The unregenerate man has a carnal mind and is led by his senses, feelings, and emotions. The old man is prideful and many times knows it better than others. The old man is rebellious and doesn’t like correction(s), but relies on his own understanding instead of God’s understanding and follows his own will instead of the will of God. The old man’s heart is hardened and doesn’t listen to the warning and/or counsel of others. But what is the danger of not listening? The danger of not listening is that people enter into friendships and covenants that can have disastrous consequences in their lives and environment. These disastrous consequences could have been prevented by listening. There are many examples in the Bibe about people who refused to listen to others. Take for example Gedaliah, who didn’t listen to the warnings of others and because of that, Gedaliah brought mischief upon himself and the people.
Gedaliah the governor of Judah
Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and was appointed by the king of Babylon as governor over the cities of Judah. He had committed unto him men, women, and children and of the poor of the land, who were not carried away captive to Babylon.
When all the captains of the forces (armies), which were in the fields, and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah over the land, they went to him to Mizpah.
When the captains of the forces Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephal, the Netophathite, and Jezaniah, the son of a Maachathite and their men arrived, Gedaliah took an oath before them and said:
“Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but you, gather ye wine and summer fruits, and oil and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken”
When all the Jews, who were in Moab and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah and that he had set over them Gedaliah, all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah and gathered wine and summer fruits in abundance.
Johanan and the captains of the forces warned Gedaliah
When Johanan and all the captains of the forces, who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, they said to him, “do you certainly know that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee?
But Gedaliah didn’t believe their words.
Johanan spoke to Gedaliah secretly and said, “let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?”
But Gedaliah said unto Johanan, “thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speak falsely of Ishmael.
And so it happened, that Ishmael, the son Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed and the princes of the king with ten men came unto Gedaliah in Mizpah.
Gedaliah was not listening and brought mischief upon him and the people
While they were eating bread together, Ishmael arose and the ten men, who were with him slew Gedaliah with the sword. And so Ishmael killed Gedaliah according to the words of Johanan and the captains of the forces.
Then Ishmael killed all the Jews, Chaldeans, and the men of war, that were with him.
It came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men having their beards shaven and their clothes rent and having cut themselves with offerings and incense in their hand to bring them to the house of the Lord.
Ishmael went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, “come to Gedaliah.”
And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, which King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel, he, and the men that were with him.
But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, “slay us not, for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, barley, oil, and of honey.” So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
Now it came to pass, that when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad.
So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites (Jeremiah 40 and 41).
Enter into a covenant with the enemy
Gedalja entered into a covenant with the captains of the armies and wanted the best for them. He saw and treated them from his own point of view. Therefore he believed in their goodness and that they had no evil intentions, just like he didn’t have evil intentions. Gedaliah promised them that he would not hurt them and even gave them gifts.
But Gedaliah didn’t know that not all of them thought like him and were like him and had the same intentions as he had. He didn’t know that his enemy, who was after his life, was among the captains of the armies.
Gedaliah didn’t see what Johanan and the other captains of the armies, except Ishmael, saw.
When Johanan and the captains of the armies found out that Baalis, the King of the Ammonites had sent Ishmael to kill Gedaliah, they went to Gedaliah to warn him.
They asked Gedaliah for permission to deal with this evil, before this evil would deal with Gedaliah.
What is the danger of not listening and ignoring the warnings?
But Gedaliah didn’t believe the words of Johanan and rejected the words of Johanan and the captains of the armies and judged by appearance; according to what he saw of Ishmael. Gedaliah saw no evil in the man, who was after his life. No, otherwise he would have given permission to Johanan and the captains of the armies.
Even when Johanan came for a second time in secret to Gedaliah to warn him and to give him permission, Gedaliah didn’t believe his words and didn’t listen.
Instead of believing his words and listening to his words, Gedaliah accused Johanan of being a liar, because Ishmael was not as Johanan described him.
By not listening to the words of Johanan and rejecting his words and by relying on his own understanding, Gedaliah went to his doom
The betrayal
Just like Jude, who pretended to be a friend of Jesus, but in reality, was his enemy, and as he sat at the table of Jesus and partook of His meal the devil (evil) entered into him and he fulfilled his evil plan, Ishmael also pretended to be a friend of Gedaliah and won his trust through lies, but in reality, was his enemy and as he sat at the table of Gedaliah and partook of his meal, the evil in him fulfilled his plan and he killed Gedaliah by the sword.
Gedaliah was not listening and relied on his own understanding. He believed the wrong person and entered into a covenant and friendship with someone, who seemed to be his friend from the outside but from the inside, he was his enemy.
Because of the naivety of Gedaliah and because he was led by his senses and feelings he saw no evil in Ishmael and ignored the warnings. He didn’t deal with evil and so the evil dealt with Gedaliah.
By not listening to the warnings, Gedaliah was not the only one, who experienced disastrous consequences in his life but also his environment; the Jews, the Chaldeans, who were present, and the seventy men, who were on their way from Sichem to Mizpah and the rest of the inhabitants of Judah, who were taken captive experienced the disastrous consequences.
Responding to the emotions and feelings of people
Ishmael not only knew what he had to do to win the trust of Gedaliah, but also to win the trust of the eighty men of Sichem. When he went to them he wept all the way. He took on a victim role and manipulated them by using his and their emotions and by speaking lies. And so he manipulated and mislead the eighty men by his emotions and through his words, which led them into his trap and he killed seventy of them.
Ishmael took the rest of the people of Judah captive and took them with him and the other ten men.
Turning the enemy into a friend
The enemy knew exactly what he had to do to destroy his enemy. Namely, by gaining his trust and by becoming his friend. The enemy knew, that as soon as he would gain the trust of his enemy and become his friend, he could fulfill his evil plan.
Johanan warned Gedaliah twice, but Gedaliah was not listening to him. Because he wouldn’t listen a lot of misery came over him and all the inhabitants of Judah.
And this phenomenon still happens in the world, in the church, and in the lives of people.
Most people are just like Gedaliah. They are full of pride and walk after the flesh. They don’t want to listen to others, who warn them of dangers. Instead, they think they know it better and think they are right and therefore they are not listening and reject the warnings.
They rely on their own understanding and insight, which many times is formed by their senses; by what they see and hear, their emotions and feelings, and carnal wisdom and knowledge
Therefore many are misled and enter into covenants and friendships with those with whom they shouldn’t enter into covenants and friendships.
Because although they may seem friendly and sincere from the outside and seem to have good intentions and speak positive and pious words, they are not the same on the inside and don’t have good intentions but evil intentions.
But because of the naivety of the old carnal man, who is led by his senses, feelings, and emotions, and because we live in a world, where the new-age love has conquered the earth and you may not be cautious and critical, but supposed to be positive and speak only positive things and accept all behavior, the devil can have his way and makes his big move in the spiritual and the natural realm.
Christians, who are not listening to warnings
We see this in the lives of Christians when fellow Christians try to warn their brothers or sisters of (spiritual) dangers, but they are not listening. Many times, these Christians are carnal and sense ruled and are not listening to the warnings of (spiritual) dangers, false doctrines and/or reveal the true nature of people, who seem spiritual but in reality are not, and reject the warnings and go their own way, just like Gedaliah.
Because they know it better and rely on their own understanding. Many times they think that they are the exception to the rule.
Therefore many Christians reject the counsel and the corrections of fellow Christians and for example, enter studies that teach them the opposite of faith and cause them to deviate from Jesus; the Word and don’t need God and eventually abandon their faith.
Or carnal believers enter into friendships with unbelievers, who seduce them and make them indifferent towards sin and draw them back into the world.
And let’s not forget carnal believers, who enter into marriage covenants with unbelievers, who are atheists or have another religion or (eastern) philosophy and belief system, despite the warnings of fellow believers. Many times they think that God has arranged it, while God is very clear in His Word. Because of pride and rebellion against the Word, many people bring mischief upon themselves. Although their fiancé may be charming and may seem friendly, loving, caring, etc. from the outside, inside they are evil and during the marriage, this evil will manifest.
There are many more examples of situations in life, where believers are not willing to listen to the warnings of others and don’t want to be corrected, and because of that, they bring mischief upon themselves.
This is a fruit of the old carnal man, just like we see in the life of Gedaliah, who was the old man and was led by his flesh and relied on his own understanding.
The church is not listening to warnings
The same thing happens in the church. There are leaders, who are appointed in the church and are on the right track, but through circumstances and the influence of the world or the influence of carnal believers, they enter ways, which are not according to the will of God.
Some causes may be, that they fill their mind with the carnal knowledge, wisdom, and things of this world and get involved with (eastern) philosophies and elements of eastern doctrines and be influenced by evil spirits and become world-like and leave Jesus; the Word and enter (occult) ways, which lead to chaos and destruction.
They come up with false doctrines that don’t focus on Jesus Christ and to represent and establish His Kingdom on earth and to save as many souls as possible from death, but are focused upon themselves and to fulfill the carnal lusts and desires and needs of man.
They speak the same message as the world and are motivational speakers and life coaches, instead of spiritual fathers and leaders, who raise, nurture, and correct souls and lead them to eternal life (Read also: Life coaches instead of spiritual fathers).
Many times, leaders, who may seem spiritual but in reality are carnal and rely on their own understanding, carnal wisdom, knowledge, and insights and are led by their senses, feelings, and emotions, get involved with people, who have wrong intentions and are out for a position, title, money, or want to promote their own doctrines and (supernatural) experiences or…
They are manipulative and act sincere, friendly, and spiritual in order to win the trust of leaders and become friends with them to accomplish their hidden agenda.
They influence the leaders and ensure that they preach what they want to hear and strengthen their flesh. And so they lower and adjust the standards and commandments of the Word to the will, lusts, desires, and needs of the flesh (Read also: Will God change His will for the lusts and desires of the flesh?)
Leaders should be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Word and preach after the Spirit the message of God, but instead, they listen and be influenced by carnal believers and preach carnal messages to fulfill the desires and needs of the carnal man.
It often happens that a leader is not aware of the situation and the wrong and evil intentions of a person, because they are in the middle of it or blinded by the flesh or circumstances, but that a fellow believer(s) notices the danger and warns the leader, but many times the leader will not listen.
Because many leaders are not listening to the warnings and reject the warnings, many leaders bring not only mischief upon themselves but upon the whole congregation. Because of this, the light in many villages and cities is extinguished and many churches are seated in darkness (Read also: The church is seated in darkness).
And that’s exactly what the devil wants. Because when the light is extinguished, the people, who live in darkness are no longer drawn to the light and shall stay in his kingdom.
Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15)
Jesus didn’t say, “be aware of wolves”. Because many times the devil, demons (fallen angels), and the sons of the devil (unbelievers) are often seen by believers as wolves. Therefore wolves would be easily recognizable. But Jesus said, “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”.
From the outside, these false prophets look like sheep, therefore they are difficult to discern.
From the outside, you can hardly tell that they are not true sheep, who belong to the flock of Jesus.
But these sheep don’t belong to Jesus and therefore don’t listen to His voice and don’t live according to the will of God.
They only have one mission and that is to create chaos, steal, and destroy just like their father.
A wolf, who stands outside the fence can do no harm because the fence separates the wolf from the sheep. But as soon as the gate is unguarded or not closed properly or the wolf finds another way to enter the sheepfold, the wolf can cause great damage and wound and kill many sheep. Because that’s the nature of the wolf; to kill sheep.
It’s the same in the spiritual realm. When the gate of the life of a person or the church is not guarded a false Christian, prophet, teacher, or apostle can easily enter the church and use their (spiritual) knowledge, pious and misleading words, emotions, and feelings to win the trust of believers and leaders and cause a lot of damage in the church (Read also: Who are the wolves in sheep’s clothing, who wreak havoc?).
We are not ignorant of the satan’s devices
We shouldn’t be ignorant of satan’s device. But today, many Christians are asleep and blinded by the darkness. There are only a few Christians, who are spiritual and recognize satan’s evil devices and stop it.
Only those, who are born again and are not led by the flesh, but walk after the Word and the Spirit and discern good and evil and discern the spirits, shall recognize and reveal the works of satan, who uses people to achieve his goal. They shall prevent that covenants are made with the enemy (Read also: Are we not ignorant of the satan’s devices?).
Therefore, don’t be prideful and rebellious and don’t reject the warning. But listen and take them seriously and test them to the Word, in order to prevent evil to enter and accomplish his destructive work in your life and in the church.
‘The salt of the earth’
