2 Chronicles 18:1-34
Micaiah Warns Ahab (1 Kings 22:1–28)
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!”
Ahab Dies in Battle (1 Kings 22:29–40)
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 the king of Judah allied himself with king Ahab of Israel by marriage and was to help in battle against Ramoth Gilead. Being a man of God, Jehoshaphat first asked Ahab to inquire of the LORD by a prophet who was the way to understand God’s word and will in those days. Ahab gathered four hundred of them and they all have a feel good message of victory, yet Jehoshaphat sensed it was not right by the Spirit of God within him. Micaiah was not liked by Ahab because his word was not in agreement with the king of Israel, and when he finally arrived by request of Jehoshaphat as a recognized true purveyor of God’s word. He first mockingly told them to go and get the victory, then spoke plain and true when the truth was ready to be heard. The message was of the shepherdless sheep of Israel scattered across the mountains and the LORD told them they have no master so they should just return to their house in peace and not fight a losing battle without the LORD on their side. This is a prophetic message for Israel when Jesus Christ came (Matthew 9:36) and told them the spiritual reality was still there, namely that the people of God were lost like scattered sheep and needed the true Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25) to save their souls. The LORD had sent a spirit into the other four hundred prophets to speak lies as advice contrary to God’s word and Ahab wanted their false promise of salvation to deliver them in battle, so he locked up the bringer of real truth as the enemy still does with many who bring the good news of the deliverance of Jesus Christ even now. The end came swiftly as king Ahab tried to hide from the enemy by disguise as behind the false prophets, and a “random” arrow of God’s justice judged and killed him for ignoring His true word that Israel had no leader, meaning him, and that they needed to refrain from battle until the true Shepherd came to lead them to the true and eternal victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) from the (Revelation 12:17) real adversary. Even now there are many sheep without a shepherd and a multitude of lying self-proclaimed prophets speaking of a peace of hubris in their own hands as they promise hollow promises of prosperity and do not acknowledge that victory is only found in the true Shepherd sent from heaven, the Son of God and man sent to lead us to lasting victory over sin and death through the gospel of true peace for His people.
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