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Kings chapter 22 begins with Jehoshaphat, King of Judah coming to
visit Ahab, king of Israel. Remember, Ahab had been an evil king,
but was “scared straight” after hearing God’s judgment. We
read that after three years of peace, he was ready to attack Aram.
It is sad to see someone make a sincere change in their life to honor
God, but continue to live in the muck of their previous life. Ahab
wanted the Jehoshaphat’s help in the battle. Wisely, Jehoshaphat
advised, “First
seek the counsel of the Lord.”
It seems that Ahab had lots of advisors that simply told him what he
wanted to hear. The chapter continues, “But
Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we
can inquire of?’”
The King knew of a man that would speak the truth, but said, “I
hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but
always bad. He is Micaiah.”
It is easy to find a multitude of people that will support us in
taking the easy way out: “Divorce the bum”. “Quit that job”,
“File bankruptcy”. Do you have someone that will give you godly
counsel even though it may be hard to hear?
When
Micaiah told the king that his plan would lead to his own
destruction, the king reacted with anger. “The
king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Didn’t I tell you that he
never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?‘”
And how did the king’s “friends” react to hearing God’s
Word? “Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah
in the face”. The king angrily sent Micaiah back to prison. “Put
this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until
I return safely.”
The prophet said simply, “If
you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me“.
It is interesting how the popular “advise” TV shows today hold
no standard of right and wrong. No one wants to hear that they have
been stubbornly disobedient to the Lord of All. Before I accepted
Jesus as my Savior, I was shaken by the words in Matthew 12:30, “He
who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me
scatters abroad“.
There is no place of neutrality on the battle field.
The
chapter ends with the fulfillment of God’s word. “All
day long the battle raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot
facing the Arameans… and that evening he died. As the sun was
setting, a cry spread through the army: ‘Every man to his town;
everyone to his land!’“.
Ultimately the book of 1 Kings ends with the continued succession of
evil kings in Israel. “Ahaziah
son of Ahab became king of Israel… and he reigned over Israel two
years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he walked in the
ways of his father and mother and in the ways of Jeroboam… He
served and worshiped Baal and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel,
to anger, just as his father had done“.
What would have happened if the king listened to the word of the
prophet? Proverbs 10:17 says, “People
who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who
ignore correction will go astray“.
What will you do with God’s rebuke?