Thank you for coming back for part two. I’m at Blissdom right now and didn’t have time to find perfect pictures for this post. If they aren’t “just so” who needs ’em. So please enjoy my first picture-less post. Sorry.
Part one of the story is here, in case you’d like to peek.
The story continues…
But before committing to war, King Jehosaphat of Judah (the good king) asked for the counsel of a prophet of God. Ahab paraded out four hundred of his very own prophets. Sadly, none of them were God’s.
The four hundred prophets gave four hundred confirmations of victory.
But…
the four hundred – and first – Micaiah, who did speak for God, predicted defeat.
God had long ago told Ahab that his life would be demanded of him for his disobedience. Now was the time. Ahab would die in the battle and God would prompt him to fight and die by misleading him.
How do we know that?
We are told – and this is where the reading got really weird.
Micaih the one true prophet told this to Ahab – and to us…
“Therefore hear the word of the LORD : I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ ” One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “ ‘By what means?’ the LORD asked. “ ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ “So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you.” (1Kings 22:19-23)
I closed the Bible and the words came back to me,
“I didn’t allow you to be mislead. I mislead you.”
“I guess that must have been you.” I thought to God.
When I got home I headed to my old Seminary library to study the passage. Could it really mean what seemed so obvious – yet so obviously wrong?
It did.
It’s a difficult passage and tricky to interpret. But one commentary wrote, “…a particular prophet can be inspired by Yahweh, even if it is a lying spirit which entices the people to the judgment that Yahweh has prepared for them.”
Wow.
Why did Ahab deserve this strange “enticement” from God?
Why did I?
Once the digging started the answers were easy to see.
That part’s for tomorrow – part three is the finale. Please come back.
God Bless.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Craig, many thanks! Would rather have words sans pictures than no words at all! This is a very interesting lesson!
You are becoming rather proficient at keeping us waiting…quite the budding torture-meister!
I think it might be described in your love terms this way: “Love does not indulge the spiritual meal gluttons. Love asks them to slow down and chew on each morsel a bit longer…for better digestion and assimilation of the entire meal.” This is good.
A . . .you need to start a blog!
You have so much wisdom and insight to share with us. I can come here and get a double dose, Craig’s and yours. 
Craig . . .can’t believe you’re at Blissdom AND doing your posts. Praying you are holding up okay, without the sleep you need . And I didn’t even mention you have 2 blogs.
Trying to wrap my mind around God misleading us into the judgment He has planned for us. Would that be with discipline too, misleading us into the discipline He has planned for us? You have me thinking, which is always good. I have to come back. . . addicted. ha! Thanks! And God bless you and open doors for you in all the right places.
Oh, Debbie! You are so gracious! I feel it is you and Craig who have the wisdom and gifts…you write such amazing poems-they are like wisdom concentrate in a beautiful form. And Craig…writes these rich cascades of prose and sometimes poetry with such perfect pictures to go with…you both create day after day-your blogs seem almost like having a child or a pet-a huge responsibility once it is begun, and yet daily you each do that; you faithfully tend to your blogs-both creating new posts and responding to those who visit. That is huge! I am blessed by each of you!
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