2 Crônicas 18

2 Crônicas 18

Meyer - This was a very naïve confession. Of course, Micaiah could not speak good of Ahab, whose life was diametrically opposed to all that was God-like and holy. Micaiah had no animosity toward the king of Israel; it was not a personal matter with him. He simply read from the page of the future as God opened it to his eyes, and in which the out-working of the king’s evil life was disclosed in gloomy characters. It was as absurd to hate him because he read such dark lessons from the inevitable future, as for a householder to shoot his dog, that bays all night, to warn his master against the burglar engaged in rifling his home. The Bible, the pastor, the whole Church of God, are hated by worldlings for the same reason, because they cannot speak hopefully of their future. It is as though a card-playing crew were to hate the watchman who told them that the course of their vessel was straight for the surf and rocks of the shore. If men will persist in violating God’s law, in breaking through the hedge of thorns, and in pursuing their own wild ways, they cannot possibly expect the blessedness of the Beatitudes. However, their hatred against those who warn them is really directed toward God. They are indignant that they cannot have their way; their proud spirit would like to overturn the very order of the universe rather than that it should be thwarted. They cannot endure the contrast between God’s children and themselves. Do not be surprised if the world hate you. It shows that you are no more of the world than your Master was. Jesus said: “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.” QUESTION - Who was Micaiah in the Bible? ANSWER - Micaiah was a common Hebrew name in the Bible. It means “Who is Like Yahweh?” Several people in the Old Testament bore the name Micaiah, the most prominent being Micaiah the prophet and son of Imlah. The account of Micaiah the prophet in 1 Kings 22:1–38 (and in the parallel passage, 2 Chronicles 18:1–27) calls attention to the conflict surrounding prophecy in ancient Israel. When Ahab ruled over Israel and Jehoshaphat over Judah, the two kings decided to come together to attack the city of Ramoth-Gilead to retake it from the Arameans. Before going to battle, they consulted with more than 400 royally appointed counselors of Israel. These were apostate prophets who had no regard for correctly delivering the word of the Lord. To please King Ahab and obtain his favor, these prophets only served to tell the king what he wanted to hear. The counselors brought before Ahab all prophesied victory in battle, but King Jehoshaphat remained suspicious. He wanted to hear from an independent prophet who would be faithful to the word of the Lord. Ahab offered to seek the counsel of Micaiah but warned Jehoshaphat that he hated this prophet. The reason? Micaiah always predicted evil for Ahab. An evil king is bound to receive bad news from God, so, if Micaiah was true to his calling, he could do nothing but deliver “evil” messages to Ahab. So Ahab hated him. At Jehoshaphat’s insistence, Micaiah was summoned, and the messenger sent to bring the prophet pleaded with Micaiah to fit in with the crowd for once: “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably,” he said (1 Kings 22:13). The honorable Micaiah said in reply, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me” (verse 14). Standing before the two kings, Micaiah at first mockingly told Ahab what he wanted to hear, forecasting good news of victory over the Arameans. But Ahab, knowing Micaiah’s sarcasm, made him swear to tell the truth, and Micaiah told the wicked king what God really had to say. The prophet’s report was devastating: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace’” (1 Kings 22:17). Micaiah went on to tell King Ahab that a deceiving spirit had misled the other prophets to predict victory so that Ahab would die in the battle. So angry was Zedekiah, the leader of the royal prophets, that he struck Micaiah on the cheek and publicly mocked his prophecy. In response, Micaiah prophesied Zedekiah’s eventual destruction (2 Chronicles 18:24). King Ahab had Micaiah put in prison until he returned from battle. As he was being led away, Micaiah issued a final, urgent warning: “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. . . . Mark my words, all you people!” (1 Kings 22:28). The kings did not believe him, but Micaiah had spoken the truth of God. King Ahab was killed in the fighting, just as Micaiah had predicted. Nothing more is said of the prophet Micaiah in the Bible. His courage in the face of intense political and professional pressure stands as a model for us. His truth-telling led to persecution, but his words came to pass, being as they were a message from God. Micaiah, a man of integrity, is surely one of the prophets spoken of in the Bible’s “Hall of Faith”: “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. . . . They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:36–38). Other people in the Bible named Micaiah are mentioned only briefly. The first was the father of Achbor, one of the court officials sent by King Josiah to the prophetess Huldah to inquire about the book of the law that the high priest Hilkiah had found in the temple (2 Kings 22:12). The next was Micaiah, the mother of King Abijah of Judah and daughter of Uriel of Gibeah (2 Chronicles 13:2, ESV). Alternate spellings for Micaiah here are Maakah (NIV) and Maacah (NLT). A fourth Micaiah was one of the official princes sent by King Jehoshaphat to teach the law of the Lord in the towns of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7). In Nehemiah 12:35, the son of Zichri was called Micaiah. He was one of the priestly trumpeters in the procession at the dedication of the temple wall. And in Nehemiah 12:41 another Micaiah is named among the priests who blew trumpets at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. Finally, Micaiah the son of Gemariah and friend of Jeremiah recounted the words of the Lord to the Jewish officials during the reign of King Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:11–13). GotQuestions.org What We Want to Hear I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. 2 Chronicles 18:7 Today's Scripture: 2 Chronicles 18:5–27 As human beings, we are prone to seek out information that supports the opinions we hold. Research shows that we’re actually twice as likely to look for information that supports our position. When we’re deeply committed to our own way of thinking, we avoid having that thinking challenged by opposing positions. Such was the case in King Ahab’s rule over Israel. When he and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, discussed whether to go to war against Ramoth Gilead, Ahab gathered 400 prophets—men he’d appointed to that role himself and would therefore tell him what he wanted to hear—to help them decide. Each replied he should go, saying “God will give it into the king’s hand” (2 Chronicles 18:5). Jehoshaphat asked whether there was a prophet who had been chosen by God through whom they could inquire of the Lord. Ahab responded reluctantly because God’s prophet, Micaiah, “never prophesies anything good about [him], but always bad” (2Ch 18:7). Indeed, Micaiah indicated they wouldn’t be victorious, and the people would be “scattered on the hills” (2Ch 18:16). Lord, help me to seek and heed Your counsel even when it’s against my desires or popular thought. God’s counsel is trustworthy and wise. 2 Chronicles 18:8 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” officers: or, eunuchs, 1Sa 8:15 1Ch 28:1 *margins Isa 39:7 Da 1:3,7,8 Fetch quickly: Heb. hasten, 2Ch 18:25,26 1Ki 22:9 See commentary on 1Ki 22:9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” Ron Daniel - 18:8-13 Micaiah Is Summoned. The two kings sat there as prophet after prophet made their presentations - some even used visual aides! Meanwhile, the messenger sent to bring Me-KAW-ye asked him to go with the flow, and agree with the other prophets. But Me-KAW-ye knew he had to only speak what the Lord told him. How absolutely necessary it is that pastors and prophets understand this as their mission! God told Moses, Ex. 4:15 "...I will be with your mouth..." Job was incredulous with his friends as he asked, Job 13:7 "Will you speak what is unjust for God, and speak what is deceitful for Him?" When we find someone in ministry who is not speaking what God has said, we are to disregard them. God said through Jeremiah, Jer. 23:16 ..."Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD." 2 Chronicles 18:9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. were sitting each on his throne: 1Ki 22:10-12 Isa 14:9 Eze 26:16 Da 7:9 Mt 19:28 arrayed: 2Ch 18:29 Mt 6:29 11:8 all the prophets: Jer 27:14-16 See commentary on 1Ki 22:10 ow the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. Frederick Mabie: The kings gather at a threshing floor to hear the counsel of the prophets (v. 9). The open flat area of threshing floors facilitated their use as a meeting place for ancient communities, in an analogous way to how a city gate functioned on a larger scale. (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary: 1 Chronicles-Job - Page 238) Threshing-floors, among the ancient Jews, as we have before remarked, were only, as they are to this day in the East, round level plats of ground in the open air. Hence a floor might well be near the gate of Samaria, which was built on a hill, and afford no improper place for the kings of Judah and Israel to give audience to the prophets. 2 Chronicles 18:10 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” horns of iron: Jer 27:2 28:10-14 Zec 1:18-21 2Ti 3:8 Thus: Jer 23:17,21,25,31 28:2,3 29:21 Eze 13:7 22:28 they be consumed: Heb. thou consume them See commentary on 1Ki 22:11 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed Mr. Bruce, in describing the head-dress of the governors of Abyssinia, says, "A large broad fillet was bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head: in the middle of this was a horn, or conical piece of silver, gilt, about four inches long, much in the shape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called {kirn,} {[keren,]} and is only worn in reviews, or parades after victory." Such, it may be supposed, were the horns of iron which Zedekiah (who appears to have acted the hero returning from a military triumph) made for himself, when he presumed, in the name of Jehovah, to flatter his prince with the promise of victory: "Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push Syria, until they be consumed." 2 Chronicles 18:11 All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” all the prophets: 2Ch 18:5,12,33,34 Pr 24:24,25 Mic 3:5 2Pe 2:1-3 Jude 1:16 Rev 16:13,14 Rev 19:20 See commentary on 1Ki 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king 2 Chronicles 18:12 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.” Behold: Job 22:13 Ps 10:11 Isa 30:10 Ho 7:3 Am 7:13 Mic 2:6,11 1Co 2:14-16 assent: Heb. mouth, Jos 9:2 See commentary on 1Ki 22:13 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably 2 Chronicles 18:13 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” even what my God: Nu 22:18-20,35 23:12,26 24:13 1Ki 22:14 Jer 23:28 42:4 Eze 2:7 Mic 2:6,7 Ac 20:27 1Co 11:23 2Co 2:17 Ga 1:10 1Th 2:4 See commentary on 1Ki 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak 2 Chronicles 18:14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” Go up: 1Ki 18:27 22:15 Ec 11:1 La 4:21 Am 4:4,5 Mt 26:45 See commentary on 1Ki 22:15 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” 2 Chronicles 18:15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” I adjure: 1Sa 14:24 1Ki 22:16 Mt 26:63 Mk 5:7 Ac 19:13 See commentary on 1Ki 22:16 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” 2 Chronicles 18:16 So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” he said: Mt 26:64 sheep: 2Ch 18:33,34 1Ki 22:17,34-36 Jer 23:1,2 Eze 34:5,6,8 Zec 10:2 13:7 Mt 9:36 Mk 6:34 master: 2Sa 2:7 5:2 2Ki 10:3 See commentary on 1Ki 22:17 SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd; And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” Walton - scattered... like sheep which have no shepherd. An inscription of Sargon II of Assyria reports that the commander of the enemy troops fled like a shepherd whose flock had been stolen but later was captured and carried away in fetters. (IVP Background - OT) 2 Chronicles 18:17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” Did I not tell: 2Ch 18:7 1Ki 22:18 Pr 29:1 Jer 43:2,3 See commentary on 1Ki 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 2 Chronicles 18:18 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. hear the word: Isa 1:10 28:14 39:5 Jer 2:4 19:3 34:4 Am 7:16 I saw: 1Ki 22:19-23 Isa 6:1-5 Da 7:9 Ac 7:55,56 all the host: Ge 32:2 Ps 103:20,21 Zec 1:10 See commentary on 1Ki 22:19 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left Iain Duguid: God’s sending a “lying spirit” (2Ch 18:21) may seem contrary to God’s character and yet is consistent with actions elsewhere toward those who persist in rejecting a clear word, whether in the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 7:3–5, 13–14, 22, etc.) or in his rejection of the prophets in Ezekiel 14:7–10. Paul speaks of “those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:10–12). Micaiah’s words were Ahab’s last chance to avoid judgment. Ahab had complained that Micaiah’s words to him in the past were always “evil” (Hb. raʻah; 2Chr 18:7, 17), and now, tragically, that was repeated: the message was one of “disaster” (again raʻah; v. 22). (See ESV Expository Commentary: 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles) Ron Daniel - 18:14-22 Micaiah's Prophecy - When Me-KAW-ye appeared before Ahab, he was asked whether or not they should go to battle. In total sarcasm - mocking the false prophets - Me-KAW-ye imitated them, saying, "Oh, yes, you should definitely go!" Ahab of course knew what Me-KAW-ye was doing, and demanded the truth from him. So Me-KAW-ye told him the truth - if Ahab went to war, he would die. He even gave the behind-the-scenes exclusive look into the throne room of God, where an evil spirit volunteered to deceive the other prophets. Walter Kaiser - Hard Sayings - 2Chr 18:18-22 parallels with 1Ki 22:20–22 Is God the Author of Falsehood? Could the God of truth be guilty of sponsoring or condoning falsehood? Some have charged just that. The passages that are raised to back this charge are 1 Kings 22:20–23, 2 Chronicles 18:18–22, Jeremiah 4:10, 20:7 and Ezekiel 14:9. Such a charge is possible only if one forgets that many biblical writers dismiss secondary causes and attribute all that happens directly to God, since he is over all things. Therefore, statements expressed in the imperative form of the verb often represent only what is permitted to happen. Accordingly, when the devils begged Jesus to let them enter the swine, he said, “Go” (Mt 8:31). This did not make him the active sponsor of evil; he merely permitted the demons to do what they wanted to do. In a similar manner, Jesus commanded Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly” (Jn 13:27). But Jesus did not become the author of the evil perpetrated on himself. God can be described as deceiving Ahab only because the biblical writer does not discriminate between what someone does and what he permits. It is true, of course, that in 1 Kings 22 God seems to do more than permit the deception. Without saying that God does evil that good may come, we can say that God overrules the full tendencies of preexisting evil so that the evil promotes God’s eternal plan, contrary to its own tendency and goals. Because Ahab had abandoned the Lord his God and hardened his own heart, God allowed his ruin by the very instrument Ahab had sought to prostitute for his own purposes, namely, prophecy. God used the false declarations of the false prophets that Ahab was so enamored with as his instruments of judgment. That God was able to overrule the evil does not excuse the guilty prophets or their gullible listener. Even though the lying spirit had the Lord’s permission, this did not excuse the prophets who misused their gifts. They fed the king exactly what he wanted to hear. Their words were nothing less than echoes of the king’s desires. Thus the lying prophets, the king and Israel were equally culpable before God. The responsibility had to be shared. These prophets spoke “out of their own minds.” This principle is further confirmed when we note that the passage in question is a vision that Micaiah reveals to Ahab. God is telling Ahab, “Wise up. I am allowing your prophets to lie to you.” In a sense, God is revealing further truth to Ahab rather than lying to him. If God were truly trying to entrap Ahab into a life-threatening situation, he would not have revealed the plan to him! Even so, Ahab refuses to heed God’s truth, and he follows his prophets’ advice. The other two passages used to charge God with falsehood are easier to understand. In Ezekiel 14:9 we have another case of God allowing spiritual blindness to take its course. The biblical writer merely attributes the whole process of hardening of heart followed by judgment as falling within God’s sovereignty. The strong statement of Jeremiah 20:7 is a complaint by the prophet, who had mistaken the promise of God’s presence for the insurance that no evil or derision would come on him or his ministry. However, these verses cannot be cited as the basis for giving any credence to the charge that God is deceptive. Another instance where God sent an evil spirit was in Judges 9:23. There, one of Gideon’s sons, Abimelech, acted as king for three years over the city of Shechem. But after those three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem so that they “acted treacherously against Abimelech.” In this case, the “evil spirit” was the breaking out of discord and treachery against Abimelech. Once again, under the direction of his providence, but not in any positive agency, God allowed jealousies to arise, which produced factions and in turn became insurrections, civil discontent and ultimately bloodshed. God remained sovereign in the midst of all the evil that ensued—much of it deservedly happening to those who deliberately refused the truth and preferred their own version of reality. See also comment on 1 SAMUEL 16:14; JOB 1:6–12. 2 Chronicles 18:19 “The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. Who shall entice: 1Ki 22:20 Job 12:16 Isa 6:9,10 54:16 Eze 14:9 2Th 2:11,12 Jas 1:13,14 go up: 2Ch 25:8,19 Pr 11:5 See commentary on 1Ki 22:20 The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that 2 Chronicles 18:20 “Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ Then a spirit came forward Job 1:6 2:1 2Co 11:3,13-15 See commentary on 1Ki 22:21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How? - A spirit is more literally "the spirit" (Lxx = to pneuma) which does raise the possibility that this was the leader of the fallen spirits, Satan himself. We cannot be dogmatic but we know from Job 1:6-12 ("sons of God" = fallen angels) to Rev 12:10+ Satan does have access to the throne room of God. Believer's Study Bible - Micaiah's vision, as described for the kings, depicts various proposals made before God in the court of heaven to bring about Ahab's demise. The prizewinning suggestion was to cause Ahab's prophets to lie to entice him to battle. Though God is not the author of evil, His sovereignty demands that even the demonic powers in heaven and earth are ultimately in His power. The scene described by the prophet is a vividly figurative way of saying that God used the flattering, lying false prophets to bring disaster to Ahab (cf. 1 Sam. 16:14; Job 1:12; 2:6). Bob