When have you been asked for an opinion and you knew what answer the
questioner wanted to hear? Why do we sometimes insist on following through
on our plans even when we've received good advice against it? If you have
found yourself in either of these positions before, then you will enjoy
today's devotion - I think…
We will be looking at 1 Kings chapter 22. The story opens with King Ahab
who, not having dealt with an enemy fully the first time, was haunted
with the same issues again three years later. (Let that be a lesson to
us already!) Earlier, he had lost control of Ramoth in Gilead and now
wanted to claim it back. The first person King Ahab turns to for help
is Jehoshaphat, one of his colleagues…
1 Kings 22:1-4
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. [2]
And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
came down to the king of Israel. [3] And the king of Israel said unto
his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still,
and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? [4] And he said
unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as
thy people, my horses as thy horses.
Ladies, it is fleshly weakness that would bring us to the place of aligning
ourselves with those who oppose the Lord! However, Jehoshaphat, even in
his foolish alliance with a wicked king, at least made an effort to carry
respect for God's Word into his interactions in Ahab's court. Before pursuing
a mutual battle plan, Jehoshaphat imposed one condition upon the king.
He insisted upon enquiring at the word of the Lord for wisdom…
1 Kings 22:5-6
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at
the word of the Lord to day. [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 the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
The unanimous counsel of about 400 prophets that ministered to Ahab supported
the king in what he wanted to do; isn't it amazing that there was no division
of opinion among so many? (Not even the local church experiences such
unity!) If I had that number of prominent people backing me in a plan
I wanted to carry out, it would be tempting to feel pretty good about
the whole idea, don't you think? Not so with Jehoshaphat…
1 Kings 22:7
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides,
that we might enquire of him?
You see ladies, Ahab's counselors were not of the Lord. They were false
prophets. They were in the habit of stroking the king, not reproving him.
They accommodated his every desire. By the way, which type of guidance
do you like better?? Sad to say, many preachers today are equally focused
on a feel-good view of ministry. Controlled by self-interest, they cater
to the cravings of their congregations to avoid criticisms or personal
difficulty. Praise God Jehoshaphat found something lacking in the counsel
of Ahab's prophets; it was too shallow for his peace of mind! He requested
that a prophet of the Lord be sought after, someone loyal to the truth.
Not surprisingly, there was only one such prophet in Ahab's kingdom and
he was imprisoned, for Ahab despised him…
1 Kings 22:8-9
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah
the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him;
for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat
said, Let not the king say so. [9] Then the king of Israel called an officer,
and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.
Ladies, we are very much like king Ahab when it comes to our attitude
toward a true man of God. When the preacher censures the plans we wish
to carry out and exposes the error of them, we build a hatred for him
and deem ourselves his victims. We banish the preacher from our hearts
for raining on our personal parade. It's a crime we are frequently guilty
of! Notice when the king slandered the man of God, Jehoshaphat rebuked
him. What would you have done, dear lady??
1 Kings 22:10-13
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his
throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of
the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. [11]
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said,
Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou
have consumed them. [12] And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go
up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the
king's hand. [13] And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake
unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto
the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of
one of them, and speak that which is good.
While waiting for Micaiah to appear after his summons, the Bible says
the two kings were sitting in a void place. That reminds me of the position
believers find themselves in when they are missing the counsel of God!
We are void of wisdom - and so were Ahab and Jehoshaphat before God's
man arrived… Incidentally, did you pick up on the attitude of the messenger
who called Micaiah? Like everyone else, he was appealing to the prophet
of the Lord to speak soothing, well-liked words to his king! This little
courier was enticing Micaiah to join the crowd and leave off the truth.
What he was really advising God's man to do was not to ruffle any feathers!
Deliver popular words, good words that make everybody feel fine about
doing things their own way. But, there was one criterion that Micaiah
used to determine what he would say…
1 Kings 22:14
And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that
will I speak.
Ladies, when I read this response, the Halleluiah Chorus went off in my
head! Way to go Micaiah! Here is a man of God, imprisoned for his stand
for the Lord, who could have taken an opportunity to become an extremely
popular person and possibly increase his chances of being released. Unlike
everyone else in town, Micaiah didn't look after his own interests; he
lived by the Word of God! He would not fashion his speech with the times
or with the hearers. As a prophet of the Lord, nobody would tell him what
to say but God! \O/ Say on, Micaiah…
1 Kings 22:15-16
So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we
go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered
him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the
king. [16] And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee
that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?
The first answer Micaiah gives is in style of popular opinion and you
can just imagine the tone he might have delivered it with. Despite the
fact Ahab knew Micaiah was pretending when echoing the answers of his
preceding advisors, he insisted that he tell him the truth. You see, Ahab
knew in his heart that Micaiah alone was a true prophet of God. Isn't
that bizarre? Similar to those who are alienated from the Lord, this king
insists on having the truth but has no intention whatsoever of accepting
it! I wonder how many of God's people are adamant about the truth when
it comes to seeking a Bible believing church to join, yet refuse to respond
unreservedly to the very truth that is preached from the pulpit in the
church they have selected for themselves! Why be so picky about it if
you aren't going to submit to what you picked?? Why bother if you are
going to do what you want anyway… Drop your standards and go somewhere
that preaches the percentage you will obey! (I wonder what kind of a church
that would put you in??) Christians love to hear the truth proclaimed
- until it interferes with their personal lives. Then it becomes time
to pack their bags and leave, or put the prophet who reproved them behind
bars like King Ahab did!
1 Kings 22:17-18
And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that
have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them
return every man to his house in peace. [18] And the king of Israel said
unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning
me, but evil?
Like many of us, Ahab expects God to sanction all of his goals and desires.
Therefore, he finds it infuriating to learn the truth - everything he
resolved to accomplish is not okay with the Lord! King Ahab knew he wasn't
right with God but he was still bent on having his own way. Therefore,
in order to rise above his guilty conscience, he had to feign himself
injured at the proclamation of the man of God to justify his transgression.
Yes, in an attempt to extract pity for himself, Ahab complains that he
is forever treated unjustly by Micaiah simply because he predicted his
defeat; a typical modern day response to the honest preaching of the Word
of God! Could it be that you respond this way toward your pastor, dear
lady? Every time the preaching butts in on the way you live and warns
you of the cost of your selfish choices, do you discredit the man of God
for the discomfort the truth causes you? Verses 27 shares the account
of how Ahab responded to the facts he was given in learning of his own
fate…
1 Kings 22:27
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed
him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come
in peace.
Ladies, even though a believer is ill treated and disregarded, there is
great purpose in standing for the truth! Scripture only mentions Micaiah
in the context of this story. For all we know he remained in prison for
his truthful preaching and probably died there - in the center of God's
will! On the other hand, King Ahab scorned God's wisdom, boasting of his
survival in spite of the truth Micaiah proclaimed about his forthcoming
downfall, and ended up lifeless. In fact, as you finish this chapter up
on your own, you will discover that King Ahab went so far as to disguise
himself before entering battle so as to evade Micaiah's prophecy but an
arrow found it's spot in a crack in Ahab's armor and he was killed. God
will always find you though you try to hide from him! Following through
on your own plans does not guarantee a happy ending to your life no matter
how many side with you. Just like with Ahab, the odds are 400 to 1 that
you will lose out!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello
