2 Chronicles 18:1-19:4

Passage paralleled in 1 Kings 22:1-40

Introduction

God has graciously revealed Himself to us. He approached Adam and Eve before the fall. It was also He who came looking for them after the fall. Since He breathed the breath of life into Adam's nostrils, it has been interesting to see how we respond to His Word.

The account of Micaiah is no different. There are people revealing, receiving, responding, rejecting and refuting the Word of God...all in this section.

Commentary

v 1
Though Jehoshaphat and Judah are generally presented in more favorable terms than Israel and their counterparts, this narrative starts out in a negative tone. For one, Jehoshaphat has disobeyed the Word of the Lord. A king was not to multiply wives for himself (Deuteronomy 17:17), even if for political gain. Secondly, Ahab is not the kind of man the Lord is pleased to see a king align with. He was the most evil king Israel had seen to that point (1 Kings 16:30). One is left to consider, "With an introduction like this, things are not going to end well."

v 2-3
Despite Ahab's wickedness, he is able to convince Jehoshaphat to align with him. Certainly, their relation through marriage played a factor. Clearly, they are fellow decendants of Abraham and are brothers, despite their political separation. However, verse 2 places Ahab inducing Jehoshaphat to join him in very close proximity to his lavishing him with sheep and and oxen and surrounding him with people. He is not bribing Jehoshaphat, yet he is clearly winning him over with things. Once Ahab requests military assistance, Jehoshaphat is quick to comply.

v 4-5
For some reason, Jehoshaphat wants to hear from the Lord. He has already declared his allegiance to Ahab, yet, he asks the the king to seek the voice of the Lord. Ahab's response is to bring 400 prophets before Jehoshaphat. The prophets declare that it is the Lord's will to fight, for He will give the enemy into the king's hand.

v 6
We do not know what distinguished these prophets, but Jehoshaphat could tell they were not of the Lord. Perhaps their reputation preceded them, and Jehoshaphat knew of their idolatry. It's conceivable that their "divine revelation" required ritual or statements foreign to the typical practice. It is even possible that these prophets were calling out to foreign gods, for Ahab certainly had no problem with false dieties (1 Kings 21:25-26). By whatever means, Jehoshaphat could tell these were not genuine prophets of the Lord. His question, "Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of Him?" speaks volumes. It is not only telling that the 400-man throng did not include a prophet of the Lord, Jehoshaphat's question even wonders if one can be found. Ahab has driven the prophets of the Lord out of his presence. Not only would Jehoshaphat like to hear from a prophet, we wonders if one can even be found.

v 7-8
Ahab tells Jehoshaphat that one such prophet does remain. However, this prophet is not within the 400, for Ahab does not like him. In fact, Ahab states that he hates this prophet for he never says anything good about Ahab. One of the most evil kings in the history of Israel is offended when a prophet of the Lord does not speak well of him. Rather than hear truth, Ahab preferred to have his ears tickled. We have no reason be believe Micaiah had been rude or malicious. He simply spoke the Word of the Lord.

It is not that Ahab has merely heard of this prophet, but he knows directly who he is. For one, this prophet had spoken in his preference multiple times, thus Ahab declares he "never prophesies good concerning me." He also knows the prophets name is Micaiah, son of Imla. Jehoshaphat gently rebukes Ahab's attitude, telling him that he should not say such things.

Yet, to appease Jehoshaphat, Ahab dispatches an officer to retrieve Micaiah.

v 9-11
As the officer pages Micaiah, we are given a description of the scene. Micaiah already had a "strained" relationship with Ahab, but these three verses point out other issues that could cause some intimidation.

1. Royal Pageantry--Ahab and Jehoshaphat were each seated on their thrones. As kings over separate dominions, they would find it necessary to display their splendor before one another, as well as any on lookers. Therefore, these kings sit upon their thrones in full royal garments.

2. Room for Prophets--How could 400 prophets gather before these kings? The author explains that Ahab has constructed a makeshift throne room in the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. The gate would be considered a place of prominence, while the threshing floor would provide a large expanse. Therefore, all 400 prophets could stand before these kings, leaving room for "entertaining displays."

3. Blasphemous Display--Zedekiah creates an impromptu visual aid for the kings. When the text says that he fashioned for himself iron horns, we should assume this means the horns were positioned on his head. Therefore, Zedekiah is using a prop to transform himself into a bull, goring the Arameans. Surely, Zedekiah would look foolish as he swerves around on the threshing floor, pretending to gore the enemy. But his display goes beyond stupid and is actually blasphemous. He claims the inspiration for this illustration is from the Lord, for God has told him that Ahab will gore the Arameans. Sadly, the other prophets join in as well, declaring that the Lord will give Ramoth-gilead into the hands of the king.

v 12-15
As the messanger approaches Micaiah, he informs him of their uniform testimony to the king. He encourages Micaiah to "get onboard," sharing a favorable message like the others.

Micaiah's faithfulness to the Lord is seen in his simple reply, "As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak."

Once Micaiah approaches the king on his throne, Ahab cuts right to the chase, "Should we battle or refrain?" It is surprising to find Micaiah's words in unison with other prophets. Has Micaiah given into the pressure of the majority? Hardly.

It is clear from the Ahab's response, that Micaiah's tone must have been inconsistent with his words. Though his words may appear complimentary, the king senses his insincerity. Perhaps Micaiah has responded this way before, since Ahab appears familiar with this practice. Either way, it is rather ironic that the evil king thinks it is his place to instruct a prophet of God to speak the truth.

v 16-17
Micaiah shares that he has received a vision. All of Israel is scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. Yet, he is not left to interpret the vision alone, for he states that the Lord spoke to him. The Lord gives meaning to the vision when He tells Micaiah, "These have no master." Not only that, but once the king is dead the people return home in peace.

Ahab gets the point, for he looks over to Jehoshaphat and says, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

v 18-22
But Micaiah's vision is not only of Israel, he was given a peek into heaven as well.

The scene--As Micaiah stands before these two thrones, he tells Ahab and Jehoshaphat that he has seen another throne. It is the throne in heaven, with God seated upon it, surrounded by the host of heaven.

The scenario--The Lord wants Ahab dead. Micaiah makes it known that the conflict with Ramoth-gilead has originated with the sole intention of enticing Ahab to fight, and fall.

The solution--It is interesting here that the Lord entertains advice from spirits. It is not that He needs to hear from others, nor that He is out of ideas. It is important to remember that this is the predetermined plan of the Lord, He is not responding to the conditions around Him, rather He is initiating these actions.

A spirit comes forward and declares his plan. He will entice Ahab by becoming a deceiving spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. (This was the Lord's plan all along, to entice Ahab to fight and die in the hands of the Arameans.) The Lord responds to the spirit that he should go and do it.

In front of these 400 false prophets, and standing before the very king who could take his life, Micaiah summarizes the vision. He says that the words of the prophets come from a deceiving spirit and that disaster awaits Ahab. Surely, Micaiah has been faithful to speak only that which the Lord has told him (v 13)!

v 23-27
Micaiah knew his message would not be well received. Now he gets to deal with two interactions:

1. Zedekiah--Since Zedekiah was the ring leader of this circus, it is no surprise that he took the greatest offense. After hearing that God desires Ahab's defeat, and that he used false prophets to accomplish his task, Zedekiah certainly felt chided for his "iron horns." But rather than humble himself, Zedekiah responds in anger and mockery. Zedekiah's response is meant to discredit Micaiah. If Micaiah is really a prophet, he should have seen Zedekiah's violence coming. But since Zedekiah was able to slap him, he assumes that Micaiah did not anticipate his actions. He futher points this out by asking Micaiah to give the "spiritual dynamics" of Zedekiah's actions. In essence, he is saying, "If you know so much about what is happening spiritually, describe for me what the spirits wanted when I slapped you."

Zedekiah's slap would have been intended more for insult than for physical injury. Therefore, Micaiah response would be right in accord with the instructions of the Lord. He does not strike back, but he does state that Zedekiah will know who is right, some day. The day is coming when Zedekiah will have to hide, for the king will be gone and the enemy will be pressing upon him. In that day, Zedekiah will know that Micaiah's prophecy was true.

2. Ahab--Ahab did not like Micaiah (v 7), and was not pleased with his message (v 17). Now we see Ahab's negative reaction to Micaiah's message. Micaiah is to be "returned" to Amon the governor. This suggests that Micaiah may have already been under a form of probation/punishment for other "unfriendly" words about Ahab. Undoubtedly, Joash, Ahab's son, would treat Micaiah unfavorably as well. However, Ahab does not simply trust him to his sons discretion. He also gives direct commands. Micaiah is to be punished in prison, with just a minimum of his necessities provided.

This should be the expected response, not only for Micaiah but for us as well (2 Timothy 3:12). Micaiah does not plead his case, nor does he insult the king. (He has already stated that God wants Ahab dead, what more must he really say?) Therefore, he merely appeals to the authority of the Word of God.

Micaiah is so confident of the Lord's word that he tells Ahab, "If you are still alive, then it must not have been from the Lord." Micaiah is willing to entrust himself to Him who judges righteously. If Micaiah's vision is truly of the Lord, then Ahab will not be returning with the people.

Micaiah is also aware of the other prophets. He calls out to the 400 prophets to listen. They are all to take heed, for in short time, the Lord will reveal who His true servants are.

v 28-32
While Ahab did not appreciate Micaiah's counsel, and chose to enter into battle, he did take some precaution. Ahab eschewed his royal robes, disguising himself as a charioteer. Though he many not have believed this disguise would hide him from God, he may have thought he could atleast thwart God's desired process. If the enemy did not know he was king, perhaps he would survive unscathed.

Yet, it is also intersting to note Jehoshaphat's response. While Ahab largely disregarded Micaiah's prophecy, Jehoshaphat appears to completely ignore it. Clearly, Jehoshaphat is merely a participant in a battle instigated by the Israeli king. What would be the benefit of wearing his robes and presenting himself in royal splendor? Surely Jehoshaphat saw his folly when the Aramean army began to pursue him.

We are told a two part procedure that led to Jehoshaphat's escape. First, he cried out. It is possible that his cry was overheard by the pursuing army and the realized he was not Ahab. However, the text seems to indicate that he may have cried out to the Lord, Who then responded by diverting the army away from him. God graciously spared Jehoshaphat's life. At this point, it becomes clear to the Arameans that Jehoshaphat is not Ahab, and they quit their pursuit.

v 33-19:1
These verses encapsulate God's sovereign work. Each step which Ahab took, in an attemp to thwart God's plan, was actually a meticulous fulfillment of every minute detail. Consider the following:

God predetermines that Ahab should die in battle. (2 Chron 18:19).
The Lord predetermines that false prophets will encourage this battle (2 Chron 18:21).
Ahab enters into the battle inconito, yet God uses a "random arrow" to strike Ahab (2 Chron 18:29; 18:33).

But there's more...

When one compares this to the parallel passage, we see a few other details:

Ahab's disguise caused him to be riding a chariot (1 Kings 22:30).
Ahab's wound was immediately fatal, thus causing him to bleed upon his chariot (1 Kings 22:35).
When rinsing the chariot off, dogs licked the blood of Ahab...as had been prophesied (1 Kings 22:38; 1 Kings 21:19).

The Lord prearranged for Ahab to meet his death at the hands of the Arameans. He would be encouraged to fight by the predetermined plan to use his false prophets. Ahab would die in such a way as to be slow and messy, thus fulfilling God's Word regarding the death of Naboth. One must conclude that no human agent is responsible for any of these actions.

Similarly, though Jehoshaphat was dressed as a king, he was not attacked or injured during the battle. Chapter 19, verse 1 tells us that he returned home safely.

v 19:2-3
Jehoshaphat is visited by another prophet. This time, Jehu comes out to meet him. Jehu challenges Jehoshaphat that he should not be loving those who hate the Lord. These words sound quite familiar to John's. Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat removed Asheroth poles and had set his heart to seek God, the Lord was displeased with his participation. Jehu warns that participation with Ahab could evoke God's wrath upon Jehoshaphat.

It is beautiful to see the gospel light shine forth in this passage. Though Jehoshaphat could bring wrath upon himself, he escapes that wrath because he has set his heart to seek God. The wrath that was placed upon him has been absorbed by another, and there is some good visible within Jehoshaphat! (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Exposition--"Hear the Word of the Lord"

We live in a world of "information overload." It is possible to hear from a host of sources, regarding an infinite number of topics, all within a few clicks of a mouse. Of course, with multiplied sources comes multiplied, and often conflicting, messages. How do we know who to trust or who speaks rightly?

Of course, the church is not immune to this problem. A quick glance across the denominational landscape will show churches with varying opinions on baptism, eschatology and ecclesiology. But once you enter the doors of a particular church, the multiple perspectives do not end. As each member of the Body comes together, they appear to bring their own unique perspective and points of emphasis. Though the church has the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints, there is a variety of opinion regarding the practice of that faith.

Most concerning, we are told savage wolves will come in, they will be evil imposters. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies. We are no longer talking disagreement between "secondary doctrines" nor are we simply speaking of methodology. Instead, the Scriptures tell us that within Christ's Body, there will be some who advocate heresies which can condemn their listener to hell.

Clearly, the church must be discerning and know which voice to hear. We must acknowledge that our own hearts are deceitful and wicked. Left to ourselves, we are incapable of discerning the truth from a lie.

Micaiah stood before Ahab and declared his impending death. How should Ahab have recognized that Micaiah was speaking the truth?

Micaiah was outnumbered 400 to 1. In our modern era, politicians rarely lead by conviction, but instead lead according to popularity polls. If the voters are satisfied, then the elected official procedes with his course. However, if the constituents shift, so should the politician. Similarly, many in the church stick their finger in the air, to test where the winds may be blowing. They determine truth by the size of the seminar or book tour. However, Micaiah, the solitary prophet, was the only true voice.

Micaiah was not viewed a nice. Micaiah shows a steadfast devotion to the Lord (v 18:13), yet Ahab perceives that as meanness (v 7). In fact, the deceit in Ahab's heart causes him to despise Micaiah. This is understandable, for Micaiah was speaking of the Light and Ahab's deeds were of darkness (John 3:19). Ahab preferred the darkness, for then his evil deeds could remain hidden. He perceived Micaiah's loving work of revealing truth to be repulsive and rude. Left to our flesh, we are just as susceptible to deception.

Therefore, we must gauge the integrity of the message according to a different standard. If the number, nor the perceived attitude of the speaker may be our litmus, God certainly offers us another standard.

What it can't be.--Ahab should have known that his false prophets were of no value. Though they claimed to speak the word of the Lord (18:10-11), there words were empty and destructive. This should not be of a surprise. For why would we consider men who do not commune with God to be the voice of God? They cannot accept nor understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they are left in their natural state. How foolish of us to seek the truth from those who do not know the Truth.

What it is.--Contrary to the natural man, the Sprit can direct us toward truth. Micaiah is identified as "a prophet of the Lord" (18:6-7). But how can we know that his words are accurate in this regard?

The centrality of Micaiah's message is the revelation of God to him. We see that his message will only be motivated by what God says (18:13). HIs understanding of the vision is only rooted in the Lord's explanation (18:16). His focus is not on Ahab, nor is it on himself...instead he calls for all to "hear the word of the Lord" (18:18).

Micaiah's message was trustworthy because of its close proximity to the word of the Lord. Micaiah was not sharing his own thoughts or opinions, nor was he seeking the wisdom of other men. Micaiah had spoken with God and was simply sharing God's message. This caused Micaiah to have an unshaken conviction to the word, despite the negative reaction (18:24, 27).

But God does not speak through prophets today, but through the His Son (Hebrews 1:1). Paul instructs Timothy that the way to spot false teachers and imposters is through the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:13-17). The Bereans were not dazzled by Paul's resume, but checked his message against the Scriptures (Acts 17:10-12). This commitment to the word of the Lord is what allowed Micaiah to declare, "If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me" (18:27).

Micaiah believed his words could be tested. If Ahab returned, clearly Micaiah was mistaken. He was not relying on opinion or a hunch, he was sure that the word of the Lord cannot fail. Ahab did not share this same conviction to the word of the Lord...

...and he was proven wrong.

Conclusion

There are many voices that compete for our ears today. We cannot assume the majority opinion is always right, nor is the minority opinion a guarantee of accuracy. Age is no promise either. Any of us can be prone to wanting our ears tickled (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Like Jehoshaphat, there is good in the believer (2 Corinthians 5:21), yet he is still prone to deception. The sacred writings are what leads a person to salvation in Christ (2 Timothy 3:15-17), how could they ever lead us astray?

When we stray from the Word, we stray from the message of the Cross. When we stray from the message of the cross, we stray from Christ. When we stray from Christ, we stray from the Truth. This is how we search our hearts.

This is how we test the validity of the message.