December 15, 2021
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Reading along with us in 1 Kings? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Kings 22 (NIV)
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?”
4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?”.......Continue Reading
In John 10 this morning. A beautiful picture of Jesus as the gate to the sheep pen. As he lays across the gate for the sheep. In more ways than one!! Why do we deserve such love. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The reason the father loves me is that I lay my life down only to take it up again. No one takes it from me. But i lay it down in my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again !! Try to measure that love. And it’s from God our Father!!!!!!
It is funny to hear the level of immaturity in Ahab…the “I hate him cuz he never tells me anything good” speech literally made me laugh! although so many time we are like him only wanted to surround ourselves with people that tell us what we want to hear. The truth can be a tough pill to swallow at times but is essential for growth.
So we are left with a good king, Jehoshaphat, and a bad king, Ahab, joining forces but Ahab follows the unfaithful prophets advice and leads to his destruction while Jehoshaphat cries out to God knowing they are not following His plan and is rescued.
1 Kings 22
The exchange between Ahab and Micaiah is humorous. He doesn’t want to hear from Micaiah because he never tells him anything good. Then Micaiah agrees with the rest and Ahab doesn’t believe him. Then Micaiah tells him of the specific scenario – deceiving spirit in the mouths of the prophets, still Ahab goes forward. It seems that his humility was not very deep or long-lasting.
I was lamenting the consequences of Ahab’s evil being visited on his son, but we see here that his son followed in his footsteps: “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he followed the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. 53 He served and worshiped Baal and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.”
It is a bad precedent to set to not here from God because you don’t want to hear what he says because it is always negative. What pride was in Ahab’s heart that he would blame the prophet for the message rather than looking inside at himself and realize the problem was his evil. The unbelieving world is often like that though. It is a surprise that righteous Jehosophat would associate with him, but he does good to stand his ground to hear from someone who speaks for God. It is interesting that at first the prophet says what Ahab wanted to hear because he realized that’s all that Ahab cared about. It is only after Ahab shows an interest in the prophet telling the truth that the prophet does so. It is similar to God revealing Himself to people who seek him.
And because of Ahab’s evil he sends a lying spirit who will lead him astray through his prophets. It is not something that God does often, but it is something in His tool bag. And because it is God’s plan for Ahab to be defeated in this battle, whatever deception he uses to disguise himself doesn’t work, and the evil Ahab comes to a fitting end. But juxtaposed to that, it is refreshing to see a righteous king on the scene. It only happens in the kings of Judah though. And although Jehosophat did not remove the high places, he did seek God for direction in his life and in his rule.