1 Reis 22

1 Reis 22

Barber - Jehoshaphat’s conscience bothered him. He felt uneasy. It was his practice to seek God’s will, and he sensed inwardly that he had too hastily consented to something without consulting the Lord. To allay his misgivings he suggested that they inquire of the Lord in order to ascertain His will” Rod Mattoon rightly remarks that we all need to take the "Jehoshaphat approach" and "can avoid many problems, mistakes, and catastrophes if we would seek God's guidance. This is stressed repeatedly in the Bible. See Psalm 5:8—Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. Psalm 25:5—Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 27:11—Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Psalm 143:10—Teach me to do Your will (WE NEED TO BE TAUGHT!!!), For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Mattoon goes on to add "If you seek God's direction, then follow His directions. Is that too hard to understand? When God shows you truth, then follow it. When He shows you a plain path, then follow the path. When He shows you His will, then do it. The reason I mention this is Jehoshaphat seeks God's direction and God will show it to him, but he does not follow it. This negligence will almost cost him his life. The phrase, "Let me pray about it" is not to be a cliche or trite expression to make us sound spiritual or make someone feel good. We are to really pray. I suspect that many who make this statement don't pray because of the terrible, unscriptural decisions they make. God will not lead you to make a decision contrary to His Word. He does not lead us to disobey Him (James 1:13-14) If you do pray about a matter, do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do. His leading will not contradict Scripture. Raymond Dillard - The role of the prophets in the military ideology of ancient Israel is widely attested. Call narratives frequently emphasize their function against the nations (Exod 3:9–11; Jer 1:10; Ezek 3:4–7); the inclusion of extensive oracles against foreign nations in many of the canonical prophets attests to this role. They are often found providing war oracles as spokesmen for the Divine Warrior (1 Kgs 12:21–24 // 2 Chr 11:1–4; 1 Kgs 20:13, 28; 2 Kgs 3:11–19; 6:12–22; 7:1–7; 13:14–20; Isa 7:3–25; Jer 21; 2 Chr 20:14–19).(See 2 Chronicles, Volume 15 - Page 141) 1 Kings 22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, 1Ki 18:19 2Ti 4:3 Go up: 1Ki 22:15,22,23 2Ch 18:14 Jer 5:31 8:10,11 14:13,14 23:14-17 Jer 28:1-9 Eze 13:7-16,22 Mt 7:15 2Pe 2:1-3 Rev 19:20 1 Kings 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 18:5+ Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand (THE POWER) of the king.” 1 Kings 18:19, 40+ “Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”....40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; (HE DOES NOT SAY THE PROPHETS OF ASHERAH) do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men - Note the subtle distinction, for Jehoshaphat had requested inquiring for a word from Yahweh, but the 400 false prophets eschew the name Yahweh and instead use the word Adonay, a small difference but probably telling. And it may have been this difference that caught Jehoshaphat's ear! Were these men the "left overs" from the Mt Carmel prophet purge by Elijah? Ahab seems to respond to Jehoshaphat's recommendation, but he does not go to the LORD himself. Instead he calls out these so-called (false) prophets which may have even had Baal leanings (considered Jezebel's Baal influence) but certainly were not "Elijah like" prophets! They prove they are false prophets by claiming to speak for Yahweh, this prophecy proving to be false. These 400 prophets were more like "yes men," telling the king things that would tickle his ears! And think about it for a moment -- would the one who "wore the pants in this family" tolerate prophets who truly spoke about and for Yahweh? That's a rhetorical question of course! It is an interesting thought to recall that the 400 prophets of Asherah were never specifically said to have been slaughtered. It is conceivable that these 400 are survivors of Elijah's false prophet massacre. One cannot be dogmatic. and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” - Ahab foolishly goes to the wrong source for divine guidance, for the father of these prophets is the chief liar, Satan (Jn 8:44+). Majority opinion may well prove misleading, and feel-good messages can be positively pernicious. -- Paul Apple And they said, “Go up, for the Lord ('adonay) will give it into the hand (the power) of the king - Note absence of a key qualifying phrase "Thus says the LORD..." As false prophets they were not communicating what the LORD said. Who is "THEY?" 400 false prophets! These deceived prophets speak a false prophecy, one that would prove fatal for Ahab. They were saying what Ahab wanted to hear! Go up refers to going to battle, and also has a physical sense because to the fact that Ramoth-gilead was was an elevated city. Notice they do not use the covenant name Yahweh, but use the name 'adonay. 🙏 THOUGHT - What does this passage teach about the validity of majority opinion? It is not always accurate, especially if those who voice the opinion are not in touch with God! As an aside, one plus God is always a majority! William