Num 31:1-16  And YHWH spoke unto Moses, saying,  (2)  Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.  (3)  And Moses spoke unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge YHWH of Midian.  (4)  Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.  (5)  So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.  (6)  And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe them, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the Set Apart instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.  (7)  And they warred against the Midianites, as YHWH commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.  (8)  And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.  (9)  And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.  (10)  And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles, with fire.  (11)  And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts.  (12)  And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.  (13)  And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.  (14)  And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.  (15)  And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?  (16) Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against YHWH in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of YHWH.

The Fallacy of Listening to Others

Mat 17:1-5  And after six days YHWSHUA taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart,  (2)  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.  (3)  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.  (4)  Then answered Peter, and said unto YHWSHUA, Master, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  (5)  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Who are we listening to in our everyday lives?

It was autumn, and the Indians on the reservation asked their new Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was an Indian Chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the heck the weather was going to do.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood so they would be prepared for it. But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”

“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed,” the meteorologist at the weather service responded. So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

One week later he called the National Weather Service again. “Is it going to be a very cold winter?” he asked. “Yes,” the man at National Weather Service again replied, “it’s going to be a very cold winter.” The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.

Two weeks later he called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?” “Absolutely,” the man replied. “It looks like it’s going to be one of the coldest winters ever.”

“How can you be so sure?” the Chief asked.

The weather man replied, “Because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy”

Are we "followers of the pack"? Or do we follow YHWH? Where is our allegience?

Do we listen to the voice of the world?

Or do we listen for that "Still small voice" of YHWH speaking in our spirits?

Jdg 18:4-6  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.  (5)  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of Elohim, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.  (6)  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before YHWH is your way wherein ye go.

1Ki 22:5-8  And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of YHWH today.  (6)  Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for YHWH shall deliver it into the hand of the king.  (7)  And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of YHWH besides, that we might inquire of him?  (8)  And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of YHWH: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Isa 30:1-3  Woe to the rebellious children, saith YHWH, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:  (2)  That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!  (3)  Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

Isa 30:9-13  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of YHWH:  (10)  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:  (11)  Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Set Apart One of Israel to cease from before us.  (12)  Wherefore thus saith the Set Apart One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:  (13)  Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

Isa 65:2  I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

Isa 8:19-20  And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their Elohim? for the living to the dead?  (20)  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Isa 29:15-16  Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from YHWH, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?  (16)  Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

1Ch 10:13-14  So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against YHWH, even against the word of YHWH, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;  (14)  And inquired not of YHWH: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Hos 4:10  For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to YHWH.

We Need to Listen to YHWH's Voice!

Deu 11:13-16  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love YHWH your Elohim, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,  (14)  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.  (15)  And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.  (16)  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other elohim, and worship them;

Exo 15:26  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of YHWH thy Elohim, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for am YHWH that healeth thee.

Deu 28:1-2  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that YHWH thy Elohim will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  (2)  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy Elohim.

Isa 55:1-3  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  (2)  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  (3)  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Gen 3:8-10  And they heard the voice of YHWH Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of YHWH Elohim amongst the trees of the garden.  (9)  And YHWH Elohim called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  (10)  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

1Ki 19:11-13  And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before YHWH. And, behold, YHWH passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before YHWH; but YHWH was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but YHWH was not in the earthquake:  (12)  And after the earthquake a fire; but YHWH was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  (13)  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of YHWH unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith YHWH.

Zec 4:6