There is a saying that “Experience is the best teacher”, meaning that you will learn better when you experience something, than when you read or listen to the stories of others. Yes this is true, however, sometimes experiences may be too painful or too long, for instance, you do not want to experience a divorce before you know it is painful. So it will be wiser to learn from the experiences of others, so that you don’t make the mistake they have made and face the same consequences.
In Philippians 4:9, Paul was writing to the church at Philippi and he said, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” So in essence, Paul was saying, learn from my experiences so that God’s peace will be with you.
There was this wicked King and wicked Queen in the Bible known as Ahab and Jezebel, they were well known for idolatry, also known as idol worshiping. Jezebel was one of the most evil women in the bible. She killed God prophets, worshipped idols, promoted sexual immorality and also killed Naboth, an innocent man so that her husband, the king, could take over his vineyard or land.
So in 1 Kings 19:15-17, God told Elijah to anoint Jehu to be the next King over Israel, Jehu’s main objective was to destroy the house of Ahab who had done much evil in the eyes of God and God decided to judge them. Soon after his anointing as King, Jehu set out to destroy the family of Ahab, at that time Joram also known as Jehoram was King of Israel. So he put to death Joram, the son of Jezebel and all the sons of Ahab. He also put to death all the priest of Baal, thereby eradicating Baal worship in Israel. God was pleased with the way Jehu carried out His instructions in obedience. Surprisingly, in 2 Kings 10, Jehu himself began to engage in idol worship and did the same things that Ahab did. Jehu knew that God made him King due to Ahab’s failing and patronage of idolatry, yet he did the same thing that God condemned. Does this sound familiar? You hear of people criticizing politicians or those in authority and when they get into the same position, they do the same things that they criticized or probably even worse. So the lesson is that Jehu should have learnt from the mistakes Ahab made and avoided them. There are things you do that you do not need a prophet to tell you the consequences or reward. For instance, if you are hard working and prayerful, you have a better chance of getting a job and earning a living. However, if you are lazy or always drunk, you have a higher chance of destroying your life. The consequence of actions are quite clear, when we study the life of others we can see how they succeeded or failed by certain decisions they made. That is why history is very important; history is the study of past events, so when you have the history of a matter, you can easily predict the future without seeking a prophet. The bible is not only a divinely inspired book, it is also a historical book. When you read it you learn about the lives other people lived, and the outcome of the decision they made. So learning form others is a wise way to live your life. Ask questions, consult widely, and learn from others then you will make good decisions. Have a blessed day.
