And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.”
Micaiah has just told Ahab the truth about the coming battle, and one of Ahab's prophets answers with a slap and a sneer about the Spirit. Micaiah does not argue back; he points to the day when Zedekiah will be hunting for a place to hide.
A blow instead of an answer
Zedekiah had claimed to speak by the Spirit of the Lord. Watch what he does when someone contradicts him.
Zedekiah 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 you have destroyed them" (v. 11). Now this same Zedekiah strikes Micaiah on the cheek and says, "Which way 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; but he only proves what spirit is urging him on. He too would come under judgment, when he would go from chamber to chamber to hide himself (v. 25).
H. L. Rossier (his translation reads "from chamber to chamber"; ESV has "into an inner chamber")
The question answered by an event
Zedekiah asked a question. Micaiah does not debate it — he sets a date for the answer.
Morrish Bible DictionaryMicaiah told him his question would be answered when he went into an inner chamber to hide himself.
What would those words mean to Zedekiah later?
Leslie M. GrantBut Micaiah did not respond angrily to this injustice. He faithfully prophesied, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself" (v. 25). Zedekiah would certainly remember these words when this prophecy was fulfilled. He would then be convinced of his own folly, whether he would repent or not.
Where the confidence came from
Where did the four hundred prophets get their confidence? Micaiah had just traced it to its source.
Leslie M. GrantSo God, who is in perfect control of every matter, had put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. He had declared disaster against Ahab (v. 23). In this prophecy we see how God can use even those who are most opposed to Him to carry out His own ends.
Why nobody stepped in
Jehoshaphat was a godly king, and he stood in that room and said nothing.
Leslie M. GrantWhy did Jehoshaphat at least not reason with Ahab against his unjust treatment of Micaiah? Because he had already compromised righteousness by his alliance with Ahab, and evil associations will always rob us of courage of faith.
Another writer looks at what that alliance cost Jehoshaphat in the room, and what it costs us.
An Outline of Sound WordsJehoshaphat has to watch all this happen. He cannot support the servant of his God, and he cannot hold back the evil of the ungodly man who had drawn him into an alliance. What a solemn warning for every servant of the Lord! If we get into associations with the men of this world, we shall be powerless to speak against their evil or to speak for the Lord. Truly the path of separation is the path of power. In it we have the divine strength to testify for the Lord, and to witness against the evil of the world.
How it ended, and the test it leaves
How did it end for Ahab, and what does the scene leave for readers now?
Morrish Bible DictionaryAhab disguised himself, but he was wounded by an arrow and died. Ahab's four hundred prophets, and Jehovah's one prophet are an instance of the conflict of spirits, which the Christian is now called upon to test.
Summary
- The claim. Zedekiah claims the Spirit of the Lord speaks through him. The slap he gives shows what spirit is driving him.
- The silence. Micaiah does not answer anger with anger; he answers it with prophecy, and leaves the outcome with God.
- The day. Zedekiah's question gets its answer not in debate but in an event: the day he crawls into an inner room to hide.
- The memory. When that day comes he will remember these words and be convinced of his own folly — whether he repents or not.
- The warning. Jehoshaphat said nothing, because compromise had taken his courage. The path of separation is the path of power.