In 1 Kings 22:17, Micaiah prophesied
seriously announcing that Israel would be defeated, and the people dispersed all
over the mountain. In the battle, Israel would be like a flock of sheep left
without a shepherd. Furthermore, he said that they would be left with no
master, implying that their king would be defeated and killed. So he plainly
told them to return to their home peacefully now. Seizing the moment to prove
his point, Ahab in verse 18 then turned to Jehoshaphat saying, “Did I not tell
you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
Continuing with his account in 1 Kings
22:19-23, Micaiah went on to recount a vision of a dramatic but tragic scene of
a conference between the LORD and
His angels. It was intended to expose the lie of Ahab’s 400 prophets. Micaiah
was pointing out that the false prophets would be used by a deceiving spirit to
prophesy falsely to the king. Disturbing as the account might be, it was shaped
firstly, to denounce the false and insincere prophets of Ahab. Secondly, it was
meant to warn Ahab against the false prophets and to discourage him from going
into battle to try and retake Ramoth-gilead. The passage shows God’s
sovereignty and that everything would happen within His jurisdiction.
However,
this account shows us the power of deception. When a person closes his mind to
truth, he becomes susceptible to deception. Like Ahab, people are more
susceptible to deception when they are prideful. When a prideful person’s mind
is already made up, he or she is not willing to listen to an honest evaluation.
Such a person would rather listen to a lie than humbly acknowledge that he or
she could be wrong. We all need the voice of truth. Always stay humble and
discerning. It is wise that we take to heart the words of 1 Corinthians
10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that
he does not fall.” Stay pliable to the Spirit of God and we will be less
susceptible to deception.
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