Newsroom mix-up

Please inquire for the word of the Lord today. — 1 Kings 22:5

A Congolese man went to the BBC’s News 24 for a job interview. But a time-conscious producer mistook the man for a scheduled guest authority. He led the baffled but compliant applicant into the newsroom studio and fitted him with a microphone.

When the “on air” signal was given, the interviewer missed the look of panic on the man’s face, and the flustered job-seeker awkwardly bluffed his way through the questions. When the mistake itself became news, the network apologized for the error.

That hapless man wasn’t pretending to be an authority — he was mistaken for one. In contrast, Ahab, the king of Israel, chose to ignore the truth by seeking answers from false prophets who were posing as religious authorities. Ahab didn’t want to inquire of the Lord through the godly prophet Micaiah “because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8). The king had an aversion to the truth.

Sometimes we would rather hear the comfort of a lie than words of truth. But we need to get our counsel from advisers who believe that “all Scripture… is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,  for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). We can’t afford to let our desires cause us to exchange God’s truth for a lie. — Mart De Haan

 
When sin entices and allures

Its lies must be ignored;

The strength to gain the victory

Comes when we trust the Lord. — Sper

 
READ: 1 Kings 22:1-8

Better to hear the hard truth than a soft lie.

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Kings 3-5

• Luke 20:1-26