#489 Vending Machine Prophets

For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” 15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 And 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 home in peace.’” 18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 19 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 beside him on his right hand and on his left;20 and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”

24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 26 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’” 28 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

Ahab Killed in Battle

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. 31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 But a certain man drew his bow at random[a] and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. 36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 46 And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.

47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. 49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Ahaziah Reigns in Israel

51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 53 He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done. 1 Kings 22 ESV

Now the Syrians had sought to take Israel before this, unprovoked by Ahab, twice they had come to pillage the place, twice they were beaten. On the second whipping, the Syrian King had made mention of returning Israeli territories, but that had obviously not happened. Ahab was prophesied against for letting Benhadad go, and this must be all the more embarrassing now, for he called him his brother and let him go by his word and theatrics. I wonder if they ever named that street after me? 

For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. Romans 16:18

With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Proverbs 7:21-23

Jehoshaphat is now king of Judah and following well in the pious way of his father, but has not torn down the high places either. He has removed the remaining temple prostitutes, but seems to seek an alliance with Ahab. Will this fall under normal foreign affairs, or 2 Thessalonians 3:6 where it tells us:

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

While Jehoshaphat may not fully comprehend this, it could be argued to his favor that this is disobedience maybe, but also ignorance. Ahab will ask him to go into battle with him, and thereby reclaim the territories belonging to Israel. It sounds reasonable enough, but it is wisdom and prudence on the part of Jehoshaphat to ask for the advisement of the prophets. Ahab has 400 such men, and they are brought forward, not as prophet's of Baal, for those were killed, but probably those that tend the calf idols of Jeroboam, yet claiming to worship the God of Abraham. The 400 agree that if the king goes up, the battle will be given to him. If 2 heads are better than one, then 400 prophets, all in agreement, there is no division among them, it just can't get better than this. The king from Judah is not so moved by this though, and he ask, is there another prophet, maybe not so hip and relevant as these, but of the Lord? There is this one guy, but oh my gosh, what a jerk, he's not warm like Joel Osteen, his native tongue is more like sarcasm and doom, he doesn't have flare like Benny Hinn, he reminds me more of that prick, John MacArthur, he never agrees with me. There is Micaiah, who Josephus thinks to be the prophet who spoke against Ahab's pardon of the Syrian king. It is thought that he is in jail for the same words when the king's messenger comes to get him. The messenger describes to him what has been said by the other prophets and encourages him to say the same. Please agree with them on this that all may be well. Micaiah is unwilling to say anything that the Lord has not said, but will speak what God says. Ahab and Jehoshaphat differ here, for Ahab openly hates the prophet but Jehoshaphat corrects him in this. Really, who should you hate, the liar that bids you Godspeed to your destruction, or the one who refuses to speak of his own power, or that of any other than God? Whose word will actually matter in the end? Who actually had the "hate speech" rolling off their tongue? He we are, 400 against 1  again, the majority rules, right? Micaiah answers, go up and triumph, but there must be a certain tone of sarcasm, for even hearing what he wants to hear, Ahab can't believe it is coming out of Micaiah's mouth. I mean, does it matter what this one prophet says anyway, you already had 400, and their head prophet even made you a visible sign, some props, the two horns. They represent the two kings and there is two of you here right now, this is so blessed, do you really care what this one guy says?

I don't believe you Micaiah, tell me what is really on your mind, so I can go back to hating you again. I saw all your people scattered, they followed a man who wouldn't listen, at the advice of those who claimed special knowledge, and the thing they said would happen, didn't. Now they have no shepherd, whereas they had a really bad one before. Ok, there's the Micaiah I love, I knew you would have nothing but evil to say to me. Test the spirit, it is a lying spirit that God has allowed to come out of the mouths of those that do not serve Him in truth. Ahab can test what the prophet said to him regarding the Syrian king, that king has not kept his word, and here they are again at war, just 3 years later. He still thinks of prophets somewhere between fortune tellers and leprechauns though, and Zedekiah strikes God's prophet on the face, as if to say, how dare you. Do you know who I am? Go ahead honor yourself, see what it gets you, Zedekiah. Ahab demands that Micaiah be locked up in prison, with only bread and water until he returns safely. If you want out of jail, then you better give me the outcome I want. I better come home safe, victorious, able to write my own check. "If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me."

The king has some time to think about this on the way, and what if Micaiah's words are true? He decides to disguise himself and send his fellow king out as the target, for those who believe the words of God to be only the words of men, think there is room to defeat such counsel by trickery. Like Ananias and Sapphira thought the deception of men, which is so easy, the same as deceiving the Holy Spirit. A random arrow from someone not targeting the king, but shooting into the air, as they retreated from pursuing the wrong king, finds it's mark in Ahab. We may dress up all we want, clean the outside, pretend to be someone else, but there are even those among men who will not be fooled, and God will not be mocked. Rather than ask yourself who am I, what am I, ask God this time, and don't be upset with His messengers when you get the answer. Have the whole counsel, and accept nothing less. 

We leave Israel with a new king, and he follows in the way of his father and his mother. 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error 1 John 4: 1-6

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John 10: 1-18