Micaiah the Prophet
I have a little pocket-sized book here called Points For Emphasis: A Vest Pocket Commentary, from 1948. It was written by Hight C. Moore for The International Bible Lessons for Christian Teaching Series, and it has a lesson for each week of the year – really good stuff!
From July through September, Moore's lessons focused on lesser-known Bible characters, and I want to share five of those with you this week.
The Prophet Who Wouldn't Say What the King Wanted
Starting with Micaiah the prophet, whose story we read in 1 Kings 22. King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel decided to join forces and attack the city of Ramoth-Gilead. So they consulted 400 prophets who worked for the royal court, led by Zedekiah the prophet, and all 400 of them prophesied a great victory for the two kings.
But King Jehoshaphat didn't quite trust the court prophets, and he insisted on bringing in somebody else, an outsider who had no bias. King Ahab called in Micaiah the son of Imlah, and he did so with some reluctance, because Micaiah's prophecies were always full of gloom and destruction and were always unfavourable to the king.
Micaiah actually gave in to some peer pressure at first, and also foretold victory for the two kings, but then he changed his prophecy, and warned that Israel would become like sheep without a shepherd. He even said that God had sent an unclean spirit into the mouths of the 400 prophets in order to lure Ahab into battle so that he could be killed.
Of course Zedekiah, the leader of the 400 prophets, was angry at this, and he up and slapped Micaiah in the face! Ahab then put Micaiah in prison, but his words came true. Ahab was killed in the battle, and Micaiah was vindicated.
What Truth Looked Like to King Ahab
Moore points out in his booklet that this is a picture of the relationship people can have with truth. First, the truth was disregarded by the two kings, when they pretended to be a united kingdom when they actually weren't. Then we see how the truth was despised - Ahab had been running his kingdom in a godless way, despising God's commands and doing his own thing. This meant that when the truth was declared by Micaiah, it was defied by King Ahab - he locked the prophet away instead of listening to his words! But ultimately, the truth was demonstrated on the battlefield, when Ahab died despite being disguised as a regular soldier.
What's the lesson for us? First, like Micaiah, don't be afraid to speak the truth. Perhaps you've been saying the popular thing like Micaiah first did, to save face. Perhaps it's time for you to speak the truth, even if it's not popular?
Second, when the truth is proclaimed - as it is in God's Word today - don't disregard it, or defy it. Cherish it, and obey it. Live your life by the truth, and don't make the mistake Ahab did by ignoring it altogether.
Micaiah's boldness, and Ahab's foolishness, both stand as lessons for us today. Will you take these lessons to heart?
Micaiah the prophet refused to tell two kings what they wanted to hear, and was proven right. Ask God today for the courage to speak truth even when it costs you popularity.