<TITLE>04. Par 11-13</TITLE>L-11 But notice, Ahab, he wasn't satisfied. He had to go get something else. And the Lord had just showed him mercy, and was going to take his life, immediately, but showed him a little mercy. And then, he wasn't satisfied with it. He had to go after some more land. So Ahab was right up in arms to go do it. But I think even Jehoshaphat, right in the midst of all of his confusion, he had the audacity, or I'd say, he had the experience and knowed enough about God to try to seek God's Word, before he made a move.
If the church today would only do that much, would only seek God's Word first, through the Bible, get His plan, His program... But Ahab wasn't paying any attention to what God's Word said. He just wanted something different. But Jehoshaphat, yet a believer, off of his grounds where he should be, yet he had enough God about him, to seek out the will of God.
So he said, "Could we not ask God about these things before we do it? Should not we search God's Word and find out about these things before we do them?" I believe that every born again believer will do it. Got to come from the Word, especially in the day that we're living, when God's Word has prophesied so many of these things.

L-12 Now, when he seen, that Jehoshaphat was going to require at the hand of the Lord, so they were just businessmen, they believed God. So they said, "Ahab, you know the devil has always got something that he can present to take the place of truth. So he said, "Sure, well, I ought to have thought of that. We'll just call up my bunch of preachers. You know what? I've got the best bunch of preachers there is in the country. I've got a seminary down here; I just turn them out by machinery. And we've got a real bunch of prophets. So we'll just call them up. Now I'll tell you; I'll call the whole school."
And he called up four hundred prophets. And he said, "I want to ask you fellows something. Prophesy to me, shall I go up to Ramoth-Gilead or shall I forebear?" They went into the prayer, fasting, what ever they did, the prophets do. As you know, they have to do, to find out whether it was truth or not.

L-13 I want you to notice the recklessness of these so-called prophets. They might've had a little band playing. They might have fasted a few days. That's all right. Nothing against that. They might have had a prayer meeting, and God knows we need it. But one day, got the prayer meeting and everything over, they got a revelation. And four hundred of them, with--all with one consent, went out and said, "Go on up, God's with you, and you're going to take it."
Their revelation didn't cooperate with God's Word. But they believed it anyhow. So fasting, prayer, fantastics, whatever it may be, if it don't cooperate with God's Word, leave it alone. They had fasting, prayer, no doubt that they were gentlemen, every one of them, real religious, cultured, fine men, but there was something they left out. And they never done it through willfulness.
Now, when all of these began to cry out, "Go up. The Lord is going to be with you; THUS SAITH THE LORD."
And you know that just pleased Ahab so well, I could just imagine him putting his hands on his hips, and said, "You see that? That's the cream of the crop saying that." But you know, that don't always jibe with a man of God.


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