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 evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
Ahab admits that a prophet of the LORD is within reach, then admits in the same breath that he hates him. His reason is not that Micaiah lies, but that Micaiah never says anything pleasant about him.
Truth judged by whether it pleases
Ahab does not dispute that Micaiah speaks for God. His objection is to what God says through him.
H. L. RossierHe hated him, and he also hated everyone who announced the Lord's judgment on him. He wanted the prophet to "prophesy good concerning him." That will always be the character of the religious world.
A prophet who would not flatter
One writer names the trait that made Micaiah unbearable at court.
William KellyIt speaks of Micaiah, the man that the wicked king could not endure because he never had a good thing to say to him. That is, Micaiah was not a flatterer. Kings do not like any but flatterers as a rule, and this prophet greatly vexed the wicked king.
Later the king's men bring Micaiah in and press him to agree with the majority.
Eugene P. Vedder Jr.They told him that the prophets had all with one voice promised the king success, and they urged him to fall in line with them. He refused outright. "As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak," he firmly replied.
Four hundred agreeable voices
Jehoshaphat had asked for the word of the LORD. Ahab produced four hundred men who told him what he wanted to hear.
C. H. MackintoshIt is only solemn mockery to ask for guidance when we have made up our minds. Yet how often we do it! ... Ahab was at no loss for counsellors. He quickly "gathered together four hundred prophets." They were ready to advise him just as his heart wished. This was what he wanted. And we need not be surprised that Ahab was quite satisfied with prophets like these. They suited him well.
Note the numbers — and note whose name these false prophets used.
F. B. HoleEverything of God, and therefore good, is counterfeited by Satanic power... Even after the prophets of Baal were destroyed, about four hundred prophets were luring Ahab to his death. Against them stood one prophet, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who told him the truth. And all these prophets did not speak in the name of Baal. They said, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king" (1 Kings 22:12).
The warning Jehoshaphat ignored
Ahab's confession was, in effect, a signal flare. Jehoshaphat heard it and stayed anyway.
An Outline of Sound WordsAhab's reply should have caused Jehoshaphat to withdraw from the venture... What an exposure of Ahab this was! He hated God's servant, because the word of the Lord through Micaiah was always evil in his sight.
Jehoshaphat does not let those words pass. He answers Ahab in one short sentence.
H. L. RossierHonest Jehoshaphat cannot bear these words. He is used to respecting every word that comes from the Lord. "Let not the king say so!" he says.
Which way the influence runs
Jehoshaphat had to choose whom to follow: Ahab or the prophet.
H. L. RossierAs you would expect, the man of God kept himself apart from the four hundred prophets. That was a good example for the king of Judah, who had tied himself to a godless king. The result of this alliance is sad, but it had to come: he follows Ahab instead of Micaiah... You never see the opposite happen — the world following the example of God's children.
Where the hatred ended
Ahab had once bowed under God's judgment. One writer asks whether it lasted.
Truth & TestimonyUnexpectedly, this man bowed before the announcement of divine judgment... Would this good action be followed up? Alas, we must note that there was not. In chapter 22 it was he again who hated and persecuted the prophet of the LORD. God made him perish by an arrow fired at random, which pierced him through a weak point in his armour. For a moment the fear of judgment seemed to have converted this man. But Satan managed to trap his prey and erase the effect of the Word of God.
Summary
- Hated, not doubted. Ahab never denies that Micaiah speaks for God. He hates him for what God says, and hates everyone who announces judgment on him.
- Flattery wanted. He wants good news about himself. So the one man who will not flatter becomes his enemy, and four hundred agreeable voices satisfy him.
- Counterfeit, not opposition. The false prophets do not speak in Baal's name; they use the LORD's name to lure him to his death.
- Warning refused. That open confession should have ended the alliance. Jehoshaphat objected to the words, yet followed Ahab and not the prophet — influence always runs that way.
- Arrow at random. The king who could not bear the word died by a chance shot, and his earlier sackcloth counted for nothing.