7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” – Second Chronicles 18:7
Talk about strange unions.
Here we have a conversation between Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Israel. The Bible tells us that Jehoshaphat was a good king who walked in the ways of King David. He did not follow the Baals, but rather followed the commandments of the one and only true God. He fortified the cities of Judah against Israel, who had turned against God. It is said that the heart of Jehoshaphat was courageous in the ways of the Lord (2 Chronicles 17:6). And then there is Ahab, his polar opposite. Ahab was everything Jehoshaphat was not.
30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. – 1 Kings 16:30-33
Ahab was quite a man.
Evil that is. Behind this evil man was a notoriously evil woman, Jezebel. Jezebel was a pagan woman who hated and opposed the God of Israel. This evil couple openly promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah in Israel. Ahab surrounded himself with 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah. The 450 prophets of Baal were destroyed when they were challenged by the Prophet Elijah. Elijah boldly faced the 450 prophets of Baal, but he fled from the evil Jezebel. That is pretty sobering. But this gives us an idea of just how cruel and twisted Ahab and Jezebel were.
When Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard, he offered to buy it from him. Naboth, however, refused Ahab’s offer. Ahab responded by going home and sulking. Jezebel responded by having Naboth falsely accused and stoned to death. Ahab got his vineyard. However, it came with a heavy price tag. God sent Elijah to tell Ahab that his descendants would be cut off, and Jezebel would be eaten by dogs. I sure hope it was a nice vineyard.
With these biography sketches, we will return back to today’s text.
For whatever reason, the godly Jehoshaphat gave his son Jehoram in marriage to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. With a marriage alliance in place, Jehoshaphat decided to pay a visit to Ahab, going down to him in Samaria. When he arrived, Ahab treated him to a great feast and then asked him if he would assist him in a battle against Ramoth-gilead. Jehoshaphat agreed, provided they first enquired for the word of the LORD. Conveniently, Ahab had 400 prophets available to consult with. I am guessing these were the 400 prophets of Asherah mentioned earlier. With one voice they told Ahab what he wanted to hear. Attack Ramoth-gilead and the victory will be yours. Jehoshaphat wasn’t impressed or convinced. No offense Ahab, but don’t you have any prophets of the LORD? This is where it gets humorous. Or sad.
Ahab was not only an evil man, but he wasn’t in touch with reality.
He had surrounded himself with “yes” men. Perhaps we might say he only watched fake news. Jehoshaphat, however, saw right through it and requested someone who might be so bold as to speak the truth from God, and not just what he wanted to hear. I am not sure where Elijah was, but Ahab suggests Micaiah. Reluctantly. Like the spoiled child who sulked over Naboth’s vineyard, Ahab blurted out that he hated Micaiah because he never prophesied good concerning him but only evil. Go figure.
As I read this passage, I can’t help but think of what Paul wrote to Timothy.
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. – 1 Timothy 4:2-4
I am afraid we are living in the “age of Ahab”.
We live in a day of “itching ears”. As Paul wrote to Timothy, suiting our passions has become more important than listening to the truth. Like Ahab, we tolerate those who tell us what we want to hear but hate those who speak the truth. The result is that being a Christian is quickly becoming criminal. Again. There is truly nothing new under the sun. While it is easy to criticize and poke fun at Ahab, I really want to commend the Micaiah’s of the world.
Micaiah doesn’t dominate the pages of Scripture to the degree that Elijah and Elisha do, but in this picture we have of him you have to love the man. Much like Melchizedek, he seems to come out of nowhere. He is called before King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat who are elevated, seated on their thrones adorned in their royal robes. He is surrounded by 400 false prophets. He knows the “favorable” word they have unanimously given. He knows the volatile nature of Ahab and his dislike for him. He knows the consequence of speaking the truth. But he is not deterred.
The pressure is on Micaiah.
The false prophets have set the stage. The messenger who “retrieved” Micaiah warns him that his word better be consistent with that of the false prophets. I love Micaiah’s response.
“As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 2 Chronicles 18:13b
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that quote framed anywhere, but I believe that is what Paul had in mind when he encouraged Timothy. It should be the motto of every Christian minister. It should be the motto of every Christian.
Micaiah wasn’t intimidated by the 400 false prophets.
He wasn’t swayed by the messengers “subtle” threat. He didn’t flinch before the thrones of the two kings. How could he? He had a clear vision of the King of kings sitting on His eternal throne, surrounded by the host of heaven. What better motivation could a messenger of God have?
18 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 on his right hand and on his left. – 2 Chronicles 18:18
Micaiah knew the consequences of speaking the Truth. And he also knew the consequences of not speaking the Truth. His job was to act as a prophet of the living God. Ahab had plenty of ear ticklers, but Micaiah was cut of a different cloth. Micaiah did not agree with the false prophets that the battle would be won. On the contrary, he told Ahab he would not survive the battle. For speaking the Truth, Micaiah was put in prison. For ignoring the Truth, Ahab was killed. Eventually, his wife Jezebel would be eaten by dogs as Elijah prophesied.
God’s word is Truth. His prophecies will always be fulfilled. Ignoring His Word is foolish.
My prayer is that as God’s children we will place God’s Word above our passions. And may God bless the Micaiah’s of the world. I am grateful I am able to hear one every Sunday. It is a blessing I do not take for granted. He doesn’t tickle my ears but speaks what God says. But unlike Ahab, I love him for it.
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