Itching Ears
By Dr. Michael L. Brown
Over 1900 years ago Paul warned Timothy that, "the time will come when men will
not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear"
(2 Tim. 4:3). That time has come. We are witnessing it in our day. So few want to
hear the truth anymore!
The Church of today is like Israel of old: "They say to the seers, 'See no more
visions!' and to the prophets, 'Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us
pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop
confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!'" (Isa. 30:10-11).
"We’ve heard enough of this judgment message" -- but the judgment is now at the
door! "We're tired of hearing so much preaching on repentance" -- but you still
have not truly repented! "We've had it with this holiness emphasis" -- but the holy
God dwells in our midst!
So many of us in leadership today are guilty of telling the people what they want
to hear. We feed them what they think they need. What parent in their right mind
would ever do such a thing with their child? Yet many leaders do it with their flocks
and faithful supporters. "We don't want to lose any of our members, do we?" Or,
"This message will never bring in the bucks. It will hurt our ministry income!"
Or, "If I tell the truth the people will get offended!" Yet we are willing to offend
the Lord!
Remember, it was the people of Israel -- not Babylon, not Assyria, not Canaan, not
Egypt -- but God's own chosen nation that "made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded
the prophets not to prophesy" (Amos 2:12). They told those who were set apart as
holy to the Lord to lower their standards, to quit being extremists, to give up
their separation to God. "Just be one of the gang! All of us are children of the
Lord. You’ve taken consecration too far!" They told the prophets to shut up. They
didn’t want to hear from heaven. "Give us good news and blessings. Tell us the future
is bright." But the prophets had bad news and curses. The future was dark and bleak.
Israel wouldn't repent. How could God shower them with grace?
King Ahab had itching ears. His "prophets" were yes-men and liars. They told him
to go and make war against Ramoth Gilead, "for the Lord will give it into the king's
hand" (1 Kin. 22:6). Four hundred prophets agreed. But Jehoshaphat wasn't satisfied.
"'Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?' The king answered
Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but
I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He
is Micaiah son of Imlah'" (1 Kin. 22:6-7). He had the word of the Lord!
The king's messenger went to get Micaiah: "Look, as one man the other prophets are
predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably"
(1 Kin. 22:13). What an incredible line! "Micaiah, tell us we'll win! Tell us we'll
be victorious!" -- even if God knows we're doomed! How deceived itching ears really
are! The four hundred prophets were wrong. The king and his court were wrong. The
armies of Israel were wrong. Micaiah alone knew the truth: "So now the Lord has
put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed
disaster for you. . . . Mark my words, all you people" (1 Kin. 22:23, 28). Hours
later, Ahab was dead, an enemy's arrow lodged in his chest, and Israel was defeated
and fled.
Sooner or later -- by God's grace may it be sooner! -- we are going to have to learn
that "where all approve, few profit" (John Wesley). The preaching of the cross does
not always please the crowds. They reject a God who has standards and laws. They
cast off His yoke as a burden. "He's an old-fashioned kill-joy," they say.
And some even fall further than this. They hear and agree but do not take heed.
They ask for God's message and ignore what it says. "My people come to you [Ezekiel],
as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not
put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts
are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings
love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your
words but do not put them into practice" (Ezek. 33:31-32). Those with itching ears
really don't want to hear. Never cater to them.
The road to destruction is still broad and wide, and the highway to life is as straight
as it ever has been. Our big-hearted God has a very narrow mind when it comes to
righteousness. We must tell our people the truth! "Ministers are not cooks, but
physicians and therefore should not study to delight the palate, but to recover
the patient" (Jean Daille). Compromise is cowardice. Flattery is foolishness. Man-pleasers
are God-insulters. When will we get our priorities straight?
We have many who tickle the ear, few who prick the heart; many who soothe the grieving
mind, few who search the guilty conscience; many who put the people to sleep, few
who make them mourn and weep. Where are the prophets of God? We are strong on comforting
the sorrowing sheep but weak on confronting the sinning saints; strong on building
up what God has not established and weak on tearing down what man has embellished.
Our hearts are caught up in this world. We need a blast from heaven.
How many of today's radio and TV preachers are bringing a challenging, convicting,
life-shaking message from the Throne? How many preach the cross and make the flesh
uncomfortable? Who is waking up the slumbering church? Who is warning our nation?
Someone is going to have to tell America that she is sick and dying. Someone is
going to have to tell her that the party is over. Someone is going to have to prepare
her -- including the church within her -- for radical surgery. The time of pruning
is now!
Enough with our feel-good gospel. Enough with our self-serving message. It's time
for the fire to fall -- and wherever it falls it will scorch. Do our people smell
the smoke in the air, or like Nero, will they fiddle their lives away while America
(today’s Rome?) burns to the ground? The collapse of our society looms near. Will
we be watchmen -- or will we be wimps?
What an indictment it will be against countless pastors, prophets and preachers
when their people stand up and say, "But you didn't tell us the truth! You didn't
give us warning in advance! And we thought you were watching for our souls. You
must not have really cared."
Will that be the charge against us?
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