400 to 1

These weekly devotionals I will be posting come from and are copyright to Pam Iannello, my pastor's late wife who went home to be with the Lord on June 18, 2008.


When have you been asked for an opinion and you knew what answer the questioner wanted to hear? Why do we sometimes insist on following through on our plans even when we've received good advice against it? If you have found yourself in either of these positions before, then you will enjoy today's devotion - I think.

We will be looking at 1 Kings chapter 22. The story opens with King Ahab who, not having dealt with an enemy fully the first time, was haunted with the same issues again three years later. (Let that be a lesson to us already!) Earlier, he had lost control of Ramoth in Gilead and now wanted to claim it back. The first person King Ahab turns to for help is Jehoshaphat, one of his colleagues.

1 Kings 22:1-4
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. [2] And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. [3] And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? [4] And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

Ladies, it is fleshly weakness that would bring us to the place of aligning ourselves with those who oppose the Lord! However, Jehoshaphat, even in his foolish alliance with a wicked king, at least made an effort to carry respect for God's Word into his interactions in Ahab's court. Before pursuing a mutual battle plan, Jehoshaphat imposed one condition upon the king. He insisted upon enquiring at the word of the Lord for wisdom.

1 Kings 22:5-6
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day. [6] Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

The unanimous counsel of about 400 prophets that ministered to Ahab supported the king in what he wanted to do; isn't it amazing that there was no division of opinion among so many? (Not even the local church experiences such unity!) If I had that number of prominent people backing me in a plan I wanted to carry out, it would be tempting to feel pretty good about the whole idea, don't you think? Not so with Jehoshaphat.

1 Kings 22:7
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him?

You see ladies, Ahab's counselors were not of the Lord. They were false prophets. They were in the habit of stroking the king, not reproving him. They accommodated his every desire. By the way, which type of guidance do you like better?? Sad to say, many preachers today are equally focused on a feel-good view of ministry. Controlled by self-interest, they cater to the cravings of their congregations to avoid criticisms or personal difficulty. Praise God Jehoshaphat found something lacking in the counsel of Ahab's prophets; it was too shallow for his peace of mind! He requested that a prophet of the Lord be sought after, someone loyal to the truth. Not surprisingly, there was only one such prophet in Ahab's kingdom and he was imprisoned, for Ahab despised him.

1 Kings 22:8-9
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. [9] Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

Ladies, we are very much like king Ahab when it comes to our attitude toward a true man of God. When the preacher censures the plans we wish to carry out and exposes the error of them, we build a hatred for him and deem ourselves his victims. We banish the preacher from our hearts for raining on our personal parade. It's a crime we are frequently guilty of! Notice when the king slandered the man of God, Jehoshaphat rebuked him. What would you have done, dear lady??

1 Kings 22:10-13
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. [11] And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. [12] And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand. [13] And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.

While waiting for Micaiah to appear after his summons, the Bible says the two kings were sitting in a void place. That reminds me of the position believers find themselves in when they are missing the counsel of God! We are void of wisdom - and so were Ahab and Jehoshaphat before God's man arrived… Incidentally, did you pick up on the attitude of the messenger who called Micaiah? Like everyone else, he was appealing to the prophet of the Lord to speak soothing, well-liked words to his king! This little courier was enticing Micaiah to join the crowd and leave off the truth. What he was really advising God's man to do was not to ruffle any feathers! Deliver popular words, good words that make everybody feel fine about doing things their own way. But, there was one criterion that Micaiah used to determine what he would say.

1 Kings 22:14
And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.

Ladies, when I read this response, the Halleluiah Chorus went off in my head! Way to go Micaiah! Here is a man of God, imprisoned for his stand for the Lord, who could have taken an opportunity to become an extremely popular person and possibly increase his chances of being released. Unlike everyone else in town, Micaiah didn't look after his own interests; he lived by the Word of God! He would not fashion his speech with the times or with the hearers. As a prophet of the Lord, nobody would tell him what to say but God! O/ Say on, Micaiah!

1 Kings 22:15-16
So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. [16] And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?

The first answer Micaiah gives is in style of popular opinion and you can just imagine the tone he might have delivered it with. Despite the fact Ahab knew Micaiah was pretending when echoing the answers of his preceding advisors, he insisted that he tell him the truth. You see, Ahab knew in his heart that Micaiah alone was a true prophet of God. Isn't that bizarre? Similar to those who are alienated from the Lord, this king insists on having the truth but has no intention whatsoever of accepting it! I wonder how many of God's people are adamant about the truth when it comes to seeking a Bible believing church to join, yet refuse to respond unreservedly to the very truth that is preached from the pulpit in the church they have selected for themselves! Why be so picky about it if you aren't going to submit to what you picked?? Why bother if you are going to do what you want anyway… Drop your standards and go somewhere that preaches the percentage you will obey! (I wonder what kind of a church that would put you in??) Christians love to hear the truth proclaimed - until it interferes with their personal lives. Then it becomes time to pack their bags and leave, or put the prophet who reproved them behind bars like King Ahab did!

1 Kings 22:17-18
And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. [18] And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

Like many of us, Ahab expects God to sanction all of his goals and desires. Therefore, he finds it infuriating to learn the truth - everything he resolved to accomplish is not okay with the Lord! King Ahab knew he wasn't right with God but he was still bent on having his own way. Therefore, in order to rise above his guilty conscience, he had to feign himself injured at the proclamation of the man of God to justify his transgression. Yes, in an attempt to extract pity for himself, Ahab complains that he is forever treated unjustly by Micaiah simply because he predicted his defeat; a typical modern day response to the honest preaching of the Word of God! Could it be that you respond this way toward your pastor, dear lady? Every time the preaching butts in on the way you live and warns you of the cost of your selfish choices, do you discredit the man of God for the discomfort the truth causes you? Verses 27 shares the account of how Ahab responded to the facts he was given in learning of his own fate.

1 Kings 22:27
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

Ladies, even though a believer is ill treated and disregarded, there is great purpose in standing for the truth! Scripture only mentions Micaiah in the context of this story. For all we know he remained in prison for his truthful preaching and probably died there - in the center of God's will! On the other hand, King Ahab scorned God's wisdom, boasting of his survival in spite of the truth Micaiah proclaimed about his forthcoming downfall, and ended up lifeless. In fact, as you finish this chapter up on your own, you will discover that King Ahab went so far as to disguise himself before entering battle so as to evade Micaiah's prophecy but an arrow found it's spot in a crack in Ahab's armor and he was killed. God will always find you though you try to hide from him! Following through on your own plans does not guarantee a happy ending to your life no matter how many side with you. Just like with Ahab, the odds are 400 to 1 that you will lose out!

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello  Meet Ms. Pam

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