18:1 Precisely because he was a faithful king, Jehoshaphat became a well established and prosperous king over Judah. In history, to create crucial alliances between kingdoms, men and women were married to each other to tether the interests of separate nations. We do not know if Jehoshaphat sanctioned the marriage between one of his family and Ahab's, but we do know that it was not superb idea.
King Ahab in Israel was a corrupt king, 2 Kings 16:29-33. It was not necessary for Jehoshaphat to ally Judah with Israel, God had proved that He would protect and provide for Judah. We do not have to make deals and alliances with others to support our cause or kingdom, literal or figurative, if we have submitted ourselves to God's protection and authority.
18:2-3 Jehoshaphat visited Ahab in Samaria and was treated like royalty. But Ahab's hospitality was not genuine; Ahab wanted to convince Judah to ally with Israel against Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat agreed to join with Israel in fighting Ramoth Gilead; he respected the alliance between the two and answered that Judah would perform as one with Israel in the war.
18:4 But Jehoshaphat had one condition: please inquire for the word of the Lord today. It did not occur to Ahab to consult God because Ahab had forsaken God. Ahab's motives were selfish, deceptive and evil; he knew that God would never support his cause. Yet Jehoshaphat would not make a single military move without God's consent.
18:7 Begrudgingly, Ahab admitted that there was a prophet of God to be consulted concerning the war: Micaiah. Ahab abhored Micaiah because the prophet refused to flatter him; Micaiah was brave and bold in delivering God's disapproval to Ahab. Jehoshaphat was shocked to hear Ahab's statement of hate concerning Micaiah.
Sometimes God does disapprove of our behavior or choices; God does not always answer affirmatively to the things we ask for. Ahab was unwilling to accept that God knew better. Ahab was unwilling to listen and grow from God's discipline.
18:8-11 So instead of consulting an actual prophet of God, Ahab brought in false prophets. These false prophets were trained to tell the king what he wanted to hear. The false prophets always agreed with him and gave favorable responses to please and flatter the king (and to avoid imprisonment for honesty). Each of the false prophets told Ahab to press on with the war and that he would be successful.
Much of this chapter is about the value of truth. Are we willing to accept it? Are we will to speak it? Our answers to those questions make all the difference in our character and life. Micaiah is one example in scripture of a person who refused to be intimidated out of submission to God. We can trust God to protect us when we choose truth, Psalm 15:1-5.
18:12-13 A messenger was sent to retrieve Micaiah. Before he met with the king, Micaiah was briefed: he was told what the king wanted to hear and he was told what the false prophets had spoken.
18:14 Micaiah disregarded what the people urged him to do and promised to speak only what God told him to speak. Since we know from 2 Kings that Ahab should not have gone into the war, we can understand that Micaiah sarcastically told Ahab what he wanted to hear. Ahab wanted to hear a lie rather than a truth and God granted him the ignorant choice. Learn from Ahab's ignorance and refusal to receive truth. He received the answer he wanted, rather than the truth, and it destroyed him.
18:15-17 Micaiah continued to mock Ahab; and the king grew angrier. Ahab wanted Micaiah to tell him what he wanted to hear, but when the prophet did that, it upset the king. Ahab was entirely unreasonable. Be behaved as a rotten, spoiled individual. Ahab even whined to Jehoshaphat: Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? Ahab vehemently refused to accept any flaw in his character and it made him a terrible person.
18:18-22 Micaiah changed his tone to serious: he revealed that God, through Ahab's insistence on this war, was orchestrated the evil's man's death. God planned for the false prophets to encourage Ahab directly into the last place he would ever breathe.
18:23 Micaiah's revelation infuriated the false prophets and Zedekiah hit him in the face. Micaiah's statement seemed like an accusation, as if the false prophets had conspired to kill Ahab. In actuality, they were not aware of God's intervention (evil never is).
18:24-26 Micaiah explained that Ahab would realize the truth of his prophesy when, during the battle, he went into an inner chamber to hide. These specific details were given to Micaiah by God. Outraged, Ahab ordered Micaiah to be taken to prison and to be kept there until he returned in peace.
18:27 Ahab planned to mock Micaiah upon his return from Ramoth Gilead but Micaiah knew he would never get the chance. Micaiah told the people in the room that he was an honest and true prophet of God and that would know that upon Ahab's (prophesied) death.
18:28 Ahab and Judah went to war in Ramoth Gilead; after all, God did sanction it (though not for the reason Ahab thought or wanted). God wanted this evil man to be extinguished. Ahab had caused so much pain, death and deception during his reign and it was time for it to end.
18:29 Despite Ahab refusal to listen to God, he was scared to lose his life. Ahab tried to work craftily: he disguised himself but told Jehoshaphat to wear his robes, thus identifying him as king of Judah. Ahab hoped that Jehoshaphat would become the main target once recognized and that the enemy would leave Ahab alone.
Jehoshaphat likely agreed to the plan because Jehoshaphat was faithful to God. Jehoshaphat would have understood that he had God's protection. As God's children, even if we have a bulls-eye on our back, He will protect us. We are untouchable when we trust God as our defense. It required big faith, but Jehoshaphat had it. God is present in the places of our lives we have invited Him into. The more we let Him in, the stronger and more comprehensive our defense.
18:30 At the battle in Ramoth Gilead, the king of Syria instructed his army to specifically target Ahab. Ahab anticipated that; which is why he, in an act of betrayal, arranged for Jehoshaphat to stand out and hopefully pass as Ahab.
18:31-32 It worked... almost. The enemy army wrongly-identified Jehoshaphat as Ahab, surrounded him and were poised to kill him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from it. God is a much better designer: Ahab's plan backfired; because the king of Syria charged his army to specifically target Ahab, they left Jehoshaphat alone once they realized who he was.
Allow God to orchestrate the specific details of your life. Submit to His perfect will and adept Hand. Jehoshaphat's faith protected and saved him even at the brink of disaster! God rescued His innocent child while simultaneously ending an evil man.
18:33-34 If not yet convinced of God's incredible precision and orchestration, read on: a certain man drew a bow at random and struck Ahab! God chose that man to accidentally strike Ahab. Yet we know that it was no accident at all; we are fellow-workers with God, 1 Corinthians 3:9. We are instruments through which His will is delivered, established and done in the world.
That certain man was chosen by God to accidentally do an incredible thing: take down a thoroughly evil man. Allow God to use you as a beloved instrument of precision and righteousness. The message from this verse: though evil plots and plans, it fails; and even if the righteous are often uncoordinated or under-prepared, they are made to succeed by God.
Micaiah's prophesy unfolded: Ahab told the driver of his chariot to carry him into an inner chamber to hide because he was severely wounded. The war continued and at sunset, Ahab died. Surrounded by chaos not peace. Guilty of evil rather than innocent of it. Unfulfilled.
