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CHAPTER 22 (ESV)
15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 19 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; 20 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?”
REFLECTION
- Ahab recognized the sarcasm in Micaiah’s voice and demanded he tell the truth. That prophet then told the king he would be killed in the battle.
- The lying spirit from the Lord troubles many. Two observations help. God is able to turn the evil done by Satan and his minions to accomplish good. The lying spirit may have had its own purpose in deceiving Ahab.
- Perhaps most important, God did not deceive Ahab at all! Through Micaiah the Lord fully revealed what He intended. Ahab then chose to act on the lie told by his own prophets and so rode to his doom.
- God always reveals His truth to human beings. He is not responsible if men reject the truth in favor of lies.
- At present, what do I need for God’s instruction? Have I heard God’s truth? What’s my choice? Why?
PRAYER
Lord, help me understand Your truth and Your will. Give me the glad willingness to obey and to follow and not to repeatedly asking in hope of changing Your mind to fit mine.
