Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? And yet we’ve done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!”

Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.” — 1 Kings 22:1-5

What a great idea! Checking to see what God wants us to do is always a good place to start. King Ahab went to 400 of his prophets and asked them to tell him if he should start a war against Ramoth-gilead or not. They assured him that the Lord would give him victory. But King Jehoshaphat recognized that these prophets were speaking independently of God, so he asked if there was a prophet of the Lord that they could seek advice from.

King Ahab hated Micaiah son of Imlah, but he called for him to appear before him, just as Jehoshaphat had requested. All of Ahab’s prophets were promising the kings that they would be victorious, because that is what Ahab wanted to hear. But Micaiah was a man of God, and he refused to listen to anyone but the Lord.

Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”
But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.” — 1 Kings 22:13-14

Micaiah went on to explain that God had caused a lying spirit to deceive the prophets of Ahab — to tell Ahab to go into battle so that he would be killed. Ahab was angry and threw Micaiah into prison for not telling him what he wanted to hear. He put on a disguise so that he would not be recognized in battle, for the king of Aram had commanded his army not to kill anyone but the king of Israel.

An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. “I’m badly wounded!” — 1 Kings 22:34

How often do we succumb to the pressure to say what someone else wants to hear? We take the easy way out instead of speaking the truth that the Lord has made clear in scripture. It is not always popular to stand strong for what God has declared as truth, but there is death ahead for those who reject God’s ways. Speaking anything less than God’s truth may seem like the compassionate thing to do, but it does not change what God has commanded.

“Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.” — John 7:18

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. — Ephesians 4:14-16

Father God, may we stand firm in what you have taught us. May we speak the truth of God in love, even when it is less than popular with those around us. Fill us with your Spirit and guide us as we respond to the chaos of the world we live in. Help us distinguish between the lies that cause fear and the truth that brings peace. May we courageously be the voice of truth that the world so desperately needs to hear. Amen.