do I say so?

He accompanies the doomed king (according to the prophecy) to the war whose purpose according to heaven was the death of Ahab.

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. (2 Chronicles 19:2)

Why was that?

A friend is faithful. And that faithfulness does not waver when the friend is in danger. It becomes even surer.

That is why the good king accompanied the wicked and doomed king to war.

Was there any reason then for him to seek to know God’s will?

Probably he thought the true prophet would give clearer directions, or even alter the other king’s direction.

But the true prophet muddied the waters even more, making his decision a black and white issue.

You see he had committed to his friend earlier, even before the prophets came around.

Obedience to God therefore meant going back on his commitment to his ‘brother’.

He simply could not let his friend down.

And that is the power of friendship.

Friendship can be more powerful than God’s voice as we see in this case.

This is the reason for verses like these.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2Corinthians 6: 14 - 18)

A friend will take you to their level.

That is what happened to Solomon.

Though God had appeared to him twice, his alliances made it impossible to say no to the idols his friends lived by.

The verses I have quoted are used in the context of marriage. But it is in other partnerships where this has most power.

Getting married to a person with allegiance to a different divine is an indicator that one has already fallen into disobedience.

But few people think that a partnership with an unbeliever in business poses much of a risk to their spirituality. Yet this is what happened to Jehoshaphat.

Of course, the devil schemes so tactfully to mess someone’s spirituality through marriage. But it backfires at times as was with Joseph and David.

But very few see this in business and other partnerships though the Bible is replete with example after another of the same.

Very few believers become drunkards just like that. Very few believers start becoming adulterous just like that.

It many times starts as the company they keep or people they do business or work together blend into deep friendships.

Then what was detestable becomes hard to rebuke. Then it becomes easy to just frown upon until it becomes acceptable.

Let me give my example.

One time God asked me to transfer to those remote places where people behave as if God does not see what happens.

As I have written elsewhere church elders became whoremongers,

things I saw repeatedly.

I did not have any friends.

I made friends with a carpenter and would spend a lot of my free time in his workshop. I would even help him with some work since I had studied carpentry in school.

Of course I did not hide the fact that I was a believer to anyone who came there.

There was very little social life and so many people would come to the workshop after work.

Initially, they would stop their stories when I was around. Then they would pause and blush in my presence.

But they were eventually able to talk as if I was not there. And I didn’t notice that progression.

Until God opened my eyes and I saw how deep I had sunk.

After repenting I had to withdraw from them for a time until I could be in charge of my spirituality amidst that crowd.

Now suppose we were doing business together? Suppose we were operating the workshop as a team?

Reminds me of an incident I witnessed the other day.

A brother and sister share a shop. One is the technician and the sister is involved in sales and other things.

The technician got stuck somewhere and decided to switch off his phone until he sorts things out.

The partner was left stranded as she could not really do much.

I found her pleading with his friends to advise her brother t stop doing such things.

Now what do you think she will tell the customer?

What between defending her brother (which will involve lying) or exposing him by telling the truth is more viable for her? What would you have done if it were you?

What would you do if your partner disappears with a customer’s stuff? What would you do if your partner is a habitual cheat?

These are some of the things spiritually discordant friends and partners bring to the table. And it is what God knew when He issued such commands.

In closing let me put down these verses.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (Psalm 1: 1, 2)

I think this is the clearest we get on the topic friends.