10/10/2008
1 Kings 22:1 - 9 (HCSB) 1There was a lull of three years without war between Aram and Israel. 2However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to visit the king of Israel. 3The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” 4So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 5But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please ask what the LORD’s will is.”
6So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about 400 men, and asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?” They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahweh here any more? Let’s ask him.”
8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
9So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry ëand getû Micaiah son of Imlah!”
1 Kings 22:15 - 23 (HCSB) 15So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?”
Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The LORD will hand it over to the king.”
16But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
17So Micaiah said:
I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.
And the LORD said,
‘They have no master;
let everyone return home in peace.’
18So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”
19Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and the whole heavenly host was standing by Him at His right hand and at His left hand. 20And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
So one was saying this and another was saying that. 21“Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22“The LORD asked him, ‘How?’ “He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
“Then He said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.’
23“You see, the LORD has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
===
The king of Israel, Ahab, and the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, had met on friendly terms and Ahab wanted to recover a city that had been lost in battle. Jehoshaphat was willing to go to battle with Ahab but only with the blessing of the Lord. Ahab called all his prophets of Baal and they merely said gracious things to the king to earn his favor. Today, we would call these people “yes-men” or “brown-nosers”.
Jehoshaphat recognized that these were not prophets of Yahwey and requested that they inquire of Yahweh. Ahab’s response is amusing if not pitiful “We have a prophet, but I don’t like him because he always gives me bad news.” It seems as if Ahab was content to have the false prophets around him simply telling him what he wanted to hear.
Micaiah, the prophet of Yahweh, at first tells the king he will be successful in battle, but we can guess from his tone or demeanor the king recognized right off that Micaiah is mocking the false prophets. Ahab rebukes Micaiah and then Micaiah gives Ahab the true answer from God. Then he adds that God has already sentenced Ahab to death and He has done so by allowing “lying spirits” to speak through the false prophets.
What I find interesting about this passage is that today, we have so many false prophets full of lying spirits trying to entice the people of this world to destruction. And the only reason these lying spirits are successful is because, like Ahab, the people of this world don’t want to hear the truth, but what pleases them. Ahab wanted to go to battle to win back the city, and he wanted his prophets to validate that. He wasn’t interested in the truth, because when he heard the truth from Micaiah, he rejected it.
The people of this world are rejecting the truth. But that doesn’t change the fact that we must be bearers of the truth. We must continue to share the truth even when our message is rejected. Perhaps some will hear and turn to God.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.