Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good morning, dear people.
Thano’s just outside finishing up the pressure washing on the crane truck before he goes to work at Safeway. Becki’s in Woodburn. And I’m here trying to knock some things out before taking a trip into Portland to do other business errands.
Nice. Some sunshine is flooding the scene from this window now. I’ll take that!
Blessings on your day.
Love. Dad/Ray.
This is a question that King Jehoshaphat of Judah poses to King Ahab of Israel when they were discussing the possibility of joining forces to do battle with the king of Aram. It was Jehoshaphat’s idea to, “First seek the counsel of the LORD” (22:5). That was not something Ahab was eager to do, but he complied and gathered together about 400 men that were regarded as “prophets.” Whereas the mainstream of Israel was in a backslidden spiritual condition, it only stands to reason that the mainstream of the prophets would follow suit. They were unanimous in giving a green light to war and victory—“… for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand” (22:6). But Jehoshaphat didn’t see a green light—he saw red flags—something was wrong—something didn’t ring true—something was prompting discomfort. That’s when he asked, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?” Ahab could have said, “Good grief, Jehoshaphat—you’re looking at 400 of them!”
Why? Why did Jehoshaphat feel and respond the way he did? The answer, I believe, is tucked away in a later description of Jehoshaphat—“In everything he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (22:43). Do you see what I see? In other words, his personal HEART AFTER GOD was a valuable resource for divine guidance. Above the blaring noise of the false prophets, Jehoshaphat was able to hear the Lord’s “gentle whisper” of warning (1 Kings 19:12). May we also surmise that he was wearing “the belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14)? In any case,he was committed to seeking God and His righteousness even if it meant being in the minority and/or being labeled as “politically incorrect.” At heart level, Jehoshaphat loved God and His truth.
Ahab, on the other hand, did not love God or His truth. He had a spiritual affinity with these phoney prophets. So it’s quite understandable that he would hate Micaiah—“There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah” (22:8)—in other words, “He always tells the truth!”
Be aware that the same threat is with us today. Paul’s challenge to Timothy is worth reviewing. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).