From time to time we are faced with a single decision that may have lifelong consequences. I am so inspired by this story each time I read it, as well as convicted in my personal representation of Christ.
I Kings 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the
Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
There is no need to look far when looking for a war
story in the Bible. Just as any war
movie, the stories recorded in the Bible are full of both good and evil
characters.
Ahab, king of Israel, was a king who did evil in the
eyes of the Lord (I Kings 21:20). It is
recorded that there was never a man like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in
the eyes of the Lord, urged on by his evil wife, Jezebel (vs. 25).
Ahab was unable to see his own sin against God. Blinded by envy and hatred, he thought that
true men of God were his enemy.
When Ahab wanted to fight against Ramoth Gilead, he
asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah to go to war with him. Jehoshaphat agreed that he would if Ahab
would first seek the counsel of the Lord.
So the king of Israel brought together about four
hundred prophets to ask them if he should go to war against Ramoth Gilead. However, the prophets were not prophets of
the Lord and they in turn all told him what he wanted to hear, “Go,” they
answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of
the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “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.” (I Kings 22:7&8)
So they sent for Micaiah, son of Imlah. Those who were sent for him filled him in on
what was happening and coached him on what he was to prophesy to King Ahab by
saying to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for
the king. Let your word agree with
theirs, and speak favorably.” (vs. 13)
Micaiah’s next words are not prefaced by sharing
with us the inner battle he must have been feeling. Instead we are told that Micaiah said, “As
surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
Micaiah went on to describe to the king what
the Lord had shown him and how the Lord had given permission for a lying
spirit to go out into the mouths of all the other prophets.
Had there been a popularity contest at that moment,
Micaiah would have surely lost. Although
he was outnumbered 400 to 1, he told the king that all the other prophets were liars. And for speaking the truth, going against the
popular vote, he was put in prison and given nothing but bread and water.
Sometimes the cost of being a disciple requires
everything we have, possibly our very lives.
As the story continues, we learn that Micaiah was
right and the false prophets were wrong.
Micaiah went on to serve the Lord as did his
children.
Micaiah’s story stops me dead in my tracks. I am forced to ask myself, “Am I willing to
be obedient to follow God regardless the cost?
Am I willing to lose a popularity contest when truth must be spoken?”
Like Micaiah, I pray that our legacy of richness in
truth and servitude for our Lord will be passed down to our children; each
generation reaching the next generation as we choose to spend our lives living
boldly, speaking the truth of the Gospel, regardless the cost.
Stay the Course...
Sheila Cote
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