Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:2
Read: 2 Samuel 18:19-33
19 Then said Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD
hath avenged him of his enemies.
20 And Joab said unto
him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another
day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is
dead.
21 Then said Joab to
Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab,
and ran.
22 Then said Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also
run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that
thou hast no tidings ready?
23 But howsoever,
said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of
the plain, and overran Cushi.
24 And David sat
between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto
the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running
alone.
25 And the watchman
cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings
in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
26 And the watchman
saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said,
Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth
tidings.
27 And the watchman
said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good
tidings.
28 And Ahimaaz
called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon
his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath
delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.
29 And the king said,
Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's
servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it
was.
30 And the king said
unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.
31 And, behold, Cushi
came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee
this day of all them that rose up against thee.
32 And the king said
unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of
my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that
young man is.
33 And the king was
much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went,
thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died
for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Message
One anomaly noticeable in the Body of Christ today is the
presence of messengers running around without a message. An example of such
messengers is Ahimaaz in today's Bible reading. After the death of Absalom,
Joab, the captain of David's army, sent Cushi with a message to the palace; but
Ahimaaz volunteered himself to also deliver a message to the king. In spite of
the fact that Joab reminded him that he had no reason to go since he had no
message to deliver, he insisted that he would, and he was allowed to. The funny
thing about this story is that, Ahimaaz outran Cushi who actually had a message
to deliver. When Ahimaaz got to King David and he was interrogated, the
emptiness of his message was laid bare, and the king therefore asked him to
step aside for the person who actually had substance in his message. One cannot
help but wonder: what was the essence of Ahimaaz's effort, so much so that he
outran the person who actually had a message?
The attitude demonstrated by Ahimaaz can be referred to as
zeal without meaning. This is the situation of some so-called ministers of the
gospel today. They are messengers sent by their belly or by the devil (Romans
16:18). How do we know messengers without a message? We know them by their
deceptive speeches, which are geared towards making people "feel
good" when they should be sober about their lifestyle of sin. Apostle
Paul, while giving his final charge to Timothy, his son in Christ and a young
bishop, instructed him to:
"Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine."
2 Timothy 4:2
Today, many so-called sermons are actually motivational
speeches, given by motivational speakers disguised as preachers. Their message
cannot be the word of God; it contains no rebuke, no reproof and no doctrine.
As a matter of policy, they would not teach doctrine because they say they have
not been called to do so! One cannot help wondering who commissioned them in
the first place. It is their belly, of course (Philippians 3:17-19). Beloved, I
advise you to be careful of the ministers you listen to, and to filter the type
of sermons you admit into your spiritual sub-consciousness. On the other hand,
if you are a deceptive preacher of the gospel, desist before the anger of God
comes on you without remedy.
Prayer Point:
Father, help me to recognise Your appointed messengers, and
grant me the grace to listen and do according to Your bidding through them.
May God Bless Nigeria, America And
Israel And Take Care Of Us; May God Make His Face Shine Upon Us, And Be
Gracious To Us; May The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon Us, And Give Us
Peace, In Jesus Christ Name, We Pray! Amen!
May The Grace The Lord Jesus Christ,
And The Love Of God, And The Fellowship Of The Holy Spirit Be With You All.
Amen!
