And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”
Four hundred prophets have already promised Ahab victory at Ramoth-gilead, and now the Lord's prophet Micaiah says the same thing. Why would God's true messenger hand a doomed king the very words he wanted to hear?
The answer is irony
Micaiah's reply matched the four hundred word for word, and the way he said it gave him away. Ahab reacted at once, putting him on oath to speak only truth.
C KnappNow the Lord's prophet is brought in, and in ironic agreement with what the time-serving four hundred had been saying, he too says, "Go, and prosper!" Ahab was quick to catch his irony, and put him under oath in the Lord's name to tell him nothing but the truth.
Ahab could tell the difference
Ahab challenged Micaiah's answer. He never rebuked the false prophets who had said the same thing. One writer traces the difference to the power behind their words.
Leslie M. GrantAhab knew Micaiah was speaking sarcastically. He rebuked him for not telling the truth in the name of the Lord (v.16). Why did he not say the same to the false prophets? Because they spoke by the power of evil spirits and sounded convincing. Micaiah had no such power behind what he had said, and Ahab knew the difference.
A hardened conscience
Ahab's demand for truth was not faith. It was the working of a conscience he could not silence, even while he was hunting for a lie.
H. L. RossierMicaiah wants what he is about to announce to be even more solemn. So at first he speaks just like the four hundred prophets: "Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king" (v. 15). "How many times," Ahab replies, "shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" (v. 16). Here we see what conscience is, even a hardened conscience. It speaks inside the heart, telling Ahab: what Micaiah is saying cannot be what he really thinks! And even though Ahab is looking for a lie, his conscience drives him to want the truth. He will not follow it or obey it. But the unease his conscience produces gives him no rest. It stops only when he hears the truth, knows it, and sees it — like a murderer drawn back against his will to the scene of his crime.
Wanting smooth words
One writer connects the scene to Isaiah's words about the nation. Israel told its prophets what it wanted to hear.
William KellyThis was the state of Israel, as the prophet says — "a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD." They "say to the seers, 'Do not see,' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions'" (Isa. 30:9-10).
Asking God after the decision is made
Jehoshaphat's request to consult the Lord came once he had already committed himself to the war. That is what makes the inquiry hollow.
J. N. DarbyMicaiah, when he arrives, announces disaster. But Ahab's mind was made up, and the king of Judah was tied by his promise. It was no longer the time to consult the Lord. To ask after the truth in such a position was only to learn of a judgment they had already decided to despise. Ahab was more consistent than Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat's conscience only made everyone uncomfortable and proved his own folly.
The cost of the alliance
The alliance cost Jehoshaphat his voice, and one writer draws a warning from it.
An Outline of Sound WordsPoor Jehoshaphat has to watch this. He is powerless to support the servant of his God, and unable to hold back the evil of the ungodly man who had drawn him into alliance. What a solemn warning for every servant of the Lord. If we get into associations with the men of this world, we will be powerless to speak against their evil or to speak for the Lord.
The help in this alliance only ever ran one way.
J. N. DarbyJehoshaphat helped Ahab against Syria. But neither Ahab nor his son helped Jehoshaphat in a single thing, except to be unfaithful to the Lord.
Summary
- Irony. Micaiah gives Ahab the answer he wanted. His sarcasm made it plain that the words were empty.
- Exposure. By echoing the false prophets, he exposed them. Ahab's protest admitted that what sounded good was not the truth.
- Conscience. Ahab hunted for a lie, yet he demanded the truth. Even a hardened conscience gives its owner no rest.
- Appetite. Israel asked its prophets for smooth words. A people who want good news will always find prophets to supply it.
- Consequence. Truth asked for too late only announces a judgment already despised. Jehoshaphat, tied to Ahab, could not even defend the man who spoke it.