And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” (1 Kings 22:14)

A Prophet Of Truth

One of the immoral kings of Israel was Ahab, son of Omri. He did more to invoke the wrath of God than any king north or south and driven by his wicked wife, Jezebel, committed atrocities against his own people. The twenty-two years of his rule was filled with debauchery, murder, deceit and human sacrifice of his sons. His reign would come to an end when Jehoshaphat, king of the southern tribes of Judah, came to visit the king of Israel. Ahab was angered that Ramoth in Gilead had not been taken from the Syrians and he asked Jehoshaphat if he would join him in driving out the Syrians. Before going into battle, the king of Judah wanted to inquire for the word of the Lord concerning the attack whether it would be successful or not. The king of Israel gathered his four hundred prophets to ask if he should go against Ramoth and they all with one accord assured Ahab victory. Uneasy about Ahab’s four hundred prophets Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord that word could be inquired about Ramoth. This unsettled Ahab because there was one man named Micaiah who never had anything good to say about the king of Israel. Ahab hated Micaiah because the prophet did not placate the feelings of the king to suit his wants and needs. Jehoshaphat insisted the prophet of God be brought and Ahab agreed. When the messenger arrived at the home of Micaiah he warned the prophet of God the four hundred prophets of Ahab had told the king that victory would be his when he went up against Ramoth and Micaiah should speak the same word. In courageous defiance, the prophet of the Lord answered that he would speak nothing less than what God told him.

Ahab and Jehoshaphat regaled themselves in their royal robes, sitting each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria when Micaiah arrived. He told the kings to go up against Ramoth and the city would be delivered into the hand of the king. Angered by the answer of the prophet, Ahab flew into a rage at the word of Micaiah. It was then the prophet of the Lord told the king of Israel that he would die that day. A lying spirit would come from the Lord in the mouth of the prophets to persuade Ahab to go to war and this would be his undoing and his death. Incensed by the insolence of Micaiah, Ahab demanded the prophet of God be put into prison where he would remain until Ahab returned. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead and fought. The king of Syria had given strict orders for thirty-two captains of his chariots to fight with no man but to find the king of Israel and kill him. They were unable to find Ahab and turned back from looking for him. A certain soldier of the Syrian army drew a bow at random and struck Ahab, king of Israel, between the joints of his armor that proved to be a fatal blow. Ahab bled out in his chariot dying that evening just as Micaiah the prophet of the Lord had said. Someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.

It is not known what became of Micaiah the prophet. His word came true as told him by the Lord and he was courageous enough to boldly speak the word of the Lord. Ahab was a fierce king to stand against. He had many men killed simply as a whim of conscious like Naboth. With Jezebel by his side, the king of Israel was a formidable presence of evil in the land but Micaiah was unmoved by the man he stood before. The prophet of the Lord knew that he must speak the words of truth whether it meant being cast into prison with bread and water or death. Kings did not bring fear to Micaiah but he did fear to deny the word of truth. It was not what Ahab wanted to hear but the word spoken by Micaiah was the word of God.  There are many hearts like Ahab today that want the word of the Lord to tickle their ears and tell them things that please them. Religion is filled with hearts that refuse to hear the word of truth, choosing rather listen to the siren calls of self-worth, conscious guided minds of carnality and denying the word of truth. The Bible is a book of plain teaching. It has not changed and will never change although the teachings of men will change. No matter what translation of the Bible used, sin is still a transgression of the law of God. The church needs men and women like Micaiah who will say, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”