1 Reis 22

1 Reis 22

Morgan - “Ahab knew in his heart that Micaiah would not fear or flatter him, but only declare the word of Jehovah. This he construed into personal hatred… Hatred of the messenger of God is clear evidence of willful wickedness.” Pulpit Commentary observes: “As Ahab’s inquiry is the echo of the question of ver. 6, so is Micaiah’s response identical with the answer of the prophets. He simply echoes their words, of which, perhaps, he has been informed by the eunuch. There was an exquisite propriety in this. The question was insincere; the reply was ironical (cf. … 1 Kings 18:27). Ahab is answered ‘according to the multitude of his idols’ (… Ezekiel 14:4). He wishes to be deceived, and he is deceived. No doubt Micaiah’s mocking tone showed that his words were ironical; but Ahab’s hollow tone had already proved to Micaiah that he was insincere; that he did not care to know the will of the Lord, and wanted prophets who would speak to him smooth things and prophesy deceits (… Isaiah 30:10).” 1 Kings 22:17 So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” I saw: 1Sa 9:9 Jer 1:11-16 Eze 1:4 Ac 10:11-17 as sheep: 1Ki 22:34-36 Nu 27:17 2Ch 18:16,17 Jer 23:1,2 50:6,17 Eze 34:4-6 Zec 10:2 13:7 Mt 9:36 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:16+ So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” Numbers 27:16-17 “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD So - Term of conclusion. Micaiah comes to the conclusion he might as well tell Ahab the truth! he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd - Recall that Elijah had faced 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:22 and now Micaiah faced 400 prophets of Ahab. God's prophets are not always (usually) in the majority and often (usually) are not popular (especially if the hearers are unbelievers)! Now Micaiah counters Zedekiah's dramatic, albeit natural, object lesson with a dramatic, supernatural "object lesson!" This is a picture of military defeat, Israel's forces in disarray. Sheep without a shepherd is a biblical metaphor for a people without a leader, especially a king. In figurative language, Micaiah is prophesying that Ahab will die. Walton - scattered... like sheep which have no shepherd. An inscription of Sargon II of Assyria reports that the commander of the enemy troops fled like a shepherd whose flock had been stolen but later was captured and carried away in fetters. (IVP Background - OT) And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace This indicates that the soldiers will survive—but the war is lost, and their master, their king is gone. 1 Kings 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” Did I not tell: 1Ki 22:8 Pr 10:24 27:22 29:1 Lu 11:45 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:17+ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” WHEN THE PROPHECY IS NOT WHAT ONE WANTS Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” This prophecy was one of Ahab's doom, the very truth he did not want to hear. Rod Mattoon - Ahab said he wanted to know the truth, but he really didn't. His mind was already made up of what he was going to do. The world is filled with people who do not want to know God's truth. Ahab wanted an ear tickling message which reminds me of many in the modern church in America For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires (LIKE AHAB'S 400 "YES MEN!"), 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.(2Ti 4:3-4+) 1 Kings 22:19 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. Hear the: Isa 1:10 28:14 Jer 2:4 29:20 42:15 Eze 13:2 Am 7:16 I saw the Lord: 2Ch 18:18-22 Isa 6:1-3 Eze 1:26-28 Da 7:9,10 Ac 7:55,56 Rev 4:2-3 all the host: Job 1:6 2:1 Ps 103:20,21 Isa 6:2,3 Zec 1:10 Mt 18:10 25:31 Heb 1:7,14 12:22 Rev 5:11 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:18+ 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 and on His left. Revelation 4:2-3+ Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Titus 1:2+ in the hope of eternal life, which God, Who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, GOD'S PROPHET IS NON-PROFIT TO AHAB Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left - Now Micaiah speaks truth relating a vision of heaven God's Spirit had given him. He is explaining why the 400 prophets gave a false prophecy. On the positive side, Micaiah's vision reminds me of John's vision in Revelation 4:2-3+. Peter Pett makes a good point about Micaiah - Ahab’s life has been one of continual contact with prophets of YHWH as YHWH has (REPEATEDLY) sought to win him back to true obedience. Indeed that is the only reason why it has been portrayed in such detail, for the prophetic author’s concern has been to demonstrate that the final fall of both Israel and Judah occurred in spite of all YHWH’s attempts to prevent it. And now Ahab’s life will end with a description of one final conflict with a prophet of YHWH, a conflict which illustrates the fact that Ahab’s previous repentance had only been temporary, and that he had soon fallen back into his old ways. QUESTION - Why did God use a lying spirit to deceive Ahab? | GotQuestions.org ANSWER - In 1 Kings 22:19-23, there is a troubling passage in which we are told that God used a lying spirit to deceive Ahab. Does God really use evil, lying spirits to do His bidding? Why would God do such a thing? To find the answer to this question, we need to learn a little background about King Ahab, and also understand something about the sovereignty of God. King Ahab was the son of Omri, and he reigned over Israel in Samaria for 22 years (1 Kings 16:29). Continuing the example of his father, Ahab did evil in the sight of God by worshiping Baal and “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). Ahab again and again proved he was bent on evil, evidenced by his continued refusal to listen to the prophet Elijah’s warnings. Ahab accused Elijah of troubling Israel by the drought, but Elijah declared that it was Ahab’s own sin that caused the troubles for the nation (1 Kings 18:18). Since Ahab had declared war on God by killing His prophets (v. 13), God then brought the war to Ahab in the form of a contest (1 Kings 18:19-40) between the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on one side, and Elijah on the other. When God miraculously verified Elijah’s status as His true prophet, Ahab should have repented, but he remained in his sinful rebellion, fueled by the wicked anger of his wife, Jezebel. In many subsequent incidents, God again showed His power and mercy to Ahab, but the king refused to submit and obey Him. Finally Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, came to visit him and Ahab persuaded him to join in battle to take Ramoth-Gilead from the Syrians. Wisely, Jehoshaphat insisted that they seek God’s will in the matter, so Ahab brought 400 false prophets together, who all assured him that God would give them victory (1 Kings 22:6). Jehoshaphat recognized their falsehood and asked whether a true prophet of God could be summoned. Ahab acknowledged that Micaiah was a true prophet, but he hated him, because “he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad” (1 Kings 22:8). Micaiah was brought before the kings and delivered God’s final warning to Ahab. He said that if they went to war, they would be defeated and left without a king. Ahab replied, “didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” (1 Kings 22:18). Ahab was again rejecting the clear warning from God, and choosing a path of wicked rebellion. In response to Ahab’s constant choice of sin, God revealed some of the inner workings of the spiritual world. God had already pronounced a death sentence upon Ahab (1 Kings 20:42, 21:19), but had given him opportunity to repent of his wickedness. With this final rejection of God’s counsel, God determined to carry out the death sentence. Since Ahab continued to prefer the lies of his false prophets over the truth given by God’s prophets, God chose to use the false prophets to carry out His plan. When God asked for volunteers to “entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there” (1 Kings 22:20), a spirit (fallen angel/demon) said he would be a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets. God gave the spirit permission to proceed, and Ahab received the message he desired. God chose to use a lying spirit because Ahab rejected God’s rebukes and warnings all through his life and the cup of God’s wrath was full. Since God is sovereign over all of creation, He is not restricted in what or whom He can use to accomplish His holy purposes. All of creation is under His authority, and He chooses to use people and spirits, both good and evil, to bring His divine plans to pass and bring glory to Himself. “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’" (Daniel 4:35). In the case of Ahab, God chose to use a lying spirit to accomplish His perfect and righteous plan (Psalm 18:30). The lying spirit will receive its punishment just as Ahab did, and those who repent of their sins will receive forgiveness just like Ahab could have. The real question is, “Will I respond to God’s warnings with faith and obedience, or will I reject His counsel and be rejected by Him?” QUESTION - Can God lie? ANSWER - God is holy (Isaiah 6:3), and that quality makes it impossible for Him to lie. The holiness of God is His moral and ethical perfection, His absolute integrity that sets Him apart from all His creatures. God’s holiness is thus related to His transcendence. God does not conform to any standard of purity; He is the standard. God is absolutely holy with an infinite purity incapable of being changed. Because of His holiness, when God speaks, He will not and cannot lie. He never deceives; He never distorts or misrepresents what He says or does. Lying is against His nature. Because God cannot lie, God’s Word, the Bible, is completely trustworthy (1 Kings 8:56; Psalm 119:160). “Every word of God is flawless” (Proverbs 30:5). God’s character and the communications that proceed from His character are purer than anything this world can produce: “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). The basis of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 was God’s own unchanging nature; that is, God’s rock-solid attribute of truth makes everything He says utterly trustworthy: “Since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants’” (Hebrews 6:13-14). The text continues with the statement that “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). If God could lie, He would not be transcendent; in fact, He would be just like us—humanity has a reputation for hiding, misrepresenting, and distorting truth. But “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). From the very beginning, God has rewarded faith in Him (Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:6). Faith, or trust, can only be a good thing if its object is worthy of trust. Faith in an unreliable person or thing is a disadvantage. If God could lie, then His words would be suspect, and He would be unworthy of our trust. But, as it is, He is wholly dependable: “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy” (Psalm 111:7). Jesus, who is “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6), is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Everything Jesus said and taught was the absolute truth. Everything He did reflected the truth. People such as Pilate will always be confused by the truth (John 18:38), but Jesus came “to testify to the truth” (verse 37). Jesus is, in fact, the Truth itself (John 14:6). Jesus cannot lie because God cannot lie, “and everyone who belongs to the truth knows [Jesus’] voice” (John 18:37, CEV). God, who cannot lie, is of transcendent moral purity. He wants moral purity in His children as well. God cannot lie, and the followers of Christ should not lie: “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:25). “With whom does God dwell?” the psalmist asks. The answer, in part, is that God dwells with “the one . . . who speaks the truth from their heart” (Psalm 15:2). May we love the truth as God does. Related Resources: What does it mean that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44)? What can we learn from the man of God and the lying prophet? 1 Kings 22:20 “The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. NET 1 Kings 22:20 The LORD said, 'Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?' One said this and another that. CSB 1 Kings 22:20 And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? ' So one was saying this and another was saying that. ESV 1 Kings 22:20 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. NIV 1 Kings 22:20 And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. NLT 1 Kings 22:20 And the LORD said, 'Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?'"There were many suggestions, entice Job 12:16 Jer 4:10 Eze 14:9 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:19+ “The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. PLANNING THE DOOM OF A KING The LORD said, ‘Who will entice (pathah; Lxx - apatao) Ahab to go up and fall (die) at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that - Paraphrased = “Then the Lord said, ‘Who will lure Ahab into battle so that he is killed at Ramoth-gilead?’ Notice that go up and fall indicates Yahweh has already given the death sentence to Ahab. One spirit proposed one plan, another suggested something else.” As discussed in this section, the LORD is not the Author of the lie but as the Sovereign God He is able to use the lie for His purposes. Ahab had rejected God's grace, mercies and Word once too many times. Now God is saying essentially since Ahab did not want or receive the truth, he would now receive a lie. Gustafson - God, in His sovereignty, can use evil spirits, or even Satan himself, to accomplish His purposes (Job 1:12; 2:5–6; Lk 22:31–32; 2 Cor 12:7). Satan and his agents can only go as far as God allows them. Genesis 50:20 and Psalm 76:10 show that God can even use wrongdoing to fulfill His plans. (Digital - What the Bible Teaches: 1 and 2 Chronicles or book - WTBT 1 and 2 Chronicles ) Entice (deceive) (066601) pathah means to persuade or entice a person to sin. Entice means to attract artfully or adroitly or by arousing hope or desire and suggests drawing by artful or adroit means. The idea is to lead astray from one’s true course. The TWOT adds that "The basic verb idea is “be open, spacious, wide,” and might relate to the immature or simple one who is open to all kinds of enticement, not having developed a discriminating judgment as to what is right or wrong." One source adds that pathah is related to the word for "inexperienced." Pathah is used with a similar meaning in Delilah's enticement of Samson (Jdg 14:15, 16:5) to which Samson consented, costing him his divinely given supernatural power and ultimately his life. Pathah in 1Ki 22:20-22 (2Chr 18:19-20) describes Jehovah using a spirit to entice Ahab. TWOT says "Another arresting usage of enticement is what happens when a man refuses to follow God’s direction. He is enticed to do wrong to his ultimate hurt, a discipline or judgment for rejecting the Lord." PATHAH - 24V - allure(1), became...enticed(1), deceive(2), deceived(5), entice(9), enticed(1), entices(1), persuaded(1), prevailed(2), seduces(1), silly(1), simple(1). Exod. 22:16; Deut. 11:16; Jdg. 14:15; Jdg. 16:5; 2 Sam. 3:25; 1 Ki. 22:20; 1 Ki. 22:21; 1 Ki. 22:22; 2 Chr. 18:19; 2 Chr. 18:20; 2 Chr. 18:21; Job 5:2; Job 31:9; Job 31:27; Ps. 78:36; Prov. 1:10; Prov. 16:29; Prov. 24:28; Prov. 25:15; Jer. 20:7; Jer. 20:10; Ezek. 14:9; Hos. 2:14; Hos. 7:11 Walter Kaiser - 22:20–22 Is God the Author of Falsehood? Hard Sayings of the Bible Could the God of truth be guilty of sponsoring or condoning falsehood? Some have charged just that. The passages that are raised to back this charge are 1 Kings 22:20–23, 2 Chronicles 18:18–22, Jeremiah 4:10, 20:7 and Ezekiel 14:9. Such a charge is possible only if one forgets that many biblical writers dismiss secondary causes and attribute all that happens directly to God, since he is over all things. Therefore, statements expressed in the imperative form of the verb often represent only what is permitted to happen. Accordingly, when the devils begged Jesus to let them enter the swine, he said, “Go” (Mt 8:31). This did not make him the active sponsor of evil; he merely permitted the demons to do what they wanted to do. In a similar manner, Jesus commanded Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly” (Jn 13:27). But Jesus did not become the author of the evil perpetrated on himself. God can be described as deceiving Ahab only because the biblical writer does not discriminate between what someone does and what he permits. It is true, of course, that in 1 Kings 22 God seems to do more than permit the deception. Without saying that God does evil that good may come, we can say that God overrules the full tendencies of preexisting evil so that the evil promotes God’s eternal plan, contrary to its own tendency and goals. Because Ahab had abandoned the Lord his God and hardened his own heart, God allowed his ruin by the very instrument Ahab had sought to prostitute for his own purposes, namely, prophecy. God used the false declarations of the false prophets that Ahab was so enamored with as his instruments of judgment. That God was able to overrule the evil does not excuse the guilty prophets or their gullible listener. Even though the lying spirit had the Lord’s permission, this did not excuse the prophets who misused their gifts. They fed the king exactly what he wanted to hear. Their words were nothing less than echoes of the king’s desires. Thus the lying prophets, the king and Israel were equally culpable before God. The responsibility had to be shared. These prophets spoke “out of their own minds.” This principle is further confirmed when we note that the passage in question is a vision that Micaiah reveals to Ahab. God is telling Ahab, “Wise up. I am allowing your prophets to lie to you.” In a sense, God is revealing further truth to Ahab rather than lying to him. If God were truly trying to entrap Ahab into a life-threatening situation, he would not have revealed the plan to him! Even so, Ahab refuses to heed God’s truth, and he follows his prophets’ advice. The other two passages used to charge God with falsehood are easier to understand. In Ezekiel 14:9 we have another case of God allowing spiritual blindness to take its course. The biblical writer merely attributes the whole process of hardening of heart followed by judgment as falling within God’s sovereignty. The strong statement of Jeremiah 20:7 is a complaint by the prophet, who had mistaken the promise of God’s presence for the insurance that no evil or derision would come on him or his ministry. However, these verses cannot be cited as the basis for giving any credence to the charge that God is deceptive. Another instance where God sent an evil spirit was in Judges 9:23. There, one of Gideon’s sons, Abimelech, acted as king for three years over the city of Shechem. But after those three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem so that they “acted treacherously against Abimelech.” In this case, the “evil spirit” was the breaking out of discord and treachery against Abimelech. Once again, under the direction of his providence, but not in any positive agency, God allowed jealousies to arise, which produced factions and in turn became insurrections, civil discontent and ultimately bloodshed. God remained sovereign in the midst of all the evil that ensued—much of it deservedly happening to those who deliberately refused the truth and preferred their own version of reality. See also comment on 1 SAMUEL 16:14; JOB 1:6–12. 1 Kings 22:21 “Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 1Ki 22:23 Job 1:6,7 2:1 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:20+ “Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ A SPIRIT OFFERS TO ENTICE AHAB Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him - This has to be a unclean spirit or demon (or even the devil - see Utley's remark below). Bob