I Will Speak

“…Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?’ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.’”–2 Chronicles 18:6-7a 

The nation of Israel—God’s chosen people—once united under their first three kings (Saul, David, and Solomon), were now divided into two kingdoms: the North called Israel and the South called Judah. A combined 39 kings would rule over both kingdoms; twenty over Judah and 19 over Israel. Only 8 are called “good” in God’s sight—those 8 only in Judah. 

It had been about 80 years since the divide of the kingdom of Israel; the year was 853 B.C. Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah and was one of the 8 few good kings. Ahab ruled over Israel and was one of their worst, if not THE worst; Ahab was a wicked, wicked king. 

Jehoshaphat and Ahab had an alliance. Ahab wanted to attack Syria to get a city back that Ahab believed belonged to Israel. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to help with the attack. Jehoshaphat agreed, on one condition: a true prophet of God must be sought first. Ahab had “prophets of God” that served him, but none were true prophets; they were false prophets, and Jehoshaphat knew it. During this time, there was a fairly famous true prophet of God that had repeatedly spoken to Ahab, calling him to repent, but Ahab didn’t listen; Elijah. But he and Ahab were not on speaking terms at this time. 

So, when Jehoshaphat asked for Ahab to call a true prophet God, it wasn’t Elijah Ahab summoned, but a man named Micaiah. We know very little about this faithful man. (You can read the brief details about this man in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18). But what is recorded about him is an example that is worthy of following. 

When Micaiah is summoned, he is told by one of Ahab’s false prophets what Ahab has already been told: “…the words of the prophets…are favorable to the king.” (2 Chronicles 18:12), and he is told to speak with favorable words too. Micaiah responds, saying, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” Micaiah would only say exactly what God had commanded. In other words, Micaiah would speak the truth. 

This is why Ahab didn’t want to consult him. In fact, Ahab, in the text above, viewed Micaiah’s words as “evil”. But Micaiah wasn’t saying anything wrong, he was speaking the truth. But this wasn’t what Ahab wanted to hear. And when you read over the life and choices of King Ahab, you recognize very quickly that Micaiah’s words can be summed up with, “Do what is right or God will do with you what is necessary.” But Ahab, time and time again, refused to listen. 

So what would Micaiah do this time? 

Ahab wants to know what God has to say; and eventually, Micaiah tells him: “…the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The LORD has declared disaster concerning you.” (v. 22) In other words, God was done with Ahab. 

Ahab had reigned for about 22 years, and though there were fleeting times of repentance in his life, by-and-large he consistently chose sin, disobedience and evil. And yet, God, through Micaiah, gave one final gracious warning. But, Ahab responds predictably: “…‘Seize Micaiah…Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” (vv.25-26) These weren’t the words Ahab wanted to hear, but what he needed to hear. 

God called Micaiah to speak, and Micaiah would speak the truth. But Micaiah wasn’t finished. This dialogue concluded with enduring and staggering words from Micaiah: “If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” (v.27) And you need only to read the end of the account to know that Micaiah’s word were proven true. 

What strikes me most about Micaiah and how/when God used him, is that other than these two chapters, we know nothing else about him. He enters the account of Scripture suddenly and then disappears just as quickly. Was he ever released from prison? Did he die there? Did he feel justified or heart-broken? We don’t know. But what we do know is that he was willing to speak the truth even when no one else around him was willing. 

What I love most about Micaiah, and his faithfulness to the LORD, was that Micaiah served during the same time as Elijah. We know a lot about Elijah, but basically nothing about Micaiah. And yet, both were used mightily in King Ahab’s life. In fact, I’m inclined to think that it was Micaiah’s words that served as the final thoughts of Ahab as he bled out on that battlefield. Ahab may have hated Micaiah, but he likely wished he would have listened. 

Most of us will not be as well-known as Elijah. None of our names will be found anywhere on the pages of Scripture. The grand majority of our lives will likely not be much more than a footnote on the pages of history. But all of us can be just as faithful as Micaiah. 

We live not to be well-known; we live to be faithful to our King. The King has spoken, and now calls us to speak, even if we are hated and if others call us “evil” for it. We cannot change a person’s heart, but we can speak the truth (hopefully lovingly and graciously). The only question is, are we willing and will we do it? 

May we be a people who, just as Micaiah did, would say, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”