Receiving Counsel

I'm so glad you are here! I hope during your visit you get a glimpse of God's heart for we become what we are gazing at. Currently I am writing my way through Judges sharing glimpses of God's heart and character for a weekday devotional. To check out the entire series so far head on over the the Judges Devotional.  

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"So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land." The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?" He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful." The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." 
Judges 18:3-6

So, being an Alias fan whenever it talks about spies in the Bible (there's a handful of times ya know) I get excited. I wonder if these guys were excited? I imagine it was an honor to be chosen though they seem a little ignorant. And really didn't the Israelites learn from the 12 spies sent out by Moses, 10 of who came back with pessimistic attitudes of taking the promises land. You'd think after that, they would  choose guys who really knew their stuff so they weren't so quick to throw in the towel.

But these elite end up asking young Levite if they have the Lord's approval. How weird is that. To ask a man who is disobeying the Lord what God's will is. If they didn't know the Levite wasn't suppose to be living there then it shows they didn't know God's Word or laws. And if they did know, which it kinda seems like since they seemed shocked, it didn't faze them that he was disobeying the Lord. And shouldn't the question of if the Lord will give them success be something they asked before they went? So were these really the top notch men? Or do these men represent the general attitude and character of the Danites? (Samson's tribe) Makes sense.

Sometimes I think we can be guilty of the same thing, turning to people who aren't walking with the Lord for advice (in real life, online or media). Just as it is strange to think that this young Levite would have godly counsel, knowing God's will for the spies is absurd, (since maturity comes from discerning truth and evil which comes from practice of walking with the Lord-Heb. 5:14) so is asking people who don't know the Lord to give us insight into God's plan and future for our life. If God has a plan for us, a good one, full of hope (Jer. 29:11) and His mission for us is to make disciples, how would a non-believer filter that into their counsel if they didn't even know God? (I think we can learn from anyone and should seek counsel especially from experts in certain fields like finances etc. I am more so talking about  seeking advice about what to do with our life.)

So how do we see God's heart and character? What's our glimpse of glory? We serve a God who  sets stages. He orchestrated the spies to stay at Micah's house where they would be able to hear young Levites accent. And God tests us in order to help us fear Him and walk with Him. He is very involved in the details of life and I love that!

Oh Lord, help us seek out godly counsel. Help us be learners and learn from the mistakes and successes of others. And please put godly people in our lives to seek out and give us courage to ask questions. Lord, help us not be ignorant and take the advice of people who don't deserve our trust. And Lord, just as You orchestrated the spies interactions, please orchestrate ours for Your glory. Help us trust You more and more.

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