Sometimes, the Bible presents unthinkable ways people do things when having to make a decision. And the fact is that, we are not different from the characters of the Bible. They knew there was a sovereign God, before a decision, many always used strange methods. My brother, my sister, in the past people did not have the Spirit of God dwelling within them to guide them or help them make the right decisions like us.
Today’s passage says this: “For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver”.
The truth is that since Adam and Eve, man is still trying to live independently from God, trying to make decisions without Him, trying to sort out his life without Him who knows everything. When you find yourself at the fork in the road, at the junction of two roads, what do you do? Have you replaced God with your pastor, your parents or brothers and sisters to seek them first? No wonder many believers sing ‘I don’t know what to do’ or ‘I don’t know what God wants me to do’. My friend, to know what I want you to do, come to me first. To know what your parents want you to do, go to them first. The same, to know what God wants you to do, seek Him first! Here, the Nebuchadnezzar had two ways to get advice on the future. God was not on his picture. Unfortunately, we do like exactly like Nebuchadnezzar most of the time: we get advice here and there, then when we fail to get the right answers or directions, we eventually turn to God. But look at his two ways: one was shaking arrows, much like drawing straws, to see which course of action was right; the second way was to call on priests to examine the liver of a sacrificed animal to see if its form and its size would indicate a decision. The second method is exactly what has urged some ‘servants of God’ to lie to people out there. You cannot force the Lord to speak to you! You cannot urge the Lord to tell a servant what you need to do, lest the servant tells you what you want to hear, which may necessarily not come from God.
My friend, be very careful, when faced with a decision to make, seek God first above your own reasoning or above man’s advice. Most of the time we turn to God when we have been so disappointed by our own methods or man’s advice and it becomes very difficult to even recognize the voice of the Lord leading us to the right decision. Start with Jesus always. Make Him a partner for life and as such consult Him for all your decisions. This means that you also have to learn to wait for His answer because He will never mislead you or fail you. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.