1 Kings 22:1-53
22:1-2 Israel and Judah do not presently have outright animosity for each other. They have been divided for many years but king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, travels to visit the king of Israel, Ahab.
22:3-4 Ahab reminds his servants and Jehoshaphat that neither Israel nor Judah has reclaimed Ramoth Gilead from Syria, who yielded it after a defeat. Ahab asks Jehoshaphat if Judah will support Israel in the fight to reclaim the land.
22:5 Jehoshaphat responds amiably but asks Ahab to first consult God on the matter.
22:6 Ahab gathers four hundred men, supposed prophets, and asks them if he should send the armies into Ramoth Gilead. But these are false prophets and have been trained by the king of Israel to tell him what he wants to hear. For Ahab is not interested in the word or permission of God; his greed ensures that it does not matter to him to live in accordance with God's will.
22:7 Jehoshaphat notices that these false prophets have been conditioned by Ahab to tell him what he wants to hear. Jehoshaphat requests a prophet of the Lord. Jehoshaphat will not make a move without God's counsel. Even though there are hundreds of men currently convincing the two kings to engage in battle, only one opinion matters to Jehoshaphat: God's.
22:8 Resignedly, Ahab admits there is one man, a prophet of the Lord who can provide God's true voice. The prophet's name is Micaiah and he is hated by Ahab. Ahab hates Micaiah because he is one of the few people in his life who speak truth to him. Ahab hates to hear the word "no" and because of Micaiah's refusal to be another yes-man in Ahab's life, he is treated very poorly by the king.
22:9 But Jehoshaphat insists on hearing from a prophet of the Lord and so Micaiah is sent for.
22:10-12 While Micaiah is being retrieved (from prison, though only for being an honest man) the other, false, prophets continue to encourage the kings to go into Gilead to battle the Syrians.
22:13 A messenger briefs Micaiah on the situation: all of the prophets have encouraged the kings to fight and it is Ahab's desire to do so. Micaiah is told (warned) that he must be in agreement with the false prophets. Ahab wants to convince Jehoshaphat to engage in the battle but knows that the king of Judah will not do so without the go-ahead from God.
22:14 Micaiah promises: As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak. Indeed, Micaiah is a prophet known for his obedience to God's will, even though he is hated for it.
22:15 So when the king asks Micaiah if they should go to war against Ramoth Gilead or refrain, Micaiah says: Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king. The response is delivered sarcastically. Both he and God know that Ahab only wants to hear one answer and so they give it to him.
22:16 Sensing the sarcasm, the king asks Micaiah to speak truthfully.
22:17 So Micaiah does. He tells the king that God has shown him all of Israel scattered throughout the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. The message is that Ahab is a neglectful king; he is so bad that it is as if the body of people have no leader at all.
22:18 Ahab is annoyed and immediately turns to Jehoshaphat to complain about Micaiah. Ahab perceives Micaiah's messages as personal distaste, he refuses to acknowledge that God is trying to speak to him concerning his lifestyle.
22:19-23 Ahab is further antagonized by Micaiah's full explanation of the vision given to him by God: so frustrated by Ahab's adamant refusal to live righteously, God begins to organize Ahab's death. Inadvertently, Ahab chooses his own death. God will allow Ahab to go into the battle to garner the land he so desires but it will cause his death. God allows all of Ahab's false prophets to counsel him unwisely.
We never want to get to a point in life where God gives us what we want above what He wants for us. Ahab's petulant behavior causes the corruption of his life and the kingdom. He is unable to accept God's "no." As God's children, we should work to understand that God's refusal on certain requests is for our own good. We must not surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear so loudly and frequently that God's voice is shut out.
22:24 The men around Micaiah respond to him with violence.
22:25 But no amount of animosity will persuade the prophet to go against the true word of God. Micaiah prophesies that the truth of his prophesy will be revealed when Ahab goes into a chamber to hide. The specific detail is given so that Ahab will eventually be forced to realize the truth instead of his own delusions.
22:26-27 Ahab orders Micaiah to be brought to prison and to be mistreated.
22:28 Micaiah is not afraid. He proclaims that Ahab will never return from the battle - not as a punishment, but as a consequence of his own actions in disregarding God.
22:29-30 The king of Israel and Judah go to Ramoth Gilead (after all, God sanctioned it). Ahab continues to deceive: he tells Jehoshaphat to remain in his robes (which identify him as king) but proclaims that he will disguise himself. Jehoshaphat likely agrees to this because he trusts that if he is to remain alive, God will ensure it, regardless of his attire.
22:31 The king of Syria commands his captions to seek out the king of Israel, Ahab, exclusively.
22:32-33 The Syrian captains mistake Jehoshaphat for Ahab. Before the men can kill or capture him, Jehoshaphat cries out to God. Immediately the kings realize their mistake and turn away from the king of Judah.
22:34 Ahab, however, is shot by an arrow at random. Perhaps this shot was random for the man who drew it, but Ahab put a target on his back the moment he became an enemy of God. The king of Israel commands that his chariot is turned out of the battle.
22:35-36 Ahab dies in his chariot and the battle ends. From the nature of Ahab's death, we can understand the absolute precision of God. He orchestrates the details of His prophesies.
22:37-38 Ahab's body is brought to Samaria.
22:39 Ahab's son Ahaziah reigns in his place.
22:41-44 We learn more about Jehoshaphat. He is the son of Asa and becomes king in the fourth year of Ahab's reign. He is thirty-five years old at the time he becomes king of Judah. He reigns for twenty five years in Jerusalem. He is a righteous king and does what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Though idol worship still persists, Jehoshaphat made peace with Israel.
22:45-47 We learn more of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles.
22:48-49 Jehoshaphat refuses to engage with ungodly nations, despite the seeming prosperity that would come from doing so. Jehoshaphat places God's will and philosophy above acquisition of power and wealth.
22:50 Jehoshaphat dies and is buried in the city of David. His son Jehoram reigns in his place.
22:51-53 In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat's reign, Ahab's son Ahaziah becomes king over Israel. Ahaziah is an evil man and takes after his parents rather than God.
