Speaking Inconvenient Truth

2 Chronicles 18:1-34 

    1 Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. 3 So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?"  And he answered him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war."

    4 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."  5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?"  So they said, "Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand."

    6 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?"  7 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla."  And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!"

    8 Then the king of Israel called one of his officers and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!"  9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 10 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah 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.'"  11 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."

    12 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. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement."  13 And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak."  14 Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?"  And he said, "Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!"  15 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?"

    16 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.'"  17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

    18 Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. 19 And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' The LORD said to him, 'In what way?' 21 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.' 22 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you."

    23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah 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?"  24 And Micaiah said, "Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”  25 Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; 26 and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace."'"  27 But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"

    28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 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 they went into battle.  30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel."

    31 So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "It is the king of Israel!" Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32 For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 33 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." 34 The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, allied himself with Ahab the king of Israel, and one day Ahab asked for Judah’s forces to join him in taking Ramoth Gilead from Syria.  Jehoshaphat was wise enough to first have Ahab gather the prophets to inquire an answer from the LORD to be certain it was in His will to fight, and not to assume the battle would be won apart from the word of the LORD.  Ahab gathered the Yes men together who quickly nodded in agreement to please the kings, but the king of Judah was again wise enough to ask if there was a true spokesman left to inquire God’s will from.  Micaiah was sought out, one known to not dodge from speaking difficult truth; the one sent to bring him tried to influence him to go along with the false narrative of positive thinking instead.  He first mocked the king by repeating the false encouragement of victory, even after telling the messenger sent to get him, “whatever my God says, that I will speak.”  Ahab knew it was not true and commanded Micaiah to speak truth.  The prophet spoke of Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd, itself a prophetic message for God’s people much later (Matthew 9:36, John 10:11, 14).  He spoke of seeing the LORD high and lifted up on His throne and directing a lying spirit to persuade the king to follow the false prophets’ direction to destruction instead of the truth of Micaiah the bold.  This was God’s predetermined plan, and so they ignored the true message and ran to the planned defeat and destruction, similar to how in the latter days people choose to have their ears tickled as they deny the truth of the word of the Lord spoken clearly to them that the final judgment leads to God’s glory being seen by all.  The message of the gospel is not that everyone is saved, but that there literally is Hell to pay to satisfy God’s wrath on our sin, and that the good news is that Christ took that wrath of punishment on Himself that those who believe in that work instead of their own would be delivered from the wrath to come in the final judgment (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:14, John 6:29).  Jehoshaphat went into battle with Ahab, but Ahab of Israel was killed by a seemingly random arrow, one finding its deadly mark according to the divine plan.  Even so, those who are not His sheep will refuse to come to Christ to be delivered from certain planned judgment (John 6:44, 65, 10:26-27) in the final day.  We therefore find a powerful example of the sovereign judgment and grace of God in this passage, and with it the need to speak inconvenient truths of Hell and judgment with a desperate need of repentance and faith in Christ’s work alone for deliverance from the just and due wrath to come upon the whole world.  There is no time for messages of false peace to bring empty encouragement, only peace with God through trust in and submission to the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).  This lesson directly applies to the gospel - good news of forgiveness and reconciliation with God in Christ and His work as we face the bad news of Hell and certain judgment apart from Him.  May all who hear the call of the good Shepherd be so reconciled to God by the truth which sets us free indeed!