The Way
Micaiah Stands Alone
Four hundred against one
Story
On the threshing floor by the gate of Samaria, two kings sat side by side in their royal robes. They were Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah. They were about to set out together to take Ramoth-gilead back from Aram. Four hundred prophets cried out with one voice, “Go up. The Lord will give the city into the king's hand.”
Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here?” Ahab answered, “There is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me.” The official sent to fetch Micaiah whispered to him, “Speak favorably, like the other prophets.” Micaiah answered, “I will say only what the Lord tells me.”
Micaiah said before the king, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd.” The prophet Zedekiah struck Micaiah on the cheek, and Ahab had Micaiah thrown into prison. Ahab went into battle in disguise. But an arrow shot at random pierced Ahab's armor between its joints. That evening Ahab died, and when his chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, dogs licked up his blood. It happened just as the Lord had said.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me.
I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd.
If you come back safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.
First ask for the word of the Lord today.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Kgs 22:1–40
Background
Ramoth-gilead was a fortress town in Gilead, east of the Jordan, which Aram and Israel fought over many times. Jehoshaphat king of Judah married his son to Ahab's daughter Athaliah, so the two kings were joined by marriage.
Pause and Reflect
Even when everyone says the same thing, can I follow God's word?