I've explained before that sometimes I take those Wednesday night messages and bring them on Sunday night because I think that some of it is so applicable and hopefully helpful for all of the people of God. And 1 Kings chapter 22 is indeed one of those sections that shows the downfalls, the pitfalls of rejecting God's holy Word, and it certainly leads to the end of Ahab on the field of battle. So I want to read, beginning in chapter 22, 1 Kings at verse 1. Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
Then it came to pass in the third year that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went down to visit the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to his servants, do you know that Ramoth and Gilead is ours? But we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria. So he said to Jehoshaphat, will you go with me to fight at Ramoth-Gilead?
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses. Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, please inquire for the word of the Lord today. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said to them, shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight or shall I refrain? So they said, go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
And Jehoshaphat said, is there not still a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him? So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is still one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord. But I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say such things.
Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, Bring Micaiah, the son of Imlach, quickly. The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them. Nezedekiah, the son of Canaanah, had made horns of iron for himself, and he said, thus says the Lord, with these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.
Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement. And Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak. Then he came to the king and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead or shall we refrain?
And he answered him, go and prosper for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. So the king said to him, how many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? Then 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 house in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 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 by, on his right hand and on his left.
And the Lord said, Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? So one spoke in this manner and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, I will persuade him. The Lord said to him, in what way?
So he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, you shall persuade him and also prevail. Go out and do so. Therefore, look, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.' Zedekiah the son of Canaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, ''Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?' Micaiah said, ''Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide.'" So the king of Israel said, take Micaiah and return him to Ammon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son, and say, thus says the king, put this fellow in prison and feed him with the bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace.
Micaiah said, if you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, take heed, all you people. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth-Gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.
So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the 32 captains of his chariots saying, fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel. So it was when the captains of the chariot saw Jehoshaphat that they said, surely it is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned aside to fight against him and Jehoshaphat cried out.
And it happened when the captains of the chariot saw that it was not the king of Israel that they turned back from pursuing him. Now a certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, turn around and take me out of the battle for I am wounded." The battle increased that day and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
Then as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army saying, every man to his city and every man to his own country. So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken. The rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
So Ahab rested with his fathers, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place." Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word, we thank you for the history of Israel, your covenant people in the Old Testament, how we thank you that these things are written for our admonition, our encouragement, and for our hope. And God, may we learn the lessons that you would have for us.
Cause us each to refuse to be an Ahab, to be a wretched man that wants to gather up preachers that simply tell him what he wants to hear. Give us grace to love the truth of Holy Scripture. Give us grace to receive that truth and to act upon that truth. And may you indeed enable us by the Holy Spirit to do these things.
Send forth the Spirit now. Guide us as we consider this passage. Do forgive us for our sins and our transgressions. Certainly, God, as we have full Bibles, as we have churches, as we have so many good resources, certainly our knowledge of you ought to be continually growing. help us in this, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Introduction: Ahab's Long Decline
Well, this won't be as detailed as it was the last two Wednesday nights, but I do want to draw out a few lessons, the first of which is Ahab. Ahab has indeed started his decline. He started his decline in chapter 20. Remember that Ahab, well, actually, he started his decline the moment he took the throne.
When he initially took the throne, he married Jezebel, who was indeed a Jezebel, a woman of renown for wickedness and evil and vileness. Jezebel was a Baal worshiper. And so initially Ahab goes with her to her region to worship Baal. And then Ahab builds a temple and an altar to Baal right there in the northern kingdom of Israel.
So we see his downfall start as soon as he assumes the throne. But it really ramps up here at the end of 1 Kings, specifically in chapter 20. God gave him two victories over Syria, specifically led by Ben-Hadad. He had Ben-Hadad in his grasp, and he let that man go.
An unnamed prophet, some suppose that it was this self-same Micaiah, condemns him for that activity at the end of chapter 20. He tells him very specifically, as a result of this you are going to die. And then in chapter 21 we see that Ahab wants to enlarge his property holdings. In other words, he wants to take Naboth's vineyard, he seizes it from him via Jezebel and her wickedness so that he can have a vegetable garden.
Certainly the prophet Elijah comes now and condemns him for this activity and promises as well judgment, death, and destruction. And here in chapter 22, we see that ultimately he dies on battle because he rejects the word of God. Now, we all reject the Word of God every time we sin, and there are certain pitfalls to that kind of a rejection. It may not mean death on the field of battle at Ramoth Gilead, but we should learn, with reference to Ahab here, how to value, how to prize, how to delight in the Word of Truth, and how to put it into practice.
We have here in chapter 22 a case of Ahab rejecting the true prophet of Yahweh and accepting the false prophet. So let's look quickly, or not quickly, probably not too long though, at three things in this section.
Alliance Between Israel and Judah
First, the alliance between Israel and Judah. verses 1 to 12. Secondly, the rejection of the true prophet of God in verses 13 to 28. And then the death of Ahab on the field of battle in verses 29 to 40. But note specifically the setting of this alliance.
Now Jehoshaphat is a godly king. We saw that on Wednesday night. We summarized the book of 1 Kings. It ends with a reference to Jehoshaphat.
He walked in the ways of the Lord. He was consistent. He was faithful. He wasn't, however, perfect.
And one of those imperfections is seen here in his going arm in arm with Ahab into the field of battle. So good piety is not always mingled with good sense. Godliness does not always mean that somebody possesses a good approach to a particular situation. Now God in his grace delivers him as a result of God's grace, but it's not because of Jehoshaphat's It's in spite of Jehoshaphat and not because of Jehoshaphat.
So notice this alliance. Essentially what had happened is that there had been three years peace between the two kingdoms, North and South. And then Ahab says to Jehoshaphat, we never took back Ramoth-Gilead. When Ahab dealt with Ben-Hadad, they had made a treaty, and Ben-Hadad said that he was going to return these properties.
So Ahab says, we haven't got this back. I want to go into battle for Ramoth-Gilead. Would you join me? And then Ahab wisely says, well, yes, but let's seek counsel from the Lord.
Notice specifically in verse 5. Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, please inquire for the word of the Lord today. So we definitely give him credit for that. Entering into this alliance, not good sense.
Godliness, piety, righteousness, but nevertheless not good sense. But he does have this commitment to Yahweh so that he wants to find out the word of the Lord with reference to this particular battle. So note then in verse six the prophetic guidance for this alliance. The king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about 400 men, and said to them, shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?
Now these were prophets that were indeed false. They gave him bad counsel. They gave him bad instruction. But they weren't prophets of Baal.
They weren't prophets of Asherah. They were prophets that sought to prophesy in the name of the Lord. You see that in verse 11. They speak in Yahweh's name.
They claim to have Yahweh's spirit, according to verse 24. They promise Yahweh's success, verses 12 and 6, and apparently can deliver Yahweh's word. So we ought to appreciate that these were men, not Baalists, not Asherah worshippers, not prophets of false gods, but prophets of the true God, but nevertheless false prophets. So they give this information to Ahab on the eve of battle.
Notice in
The False Prophets and Their Counsel
verse 6, Now, look at what Ahab, or rather Jehoshaphat, does. Something doesn't sat right with him. There's a niggling feeling in Jehoshaphat that he hasn't got the whole picture. I think that's behind verse 7.
Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him? It's mentioned on the Wednesday night. Perhaps it was too tidy. Perhaps it was too uniform.
Perhaps it was too consistent that everyone, to a man, out of 400 men, said, go ahead into battle, Ahab. Everything's going to go all right. It wasn't even a majority. It was unanimity.
And so, Jehoshaphat says, is there not still a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him? Now, notice what Ahab says. Verse 8, the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord. But I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.
Ahab's Hatred of the True Prophet
Now, brethren, if this is not a picture of much of modern evangelicalism, and perhaps even of some reformed churches, I really don't know what is. Here is a man that wants the prophets to coddle him, to cater to him, to tailor their message for his personal benefit. They don't want the truth. They don't want what does the Lord God say to a specific issue.
Notice he says, I hate him. I'm not happy with him. He's not my favorite of the prophets, but I actually genuinely despise this man and the reason given because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. Now, according to Micaiah in verse 14, he only prophesies what the Lord tells him.
So, what is Ahab's admission? I hate God because He doesn't always do the things and say the things that are good concerning me, but rather He says those things that are evil to me. Now, if you are thinking in your New Covenant sort of mind, this is very similar to what Paul says in 2 Timothy 4, verses 3 and 4. You'll remember the context.
You've heard it specified many times from this very pulpit. Paul's last statement to the church in terms of a command for ongoing conduct, he says to Timothy, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.
He then gives two reasons why. One, he's going to die, but the first reason is this, and it sounds akin to what Ahab says here. 2 Timothy 4, 3 and 4, 4, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. That's Ahab, isn't it? He doesn't want sound doctrine.
He doesn't want truth concerning the battlefield. He wants that which is good concerning him. It's a paradox, isn't it? We crave a message that tailors to us.
We crave a message that administers therapeutic moral deism. We crave a message that coddles us, but then we find ourselves under the very judgment of God Most High. It is simply insanity. Timothy, or rather Paul to Timothy, continues, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.
That is precisely what's happening. Jehoshaphat says, isn't there one prophet left? Isn't there one more that may give us a message? Oh yeah, there's a prophet to be sure.
But I hate him because he doesn't coddle me. He doesn't pander to me. He doesn't give in to my felt needs. He doesn't tickle my ears.
He doesn't lead me in the way that I want to go. He tells me things that are contrary. He tells me things that are upsetting. He tells me things that get under my skin.
He tells me things that make me sad. and I don't want anybody in my life that will ever make me sad. This is exactly the situation that we face today. Brethren, we ought to love the truth of God's word, even when it doesn't cuddle us, even when it doesn't pander to us, even when it doesn't treat us with kid gloves or treat us the way that we want to be treated. What is more important, God treating us the way he knows we need it or us being treated the way that we want it?
You have children. You know how dangerous it is to let your children call the shots. Don't you? Is everybody asleep here?
I mean, think about it. We want God to perform for us. That's like handing your two-year-old sort of the crown rights to the royal throne at home. Okay, what would you like to do today, junior?
Well, I'd like to sit and watch Paw Patrol all day. I'd like to sit and eat candy all day. I'd like to do this, that, and the other all day. Well, if you're a good parent, you will never allow such things.
You will say, no, we're going to do what is more profitable for you. You see, we don't always get what it is we want. Ahab didn't like that arrangement. Ahab hated Micaiah because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.
In other words, he's a killjoy. He's a downer Daniel. He's just the guy that brings everybody down, especially me. I don't want anything to do with him.
Matthew Henry says, those are wretchedly hardened in sin and are ripening apace for ruin who hate God's ministers because they deal plainly with them and faithfully warn them of their misery and danger by reason of sin and reckon those their enemies that tell them the truth. I gotta say in my own prayer before the preaching tonight and my own thoughts concerning this passage, over a few weeks now, I can't come up here and say, you wretched people, I can't assume the position of a Micaiah and say, oh, you don't ever receive what I have. Brethren, you're a great body of people. It's an encouragement to be able to preach the word of God to people that actually want to hear it, to people that actually receive it.
So receive this as an encouragement to excel still more, to abound more and more. I praise God that in the history of my time at this church for 20 long years, Seems like it's gone quick, but for 20 years, I have never felt hesitant to preach the truth of God's word. I have never feared, what are people gonna say? What are people gonna do?
What are people gonna think? And I praise God for that, that there is a prevailing desire among the saints of Christ at Free Grace Baptist Church for the Bible, the truth of God's Word, 16 ounces to the pound. Now I'm not suggesting we're all blessed at obeying it and doing it and minding it and all of that sort of thing. But there's no Micaiah, Ahab sort of a resistance going on.
I didn't come here tonight with that sort of an agenda as the downer Micaiah speaking to the Ahabs that want nothing to do with the Word of God. No, it's just the opposite. So I'm musing on this passage as I'm thinking about this congregation. I praise God, this isn't our relationship.
I praise God that this isn't the way it is at this particular church. But I would be remiss not to point out it is like this elsewhere. Now that's not some cultic plea for you to always stay here. But brethren, be mindful of the fact that there are Ahabs in this world demand a certain type of preaching.
And unfortunately, there are Zedekiahs in this world that will give them that kind of preaching. You see, when Paul says that to Timothy, when Paul says, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers. The implication is they're able to do it. The implication is that there are men out there that will come to tickle your ears.
The implication is they may not be a Joel Osteen in that context, but they were Joel Osteen-ish. They were the kinds of guys that would smile, and their teeth would gleam, and they would have the perfect hair, and the perfect tie, and tell you everything you wanted to hear. You see, there is no shortage of Zedekiahs in this world, with their horns, saying, let's go into battle, and let's destroy Ramoth Gilead. Brethren, there are always lying prophets.
There are always lying pastors. We like to think that everybody's upright and good and pure and holy. It's an interesting statement that Paul gives in Galatians 1 when he opens up this condemnation, if you will, for those who turn away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. He says there are some who want to distort it.
There are actually men out there that want to distort the truth of God's holy word. And there are Ahabs out there that want them to distort it, to feed them this pablum, to feed them this drivel, to feed them this garbage that's ultimately going to get them killed on the field of battle. Again, the paradox. It's the truth that preserves.
It's the truth that keeps. It is Micaiah's message that would have prevailed with Ahab on the field of battle. Now, I know God's sovereign. Absolutely so.
We're going to see that as we move through the passage tonight. But humanly speaking, in terms of responsibility, Ahab hitched his wagon to the wrong horse. He chose the false prophets. Now, notice this throne scene, verses 10 to 12.
Essentially, what you have is Zedekiah, the son of Canaanah, leading these 400 false prophets, gets these iron horns. It's sort of an acted parable. And he says, this is what's going to happen at Ramoth Gilead. It's going to be this way.
We're going to go and gore them. We're going to go and destroy them. We're going to get Ramoth Gilead back. Now note, the rejection of the true prophet of God in verses 13 to 28.
The true prophet and the messenger, verses 13 and 14. The messenger who had gone to call Micah spoke to him saying, now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them and speak encouragement. This is terrible.
Absolutely terrible. I mean, it's bad enough that there are Ahabs, but then there are Ahab-enablers. There are servants of Ahab that go to faithful preachers and say, you know, you upset my boss when you say such things, so tone it down. You upset the king when you come with your sort of downer mode and tell him evil things, so go ahead and lie to him alongside these 400 false prophets.
That's what the messenger is doing here. Some have suggested, and I think they're right, this could have been the same unnamed prophet, Micaiah, from chapter 20. Ahab knows exactly where Micaiah is. Probably he's in prison already.
When he's slapped by Zedekiah at the end of the chapter and he's sent to prison, it's probably back to prison at that particular juncture. But look at the mealy-mouthed sort of a thing that this backbone-less man says. Listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them and speak encouragement.
You see, that was a society like ours. What's the big crime today? It's making people feel bad. Can't make anybody feel bad.
That's just terrible. It's all got to be peppy. It's all got to be up. It's all got to be positive.
Why do you think the health, wealth, and prosperity preachers are so prevalent and so popular? Because people don't want to hear they're wretched. People don't want to hear they're hellbound. People don't want to come on a Sunday night on a hot day and hear some guy rant on about how important God's word is, and if you reject it and resist it, you're going to go to hell forever.
I mean, that's not a very encouraging thing, is it? See, these men are popular because the message of God is unpopular. And so Ahab's messenger comes alongside of Micaiah and says, you know, just back it down, tone it down.
Rejection of the True Prophet of God
Now note verse 14 of Micaiah's insistence upon the truth. As Yahweh lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak. That's what we look for in a man of God, isn't it? Isn't that what we want, a man of God?
Not he's the most polished, he has the most coffee with people, he's the most courteous, the nicest. Every faithful man of God is gonna be the nicest human being on the face of the earth. Some will be very nice, to be sure. But that's not the point.
The point is a man who is committed to the truth of Scripture. The point is a 1 Kings 22, 14 kind of man. What is Micaiah saying? I cannot be bought, I cannot be paid for, I cannot be manipulated, I cannot be encouraged to be an encourager.
I am going to speak the word of truth. Davis says Micaiah has just nailed something which neither Ahab nor his messenger understands. Look back at Ahab's words in verse 8 and the messenger's in verse 13. What do both assume about the word of Yahweh?
They assume that the prophet controls or can control that word. Ahab's remark in verse 8 implies that Micaiah didn't have to be such a purveyor of doomsaying, anti-Ahabian sentiment. If he wanted to, he could speak a kinder, gentler word. The messenger assumes that Micaiah could agree with the prophetic caucus if only he would.
They do not understand Micaiah's position, which he states in verse 14. Now listen, this is Micaiah's position. He is in bondage to the word of God. You see, when Paul tells Timothy, 2 Timothy 4.2, preach the word, Paul means it.
See, we have produced a professional class of pastors that are more akin to Fortune 500 CEOs than preachers of the Word. Pastoring isn't simply about managing the various groups in the context of the church. Pastoring is about 2 Timothy 4.2. How do you think pastors pastor?
It isn't to come into your house and tell you which kind of wallpaper to purchase. It isn't to micromanage the ins and outs of your daily life. It is to preach the word so that you know God's mind on what you ought to be doing in the details of your life. Pastoring is through the word of truth.
Pastoring is through faithful exposition of God's word, not just controlling the environment, manipulating the situation, making sure that everything is engineered, making sure the production on Sunday is good. That's just not 2 Timothy 4.2. Do you know why Dale Ralph Davis is my favorite living preacher? I'm sure I've said that before.
Because he's not polished. It's not like he just came out of a machine with every hair in place. I'm not suggesting he's, you know, messed up, but polished. So precise, so controlled, so engineered.
Timothy, preach the word. That may mean sometimes that spit flies out of your mouth. That may mean sometimes your hair's sticking up. That may mean sometimes your tie gets messed up.
Preach the word. If people want hair and no spit and perfect ties, there's a lot of places outside the church that offer that very sort of thing. Preach the word. Davis, to continue.
He is in, Micaiah, is in bondage to the word of God. Hence, the word of God is free and cannot be manipulated by kings or messengers or even slick prophets. Whatever word Yahweh gives a prophet, that is what the prophet must speak. The prophet is not at liberty to massage or shape or bend, let alone pervert that word.
We know that intuitively as God's people, don't we? We know that instinctively as God's people. We know that through the revelatory Word itself, and yet there are God's people today, I'm not doubting their confession of faith, that sit under purveyors of encouragement to the detriment of their own souls. Brethren, I'm not suggesting there's no encouragement to be had in the Word, but what's more encouraging than the truth?
What's more encouraging than being laid low only so that God can raise you up? What's more encouraging than the balm of Gilead for a broken, battered, bruised soul? What's more encouraging? To have some gleaming-toothed guy tell you lies just so you're happy, peppy, and up?
It's terrible. Well,
Micaiah Before the King
notice there's the true prophet and the king, essentially what we have in verses 15 and 16. Sometimes people sort of miss this here. Notice at verse 15, then he came to the king and the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead or shall we refrain? And he answered him, go and prosper for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
One commentator says that Micaiah lies there. He's not lying. He's got tongue firmly planted in cheek. He's speaking ironically.
We know that because the way Ahab responds to him in verse 16. So the king said to him, how many times? This indicates that this wasn't their first rodeo. Micah knows that Ahab doesn't like him.
Micah knows the reason why Ahab doesn't like him. And so it's the old song and dance. Whenever Ahab calls on the prophet to come and give him the prophetic word, probably the first few times, he told him the truth, only to see an incensed and outraged Ahab. So now Micah has adopted irony.
Micah has adopted the tongue in the cheek method. Micah has adopted this sort of a means. Go ahead, go into battle, go in with the rest of them. And this is why the king says, how many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?
You gotta see the parallels between this and what we're doing in Matthew. Isn't this exactly what the high priest does after the testimony of the witnesses? Don't you answer anything? Jesus doesn't answer anything.
We're supposed to think Isaiah 53. And then he adjures him. He puts him under oath. He sounds Ahabian in verse 16, in order to provoke the prophet to speak.
Now here is where the prophet tells him. Verse 17, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, a sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, these have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.
Well, I guess you know now why Ahab doesn't like the prophet Micaiah. He has just told him, you're going to die. That's what that means. When he says, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd.
That means that Israel will be scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd. Their shepherd is Ahab. That they have no shepherd means that Ahab dies on the field of battle. He's telling him specifically what's going to happen at Ramoth Gilead.
He's telling him something that is specifically negative in terms of Ahab's concern. This is the discouraging message. This is the evil. This is the thing that he does.
And that is precisely how Ahab responds to Jehoshaphat in verse 18. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me but evil? Didn't I tell you he's this way? He's got this sort of rugged individualism.
He's going to stand up against these 400 prophets. He is going to be the lone wolf that is contrary to these 400 men, led by Zedekiah with his iron horns and everything. He always tells me things I don't want to hear. We know how the story ends.
If we were there, we'd grab Ahab by the scruff of the neck and give him a good shake and say, Micah is the only man in your kingdom that is telling you the truth. If you continue to resist him, you continue to reject him, and you continue to follow these false prophets, you are going to die on the field of battle. That's why there is a need to point out error in other churches, to point out error in other communions, to point out error because it's this sort of a situation. We can't physically grab persons by the neck and give them a good shake and a good slap and say, why would you continue to go to Joel Osteen's place when there's preaching that is faithful and upright and godly?
Brethren, by pointing out things and by emphasizing sound theology, by pointing persons to the Word of God and to our good confession of faith, the idea is to inoculate ourselves. The idea is to promote that health and that wholeness so that we don't fall prey to that kind of garbage. I mean, I don't know if you've noticed out there, but those kinds of churches are packed. I mean, everybody's up, everybody's happy, everybody's happy.
You know, it's like a big, you know, love fest. But without the truth, it's a terrible situation. Now,
The Heavenly Throne-Room Vision
Micaiah has a bit of a throne scene, and here he reveals to us something concerning God. Now, this is a bit of a tricky passage that we find here in verses 19 to 23. We need to keep in mind that it's a vision that Micaiah receives. It's a vision that displays how God is dealing in this current situation.
We're not to suppose that this is spoken properly. Those who come on Saturday mornings will know what that means. Basically what we have here is a vision given to us in the manner of men. It is describing something to us that really just doesn't happen.
God doesn't confer with creatures. God doesn't plan with creatures. God doesn't enter into arrangements with creatures. But what Micaiah is doing is revealing to Ahab the situation that is taking place here before Ramoth, Gilead.
Matthew Poole comments, this is not to be grossly understood as if God did ask and take counsel from His creatures or were at a loss to find out an expedient to accomplish His own will. Did consider several ways and then close with that which upon debate appeared to be the best. See, that's how the vision comes to us. It's in the manner of men.
God isn't going through several options. It's not one of those stories that you had when you were a kid. Choose your own adventure. How does the story end?
Is it A? Is it B? Is it C? That's not how God operates.
This is revelatory to us in the manner of men. He is lisping information so that we can receive it. And Poole says this idea that God taking counsel, sort of weighing the options, he says, all which it is ridiculous to imagine concerning a God of perfect and infinite knowledge, but only to bring down divine things to our shallow capacities. That's the purpose for the vision.
He is telling Ahab something true concerning God, but using this sort of anthropomorphic language. He goes on to say, to express the various means which God has to execute his own designs. Matthew Henry concurs this matter is here represented after the manner of men. Now there has been some or have been some that say, well, God's lying here.
If God authorizes a lying spirit, then that must mean that God Himself is lying. We need to ask the question, what does this vision communicate?
Three Lessons from the Vision
Well, it communicates three things to us. In the first place, it's a condemnation of the false prophets. It is a condemnation of the false prophets because what Micaiah is saying is that Zedekiah and his 399 cronies, or toadies, are under the influence of a lying prophet, or a lying spirit. So it's a condemnation of these false prophets.
Secondly, there is absolutely no way God could be accused of lying here. Remember that he is giving this information to Ahab prior to the battle at Ramoth Gilead. What does that mean? It means that God in His grace is still reaching out, and I speak in the manner of man, to Ahab via Micaiah.
What's the best possible option here? For Ahab to say, wow, these guys are fakes. Yeah, these guys are under the influence of a lying spirit. I ought to stop, I ought to submit, I ought to take heed to the truth of God, and I ought not to go into battle at Ramoth Gilead.
Not only is God not deceiving him, but he is actually revealing to him the very specific situation that is confronting Ahab. And then thirdly, it demonstrates the absolute, unrivaled, unparalleled sovereignty of God. He is over all things, and this vision indicates that.
Micaiah Imprisoned, Gets the Last Word
So how does this all turn out for the true prophet? Certainly, he's taken out for dinner. Ahab says, let's go out to the keg, You've earned it, you've kept me from going to Ramoth Gilead and losing my bacon on the field of battle. No.
Zedekiah gives him a good smack, puts him in prison, and gives him bare, bare minimal for rations. But Micaiah gets the last word. The true prophet of God, he's got to open his mouth, he's got to speak up. Notice verse 28, well verse 27, thus says the king, put this fellow in prison, feed him with the bread of affliction and water of affliction until I come in peace.
But Micaiah said, if you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, take heed all you people. If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. Micaiah ups the ante here.
Micaiah says this is the test of a true prophet. Micaiah affirms what we find in the book of Deuteronomy. The measure of a true prophet is that the prophecy comes true. And Micaiah puts up.
Micaiah puts up, he says, if you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. Take heed, all you people. You measure, you see, you witness.
Ahab Goes to Battle and Dies
Now finally, in conclusion, basically what we have is Ahab does go into battle. I mean, some people just are really hard-hearted and thick-headed, aren't they? You can tell them good things day in, day out. You can tell them you have the vision of God and this whole prophetic or spiritual thing, and these men are operating under the influence of lying spirits, and they'll still, still resist and reject the word.
Well, that's what happens here. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramoth Gilead. We kind of get why Ahab did, but it's pretty still illustrative of Jehoshaphat's lack of good sense. I mean, these 400 prophets, the false ones, prevailed upon him.
Ahab's whining about Micaiah in verse 18 prevailed upon him. Jehoshaphat locks arms and goes into this battle with Ahab. Now, note what Ahab does. He disguises himself.
If you've been reading or studying the former prophets, you'll note that that typically doesn't end well. You see Saul disguise himself in 1 Samuel 28 when he goes and seeks out a witch. You see this happen in Jeroboam's time in 1 Kings 14. The fact that he's disguising himself also shows or demonstrates that he's hedging his bets.
If Micaiah is a fake, why would you disguise yourself? If the 400 are true, ride victoriously into battle and destroy these Syrians. He's hedging his bets. But notice the treachery involved with reference to Jehoshaphat.
Somehow Ahab had intel that Ben-Hadad was gunning for him. Why that is, I'm not certain, because he let Ben-Hadad go at the end of chapter 20. Perhaps Ben-Hadad just has an axe to grind, some long-seated enmity. But Ben-Hadad commands his troops go after the king of Israel.
I don't think it means him alone. I think it means him and his people. Break the northerners' back and the southerners will flee as well. So he has Jehoshaphat wear the royal robes.
So now Jehoshaphat becomes the royal target. This is terrible. I mentioned Matthew Henry, he said something to the effect, if a man isn't true to God, he's not gonna be true to his friends. If Ahab treats the living and true God the way that Ahab treats him, he's not gonna treat Jehoshaphat well.
He's not gonna say, I wanna protect you, I wanna make sure that you're okay at Ramoth, Gilead. No, you wear the royal robes so that when these guys in their animosity and anger are searching for me, they're gonna end up killing you. Now, ultimately, this becomes clear to Jehoshaphat. The parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 18 tells us, when he cries out, the text tells us this here, that he cried out, but specifically in 2 Chronicles 18, and the Lord heard, and the Lord delivered him.
You see, God comes even in the midst of our bad sense. Good piety ought to be mingled with good sense. Sometimes good piety is mingled with bad sense, and even in the midst of that, God delivers us. Now, I'm not saying that as a blanket approval to go out and have bad sense.
You should pursue good sense. You should pursue wisdom. You should pursue making alliances with persons that are godly and upright and not wretched, rebellious Ahabs in this world. But marvel at the grace of God in this particular section.
Jehoshaphat does a foolish thing, and God is there to swoop him up and protect him from these Syrians. God is really good. God is really, really good. And the Old Testament continuously sets that forth before our eyes.
So He's disguised the plan of the Syrians.
Providence in the Random Arrow
Now note this verse 34. Now a certain man drew a bow at random. Now we do need to understand the random here probably wasn't just a willy nilly. He's in battle.
He's shooting at a human being. That's what you do in battle. You try to kill people and break things. So he shoots though at random at a particular soldier or soldiers.
But notice in the providence of God he hits the specific one in the specific place. If you don't see sovereignty behind verse 34 or appreciate divine providence at verse 34, you haven't understood providence. A certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, turn around and take me out of the battle for I am wounded.
Look at the lengths to which Ahab went to try and avoid this very thing. He disguises himself and he puts on a coat of armor. This man draws a bow at random and it finds the right man in the right place. I mean, it really is an incredible display of God's sovereignty.
"'No armor,' said Matthew Henry, "'is of proof against the darts of divine vengeance. "'Case the criminal in steel, and it is all one. "'He that made him can make his sword to approach him. "'That which to us seems altogether casual "'is done by the determinant counsel "'and foreknowledge of God.'" That random arrow shot finds its mark in the specific target of God's vengeance in the specific place where his armor didn't fit tightly together.
Divine providence drove that arrow. Divine providence sent that arrow. Divine providence executed the will of God Almighty. You see, Ahab, you can run, you can hide, you can send Jehoshaphat like a lamb to the slaughter in your place.
But the prophecy in chapter 20, the prophecy in chapter 21, the prophecy reiterated here in chapter 22 is that you're going to die. You cannot stay the vengeance of God. You cannot stay the hand of God. As we close, I want to draw out just a couple of lessons and then we go.
Lessons: Rejection of the True Word
First, the rejection of the true word. I think Ahab displays for us symptoms of a modern tendency. First, the desire to only hear what we want to hear. I guess that probably happens even in the best of churches.
That's our default setting, isn't it? We don't like it when people tell us things that we don't like. And you ever like it when your spouse says, you know, I got a real bone to pick with you? Do you say, oh, great.
Again, thank you. Another one. We just don't like that, do we? We like to just move along unsorta messed with.
It's a default setting, brethren, but we cannot feed that default setting. We cannot feed or crave that desire to only hear what we want to hear. As well, the desire to encourage the prophet to speak what we want to hear. I think in some respects, this messenger in verse 13, he just really bothers me.
I mean, Ahab's a wretch and he's known for that for 22 long years of wretchedness and Baalism and Jezebel as his wife. This guy in verse 13 is just offensive. I mean, could you imagine if we hadn't actually recorded what was going on in Micah's heart at the time? Are you kidding me?
You actually think I'm going to kowtow first to Ahab and to you? You think I can be bought and paid for? You think I can be manipulated? You think you're going to prevail on me that I'm going to tailor the message of the true and living God to settle or to satisfy this wretched man who has taken the northern kingdom and plunged it into Baal worship?
You've got to be out of your mind, as well, the desire to listen to false prophets who tell us what we want to hear. Verses 10 to 12. I mean, even the horns, the whole theatrics, the Zedekiahs prevail. He probably had the nice tie and the good hair and the gleaming teeth as he's doing the horn thing.
He smiles for a photo op, and it just wins the day with old Ahab. charlatans, hucksters, slicksters. People are hoodwinked by these kinds of men, and we need to guard against such things. And the desire to be rid of the true prophets of God, here specifically through physical violence and through imprisonment. Again, if you don't see the link between what we have in our Lord in Matthew 26, physical violence.
Ultimately, not imprisonment for him, but crucifixion. We want to silence the true word of God at whatever cost.
Integrity of the True Prophet
Secondly, we ought to appreciate the integrity of the true prophet of God. He is committed to speaking whatever the Lord says. He doesn't shape the message, he doesn't tailor the message, he certainly doesn't pervert the message, he simply declares the message. Secondly, he is committed to speaking the truth of God, not catering to the felt needs of his hearers.
I don't think that it's wrong for a pastor or elders to speak to things that are going on in the life of the church. A pastor kind of, you know, on his visits or talks with people sees that a lot of people got a lot of carnal anxiety and just depression and sorrows and woes. It's not wrong to preach on Matthew 6. It's not wrong to go to Elijah under the broom tree.
It's not wrong to bring the Word of God to bear upon specific situations. That's not what I'm talking about. but catering the message or tailoring the message for the felt needs of people. In other words, what they want. I just want encouragement.
I just want happiness. I just want this. No, you're going to get what God has to say. Thirdly, he is committed to speaking the truth of God, notwithstanding the pressure to do otherwise.
I mean, look at Micaiah. He knows what's going on. If he is the unnamed prophet from chapter 20, he's already been sitting in a prison cell. He's already been in jail for this very thing, and now this messenger comes, trots him out, and wants to bring him to Ahab, and gives him a little pep talk, don't bring him your downer stuff, but rather give him those things.
He knows the score. How many times Ahab has said to him, this isn't their first song and dance. He knows what's happening, the pressure is strong, there are 400 men that are testifying, the very opposite to what he has to say, but he doesn't knuckle under. He stands firm to the truth.
Fourthly, he is committed to suffering physical violence, imprisonment, and even death itself instead of compromising the truth of God. That's the kind of men we need. It's the kind of men we pray for. This kind of man you ought to pray, Mike Kirkpatrick is.
Brethren, we have hopes and desires to see a church planted in South Surrey. We want to move that direction, pray for the brother. I can testify of a truth that when you first start a church, I mean, there is a lot of challenges. As I mentioned on the Wednesday night when we covered this material, I think First Kings is a great chapter, a great book for young aspiring ministers to read.
Because young aspiring ministers have this view, I've got to confess, when I came up here, I thought, man, I'm going to just start preaching and we're going to see, you know, oodles and scads of people get saved. It's going to be great. Wow. That wore off quick, like 20 seconds, I think.
First Kings is a better depiction of the way it really is. What happens in First Kings? Jezebel kills a hundred prophets of God. What happens in First Kings?
Elijah's sitting underneath the broom tree saying, can you take me now? What happens in First Kings? Micaiah gets a whack on the face and imprisonment with little to no food. Brethren, it is tough work.
If a man is going to actually speak the truth of God in this society, it is going to be difficult. And they need prayer. They need encouragement. You know how many times Paul in his epistle says, Brethren, pray for us.
Why? Because Paul is an egocentric narcissist that just thrives on being the center of attention? No, because it's a spiritual work that involves a great deal of vigor and commitment and discipline and diligence. To handle accurately the Word of God is no small thing, brethren, especially when you're facing 400 men that are going to just tell people what they want to hear.
Micaiah stands fast, and he speaks the word of Almighty God, and he does so, even when his own life is in jeopardy. Well, brethren, again, I praise God for the prevailing spirit of a willingness to hear scripture in our church. As Paul said to the Thessalonians, he encouraged them, he acknowledged them, he recognized their faithfulness, and yet he said to them, excel still more. I think that our love for the Word, our appreciation for the Word will be evident and will be manifested in the way that we live, both privately and corporately.
If we love the truth, it's not going to be the case that our Bibles sit on the shelves and collect dust. It's not going to be the case that we don't know the people at our own church because we are so infrequent attending to the public means of grace. If we love this Word, if we are anti-Ahabian, it will reflect itself in our private habits and in our corporate habits. We will be where God's Word is, because that is ultimately what we crave.
Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your Word, and we thank you for this passage in 1 Kings, for all of 1 Kings, and the many, many good lessons we have received from the study of it. We ask God that you would bless Mike. We pray that you'd continue to prepare his heart, his mind, Give grace to both he and Jessica as they continue down this path. May we be a praying church for them, and may you indeed open up these doors.
May it be the case that there would be a faithful gospel witness there in South Surrey, that our witness in our community here would grow, and that, Father, we would indeed hold fast to the truth of God's holy word. Go with us, watch over us, grant us grace to glorify, to honor, and to praise you in this coming week, and help us to resist the tendency to be an Ahab, and help us to be lovers of your truth. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
We'll close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.