Today’s Devotion
Topic: The Uncompromising Word Against Our Itchy Ears
PART 2 (Self Assessment)
Background: Last week we established the fact that the Word of God is sweeter than honey but only to willing hearts, otherwise, to the perverse, it remains a stumbling block. We also discussed how easy it has become for believers to develop itchy ears; desiring to hear from men of God only the things that confirms our perverse hearts.
Now, do you remember from the study how Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, agreed to join Ahab, king of Israel, to go up to war against Ramoth Gilead on condition that they first sought the counsel of the Lord? And how Jehoshaphat still wondered if there wasn’t any other prophet to inquire from even after the 400 regular prophets of Ahab had unanimously prophesied that the two kings must go up to war against Ramoth Gilead?
Alright, so at least we already know Ahab admitted to Jehoshaphat that there was one more prophet whom he HATED; MICAIAH. He explained that he hated him because Micaiah never prophesied anything good about him. Let us get into the Word of God and discover for ourselves whether Ahab was a king whose ears desired nothing from God except that which confirmed his selfish plans, or Micaiah was a prophet of doom who took delight in confusing Ahab with negative things he had not received from God.
Text: 2 Chron 18: 8- 17
8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” 9 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
10 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the LORD says: ’With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’” 11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the LORD will give it into the king’s hand.”
12 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”
14 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” “Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.” 15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, ’These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” 17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” Amen
Questions:
1) Kindly read vrs 10 & 11 again. Do you think there are prophets like Zedekiah in our time today, who will go every extent to convince people to believe what they know God has not said? Those who would use illustrations and symbols to misquote and misrepresent the Bible just to feed their selfish interest? If there are, what makes us believe them and fall for their lies so easily?
2) In vrs 12, we read that the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah pleaded that he made his word agree with that of the other prophets predicting success for the king. What do you think about such preposition levelled at any man of God before He speaks, and what are the consequences of such corrupt counsel?
3) Read Micaiah’s response to the messenger’s counsel in vrs 13. How instructive is this for every man of God?
4) In vrs 14 & 15, Prophet Micaiah intentionally gives a false prophecy that agrees with that of the 400 other prophets and Ahab rebukes him saying, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD? “. So does this suggest that all along, Ahab knew that the 400 prophets where lying? Why didn’t he make them also swear to say nothing but the truth in the name of God? Could it be because they served his purpose every now and then by prophesying what his itchy ears wanted to hear?
5) In vrs 16 & 17, Micaiah tells Ahab exactly what God has shown to him and Ahab chooses to accuse him to Jehoshaphat as being a ‘prophet of doom.’ What does Ahab really want? What really is in his heart? But for the fact that Jehoshaphat requested an inquiry of the Lord, was he going to even seek the face of God concerning his decision to go to war?
6) Do you see an “Ahab” in most of us believers today? What advice will you give concerning that?
7) What have you learnt from today’s Bible study?
Kindly reply through this same social media platform (Facebook & WhatsApp). We learn a great deal from the answers you share with us.
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