Reading 1
2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3
The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan,
“I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD.”
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported,
“Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple
and have consigned them to the master workmen
in the temple of the LORD.”
The scribe Shaphan also informed the king
that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book,
and then read it aloud to the king.
When the king heard the contents of the book of the law,
he tore his garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan,
and the king’s servant Asaiah:
“Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah,
about the stipulations of this book that has been found,
for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us,
because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book,
nor fulfill our written obligations.”
The king then had all the elders of Judah
and of Jerusalem summoned together before him.
The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the men of Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant
that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them.
Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD
that they would follow him
and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees
with their whole hearts and souls,
thus reviving the terms of the covenant
which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.
Gospel
Mt 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”
Meditation: Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)
False prophets? Today? Let’s take a look at how the Bible describes a false prophet. Moses warned the people against a “prophet or a dreamer” who tries to lure them away from the God of Israel—even with miraculous signs and wonders (Deuteronomy 13:1-4). It’s not often that we will meet someone who fits that description exactly. But at the same time, we do face a daily torrent of ideas, information, and philosophies in this world that serve to distract us from the call to love the Lord with all our hearts.
Think of the way that materialism and consumerism can overpower all other considerations—especially when these philosophies make hollow promises of personal happiness. We can very easily end up spending all our time serving only our leisure, our entertainment, and our ambitions. By contrast, Jesus—the true prophet of God—tells us that true happiness is found in being poor in spirit, showing mercy, and striving for purity of heart.
While the contrast between these two “prophetic” voices seems obvious, in reality, the false voices can be very subtle. Work, recreation, downloading, uploading, and updating can all vie for our attention, and it can be difficult to hear the still, small voice of the Lord. We can lose track of the state of our hearts and find ourselves lost in a spiritual haze—and not even know how we got there!
It’s only as we spend time every day cultivating our relationship with God that we can become adept at discerning his voice from the many other voices in the world. But it is worth the effort. Why? Because the Holy Spirit can give us the right perspective. He can alert us when we have listened to these other voices too much and allowed them to drown out the voice of the Lord.
So be sure to spend time with the Lord every day. Let him open your eyes to his beauty and perfection. As you do, you will find yourself fulfilled in ways the world cannot even imagine. Nothing can even come close to the joy and peace that come from knowing God!
“Father, I want to see through your eyes today. Give me a discerning spirit so I can recognize your voice and obey your word.”
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