Following the Crowd will get you into trouble!

[Debra]

When we think of following the crowd, or peer pressure, we often think of what teen agers experience.  We have a tendency to think that as adults we are immune to this problem.  However, think about your place of work.  Do you have a boss that surrounds themselves with “yes men” so as to not be challenged in their thinking? Do you know people who always seem to place blame on others, point the finger, by reacting cowardly to peer pressure or accusations made in a tough situation.  Do you know people that rush head on into any idea they feel is the right one or the one being pushed? Have you ever been guilty of any of the things I’ve mentioned? Have you experienced any of these situations? As usual, we can look to the Bible for the solution. 

In 1Kings 22 we see all the above take place between the sinful king of Israel, Ahab, and the godly king of Judah, Jehoshaphat.  King Ahab of Israel decided it was time to go to war against Ramoth Gilead.   He asked Jehoshaphat to assist him in this endeavor.  Jehoshaphat graciously tells Ahab that all his resources are at his disposal, but he would like for them to seek God’s counsel in this situation (v4).  Ahab basically says, “Sure,” and then commences to assemble 400 of his prophets.  Amazingly, all 400 prophets put their blessing upon the attack (v6). One would think if 400 prophets bless their endeavor it must be God’s will.  The only problem is these were not prophets of God.  They were the proverbial “yes men” to the king. They said what he wanted to hear, “Yes you can attack Ramoth Gilead and win.”  Thankfully Jehoshaphat interrupted and asked Ahab if there was even one man of God they could ask (v7).  Ahab’s response was almost funny and reminiscent of what you would hear a teen ager say, “There is one, but I don’t like him because he never says anything good about me” (paraphrasing v8).  However Jehoshaphat insisted they consult the prophet of God, Micahiah, but not before the messengers of Ahab pressured him into saying the attack would have God’s approval (v13, 15). Micahiah indeed succumb to peer pressure at first by condoning the attack, but when further pressed confessed God had told him they would be defeated if they went against Ramoth Gilead (v16,17). Again, Ahab’s reaction is childish, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” (v18).I’m sure you can see where this is going, but to make a long story short, the 2 nations, Israel and Judah, went ahead into battle against their neighbor, but not without one more ridiculous cowardly stunt by Ahab.  He told Jehoshaphat to wear his kingly garments, but did not wear his himself.  Of course during battle everyone goes after the king, and the king of Judah found himself being attacked.  When Jehoshaphat assured his attackers he was not the king of Israel, they retreated from attacking him.  Ironically, Ahab’s cowardly behavior did not protect him in the end.  He was accidentally wounded and bled to death fulfilling prophesy from 1Kings 21. 

What can we learn from all this?

1. Don’t give into peer pressure.  Stand up for what is right and always be truthful.
2.  Just because the majority of people say something is right, does not make it so.  Sometimes the one voice is the right voice.
3.  Consult God before all important decisions. He will always answer when you seek Him. It may not be the answer you want to hear, but He will answer. 
4. Obey the answer.
5. Cowardly behavior or pointing the blame is sinful and can have detrimental consequences.  
6. And finally, don’t surround yourself with people who are always compliant to your whims. We must have those people in our lives that challenge us. If we always hear what we want, we never grow.  The most successful leaders surround themselves with people who have different ideas from themselves. 

 

[James Nored]

Thank you for sharing, Debra! You always have great thoughts and applications of Bible texts. Keep using these to bless God and others!