King Ahab of Israel wanted King Jehoshaphat of Judah to go to war with him against the Syrians, but Jehoshaphat wanted to ask a prophet of the Lord if they should. Ahab had many false prophets who told him whatever he wanted to hear. But there was one man of God who truly heard from the Lord, and Ahab disliked him.<\/p>\n
This is one of those places in Scripture where the tone of voice must have conveyed more than the actual words used. We can’t tell from the words but the king’s reaction to them suggests they must have sounded very sarcastic, perhaps something like, “Oh yeah, go right ahead, King. It will be fine!” It seems that just because this prophet of God, Micaiah, actually agreed with the false prophets, King Ahab was convinced he couldn’t possibly be speaking the truth.<\/p>\n
The reason Micaiah never had anything good to say about Ahab was because Ahab was living a life that was filled with sin and idolatry. The principle here is that we should listen carefully to what godly people say about the people we are connecting our lives to. We need to pay attention and not ignore wise, spiritual counsel that warns us against some binding relationship that might be displeasing to God. We need to beware of the self-centered person, because we can be assured that they plan to take care of themselves, as Ahab did here. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; \/ But in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14).<\/p>\n
“LORD, please give us discernment and don’t let us be deceived as we walk in the counsel of Your word this day.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Chronicles 18 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And after\u00a0certain\u00a0<\/em>years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that\u00a0he had<\/em>with him, and persuaded him to go up\u00a0with him\u00a0<\/em>to Ramoth-gilead.\u00a0\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I\u00a0am\u00a0<\/em>as thou\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>, and my people as thy people; and\u00a0we will be\u00a0<\/em>with thee in the war. 4<\/sup>\u00a0And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0to day.\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>into the king\u2019s hand.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0But Jehoshaphat said,\u00a0Is there\u00a0<\/em>not here a prophet of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0besides, that we might enquire of him?\u00a0\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat,\u00a0There is\u00a0<\/em>yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the\u00a0LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And the king of Israel called for one\u00a0of his\u00a0<\/em>officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in\u00a0their\u00a0<\/em>robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.\u00a0\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the\u00a0LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.\u00a0\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the\u00a0LORDshall deliver\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>into the hand of the king.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets\u00a0declare\u00a0<\/em>good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.\u00a0\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And Micaiah said,\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the\u00a0LORD?\u00a016<\/sup> Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the\u00a0LORDsaid, These have no master; let them return\u00a0therefore\u00a0<\/em>every man to his house in peace.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?\u00a0\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the\u00a0LORD; I saw the\u00a0LORD\u00a0sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>his left.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the\u00a0LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said unto him, Wherewith?\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And\u00a0the\u00a0LORD\u00a0<\/em>said, Thou shalt entice\u00a0him\u00a0<\/em>, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>so.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, behold, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the\u00a0LORD\u00a0hath spoken evil against thee.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0from me to speak unto thee?\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.\u00a0\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king\u2019s son;\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0And say, Thus saith the king, Put this\u00a0fellow\u00a0<\/em>in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace,\u00a0then\u00a0<\/em>hath not the\u00a0LORDspoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people. 28<\/sup>\u00a0So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel.\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the\u00a0LORDhelped him; and God moved them\u00a0to depart\u00a0<\/em>from him.\u00a032<\/sup>\u00a0For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.\u00a0\u00a033<\/sup>\u00a0And a\u00a0certain\u00a0<\/em>man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed\u00a0himself\u00a0<\/em>up in\u00a0his\u00a0<\/em>chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" King Ahab of Israel wanted King Jehoshaphat of Judah to go to war with him against the Syrians, but Jehoshaphat wanted to ask a prophet of the Lord if they should. Ahab had many false prophets who told him whatever he wanted to hear. But there was one man of God who truly heard from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7200"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16368,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7200\/revisions\/16368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}