2 Chronicles Chapter 18: Verses 4-7 (NIV-UK)
But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord.’
So the king of Israel brought together the prophets – four hundred men – and asked them, ‘Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’
‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for God will give it into the king’s hand.’But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can enquire of?’
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one prophet through whom we can enquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’
‘The king should not say such a thing,’ Jehoshaphat replied.
2 Chronicles Chapter 18: Verses 12-15 (NIV-UK)
The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favourably.’
But Micaiah said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says. ‘When he arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?’
‘Attack and be victorious,’ he answered, ‘for they will be given into your hand.’
The king said to him, ‘How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?’
King Jehoshaphat started his reign well, seeking God’s direction in all that he did. When King Ahab asked him to form an alliance, Jehoshaphat rightly insisted they seek God’s mind on the matter. Ahab had a whole cohort of so-called prophets, whose sole role seemed to be to tell him what he wanted to hear. So, he sent for them again. However, Jehoshaphat was able to discern that these people were not telling the truth. He asked if there was a man of God who would tell the truth and Ahab admitted there was, and also why he didn’t like Micaiah.
Micaiah was recommended to go with the flow and tell the king what he wanted to hear. He did so, I think to see what the king’s reaction would be. The shocking thing is that Ahab recognised that Micaiah wasn’t telling the truth, and called him out on it.
I realised today what a bad position Ahab was in. He knew Micaiah was a prophet, and he also recognised Micaiah’s attempt to go with the crowd. Yet in spite of recognising God speaking through Micaiah, Ahab went ahead regardless and did what he had wanted to do all along. What a fearful place.
This serves as a warning to us all. If we seek God’s will about a decision we have to make, we need to be prepared to act on what He says, even if it’s not what we want to hear. Ahab wilfully ignored God’s word. We need to be sure that we are not going through the motions of seeking God, just to look good in front of others. Jehoshaphat recognised Ahab wasn’t being sincere. Others will recognise if we are doing the same.
Dear Lord,
Help me always to be sincere in my seeking, and faithful in my obedience. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.