Paul, the Apostle, sang a hymn of adoration to the true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it goes like this: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen (Rom. 11:33-36). In this song Paul reveals that the riches of God are wisdom and science. The ways of God are unfathomable, and his judgments are unsearchable, that is, there is no one in heaven or on earth that can understand or consider them. Because of this, nobody can be His counselor. Well, a counselor shares the height of the matter in consideration. If there were a counselor, he could contribute with some brilliant idea or some marvelous plan, and he would be recompensed for it. Paul, however, makes clear the implied sense that no one has been the counselor of God and that nobody gave God anything that he should be recompensed for.
As an example, we mention salvation. If works saved anyone, he would first give to God to receive the recompense of salvation. Paul, however, destroys this illusion: “For by grace we have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). The only one to give to God was Jesus Christ “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph. 5:2). “Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God the Father” (Gal. 1:3,4). However, Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30).
Jehovah, in the Old Testament, received counsel from the angels, and asked counsel of the angels. Jehovah wished to kill the evil Ahab. He sat on his throne, then, with the heavenly army to his right and to his left. And Jehovah said, “‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that”. The angels were counseling Jehovah. Then a spirit stood before Jehovah and said, “I will entice him”. And Jehovah asked him, “How?” and he said, “I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets”. Then Jehovah said, “You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so” (1 Kings 22:19-22). Jehovah accepted an evil counsel from an angel — for what he said was a lie — and told the angel to execute the Machiavellian plan. What alarms us is the following text: “Now, therefore, behold, Jehovah has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and Jehovah has proclaimed disaster against you” (1 Kings 22:23). There was war, and Ahab, fearing that he would die, put on a disguise. During battle, a soldier drew his bow at random and struck the king Ahab, of Israel (1 Kings 22:29-35). There was no battle, really, for after the king of Israel was killed, each man turned to his own country (1 Kings 22:36).
Now, Jehovah intended to kill Ahab, and had it in his hands to do it, in the same way as he had done with Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:3-7). In order to kill Ahab Jehovah did not need to lie. Why did he make use of a lie, then? So as to declare loudly and clearly that he is involved with all the lies that are in the Old Testament.
Worse than the instance with Ahab was the instance with Job. Jehovah accepted the counsel of Satan. The Scriptures say that Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil” (Job 1:1). “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan came among them”. Jehovah dialogued with Satan and exalted Job’s qualities. Satan, then, tried Jehovah arguing that Job’s righteousness was false, and suggested that Jehovah took away all the good things that he had given Job. He said that Job would, then, curse him and blaspheme. JEHOVAH ACCPTED THE COUNSEL OF SATAN, and said: “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him” (Job 1:6-12). Satan took away all Job had, leaving him in total poverty, and killed his ten children. No man, as faithful as he may be, is safe, when God accepts the counsels of Satan. Paul, nevertheless, says that God the Father of Jesus did not have counselors; therefore, Jehovah and the Father are not the same person. Even though Jesus counseled with the Father, he definitely was not Jehovah, because Jehovah never mentioned the Father, and received counsel from the wicked angels of Satan. The truth is that the faithful Job said, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away, blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). After these things, on another day, Satan appeared before the sons of Jehovah, again. Jehovah praised Job’s qualities, again, and then confessed that he, Jehovah, let the devil tempt him without any reason (Job 2:1-7). Poor Job, which believed in a God who was guided by the father of lies (Job 8:44).
Moses, a man, rebuked Jehovah, the Almighty (El Shaday), on the Mount Sinai, when he received the laws of Jehovah. The people at the foot of the mountain asked Aaron to make them a god, that is, the golden calf, with the gold taken from Egypt (Ex 3:22; 12:29-36). Aaron did what they asked for. The people were dancing around the golden calf when the fury of Jehovah was kindled against them, and he decided to destroy the people he had created for his glory (Is. 43:1-7; Ex. 32:10). Moses, when he heard this, entreated Jehovah with a powerful argumentation. Jehovah, then, changed his mind, repenting from his hasty attitude (Ex. 32:11-14).
Another time, when twelve men went to spy the land, and returning gave a bad report about it, Jehovah, filled with fury, said, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them” (Num. 14:20). In other words, “I accept your counsel.”
The worst instance happened during David’s reign. His kingdom was safe and organized, the Levites and priests were appointed by David for the service in the tabernacle. It was the climax of David’s throne. The wrath of Jehovah again flared against Israel, and he incited David to number his people. David obeyed. Jehovah, as punishment, sent his angel that killed 70.000 Hebrews, and he was going on to destroy Jerusalem. There was no reason for this unjust slaughter. David said, “behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Thy hand be against me and against my father’s house” (2 Sam. 24:17). And this was how David reprimanded Jehovah.
However, the Father of Jesus is not counseled or reprimanded by no one (Rom. 11:33-36).
By Pastor Olavo Silveira Pereira