Today’s Reading, 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, & Psalms 20
Focal Scripture: 2 Samuel 10:4 “So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved off half their beards, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.”
Have you ever gotten bad advice? I have on several occasions. One of the worst ways this plays out happens with food. You hear somebody tell you about a place. You are excited to go and try it, and when you eat the food, you are very disappointed. That scenario happened to my family one time when we lived in Atlanta. We were told about this BBQ place, and everyone told us it would be the best we’ve ever had to eat. Once we arrived, it did not take us long to figure out that the food was the worst we had ever had in our lives. It was soaked in vinegar, and you could not taste the flavor of the meat. The advice we got was very bad.
In today’s reading, we see that Hanun received advice from his friends to demean and belittle the emissaries that David sent. They shaved off half of their beards, cut off half of their clothes, and then sent them away. Hanun was lied to about David’s intentions, which led to a great battle and the destruction of many people. Why? Because people had an agenda, and they gave bad advice.
As believers, we must be careful who we listen to when we seek wisdom and answers. I know personally that I only have a small handful of men that I trust and listen to about major life developments and decisions. These men are godly individuals who seek the face of God in everything that they do in their lives. Everything is bathed in prayer, and scripture is used as a guide, nothing else. Their advice is sound and has no agenda.
I challenge you today to be very particular concerning the advice you take from others. Make sure that these people do not have agendas and seek to honor the Lord only. Receiving bad advice can cause damage to relationships and your future. The account from scripture today demonstrates that truth.
So what should we do? Seek the Lord first for all of our answers. Then heed the wisdom of godly people who pray first and answer second. Then you will avoid the pitfalls of listening to bad advice.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Psalms 65-67 & 69-70
