When Counsel Falls Short: The Pitfall of Pride and the Importance of Humility
2 Samuel 17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he…hanged himself, and died…
What is your rejection tolerance? Ahithophel’s problem was that he had gotten used to being listened to, so much so that he must have assumed that it would always be so. In fact, we know that 2 Sam. 16:23 says, “And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.” So apparently he had gotten so used to being the go-to guy that he assumed his counsel would never fail. The only problem with that was, it wasn’t so. Where did he make his mistake? It was when he began to be a conspirator with Absalom in raising his hand against God’s anointed, King David. When Ahithophel started giving counsel to the destruction of King David, he crossed the line! Now would be a good time to be reminded that David had previously prayed that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And what do you know, that is exactly what happened! So, there are some lessons to be learned here.
First of all, if you really have a need to be heard, be sure that you have something to say! Something good, that is! Ahithophel’s pride got the best of him, and before he even saw it coming, he failed to recognize that his focus became misguided by his own personal ambitions. As a messenger, when YOU become more important than your MESSAGE, then you have derailed from your mission and are headed for trouble. It is no wonder that Ahithophel took the rejection personally; it WAS personal, but only because he MADE it personal. HE wanted to be HEARD…regardless of WHAT he was actually SAYING. So, when his message was rejected, he took it as personal rejection, and went on a successful suicide mission.
So, as messengers, how do we keep our “need to be heard” from killing us? We do so by speaking ONLY on the behalf of GOD, and NOT our own ambitions, agendas, or associations. When we realize that we neither create nor change God’s mail, and that it is only our job to deliver that mail, then we can avoid the fatal mistake of taking rejection so personally. It is not the messenger (aka mail man) that is rejected in such cases; it is the SENDER of the mail. Now, the truth is that some may in fact attack God’s delivery boy personally because they did not like His message, but if we are going to be persecuted for delivering God’s message, may it be done so at the hands of others, and not our own self-pity. ALWAYS represent GOD, and stand by His Word!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
What is your rejection tolerance? Ahithophel’s problem was that he had gotten used to being listened to, so much so that he must have assumed that it would always be so. In fact, we know that 2 Sam. 16:23 says, “And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.” So apparently he had gotten so used to being the go-to guy that he assumed his counsel would never fail. The only problem with that was, it wasn’t so. Where did he make his mistake? It was when he began to be a conspirator with Absalom in raising his hand against God’s anointed, King David. When Ahithophel started giving counsel to the destruction of King David, he crossed the line! Now would be a good time to be reminded that David had previously prayed that God would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And what do you know, that is exactly what happened! So, there are some lessons to be learned here.
First of all, if you really have a need to be heard, be sure that you have something to say! Something good, that is! Ahithophel’s pride got the best of him, and before he even saw it coming, he failed to recognize that his focus became misguided by his own personal ambitions. As a messenger, when YOU become more important than your MESSAGE, then you have derailed from your mission and are headed for trouble. It is no wonder that Ahithophel took the rejection personally; it WAS personal, but only because he MADE it personal. HE wanted to be HEARD…regardless of WHAT he was actually SAYING. So, when his message was rejected, he took it as personal rejection, and went on a successful suicide mission.
So, as messengers, how do we keep our “need to be heard” from killing us? We do so by speaking ONLY on the behalf of GOD, and NOT our own ambitions, agendas, or associations. When we realize that we neither create nor change God’s mail, and that it is only our job to deliver that mail, then we can avoid the fatal mistake of taking rejection so personally. It is not the messenger (aka mail man) that is rejected in such cases; it is the SENDER of the mail. Now, the truth is that some may in fact attack God’s delivery boy personally because they did not like His message, but if we are going to be persecuted for delivering God’s message, may it be done so at the hands of others, and not our own self-pity. ALWAYS represent GOD, and stand by His Word!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill