1 Kings 22:1-28
King
Ahab starts getting power hungry again, and realizes he still has
territory that he needs to seize control of. So, he asks King
Jehoshaphat - the king of Judah - if he will join him in taking over
Ramoth Gilead. King Jehoshaphat says he'll gladly help and even share
his troops and horses. But, he says, he needs to ask God for guidance
before he does anything. So, the two kings call all the prophets
together - four hundred in all - and ask them if they should attack
Ramoth Gilead or hold back.
All four hundred prophets tell them to attack and that God will hand the city over to them. Jehoshaphat is not pleased with this answer, so he asks Ahab if there's another prophet in the city they can consult.
There is. His name is Micaiah. Ahab says, "I hate him. Every time I go to him he has nothing good to say. It's always doom, doom, and more doom." Regardless, they send messengers to Micaiah, asking him to consult the kings. They tell him that the vote's been unanimous from the prophets, and that he should not stir up the pot. Micaiah says, "As sure as God lives, what God says I say."
It turns out that Micaiah says to go ahead and attack, and that it will be an easy victory. Ahab senses that Micaiah isn't telling the truth, and asks him for more. Micaiah gives it to him. Quoting from scriptures, he tells Ahab that he sees God "sitting in the heavens surrounded by angels." God says, 'All the people of Israel are like sheep with no shepherd. They've been scattered and left with no defense. How can we seduce Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead, the center of tyranny?' Then an angel stands up and says, 'I'll do it. I'll seduce him.' Micaiah tells Ahab that all his prophets are puppets, telling him what he wants to hear, and that they don't speak truth.
When Ahab hears this, he gets pissed and orders his servants to throw Micaiah in jail, giving him bread and water until he returns in one piece. Micaiah responds, "As sure as God lives, if you are back in one piece then I am not a prophet of God."
Today,
we would consider our prophets to be preachers. More than ever, the
message is mainstreamed. In order to find fresh new ways of thinking,
one has to search diligently, and be ready to hear something that
contradicts the mainstream message.
As Jesus followers, it's very easy to get swept away by normalcy. It's easy to get so used to hearing the same thing over and over that it becomes the only way. Yet, we dive into the scriptures for only a moment, and find that there is so much more. We wrestle within ourselves, asking, "But, this isn't what the pastor said on Sunday, is it?"
How do we tell puppets from prophets? See what happens next. Test it. Weigh it. See if it can turn into tangible reality. If so, then we've followed directions that are real. The prophet was a prophet. Puppets simply join in on the parade of the majority. The answer that everyone accepts is the only answer. Without any further research or self-testing, puppets accept what the norm is.
Prophets don't care what the mainstream says. They only care about what they interpret through the scriptures. If it happens to fall in line with mainstream, so be it. If it doesn't, they don't care. They are honed in on studying and interpreting the scriptures in a way that makes sense to them.
When we put ourselves into the vulnerable position of receiving guidance from spiritual leaders, we better have done our research. We better have a working knowledge of the scriptures. Without that, we have no way of knowing whether we're listening to a prophet or a puppet.
All four hundred prophets tell them to attack and that God will hand the city over to them. Jehoshaphat is not pleased with this answer, so he asks Ahab if there's another prophet in the city they can consult.
There is. His name is Micaiah. Ahab says, "I hate him. Every time I go to him he has nothing good to say. It's always doom, doom, and more doom." Regardless, they send messengers to Micaiah, asking him to consult the kings. They tell him that the vote's been unanimous from the prophets, and that he should not stir up the pot. Micaiah says, "As sure as God lives, what God says I say."
It turns out that Micaiah says to go ahead and attack, and that it will be an easy victory. Ahab senses that Micaiah isn't telling the truth, and asks him for more. Micaiah gives it to him. Quoting from scriptures, he tells Ahab that he sees God "sitting in the heavens surrounded by angels." God says, 'All the people of Israel are like sheep with no shepherd. They've been scattered and left with no defense. How can we seduce Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead, the center of tyranny?' Then an angel stands up and says, 'I'll do it. I'll seduce him.' Micaiah tells Ahab that all his prophets are puppets, telling him what he wants to hear, and that they don't speak truth.
When Ahab hears this, he gets pissed and orders his servants to throw Micaiah in jail, giving him bread and water until he returns in one piece. Micaiah responds, "As sure as God lives, if you are back in one piece then I am not a prophet of God."
As Jesus followers, it's very easy to get swept away by normalcy. It's easy to get so used to hearing the same thing over and over that it becomes the only way. Yet, we dive into the scriptures for only a moment, and find that there is so much more. We wrestle within ourselves, asking, "But, this isn't what the pastor said on Sunday, is it?"
How do we tell puppets from prophets? See what happens next. Test it. Weigh it. See if it can turn into tangible reality. If so, then we've followed directions that are real. The prophet was a prophet. Puppets simply join in on the parade of the majority. The answer that everyone accepts is the only answer. Without any further research or self-testing, puppets accept what the norm is.
Prophets don't care what the mainstream says. They only care about what they interpret through the scriptures. If it happens to fall in line with mainstream, so be it. If it doesn't, they don't care. They are honed in on studying and interpreting the scriptures in a way that makes sense to them.
When we put ourselves into the vulnerable position of receiving guidance from spiritual leaders, we better have done our research. We better have a working knowledge of the scriptures. Without that, we have no way of knowing whether we're listening to a prophet or a puppet.
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