If there’s one thing we value in our household over most anything else, it’s honesty. We work very hard to instill the value of truth within the children in our home. We value it so much that disciplines will be either diminished or completely forgiven by the simple act of telling the truth.
I couldn’t count the number of conversations that I’ve had with children telling them, “Things will be much better if you just tell me the truth.” However, there are still too many occasions in which I have two children in timeout because something happened and I can’t seem to trust either one of them to tell me the truth.
There have also been occasions in which I have two different stories but one of the children has a history of telling the truth while the other has a history of lying. In such cases, I often take the trustworthy story. I then take the teaching opportunity to once again tell the child in timeout the importance of telling the truth.
Unfortunately, as much as we stress the importance of truth in our home, society doesn’t always give truth the same weight. It seems that a good portion of American society is perfectly content to bend the truth in order to get what they want. Whether it’s receiving too much change from the cashier or ignoring an unbilled item on your receipt, many Americans are content to sweep these little white lies under the rug. We lie about our age. We lie on our resumes. We do it under the mantle of convenience. We do it to get ahead.
We understand the importance of truth, but many times we ignore that in order to get what we want. It’s for this reason that heroes such as Superman began fighting for “Truth, justice, and the American way.” Truth is a virtue that immediately raises people to a higher level and a higher standard.
However, many powerful figures throughout history have not valued truth as they ought to have. Within the history of Israel, King Ahab is known as possibly the worst king. He and his wife Jezebel had many run ins with the prophets of God. It’s one such encounter that I want us to take a look at today.
In 1 Kings 22, after three years of peace, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, comes down to Ahab, king of Israel, and begins to discuss the possibility of going to war with the king of Aram. They agreed that it was in the best interest of both kingdoms.
We’re told that King Jehoshaphat was a good king and that he did what was pleasing in the eyes of the LORD. It should come as no surprise then to see that before going to war with King Ahab, he requests “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.” (1 Kings 22:5). King Ahab brings in his prophets, about four hundred, and asks them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?”. They tell him, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.” (1 Kings 22:6).
It’s not quite known why, but King Jehoshaphat was not content with this declaration. Some say that it might have been because the prophets declared the word of Adonai (another name for God) while he requested prophets of Jehovah (God’s common name). Maybe it was the demeanor in which they pronounced it. Maybe God he was in tune with God and just knew something was off, but after hearing these prophecies, King Jehoshaphat inquired, “Is there not also a prophet of the LORD here? We should ask him the same question.” (1 Kings 22:7).
King Ahab admits that there is still one other prophet, Micaiah. However, he lets his self-consumed temperament show. He complains that he doesn’t like him because he never prophesies anything good for him. Nevertheless, Micaiah is called to prophesy before the two kings. Along the way, the messenger has a word with him and encourages him to go along with all of the other prophets, and Micaiah’s response marks him as a true prophet of God (1 Kings 22:13-14).
At first glance, it may seem as if this messenger is telling Micaiah simply go along to get along… Okay, that’s exactly what he’s doing, but we have to imagine that he has the best of intentions. It’s easy for us in the land of freedom to say that we need to stick to our guns and tell those in authority what we really think. However, Micaiah is facing more than bad publicity or not making nice with his governing body.
At this point King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had been killing many of God’s prophets. Clearly they were not above killing prophets for no reason. Being the king, Ahab needed no reason to put Micaiah to death. The messenger’s plea to Micaiah then is more than a simple “go along to get along,” and more of a “go along and maybe you’ll get to live.”
While the messenger was away retrieving Micaiah, the two kings sat on their thrones near the gate where major decisions were made. During this time Ahab’s four hundred prophets declare to him, “Yes, go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the LORD will give the king victory!” (1 Kings 22:12). It’s interesting to note then the dialogue between Micaiah and King Ahab.
Upon his arrival, King Ahab asks Micaiah the same question as the other prophets, “should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?” (1 Kings 22:15). Interestingly enough, Micaiah’s response is exactly the same as the four hundred prophets, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the LORD will give the king victory!”
Maybe he said it in a sarcastic tone or maybe King Ahab had had enough dealings with Micaiah to know, but he wasn’t buying it. He bids him, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the LORD?” (1 Kings 22:16), so Micaiah lays it all on him (1 Kings 22:17).
Clearly the shepherd referred to here is Ahab, king of Israel. Essentially this is a prophecy that Ahab will die in battle if he goes against the King of Aram. This isn’t the first prophecy regarding Ahab’s death either.
In 1 Kings 20:42 a prophet of God declares that God has determined that Ahab will die. Elijah then prophesies similarly in 1 Kings 21. Here we see Micaiah putting a definite timeline in place for King Ahab’s death, and what is his response? “‘Didn’t I tell you?’ the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. ‘He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.’” (1 Kings 22:18).
He has just been told for the third time that he is going to die, and his response is, “See! He never says anything good about me!” Needless to say, he doesn’t heed Micaiah’s warning. Instead, he throws Micaiah in prison and orders that he receive nothing but bread and water until he returns safely from battle.
None of us face the kind of opposition and threats that Micaiah faced for speaking the words of God. I preach to the church every week, and I never fear that I will be thrown into prison for my declaration of God’s word. We have such freedom to speak yet we quiver in fear of social acceptance and remain silent.
When was the last time you spoke out against some unrighteous act or declared to someone outside the church the words of God? I’ll admit, I’m guilty of this too. It’s all too easy to go with the flow and not rock the boat.
Granted, there are times when the topic doesn’t come up and it would not be well received to declare, “Thus saith the Lord!” But when the topic does come up, when God’s spirit is moving you to speak, do you speak? Of course, you have to be in tune with God’s Spirit through prayer and reading the scriptures to know when he’s speaking to you. But are you willing to declare God’s word or are you scared of the social implications?
Knowing full well the kind of king that Ahab was, Micaiah had determined before the conversation began that he would not back down. He boldly declared, “I will say only what the LORD tells me to say.” His commitment to God landed him in prison with only bread and water to eat.
Micaiah was willing to speak the words of God no matter the cost. Can you say the same thing about yourself? Maybe it’s speaking up amongst workplace conversations. Maybe it’s that conversation that you’ve been putting off for quite some time. Maybe it’s just having the courage to speak to that cashier or bank teller. Whatever it is, God has placed in us a word for someone we know. Are you willing to speak the words of God even if it means you might be embarrassed? Micaiah was thrown into prison for speaking God’s words to King Ahab. Yet he faithfully communicated them. Can you say the same?