1 Kings 22 (Part 2) Bible Study (Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Let's pray together, shall we? Lord, we thank you that we get to be here as a family. This hunger for the word, this thirst for righteousness, it comes from you. And the fact that we get to sit here out of a desire with joy and anticipation, we give you the glory for that because we know what we're capable of. We know some of us know what we were like before we were saved and what our appetites were and what our longings and passions were.

But, Lord, you changed us. And we pray, Lord, that you would continue to change us tonight as we come to these concluding verses of this amazing book in your book. So Lord, we ask that you would apprehend every wayward thought, every, rebellious conviction, anything that would grieve the spirit. We pray that all of that would be dealt with by the fire, the water, the sword of your word. We want to know the full power that this word has to give to a willing vessel.

So we yield to you now. We do ask that in this delivery that there would be liberty, that there would be unction, that there would be a grace so that Christ would be exalted and that our hearts would be drawn to him individually and as a as a whole. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Meet me, please, in first Kings chapter 22.

And today, in our time together, we will be covering verse 13 down to verse 28. So meet me at verse 13. And if you are a student of the bible, you know this very well that there are many instances in the scriptures where we catch a glimpse of how our world parallels with an unseen realm, a spiritual realm to be exact. And based on what the word of God declares, this spiritual realm not only exists, but it interacts with and it influences events and people in this physical world. And there are staggering examples of this throughout the Bible.

And one of the strongest samples of the supernatural colliding with the natural is here in this very chapter. And at times, this realm works in obvious ways, ways that are undeniable, ways in which we, with these senses, perceive. But one thing is for certain whether we perceive what is happening or not, there is always a functioning there is always an operation that is behind the scenes. And the framing of that, the window in which we're gonna be able to look through to perceive that reality is provided here in summary as a platform in verse 10. We've touched on this last week but let's look at verse 10 once again.

Where we read now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones arrayed in robes at the threshing floor at the entrance of the Gate Of Samaria and all the prophets were prophesying before them. You and I with the king of Israel and the king of Judah await the arrival of another prophet. A man by the name of Micaiah. Micaiah had a special reputation. He was known as a true prophet of the Lord, and he had a tendency of speaking what Ahab did not like to hear.

Not for any other reason other than that he spoke what the Lord told him to speak and nothing else. And we're gonna learn a lot of things about this man of God named Micaiah, including what you just heard at the introduction of this study. That there is an unseen realm that is very real and very relevant to our day to day experience. So let's begin by reading the first five verses of this portion of scripture, and then we will do what we always do and take time to explore every verse in detail. And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king.

Let your word be like the word of one of them and speak favorably. But Micaiah said, as the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak. And when he had come to the king, the king said to Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle or shall we refrain? And he answered him, go up and triumph, the Lord will give it into the hand of the king. But the king said to him, how many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?

And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, these have no master, let each return to his home in peace. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me but evil? Let's stop there. Have you wondered in studying this text that when Jehoshaphat inquired about a true prophet of the Lord that Ahab did not bring up Elijah?

Did that ever cross your mind? Why didn't he include Elijah as a possible prophet to bring a true word from the true God? I think the best explanation is this, that Ahab, could never figure out where Elijah was. Right? He just arrives unannounced, and shortly after, he disappears for an undisclosed period of time.

Then he arrives again. So Elijah was very difficult to locate, and that was purposely done. So I believe the reason why Ahab brings up Micaiah is because he knew exactly where Micaiah was. Where was he? Well, you're gonna discover in the same study that Micaiah was apprehended by Ahab.

More likely that he was under house arrest, and then he would later be put into jail because of his unpopular sermon as we're about to study together. And so Micaiah was the choice servant to bring a word, a word from the Lord. And on his way, after this messenger was sent to Micaiah, this unnamed individual attempts to persuade Micaiah. Hey. Look.

You're gonna head into this atmosphere. And there are 400 prophets who are all saying the same thing, and you're gonna see the king of Israel and the king of Judah sitting on their thrones in their splendor. I suggest that you you say what these other messengers are saying. And we paused on that thought wondering, is this scene going to Ben Micaiah in another direction? Will the pressure of these prophets finally persuade him to cave?

Will the pomp and the grandeur of these kings as they sat there with their their robes, sway him? And we're gonna discover that it's not gonna move him an inch. You see, the temptation that Micaiah is facing here is not a unique it's not a unique temptation. It is a temptation that every single individual who believes and shares the truth will face at one point in their lives with a variety of pressure with it. Different degrees of intimidation and persecution or even persuasion.

And this request that this one individual makes to Micaiah actually ends up becoming a national request of the people of Israel in the days of Isaiah. I want you to see it in Isaiah chapter 30 look here at verse nine of Isaiah 30. There are gonna be a lot of jumping around here with different references. I couldn't help it just to see how the bible complements every passage is so moving to me, and so I want you to see it with me. And Isaiah 30 is one place in verse nine.

Look what the Holy Spirit says about that particular generation. Are you there with me? Good. For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord, who say to the seers seers is another word for prophets, do not see. And who say to the prophets, do not prophesy to us what is right.

Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy illusions. Leave the way. Turn aside from the path. Let us hear no more about the holy one of Israel.

Oh, there are so many things to draw out of this devastating commentary. The first is what caught my attention is how the prophet by the spirit identifies this generation as lying children. What are they lying about? I believe the context tells us exactly what they're lying about. That they claim to acknowledge God, but they refuse to know him and to understand him the way he desires to be understood.

They claim allegiance, but they refuse to apply how he presents himself in his true form and his complete character. They're liars. Because notice here that their protest is not that they didn't want to hear from the prophets at all. Is that what they said? Look here again at verse 10.

Who say to the seers, do not see, and to the prophets, do not prophesy. Doesn't stop there. Do not prophesy to us what is right. So the issue here is not with preaching, it's what's being preached. It's not the fact that there's a presence of a messenger, it's the message.

It's the content. And that is why they requested for a specific subject matter to be omitted from the prophet's message. What is it? Do not tell us anymore about the holy one of Israel. Even up to this point, God has identified himself and manifested himself in many ways, as a father, as a savior, redeemer, rock, provider, miracle worker.

So many ways. But there is one particular message that these people did not wanna hear about, and I say it's the same message that people don't wanna hear about today, the holiness of God. The holiness of God. We don't want to hear about how he is transcendent and different and pure. We don't wanna hear it.

We don't want our sin to be exposed in light of his character being expounded and declared. We don't wanna hear it. In other words, don't disturb our consciences. Speak to us smooth things. You know, there are entire ministries who operate under that philosophy that we just want to give smooth things and let people leave here coddled and and encouraged purely and not even a true encouragement.

And this is what they're asking for. Give that to us. That's what we want in this menu. That's what we want from these prophets. Has the demand changed in 2024?

It hasn't. You know this passage very well in second Timothy four three where Paul prophesies. He tells Timothy, who was a pastor, there is coming a time, Timothy, where a people will not endure sound teaching. That that tells me something, that at one point, they were able to endure it. At one point, they were listening to it, but they'll come to a point where they can no longer endure it.

Enough is enough. And what will they do as a result of that? They themselves will accumulate teachers to suit their own passions. You know, people know this verse, but they misinterpret it generally. People tend to think that what Paul is saying here is that there's coming a time where prophets will arise, false prophets, and they will persuade people away from the truth into myths.

That's not what Paul is talking about. Paul is not pointing the finger at wolves on platforms who are going to deceive the masses. He's actually condemning a people who out of their desire, out of their wanting to be deceived further, encouraging false prophets to arise. They will ask for these have you ever watched something, a ministry that you know is questionable, it's heretical, and you think, how are so many people in attendance? Why is there an audience?

And we would think, oh, because they're naive and because of the the charisma and the false promises and the false signs and wonders. That's why not always the case. Paul indicates that, yes, in other places, some are duped because of their naivety, but others are there because they want to be there. They want that. They want exactly what's being preached, though it's false.

It caters to exactly what they desire. And so as much as the Bible condemns false teachers, the Bible also condemns a people who make false teachers successful. Who are these false preachers if they didn't have an audience? The only reason why they get to continue is people still send their money, they still sit in those meetings, they still support them in various ways. And Paul speaks about a time where people will make a demand to be cemented in their deception.

And there is no shortage of people who will help make that possible. We come back here, and we realize that Micaiah was not one who would bend to any demand that caused for doctrinal dilution. I mean, with all the disappointment in the book of Kings, this man is exhilarating, and he's refreshing. Is he not? Here's this individual telling him, listen.

Just just say what they have to say. And he goes, I'm only gonna say what God tells me to say. And the integrity of this individual, I believe, is expounded upon by Paul and his teachings. There is a particular place in an epistle where Paul tells us the motives that a man of God will reject in his ministry in order to be effective and pleasing to God and truly fruitful to those who would benefit under his ministry. And in three sequential verses, you have three motives that Paul spells out that a true leader in the church, a true man of God, will denounce, will fight, will resist, will reject.

And though the context applies to preaching and preachers, it can be applied by any of us who serve the Lord in any capacity. Would you like to know the three motives that a man of god will reject as he stands in integrity before god and god's people? It's in first Thessalonians chapter two. One is found in verse four, another is found in verse five, and the other is found in verse six. And what's interesting is that following that, Paul speaks in the positive, and he says these these are the qualities that a man of God will adopt.

But we don't have time to go into the positive. Let's just deal with the negative. What will, like Micaiah, a true servant of God, reject in his faithful service to the Lord. Let's read beginning in verse four. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

That's the first thing. The first motive that a man of God will reject is the ambition to please man. And what Paul is speaking about here is an all out absorption. A priority to satisfy the wishes of others at any cost even at the expense of disappointing God. But a true man of God will have the goal of satisfying God's heart ultimately.

That's gonna be his drive. And and what he prepares to speak and how he deals with God's people, how he manages the resources of the ministry, how he lives with his family privately before the unbelieving world, what drives him in the morning, the energy of his soul is, I want to please my God, even if it means I'm gonna drive other people away as a result. He will know total contentment in that. That will be where he finds his true pleasure. In the decision that he makes and whatever he accomplishes, he knows that this brought true delight to God.

Whether people smile as a as a result of that or whether they frown is no concern to the true servant of the Lord. That doesn't that doesn't influence him. Because he's absolutely intoxicated by this one goal and that is making sure that his God and his will was made true. That's not the only thing, look at the second thing. Verse five, for we never came with words of flattery as you know, nor with a pretext for greed.

So the first thing that a man of God will reject in maintaining the integrity of his ministry is he's not gonna please man as his ambition. The second thing is that he will not use ministry as a means to become wealthy. He will not have this aspiration to become rich through his ministry. Notice that flattery is mentioned in the same breath. Right?

He speaks about not using words of flattery, and then he talks about not coming with a pretext for greed, indicating that there are some who put on a mask of kindness, who will lace their words with unusual encouragement and uplifting comments as a deceptive tactic to gain some support from others. On an individual basis, in simple conversation, and even from a public stance where they they preach in a manner in which they know that they will win more support. They will win more financial support, more specifically. And a true man of God listen to this very carefully. When he enrolls in ministry and when he endures in ministry, his ambition is not money.

It's not promotion. It's not a salary. It's not royalty fees. It's none of that. It's the salvation of souls and the glory of God.

That's what he's consumed by. And a true man of God at the same time as he surrenders in his service to the Lord will be completely at rest in trusting in God's providential provision for him. I can testify on a personal basis. God has taken care of me all these years. God has taken care of me.

And I've seen him taking care of so many others. And it's true for you whether you're in full time ministry or not. Is it not? But this is specifically about those who fall into the temptation of catering to the donors in the church, especially the bigger donors or to a salary to try to impress the board. He will never allow such influences to alter his allegiance to the word of God.

Never. If he's if he's gonna speak somewhere, he's never gonna allow the amount of an honorarium. Whether that is even given in the first place, to determine the degree of his sacrifice as he serves in that context. Money doesn't move a man of God. It doesn't.

If it's there, it's there. If it's not there, it's not there. What consumes him are eternal things. And the greatest men of God, the men of God who have been free from scandal and who had the greatest empowerment of God upon their ministries were those who knew how to have appropriate understanding and relations with this thing called money. That's not the only thing that a man of God will reject in order to maintain the integrity of his ministry, to be effective for God and fruitful for God's people.

Look at verse six. Nor did we seek glory from people, echoing what he says in verse four. But there's something else here. Whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. So we're a bible study.

I have every right to ask these questions. What is the first thing that a man of God will reject as he serves the Lord in order to maintain the integrity of his ministry? He will not seek to please man. What's the second thing? He will not use his ministry or his gifts to satisfy his greed.

He will not allow the aspiration to become wealthier to influence his service to the Lord. And the third thing is this, a man of God will reject leveraging his authority to make burdensome demands on the people that he is called to serve. In other words, a man of God will reject the lust for power. The lust for power. And it's a very real lust.

You think lust for money is is a real temptation for ministers? No. Power is up there. Power is up there. And and there are some who, when they are entrusted with the gospel, they taste the respect that they get from people.

They begin to realize the admiration that comes just by virtue of their position. And they now manipulate others through it. And some do so through spiritual abuse, some by guilt tripping. But the real way that a servant of God will encourage people in any direction is through humility. It's through humility.

I can't help about one instance where Paul spoke to an individual named Philemon. Philemon had a servant named Onesimus. Onesimus escaped him. He hurt Philemon. He became a believer under Paul's preaching, and Paul's writing to Philemon encouraging him to receive his servant again.

And he says this in Philemon verse eight. There are no chapters in verse eight and nine. This just echoes Paul's attitude in what he says here in first Thessalonians two six. This isn't this isn't part of the Bible study, but it came to mind. In Philemon verse eight, I want you to see what he says to this man.

If it's not gonna come up there, then we'll just read it here. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required. Do you see what he's saying there? As an apostle, I can write to you with a different tone. And I can demand, I can command you to comply with my desires, with my leadership.

But what does he say instead? Look at verse nine. Yet for love's sake, I prefer to appeal to you. I'm not gonna twist your arm. I'm not gonna threaten you.

I'm not gonna intimidate you, but I'm gonna appeal to you. Do you see how he lowers himself? Do you see that he doesn't utilize his authority? I mean, an apostle, one of the apostles who would lay the foundation of the church, and this is how he's speaking to others. I, Paul, an old man I love that.

An old man. Old man, and he's a prisoner. If God makes me an old man, I don't mind having the same future as Paul for the gospel's sake. You see that? Yeah.

For love's sake, I prefer to appeal to you. To appeal to you. Remember at the end of there in Corinthians when he he asked Apollos to visit the Corinthian Church and Apollos said, I don't wanna go. And Paul says there at the end of the letter, I I didn't force him to go. He'll come when he's ready.

That's a true leader. He's a push and shove. He doesn't stand above. He comes down and he he he serves and he appeals and he persuades with gentleness and humility. But not all ministers operate that way.

And Paul says, we didn't come to you in this manner. And he says, our demands even influence our refusal to request glory from you. You know, there are people who who when they're introduced, they want all the accolades. They want they want just this amazing kind of presentation. And Paul said, we weren't like that.

We didn't we didn't want anything from you. We're not fishing for anything. We're not moved by your praise or lack of praise. We don't care about titles and what you call us and and listening about what we've accomplished and telling other people about it. We do not care.

My satisfaction is from the Lord alone. And we can continue to discuss the positives, but we have to come back to our main text so we can finish. So we come back to first Kings 22. Right? And we read here in verse 14 what Micaiah says.

I believe the New Testament expounds on this kind of mindset. And Micaiah finally arrives. Verse 15, and when he had come to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle or shall we refrain? And he answered him, go up and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.

Do you think Macani is being serious here? No. He's being sarcastic. I wonder how he said it. This This is one of the places where I wish there was an audio version of it, the original audio.

How did he say it? I wonder if it was like, go up and triumph. The Lord will give it to the hand of the king. However he said it, Ahab had enough sense to realize that he wasn't meaning what he was saying because of his response. He says, but the king said to him, how many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?

How many times? You know what that indicates? This isn't the first time Micaiah has spoken to the king in this way. So already, we have an idea of his personality. He has a humorous personality.

So Micaiah has pulled this stunt off before where he's like, I know what you wanna hear so let me just tell you what you wanna hear. And Ahab said he just cuts him off there. He goes, how many times do we gotta tell you? Now look at this. Whatever you feel about Micaiah's strategy here, it exposes something about Ahab.

And Ahab's answer, he indirectly confesses something terrible about himself. Right? Because he says, how many times shall I make you swear you speak to me nothing but the truth? This is why we have to read our Bible slowly. Do you see what he's saying here?

I'm asking you to speak to me the truth in the name of the Lord. So let's step back here. Micaiah initially echoes what the 400 false prophets said, and they all said go up to battle in Ramoth Gilead. When Ahab hears it, he rejects it and he says, I'm asking you to speak the truth to me, Micaiah. So what's the equation?

Based on this demand, he is obviously implying that what the false prophets are saying was false. Right? Which tells me that Ahab knew it was false, and he still wanted to abide by what was false. Some people are naive, unlearned, simple, and they get deceived. Other people are deceived because they wanna be deceived.

I know that's hard for you to imagine, but it's it's not. It's not. You see instances of it in the scriptures, and it's only become gonna become increasingly true as we approach the culmination of the age. And if you doubt that this is how Ahab is thinking, scroll down to verse 30 very quickly. And this is when him and Jehoshaphat and the armies of Israel are ready to go to battle.

And notice what king Ahab says to Jehoshaphat, and we'll explore this next weekend. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. What a snake. So you dress up as a king, Jehoshaphat, I'm gonna dress up as a soldier.

So I'm camouflaged more. And if they're obviously gonna be looking for the king, it'll be harder to find me. Now why would you do this unless something about what Micaiah said resonated with you? Down deep inside, you knew that there was something true about Micaiah's prophecy as we're about to read in a moment here. Essentially, where he says, if you go to battle, you're gonna die.

So Ahab and his pride still goes into Ramoth Gilead, but he feels as though I gotta I gotta do something to make sure that what the Lord said about my faith will not come to pass. So you're essentially admitting that it's true. It's true. There are many who are in their sin. There are many who are also in false beliefs, and they know it.

And for a variety of reasons, whether that be pride, whether that be persecution, whether that be pleasure, they are willing to stay in that sin. They are willing to remain in that false belief even if it kills them. Even if it kills them. And so don't look at Ahab as just a unique case, as an anomaly. No.

Millions are thinking the same way Ahab is thinking. So he says, speak to me the truth. You want the truth, Ahab? You're gonna get the truth. Look what he says in verse 17, Micaiah.

And he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd. Does that sound familiar to you? It should. I saw Israel all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, these have no master, let each return to his home in peace. Pause.

Micaiah now switches from sarcasm to seriousness, and he's gonna answer, Ahab's request for truth by giving two visions. The first one is what we just read here. The next one is going to explain the reason for why this parable is going to be fulfilled. And the parable is very obvious, is it not? He says, I see the people scattered like sheep without a shepherd, without a leader.

And Ahab was smart enough to understand what Micaiah was trying to convey. Israel will be scattered though they're gonna be okay though, right? Because they're gonna be able to go home in peace. Israel will be scattered but they will have no master. So what's the code?

Why will they have no master? Why will they have no leader? Because he's gonna die. He's gonna be removed from the scene. And that's why right after this, he goes, see?

Didn't I tell you, George, about this? God doesn't say anything nice about me. So he understood what he was saying here. And we find similar language being used about the condition of the nation of Israel during the days of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's found in Matthew nine thirty six if you write down these references.

But let me just read it to you to remind you. Says here in Matthew nine thirty six, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Just as Ahab's death would create an instability for the people of Israel, The spiritual deadness of the religious leaders in Jesus' day would have clear consequences and a significant impact on the people as well. What's more dangerous? What's more dangerous?

When you have weak politicians who leave the people vulnerable in the natural? Or when you have spiritually dead leaders who endanger the souls of people? I hope you know the right answer. And I I argue that a nation is in greater peril not when they have inadequate people in the White House, but when you have inadequate leaders in God's house. When you have hirelings instead of true shepherds.

Because whatever is happening in this election year and the future elections to come only deals with this life and this life alone. What happens with the truth being heralded and explained or lack thereof deals with your eternity. So like sheep without a shepherd in the context of of first Kings 22, though there is an element of spirituality there because they were a theocracy, mainly speaks about a king being removed and now the people feeling the obvious consequences of that. When Jesus saw the people, the the nation of Israel, his heart was moved with compassion because they had no spiritual leadership or guidance, And that has far greater ramifications than if you don't have somebody at all in or as the commander in chief. I don't want my heart to be less stirred about what's happening in the spiritual aspect of this nation than what's happening in the political world.

Micaiah gives this first parable. He says, look. You're you're gonna be out of here very soon. And how does he answer? Look at verse 18.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me about evil? Well, you asked for it. You asked for the truth. Are you willing to receive the truth no matter how it makes you feel? Now there are some people who say, I want biblical exposition.

I want verse by verse. And then when that Sunday comes along where they speak about something that affects you personally, then then you're upset. Right? If you if you're gonna want the truth, you have to take the whole truth. But now he comes to his second vision.

And this is not a parable. This is a real event that's going to explain why what's about to happen is going to happen. Let let's read it in its entirety from verse 18 or 19 rather down to 23. And Micaiah said, therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.

And the Lord said, who will entice Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord saying, I will entice him. And the Lord said to him, by what means? And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.

Notice that he's saying all his prophets. They're not God's prophets. And he said, you are to entice him, and you shall succeed. Go out and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets.

They're not my prophets. Your prophets, the Lord has declared disaster for you. There are many ways to go about this very staggering picture, this vision. I wanna approach it by providing four vital observations. Four vital observations.

There are many others, but I wanna just present four for the sake of time. The first thing that you and I can take first truth that we can take from this passage is obvious. It speaks about the sovereignty of God. So here's Micaiah. Right?

And he's standing before two kings sitting in their portable thrones at the gate at Samaria. And the first thing that he says here in verse 19, I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. Yeah. I'm speaking to you, but I'm telling you that I appeal to and I saw a throne greater than yours. The one sitting on that throne is greater.

The throne itself is greater. And so right away, he makes this call and he reminds these two kings that there is one who sits above them, and there is one who demands and governs whether they agree or not. I'm reminded of Isaiah six. What happened in Isaiah six, the year that King Uzziah died? Isaiah has a vision of one who is sitting upon a throne and he is high and lifted up.

And he had that vision in the revelation of what? When king Uzziah was brought down, when he was removed from the throne. And that's a picture of God being in control even when leaders that we depend on fall. He's still in control. But now Micaiah, not Isaiah, but Micaiah, he sees the same Lord on the same throne, but in a different context.

Not when thrones were vacant, but when evil, incompetent, compromising kings were ruling. And as much as God was in control when there was no one on the throne, God is just as much in control when people who shouldn't be on the throne are on the throne. He's sovereign all the way through. He's sovereign all the way through when leaders are living the way they should be living, when they're not, or when there are no leaders, he's still on his throne. So the first vision, the first thing from this vision is the truth of God's sovereignty, but that's not the only thing.

Secondly, we learn about the wide range of God's resources and instruments and executing his will. So Micaiah has this vision of what? Really a heavenly council. He walked into this heavenly board meeting so to speak. And interestingly, he he sees the Lord on his throne and he sees a vast amount of angelic beings on his right and a vast amount of angelic beings to his left.

And he wants to summon an agent to be the means of judgment against Ahab. So he asked, who will do it? And some are talking and there's conversation happening. Finally, one spirit, we're told, approaches the throne. And he says, I'll entice him.

And the Lord says, by what means? I'll I'll be a a lying spirit. He was a lying spirit. But I I will put these lies in the mouths of his prophets, and they will convince him to his own demise. What do we make of this?

Here's what we make of it. First things first, this is not the Lord, and this would be a terrible way to apply this text. This is not the Lord showing that he requires the counsel of others even if they're supernatural creatures. Why? Because the Bible testifies otherwise.

This is the reference that came to mind when I was reading this. If anybody would try to use this as ammunition against the omniscience of God, they don't know their bibles. Because in Isaiah 40 verse thirteen and fourteen, here's what the spirit says about the spirit of the Lord. Who is God? Who has measured his who has measured the spirit of the Lord?

Who or what man shows him his counsel? Isaiah 40 verse 14. Whom did he consult? And who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice and taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding?

Answer, no one. No one. No one can tell God something that he doesn't know. Nobody can give God instruction. He knows everything.

He knows how to do everything perfectly. And so the idea that God is there in heaven because he is, missing some information or he feels like he doesn't know how to deal with this Ahab issue is totally wrong. It's erroneous. It's crazy. Instead, what you do see here is that God as the lofty one is sovereign and supreme over all things, seen and unseen.

Holy angels and demons. Because these are not all holy angels in his presence. You understand that. Right? You have a mixed attendance.

You have some who are holy creatures, and you have some who are evil. And that kind of baffles people's imaginations because they think how can evil beings be in the presence of God. Tell me a book where that's that happened. Exactly. Job.

And that is continually gonna be the case where you have Satan and his minions access to the throne until you read the book of Revelation where they're gonna be cast to the earth and they're gonna know that their time is short, and so his venom is only gonna intensify before we come to the return of Christ. So you have this demonic being saying, I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets. And the Lord, not the author of sin, the Lord, not the author of evil, will often allow evil to be a means to a righteous end. And so he permits it. And if you think this is the only time that God will do something like this, there is coming a time that Paul prophesies about in another place when the antichrist will come and the masses will be deceived and you think people are deceived now?

You have no idea the confusion and the spiritual anarchy that's coming. Why? Can I tell you why? Because Paul said in second Thessalonians two eleven, therefore God God sends them a strong delusion. Who permits the strong delusion?

God. Is God a deceiver? No. God God is pure. He's light.

He's holy. That's why you have to interpret the bible carefully. God will send them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false. Why would God do that? Does he want all men to be saved?

He does all want all men to be saved, but there's a reason why. In order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So this is God's response to a continual hardening against the truth where what they ultimately desire will be given by God as an act of vengeance and judgment, Which is the third observation of our passage in first Kings 22. The first one being God's sovereignty, the second one being the vast way, the wide spectrum of God's sovereign will being executed on the earth. But thirdly, God will give men what they want.

Is this the first time that God is dealing with Ahab? No. We've studied week after week after week of how much Ahab witnessed the manifestations of God's goodness, his power, proving himself over and over, I'm the truth. Your beliefs and your behavior are way off Ahab, and Ahab continually stiffened his neck and refused to surrender to the Lord. And we discovered about Ahab that by his own admission, what these false prophets are saying was untrue, and he's still willing to believe them.

So God says, you want to be deceived? Here's some more deception. You wanna reject me over and over again? You wanna refuse to repent? Though my light has shown favorably upon you time after time after time, if you wanna live in a lie, if you wanna still live in that place of darkness, then here you go.

What this teaches us is that God will eventually give men over to their desires, and that's not a gracious thing, that's an act of judgment. And that's in part why church discipline is church discipline the way it is. That if a person is unrepentant in the church and they wanna remain in that state though they've been approached by one believer, then a a set of believers, then the church. What does Jesus say? If they don't want to embrace the law of the kingdom of God, then let them go into the domain of darkness.

And let them see what it's like to be in that domain of darkness ultimately for them to repent and unfortunately some people don't repent. So it's it's this law in in the way God works with man that he is intensely gracious and merciful and he persuades and he pulls, and sometimes he moves in power. But when you continue to say, no, no, no. Okay. If you don't want me, here's your alternative, option.

If you don't want truth, here's lies. If you don't want holiness, here's unholiness. And that's why when you read the book of Revelation near the end, he says, let him who is filthy still be filthy. Have you ever read that verse? Let him who is holy remain holy.

As though at the end of the book, at the end of describing the end of all things, if a man has been exposed to all those things and still wants to be in sin, okay then stay in sin. Stay in unrighteousness. But the fourth and final point of this passage that I wanna draw for you and I is that God is merciful. How would you how would you explain God's mercy in this proclamation of judgment against Ahab? Any idea?

He's still alive. He's still alive. Sure. He warned him. He's telling him what's about to happen.

He's he's telling him, I had a vision of the Lord, these are the false prophets. There's a demon operating through them. Like Ahab is hearing this. And they're gonna convince you to your own detriment, Ahab. So Ahab is Ahab is receiving one final appeal from God.

Don't miss that. The Lord could have executed this plan without Ahab's knowledge, but instead he pulls away the curtain. He says, I'm showing you what this is really about. I'm letting you know that your fate has been sealed, but will this move you in any way, Ahab? Like imagine of a true prophet coming to you saying, this afternoon you're gonna die because of your sins.

You love lies, so God's gonna give you over to a lie that will actually kill you. If that's being conveyed to you, that's that's meant to stir you, surely. So what what's Ahab gonna do? How is he going to respond? Because as much as you see the Lord seated on his transcendent throne governing both the seen and the unseen, you also see a God of immense grace communicating to Ahab even in this.

Extending mercy. Because God God gets more pleasure in extending mercy than than thundering his judgment. You would think, like, you're you're almost, like, exhausted with Ahab. I am, at least. It's it's Ahab and Saul.

Those two are still on the top of my list of guys that just they take my breath away, not in a good way. So you think, okay. After this, after this vision is wrapped up, Ahab's gonna fall to his knees. He's gonna rip his robe. He's gonna cry out to God.

No. Look at verse 24. Then Zedekiah, the son of Canaan came near and struck Michaiah on the cheek and said, how did the spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you? And Michaiah said, behold, you shall see on that day when you go in a chain inner chamber and hide to hide yourself. So that's what he tells Zedekiah.

So imagine, like, you you just shared what the Lord told you to speak, and somebody gets out of the pew and they extend their arms, and you think they're gonna give you a hug and instead they slap you in the face. And composed, he looks at Zedekiah and he goes, you're gonna realize that what I said is true, and you're gonna find yourself in a fetal position in the corner of your inner chamber. How does Ahab respond? Verse 26, and the king of Israel said, seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son. And say, thus says the king, put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water until I come in peace.

I can just envision this this last part. And Micaiah said, if you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me and he said, hear all you peoples. I wonder if he said that while he was being dragged by the heels and dust is flying up in the air. But go back again to what he originally said to him in verse 26. And the king said, seize Micaiah and take him back.

Take him back to Ammon, the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son. So he came from somewhere. So he was obviously apprehended. He was obviously being supervised by this administration, and he's not telling him only go back. He's saying when he goes back, put him in worse conditions and make sure he gets meager rations.

That's going to be his payment for this prophecy. Now if that is the case where Micaiah was already arrested and under unpleasant circumstances and he came out because he's supposed to give a word to Ahab, that just adds to this man's integrity and credibility and character. Because on top of the pressure of the false prophets who are saying, go and you will devour, you will win, you will subdue, and the presence of these kings, you also had the potential opportunity of escaping house arrest. So it's not just those two things, not just the prophets and the kings. It's your present circumstances where now you have this little window of opportunity to just say what they all are saying and to reinforce it even if he doesn't believe you at first and potentially Ahab would say, Micaiah, this is the first time that you said something that I like.

Tell Ammon and tell my son, to release Micaiah. He's free to go. I wonder if that swirled in his mind at any point. But it doesn't influence him one bit. Neither does the fact that after he gives this prophecy, he says, you're actually gonna go into a real jail and this is what your daily diet is gonna look like.

You would think that somebody who receives even a worse sentence would say, you know, did I say that was a vision from the Lord? Actually, no no no. Go up to Ramoth Gilead King Ahab. Imagine being in jail for two years and then you have a chance to stand before the judge and after what you said is to go to jail for twenty years now. Now you feel a little bit more.

It's not just a Sunday school story. Feel it. Put yourself in his shoes. How was he able to do this? How was he able to endure?

Despite all the external even internal potential struggle, how was he able to still with boldness and courage and faithfulness say, this is what the Lord said. I'm gonna stick with it no matter what it costs me. Can I tell you what I believe one major contribution is? The vision he had. Surely that played something.

Surely that influenced him as much as it was supposed to influence his audience. The Lord sitting upon his throne. He's the one who ultimately determines the fate of this whole thing. He's the one who writes the story, not these kings. And if that's true for Israel and the people of Israel, surely it's true for me as an individual servant of his.

You Listen, I'm ending here. Your perception of God will influence absolutely everything, even how you suffer. How you experience the suffering, how you endure the suffering. What will make all the difference is how you see the one that you serve. This man saw the Lord sitting on the throne.

And so when more punishment was granted to him, it didn't push him. Didn't pull him. He was exactly where he was when this thing all started. And so the way to end this bible study is to ask the Lord to sharpen our perception of him. For that to really have an impact and not to give you a greater chance at winning bible trivia.

To actually have it move your soul to the point where when you're visited by persecution, problems, prosperity even. I serve God. It doesn't move me. All for men and even women of God like that in this day. In the same way Micaiah was refreshing to us, we need great refreshment in this time and hour that's gonna ultimately derive from servants of God who say, what the Lord says, that's what I'm gonna do.

Whether it comes with reward or not, whether I feel like it or not, it does not make a difference to me. Oh, that there would be more of such in this place and beyond. Let's pray. As you have your head bowed and your heart bowed before the Lord, can I ask you a question, a reflective question? What part of the bible study touched you?

What part spoke to you? Now identify that and then pray it. Identify that and then pray it. Pray it to be true of you. Pray for it to be not true in you.

Lord, we ask you tonight that you would make us like this man, immovable and steadfast. Lord, perhaps for some of us in here, all it takes is the opinion of our fathers or mothers or our siblings to make us doubt our faith. For others, it's a certain amount of money that will cause us to dwindle in our devotion. Lord, for others, humble service is unattractive and we want position and power and authority. Because we couldn't get it in the world, we might take advantage of the church to satisfy our our desires.

Lord, just wash over us, please. Cleanse us and make us clean, completely clean. Lord, in the same way Paul could say, God is my witness. God who tests our hearts. Regardless of what men may say or not say, may you be able to look upon us and be pleased.

Thank you that your son's righteousness is ours, but Lord we wanna live out his righteousness. Make it possible for us. Finally, Lord, help us see that you are high above all else. Help us believe that. Not just over the affairs of this world, the politics, the banks, the education system, the wars happening in this very day and hour.

Lord, we're asking for our own lives. Help us really believe that you're you're governing every single aspect of who we are. And for this, we rejoice. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

Let's stand together. Let's worship the lord almighty.