Wise Council

Wise council.  Have you ever found yourself in a situation and not knowing which way to turn?  It can be especially difficult when you are making decisions for others.  This is true for parents.  This is also true for leaders, like a president or king.  As many of our church members know, we have been in the Book of Isaiah.  King Hezekiah has a decision to make as Assyria is approaching to take over Jerusalem.  They are conquering other cities of Judah and now there is impending doom.  Some leaders want to go to Egypt to make and alliance with them to seek help to fight against Assyria.  What is King Hezekiah to do?  How does he know what the right decision is to make?  Did you notice in our reading today that God talks about a time when Israel will appoint a king (Deuteronomy 18:14-20).  There will be many years between this time and the first king, King Saul.  However, God was going to bless and multiply this people, who don’t even have land yet, and establish them as a nation.  God already has words of wise council for this future time when a king would be anointed.  God even states that a copy of these instructions are to be made on a scroll for the king himself, and the king is to read from them all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to observe all the words of the instruction, and to do these statutes (v.19).  In summary, the instructions God has for the king is not to acquire many wives for himself, not to acquire large amounts of silver and gold for himself, and not to acquire many horses for himself nor to send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses.  It specifically states, “for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again’” (v.16).  God had already provided the right answer for King Hezekiah many years before they ever became a nation.  God’s Word is wise council.  He has provided us with answers to the decisions we face, we just need to read and search His Word for wise council.