"I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets"
Captain Sensible writes: Hmm - tricky one this. I have been pondering this "lying spirit" business today as it came up in my daily Bible reading, and interestingly, I read this just after speaking to a Pastor that sadly is a promoter of the false doctrine of a "gift of singleness". (Yes, they do still exist, and guess what, he was also a Carolyn McCulley fan! Pray for his congregation that was recently subjected to a sermon by him on singleness!)
So what exactly is meant by this passage in 1 Kings 22: 19 - 23:
"And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee."
Now bear in mind, this "lying spirit" affected "about 400 men" who were all prophesying the same lie. So how do we reconcile this with what we know of God?
There is a suggestion put forward in this article here.
The author points out that a) The narrative is a vision that is symbolic and therefore not meant literally and b) God will allow certain things but that does not mean He actively wills them (I think I have got that right!): "There is a common idiom in sacred literature by which the permissive will of God is expressed in forceful, active jargon. For example, the Lord is said to have “deceived” His people (Jer. 4:10), or to have given them “statutes that were not good” (Ezek. 20:25). In the New Testament, God is characterized as sending a strong delusion that some might believe a lie and be condemned (2 Thes. 2:11-12). All of these passages simply indicate that when men are determined to disobey their Maker, He will allow them to follow the base inclination of their own hearts."
All of which begs the question, has God allowed a lying spirit to spread the false teaching of a "gift of singleness" and all the other associated spin-offs from it?
So what exactly is meant by this passage in 1 Kings 22: 19 - 23:
"And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee."
Now bear in mind, this "lying spirit" affected "about 400 men" who were all prophesying the same lie. So how do we reconcile this with what we know of God?
There is a suggestion put forward in this article here.
The author points out that a) The narrative is a vision that is symbolic and therefore not meant literally and b) God will allow certain things but that does not mean He actively wills them (I think I have got that right!): "There is a common idiom in sacred literature by which the permissive will of God is expressed in forceful, active jargon. For example, the Lord is said to have “deceived” His people (Jer. 4:10), or to have given them “statutes that were not good” (Ezek. 20:25). In the New Testament, God is characterized as sending a strong delusion that some might believe a lie and be condemned (2 Thes. 2:11-12). All of these passages simply indicate that when men are determined to disobey their Maker, He will allow them to follow the base inclination of their own hearts."
All of which begs the question, has God allowed a lying spirit to spread the false teaching of a "gift of singleness" and all the other associated spin-offs from it?
posted by Captain Sensible at 9:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home