And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’”
A prophet stood before the king of Israel and put on a show with a pair of iron horns. The scene raises a hard question. How do you tell a message that carries God's name from a message that truly came from God?
The Prop and the Promise
Zedekiah did not just speak. He built a prop to persuade the eye as well as the ear.
Leslie M. GrantWe are told also that one false prophet had made horns of iron. They backed up his false message that Ahab would gore the Syrians until they were destroyed (v.11). But Jehoshaphat knew that these prophets were only Ahab's "yes men," with no authority to speak for the Lord at all.
The choice of image was not random. Horns carried a settled meaning for anyone watching.
Morrish Bible DictionaryPeople in the East wore them as a symbol of exaltation and power. The Lord was David's horn of salvation. He exalted the horn of His people, and broke the horns of the wicked. Ps. 18:2; Ps. 75:10; Ps. 148:14.
God's Name in the Wrong Mouth
Notice whose name the promise carries. Ahab's court had left Baal's name behind and taken up one that sounded safer.
J. N. DarbyWe see also the false prophets in power: Ahab had four hundred of them. We may remark also, that they made use of the Lord's name, and no longer, as it appears, of Baal's. Outwardly the state of things is less offensive; but the heart of Ahab is unchanged. Jehoshaphat is uneasy in this false position and asks for the prophet of the Lord. Ahab sends for him, but does not listen to him, and has to face the consequences.
Borrowed Manner, Borrowed Words
The iron horns are copied craft. A false prophet works by resembling the real thing well enough to pass.
William KellyIt was more popular to prophesy smooth things and lies. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval on its own desires. So we see the popularity of the prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken. These prophets were not always inventing lies. But they corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Cor. 2:17). They had to imitate the real prophets in many of their expressions. Yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.
Advisers Who Suit the Plan
Ahab already knew what he wanted to hear. He gathered prophets like Zedekiah for cover, not for light.
C. H. MackintoshIt is only solemn mockery to ask for guidance when we have made up our minds; and yet how often we do so! All this is wretched; it is only honouring God with the lips, while the heart is in outright rebellion against Him. Instead of the guidance we claim to be asking for, may we not expect a lying spirit to be sent to us? (verse 21) Ahab was at no loss for advisers. He soon "gathered together four hundred prophets." They were ready to advise him just as his heart desired: "Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand." This was what he wanted.
The Warning a True Heart Feels
So how does a believer spot the fake? Often it starts as unease, not argument.
H. L. RossierA true heart has a spiritual sense that warns it when certain spiritual displays do not have the Spirit of God behind them. It may not be able to explain why. This is not the gift of discerning of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10), which is not given to all. It is a sense that can be weak in a child of God, but it should never be missing in him. He feels ill at ease in a setting opposed to God. He is ill at ease when he hears talk that claims to come from religious tongues but lacks the divine character. He is ill at ease faced with boasting like this, here before the king of Israel.
How It Ended for the Man with the Horns
The man who mimed total victory appears again later. His own conduct settles who was moving him.
H. L. RossierZedekiah had played the leading role in this scene. He made himself horns of iron and said to the king: "With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed" (v. 11). This same Zedekiah strikes Micaiah on the cheek and says: "Where now did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?" (v. 24). He claims the Holy Spirit's direction and uses violence to prove it. In doing so he proves what spirit is driving him. He too would come under judgment when he would "go from chamber to chamber to hide" himself (v. 25).
Summary
- The prop. Zedekiah made iron horns to prop up a false message. Horns stood for exaltation and power.
- The name. The same men had dropped Baal's name and now spoke in the Lord's name. That made things look better, but Ahab's heart stayed unchanged.
- The imitation. These prophets copy the true prophet's words, even "Thus says the Lord." What they deliver is still their own speculation, shaped to man's taste.
- The audience. A king who has already decided gathers advisers who suit him. Asking for guidance after you have decided invites a lying spirit, not light.
- The exposure. The man with the horns struck the true prophet and claimed the Spirit for himself. That proved which spirit drove him, and judgment would find him hiding.