Day 5: Spirit of Council

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it’.
Isaiah 30:21

The idea of ‘council’ can best be thought of as ‘someone giving good sage advice’. Basically, someone imparting wisdom. We hear it as ‘council and advice’, ‘the kings councilors’, the ‘council chambers’ where ideas are decided upon, etc. etc. The Spirit gives wisdom, and a wise man will heed the council given by the holy Spirit of God. For it is God’s council that is needed, and God’s council that needs to be followed.

While on earth, Jesus went searching for that proper council-and we see that a few times God did seemingly speak audibly, reaffirming Him in His decisions-at His baptism, at the Mount of Transfiguration, the wording here is an audible voice. A few other times: Elijah and Samuel, Jonah, Jeremiah and certainly Moses. These are places that we can be assured it was His audible voice. Maybe David and Gideon and Isaiah, but these seem to be more impressions or visions than anything. But maybe not, scripture isn’t clear.

What scripture IS clear on is that God’s word that we have today-the Bible-is where He speaks to us. We are warned about others claiming to ‘speak’ for God, or having a ‘new revelation’ or whatever-but the Bereans looked for themselves (searching the scripture) to see if what Paul said was true. For that is where our council lies-on His word. Peter warned us to ‘test every spirit’-wise council indeed-to verify that it IS the TRUE Spirit. 

Often (and I have been guilty of this) we say ‘if only God would send me a note every morning telling me what to do about (insert any given situation here) then I would be fine. But He did. It is His word. Does God care what job you take, what direction you travel? I have my doubts PROVIDED you are doing ‘…anything, you shall do it all for the glory of God’. And if you follow that mantra, that council that Paul offered (in I Corinthians 10:31) you won’t be wrong. If He wants you to go to a certain place and you don’t want to go, or do something you don’t want to do (we’re looking at YOU, Jonah) there is nothing you can do not to go and do that. Prudent men seek their council from scripture and do what they are told.

Does God still speak audibly? I don’t know. It was rare (outside of the Incarnate Messiah) that He did so, but I suppose it could happen. I believe it happened to me once, and right after I heard a very distinct command to do something I had been wrestling with, my world collapsed around me forced me to do just what I believe God told me to do. But what I was balking at comes right back to what Paul said-if I had just taken the attitude ‘whatever you do’ I would have saved myself that jarring experience-and also a lot of headache worry and crappy situations I kept falling into before I finally took Paul’s council (basically ‘LISTEN, stupid!’) I would have come out of the other end a lot faster, a lot happier and a much better understanding of God’s work in my life on an individual basis.

So, again-no, I really think it is an extremely rare thing for God to speak audibly. Does it make me special because I believe I heard from God physically? No, it shows that I needed a shove more than the gentle voice of the scripture. I don’t consider it an honor, just the opposite. On the other hand, He HAS given us His word and we can read it any time we feel like it. I knew the scripture but was too scared to take the council offered there until forced. I unfortunately was ‘quenching’ that particular aspect of the Spirit-that of council. As one minister once said: ‘If you want to hear from God, read your bible. If you want to hear Him audibly, read your bible out loud.’ I would add the following: ‘…and then stop thinking about it and do what it says.’

2 Timothy 3: 16-17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.