THE PALACE PROPHETS

 

Shalom, beloved in the Lord!

Throughout the history of the prophets in the Bible, there were two types of prophets: those who remained faithful to God and those who followed the way of Balaam. I'm going to tell you about those who followed Balaam.

There is nothing new under the sun.

In the beginning, there were Cain and Abel, two worshippers, one of a good spirit and the other of an evil spirit. Because God did not accept Cain's offering, Cain killed his brother Abel.

The palace prophets are those who have abandoned the faith to bow the knee to Baal; driven by the spirit of Mammon, their goal is to appear alongside kings or presidents who share that same spirit.

All their prophecies are based on encouraging financial prosperity giving rise to the "prosperity gospel" and on heaping praise upon dignitaries in order to receive well-stuffed envelopes of money, They are true professionals; they know what their employers want to hear and they serve it up well, unlike God’s anointed ones, who faithfully convey God’s warning message so that the wicked may turn away from evil and be saved for God does not desire their destruction.

The prophet of the palace is possessed by an evil spirit, just like Cain; his primary targets are the true prophets, he will manipulate the authorities in order to persecute, imprison, or even kill them.

The prophet Elijah had to confront the palace's prophets during the time of Jezebel and Ahab, as recorded in 1 Kings 19:14: I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

King Ahab told King Jehoshaphat that the prophet Micaiah prophesied nothing good, he prophesied only evil, simply because he did not prophesy like his employees the palace's prophets; one of them even struck the prophet Micaiah on the cheek (read 1 Kings 22).

The prophet Jeremiah was heavily persecuted, imprisoned, and at times exposed to death all with the complicity of the palace prophets (read the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah).

That is why one should not be surprised by what befalls God's true prophets at the hands of those in the palaces, the brothers of Cain who are filled with hatred and do not hesitate to use poison or incite the authorities to persecute God's true servants.

Despite all that God's prophets endured, all their prophecies have been fulfilled and will be fulfilled; for they were not the ones who spoke but God. Who can annul a decree of God?

Esther Maiga