The second item to notice about Micaiah is his responsibility (22:10-14). This is where the story turns into a fiasco. While Ahab and Jehoshaphat wait for Micaiah to arrive, they sit upon their thrones by the gate in Samaria. All four-hundred prophets are prophesying before them (22:10). You can just imagine how hectic it would be to hear four-hundred different people speaking at the same time. Amid this crazy scene, a man named Zedekiah spoke up and made horns of iron for himself. These horns symbolize power and domination, which is proven by what he says: Ahab and Jehoshaphat would gore the Syrians until they were destroyed (22:11; ZIBBC OT 3). This man illustrates the lengths these prophets will go to appease Ahab’s desire to fight (22:12). Because of this, all of the other prophets encourage Ahab to fight. They understand that you do not upset the king; you give him what he asks. Now, as Micaiah is brought onto the scene, the messenger bringing him asks Micaiah to speak like the other prophets are (22:13).
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Again, this man understands what happens when you displease the king. He does not want to see Ahab get upset and kill someone. Yet, Micaiah’s reply to the messenger’s request goes against this mindset. He tells the man that whatever the Lord tells him to speak, that is what he will speak (22:14). This is where we find another great lesson from Micaiah. Here is a man that recognized his responsibility to speak God’s word to His people. In the situation he faced, it would have been easy for him to appease Ahab and leave the scene without consequence. Keep in mind that four-hundred false prophets are all telling Ahab he will succeed and Micaiah alone dissents. How would you react in this situation? Now, we will probably never stand before two kings and have to utter God’s word against them. But there are plenty of situations in which we may find ourselves where it is difficult to remember our responsibility to be honest. Just consider a story wherein a certain woman works for a dishonest employer. The employer asks her to forge receipts so that he can acquire more profit. Instead of doing what he says and keeping her job, the woman decides to report his dishonesty to the Better Business Bureau. The employer’s business is closed, and the woman loses her job. What would you do in this situation? Consider another story related to our responsibility to be honest. A certain man was being unfaithful to his wife. One day, she questions him about why he has stayed at work for three hours longer than normal for the past two weeks. Instead of deceiving her to spare feelings, he opens up to her and comes clean about his adultery. Because he was honest, he and his wife got counseling and resolved their problems. Again, what would you do in such a situation? It is not always easy to be honest in the situations we have seen. In the case of Micaiah, he was risking his life to speak God’s word. In the story about the woman and her employer, she lost her job because of her honesty. In the story about the man and his wife, she could have lawfully divorced him because he was unfaithful. Yet, despite the consequences, we must recognize our responsibility to
Again, this man understands what happens when you displease the king. He does not want to see Ahab get upset and kill someone. Yet, Micaiah’s reply to the messenger’s request goes against this mindset. He tells the man that whatever the Lord tells him to speak, that is what he will speak (22:14). This is where we find another great lesson from Micaiah. Here is a man that recognized his responsibility to speak God’s word to His people. In the situation he faced, it would have been easy for him to appease Ahab and leave the scene without consequence. Keep in mind that four-hundred false prophets are all telling Ahab he will succeed and Micaiah alone dissents. How would you react in this situation? Now, we will probably never stand before two kings and have to utter God’s word against them. But there are plenty of situations in which we may find ourselves where it is difficult to remember our responsibility to be honest. Just consider a story wherein a certain woman works for a dishonest employer. The employer asks her to forge receipts so that he can acquire more profit. Instead of doing what he says and keeping her job, the woman decides to report his dishonesty to the Better Business Bureau. The employer’s business is closed, and the woman loses her job. What would you do in this situation? Consider another story related to our responsibility to be honest. A certain man was being unfaithful to his wife. One day, she questions him about why he has stayed at work for three hours longer than normal for the past two weeks. Instead of deceiving her to spare feelings, he opens up to her and comes clean about his adultery. Because he was honest, he and his wife got counseling and resolved their problems. Again, what would you do in such a situation? It is not always easy to be honest in the situations we have seen. In the case of Micaiah, he was risking his life to speak God’s word. In the story about the woman and her employer, she lost her job because of her honesty. In the story about the man and his wife, she could have lawfully divorced him because he was unfaithful. Yet, despite the consequences, we must recognize our responsibility to