1 Kings 22:1 – 28 “Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel, who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”
So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’ ”
And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”
When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?”
“Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”
But 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?”
So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’ ”
Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’
‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’ ”
But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, is a righteous man. Why should Jehoshaphat would have anything to do with Ahab in the first place? Ahab has a very unsavory reputation and Jehoshaphat worships the God of Israel. But here is Jehoshaphat allying himself with Ahab.
The one intelligent thing Jehoshaphat does is to request that Ahab and he inquire from the Lord. Ahab has four hundred prophets hanging around the palace; however, we have no idea the origin of these prophets or their spiritual loyalties. From the ensuing dialogue it seems that these prophets are more interested in telling Ahab what he wants to hear than they are in really representing the Lord. It’s entirely possible that none of those prophets has ever actually encountered God in any fashion but that they have been dealing with demonic spirits instead. Despite the glib answers from these prophets, Jehoshaphat is ill at ease; he knows fake prophets when he hears them. Jehoshaphat asks if there is a true prophet of the Lord from which they can inquire.
Amazingly, Ahab admits that indeed, there is one true prophet of the Lord, Micaiah; however, Ahab hates Micaiah because he tells Ahab harsh truths. When Micaiah arrives, he initially tries to dodge the question by shrugging his shoulders and telling Ahab to go on up to Ramoth – gilead. But amazingly, Ahab realizes this is not a word from the Lord and charges Micaiah to tell the truth. Micaiah then tells Ahab that God is allowing Ahab to be deceived by the lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s prophets so that Ahab will go to Ramoth – gilead and be killed. Predictably, Ahab gets offended and order Micaiah to be thrown into prison, to be fed only bread and water until Ahab returns safely. Micaiah advises everyone present that if Ahab returns safely, then he, Micaiah, has not spoken the word of the Lord.
APPLICATION: Ahab is one confused dude! On the one hand, Ahab realizes that he has been feeding and accommodating four hundred yes – men disguising themselves as prophets. Ahab actually recognizes that Micaiah is a true prophet of the Lord and demands that Micaiah tell him the truth; yet, when Micaiah does exactly that, Ahab begins to puff and blow and becomes offended. Even now, if Ahab were to heed Micaiah, he would abandon the attempt to regain Ramoth – gilead and would simply stay home. But Ahab is already fancying himself as the conquering hero, a true son of his father Omri, who was the army commander. And Ahab has already made an alliance with Jehoshaphat. For Ahab to back off now would mean an enormous loss of face. The fact that Ahab might die doesn’t even enter into his mind. Truly, the lying spirit in the mouths of those four hundred prophets is succeeding.
One wonders why when Jehoshaphat hears this prediction, he doesn’t urge Ahab to abandon the idea of attacking Ramoth – gilead. But Jehoshaphat has also made sweeping statements, “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” Now it’s Jehoshaphat’s turn to refuse to back off, even after he hears the word of the Lord from Micaiah.
We read this story and wonder how or why Jehoshaphat has ever gotten himself mixed up with Ahab in the first place and why Jehoshaphat fails to heed the warning of the Lord when Micaiah gives it. Jehoshaphat has made several mistakes:
- Jehoshaphat should never have visited Ahab. What has light to do with darkness?
- Jehoshaphat has made foolishly conceived but grand – sounding promises and now feels obligated to fulfill them.
- Even when Jehoshaphat pushes Ahab until a true prophet of God speaks, Jehoshaphat fails to listen to the warning from God as well. Perhaps Jehoshaphat is treasuring some notion that if Ahab dies in battle, he, Jehoshaphat, will be able to save the day, conquer Ramoth – gilead, and perhaps even re-unite the northern and southern kingdoms.
- Jehoshaphat refuses to listen when Micaiah says, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’ ”
Bad companions, hasty promises, delusions of grandeur, and a failure to listen to the Lord – these are Jehoshaphat’s mistakes, and they can easily become ours as well. May we remain humble and close to the Lord, so that when He speaks, we will hear and obey!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to work with those who truly love You and who will listen to Your voice. Help us not to wander off, enticed by our own imaginations. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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