This story illustrates that though sometimes truth is difficult to accept and may even hurt us, it is nonetheless truth. And when we still refuse to come terms with it, the consequences can be dire. The three key characters in this chapter are king Jehoshaphat of Judah, king Ahab of Israel and prophet Micaiah of Israel. Jehoshaphat was a good king in most of his reign except that he made one significant bad decision to have a marriage alliance with Ahab. Ahab, under the influence of his wife, Queen Jezebel were notorious and evil in their hearts. This was the first time after fifty years that the two divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah could join hands together to fight a battle. Micaiah was not a well-received prophet in Israel as he spoke truths to Ahab unlike those false prophets of Baals who spoke lies.

Ahab exploited his alliance with Jehoshaphat to join forces with him in fighting against the Syrians and capturing Ramoth-gilead, which was located in the southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Unlike the evil Ahab who was accustomed to doing things without seeking God, Jehoshaphat told Ahab that they first needed to seek the counsel of God. Ahab then gathered four hundred prophets who were probably connected with Baal, the god of Jezebel. This was a formality more than anything else to Jehoshaphat as they would usually prophesy what Ahab would like to hear and, in this case, they should war and win against the Syrians. But Jehoshaphat doubted their word apparently and told Ahab whether there was another person who was a prophet of Yahweh.

When Micaiah was called to stand before the two kings, he first ironically echoed the same words as the other four hundred prophets. And it was Ahab who told him to speak nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord. It was only then that Micaiah told them that they would not only lose the battle but also the king of Israel would die in the battlefield. In disappointment and anger, Ahab threw the prophet in prison.

We are living in this fallen world and we are bombarded by its values and priorities that can go against the biblical values that we hold dear in our lives. On one hand, it is effortless and easy when we compromise God’s truths and follow the ways of this world in our workplace or school. But on the other hand, when we decide to do things in the ways of God, it will be in those circumstances that we might encounter setback in the forms of criticism, setback, discouragement and even jeers. We may even lose our friends in our class or miss out opportunities in our career advancement.

My brothers and sisters, do we see ourselves in the shoes of Ahab or Micaiah? Do we want to be like Micaiah in daring to stand up and vouch for the values that are in accordance with the Bible? Or are we like Ahab who want to listen and follow lies that are displeasing to God?

PRAYER : Dear God, you know the predicament that we are in this world of sin. Jesus prayed for His disciples and for us as His followers in Jn 17:14-17, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” O Lord, we ask you to strengthen our conviction in the values and priorities of our lives that are in accordance with His will. We also pray as in the Lord’s prayer that you lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.