“And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people” (1 Kings 14:2).
TEXT — 1 Kings 14:1-20
Message
Man is used to playing games with fellow mortals and getting away with his pranks. But it is perilous to attempt the habit on God. That is where he would always meet his waterloo. It is safe turf for men of the world to try to outwit kindred spirits. However, it is outright fatal foolishness to engage in any tricks with God and His messengers and expect a happy end to the story.
It was a sad conclusion for the blasphemous and idolatrous king of Israel, Jeroboam, as he tried to pull a fast one on the true prophet of God, Ahijah. He asked his wife to disguise herself and go find out from the prophet if his ailing son would recover. The couple sought to take advantage of the blind man of God. They underrated the power of the Lord to shield His representative from exploitation or ridicule. He outsmarted them by exposing the identity of the pretender. The Lord also revealed to the prophet that the sick child would die while Jeroboam himself would have his kingship terminated.
It is folly to attempt to take advantage of the perceived weak- ness in a man of God to deceive or exploit him. They may not be as educated, widely travelled or exposed; but they possess the Holy Spirit. God cannot be fooled and trying to pull pranks on Him will be costly foolishness on the part of that individual. Ananias and Sapphira tried to do it with Peter and paid the ultimate price for it.
God’s servants and ministers must be held in high esteem and honoured. We must recognise that they are servants and living oracles of the almighty God. We must honour and respect His anointing upon their lives and never try to fool them so we can enjoy the full benefits of the power of God upon them.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
