1 Kings chapter 22

Micaiah prophecies the truth about evil king Ahab. Cowardly Ahab dies an unlamented death. Good king Jehoshaphat reigns in Judah. Evil king Ahaziah reigns in Israel.

 


 

 

MICAIAH PROPHECIES THE TRUTH ABOUT EVIL KING AHAB

 

VERSE 1. They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

 

VERSE 2. In the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

In the third year. That is, 853 BC.

 

VERSE 3. The king of Israel said to his servants, “You know that Ramoth Gilead is ours, and we do nothing, and don’t take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?”

Ramoth Gilead. This was one of the main cities of the tribe of Gad. It was 28 miles east of the Jordan, and 15 miles south of the Sea of Kinnereth.

 

VERSE 4. He said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

I am as you are. Jehoshaphat agrees to help Ahab. But he should not have.

 

VERSE 5. Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the LORD’s word.”

inquire first for the LORD’s word. Jehoshaphat wants to know the mind of the LORD God concerning this matter. That is because he is a godly person.

 

VERSE 6. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead to battle, or should I refrain?” They said, “Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

gathered the prophets together. If these were prophets of Baal, godly king Jehoshaphat would have objected.

But Jehoshaphat did not object. Therefore it is evident they are prophets of the LORD God.

However, from the verses that follow, we learn they are apostates. They tell the king whatever he wants to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (NIV translation)

 

VERSE 7. But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of him?”

a prophet of the LORD. Jehoshaphat asks for a true prophet of the LORD God.

 

VERSE 8. 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 does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat said, “Don’t let the king say so.”

I hate him. Ahab is profoundly immature. He needs people to constantly say good things about him.

Ahab can’t stand it if anyone says anything negative about him, even if it is true.

However, Ahab is a terrible human being and a terrible king. A true prophet of the Most High God will tell the truth about Ahab.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 9. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, “Quickly get Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

Micaiah the son of Imlah. Like Elijah, Micaiah is one of the very few faithful prophets in Israel in that day.

 

VERSE 10. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

 

VERSE 11. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made himself horns of iron, and said, “The LORD says, ‘With these you will push the Syrians, until they are consumed.’ ”

Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah. He is an apostate prophet. He is nothing but a YES man.

Bad leaders such as Ahab surround themselves with YES men.

 

VERSE 12. All the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper; for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

All the prophets prophesied so. The whole company of prophets are apostates. They are nothing but YES men.

Bad leaders such as Ahab surround themselves with YES men.

 

VERSE 13. The messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “See now, the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak good.”

 

VERSE 14. Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

what the LORD says to me, that I will speak. Micaiah is a true prophet.

 

VERSE 15. When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?” He answered him, “Go up and prosper; and the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

He answered him. Micaiah answers ironically.

 

VERSE 16. The king said to him, “How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the LORD’s name?”

The king said. Even wicked king Ahab recognizes that Micaiah is speaking ironically.

 

VERSE 17. He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. The LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let them each return to his house in peace.’ ”

sheep that have no shepherd. The people of the LORD God are prone to going astray. In those times, they need a godly shepherd to bring them back. Read more »

 

VERSE 18. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

evil. Evil king Ahab hears this truth from the Most High God. And yet he calls it evil. Why? It is not what he wanted to hear.

If the truth is different than what their egos want to hear, bad leaders such as Ahab cannot accept the truth.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 19. Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the LORD’s word. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

on his right hand and on his left. The LORD God will gather all people. He will judge them, separating sheep from goats. The righteous people will be on his right; the wicked on his left. Read more »

 

VERSE 20. The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ One said one thing, and another said another.

Who will entice Ahab. It is easy to entice Ahab. Like all bad leaders, he can be enticed by an appeal to his ego.

 

VERSE 21. A spirit came out and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

 

VERSE 22. The LORD said to him, ‘How?’ He said, ‘I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ He said, ‘You will entice him, and will also prevail. Go out and do so.’

 

VERSE 23. Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has spoken evil concerning you.”

 

VERSE 24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the LORD’s Spirit go from me to speak to you?”

Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah. He is the apostate prophet we encountered in verse 11 above.

 

VERSE 25. Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room to hide yourself.”

 

VERSE 26. The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son.

 

VERSE 27. Say, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ”

Put this fellow in the prison. Evil king Ahab didn’t like the message from Micaiah. So he imprisons Micaiah.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 28. Micaiah said, “If you return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” He said, “Listen, all you people!”

 

VERSE 29. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.

 

COWARDLY AHAB DIES AN UNLAMENTED DEATH

 

VERSE 30. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” The king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

you put on your robes. Evil king Ahab is making Jehoshaphat the target of an assassination attempt.

Like all bad leaders, Ahab is a coward. He is not willing to take risks himself. Instead, he puts other people at risk.

In the Book of Kings, the leaders exhibit narcissistic behaviors. They demand subservience. They commit idolatry and murder. They disobey sexual laws. Read more »

 

VERSE 31. Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Don’t fight with small nor great, except only with the king of Israel.”

 

VERSE 32. When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely that is the king of Israel!” and they came over to fight against him. Jehoshaphat cried out.

 

VERSE 33. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

 

VERSE 34. A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.”

A certain man. In the thick of this battle, there is a random unnamed person.

drew his bow at random. This unnamed person shoots his arrow at random.

struck the king of Israel. The unnamed man, who shot an arrow at random in the thick of the battle, slaughters evil king Ahab.

 

VERSE 35. The battle increased that day. The king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.

died at evening. Evil Ahab dies.

Few will lament his passing.

 

VERSE 36. A cry went throughout the army about the going down of the sun, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

 

VERSE 37. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.

 

VERSE 38. They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke.

 

VERSE 39. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

 

VERSE 40. So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

 

GOOD KING JEHOSHAPHAT REIGNS IN JUDAH

 

VERSE 41. Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 43. He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in the LORD’s eyes. However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

doing that which was right. Jehoshaphat was a good king.

the high places were not taken away. However, Jehoshaphat didn’t get rid of the high places.

 

VERSE 44. Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

 

VERSE 45. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he fought, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

 

VERSE 46. The remnant of the sodomites, that remained in the days of his father Asa, he put away out of the land.

the sodomites. The Hebrew word is קָדֵשׁ (“qadesh”). It means temple prostitute.

In this verse, it means “male shrine prostitutes” (NIV translation). It does not mean “homosexuals.”

In this verse, Molech is the real evil. He is the Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice. And these shrine prostitutes are his agents.

 

VERSE 47. There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled.

 

VERSE 48. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they didn’t go, for the ships wrecked at Ezion Geber.

 

VERSE 49. Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not.

 

VERSE 50. Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in his father David’s city. Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

 

EVIL KING AHAZIAH REIGNS IN ISRAEL

 

VERSE 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.

Ahaziah. He is like evil king Ahab his father.

 

VERSE 52. He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, 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, in which he made Israel to sin.

walked in the way of his father. Ahaziah repeated the evils of his father Ahab.

and in the way of his mother. Ahaziah repeated the evils of his mother Jezebel.

 

VERSE 53. He served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in all the ways that his father had done so.

 


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1 KINGS

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