June 20

1 Kings 22:1-28

In the Hebrew Bible, (TaNaKh), there is a section devoted to the Hebrew prophets.  The definition of a prophet is someone who can hear God's voice and utter divinely inspired revelations and perhaps best described in Deuteronomy 18:18, where God said, "...and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."  Keeping that in mind, let's look at this story.

The King of Israel asks Jehoshaphat to come into agreement with him and go to war.  While Jehoshaphat agreed with the plan, he gave wise counsel and said "First seek the counsel of the Lord".  So, the King gets all of his 400 prophets together and they all agree to encourage the King to go to war, but not one of them stopped to pray first.  The text isn't clear as to why the King went one step further after hearing this and asked for a prophet, however, verse 7 starts with "BUT", perhaps there was doubt in his mind on the counsel he was receiving.  So, what was the Kings objection to Micaiah?  He spoke as a prophet -- saying the words he heard from God, not just what the King wanted to hear.  Even though the messenger who was sent to bring Micaiah to the King told him to agree with what was being said, Micaiah held true and steadfast to his calling. He spoke in line with the vision God gave him. As the story unfolds, we get a glimpse into the spiritual realm, (much like in the story of Job), and here we see God allows a "deceiving spirit" to speak to the advising counsel of the King. Taking the time to pray, Micaiah learns the truth and reveals that the end result of going to war would not turn out well for the King as his counsel advised.  God is Sovereign so we have no clue as to why He would allow that, all we do know from the text is that the King was being given bad counsel by people he trusted all because they didn't pray first and inquire of the Lord. I'm sure everyone reading this can think of a time we made a decision without praying or asking others to join us in prayer.  A very wise man once told me that the enemy isn't stupid, he knows two plus two is four, so be careful who you listen to. Always seek God's voice.  We learn in James 5:13 that if anyone is in trouble they should pray.  We are all incredibly blessed to part of a church family where prayer and listening for God's voice has been taught and is a core value of our faith.  I sincerely pray and encourage anyone who is faced with a decision to reach out to an Elder or a prayer partner. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."  Speak Lord, Your servants are listening.

Randi