Asa was furious at the seer. He was so angry with Hanani that he put Hanani in prison. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time in his reign.
They say to the seers, ‘Don’t see ⌞the future⌟.’ They say to those who have visions, ‘Don’t have visions that tell us what is right. Tell us what we want to hear. See illusions.
These dogs have huge appetites. They are never full. They are the shepherds, but they don’t understand. All of them have turned to go their own ways. Each one seeks his own gain.
You dishonor me in front of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who shouldn’t die, and you spare the lives of people who shouldn’t live. You lie to my people who are willing to listen.
“I wish one of you would shut the doors ⌞to my house⌟ so that you could not light fires on my altar for no reason. I’m not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Armies, “and I won’t accept your offerings.
So the officials went to the jail and apologized to Paul and Silas. As the officials escorted Paul and Silas out of the jail, they asked them to leave the city.
People like these are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive unsuspecting people.
A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the teachings of God’s Spirit. He thinks they’re nonsense. He can’t understand them because a person must be spiritual to evaluate them.
Be shepherds over the flock God has entrusted to you. Watch over it as God does: Don’t do this because you have to, but because you want to. Don’t do it out of greed, but out of a desire to serve.
Then anyone who is left from your household will bow down in front of him to get a coin or a loaf of bread and say, ‘Please appoint me to one of the priestly classes so that I may eat a piece of bread.’ ”
(Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask God ⌞a question⌟, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” because a person we now call a prophet used to be called a seer.)