22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years.
The Syrians violated the Abrahamic Covenant and attacked Israel. They insulted Jehovah, calling Him a tribal Hebrew God out of the hills. Out of grace, Jehovah fought for the evil King Ahab of Israel and killed over 127,000 Syrians. Syria was not interested in attacking Israel again.
22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of Israel.
Jehoshaphat means “Jehovah is Judge.” King Jehoshaphat was a good king. The king of Israel was King Ahab. King Jehoshaphat “came down” to Israel, because Jerusalem was on a mountain. Jehoshophat and Ahab made a treaty involving the marriage of Jehoshpaht’s own son Jehoram and Arab’s daughter Athaliah. Athaliah was also the daughter of Jezebel. Later on, Athaliah would cause many problems for the nation of Judah. When a believer marries a child of the devil, then the father-in-law sees to it that the believing spouse will have trouble.
22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.”
Three years earlier, Syria attacked, captured, and annexed the city of Ramoth Gilead. Jehovah severely devastated the Syrian army. King Ahab wanted the city of Ramoth Gilead back in his possession.
22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.”
The two kings of Judah and Israel made a treaty. King Jehoshaphat had no business compromising with such an evil king. This was not his war. He should not have taxed his people and placed them at risk.
22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “First seek an oracle from the Lord.”
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a good king. He did not want to send his people to war until he had contacted Jehovah.
22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said, “Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king.”
King Ahab assembled his false prophets. These were not Baal prophets, because most of them were killed by Elijah. These were most likely “the prophets of the groves,” which were mentioned in 1 Kings 18:19. They told King Ahab what he wanted to hear. These false prophets were very similar to the false prophets which are found in charismatic circles today.
22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?”
King Jehoshaphat had very keen spiritual discernment. He wanted to hear from a real prophet of Jehovah.
22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.”
Israel was living in apostasy, so they received many negative prophecies to warn them of their sinful choices. There are many people in the world today who despise those who teach the truth of God. A true man of God does not tickle ears. He tells the truth, even if people do not want to hear it. A man of God will have enemies, just as Micaiah did. If a man of God does not have any enemies, then he is most likely a spiritual wimp who is sitting on the fence. It is important to have the right kinds of enemies. Michaiah had the right kinds of enemies. One can judge a man not by the friends he has, but by his enemies.
22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a good king who would not go to war until this prophet was contacted.
22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them.
The threshing floor was an elevated hill. All of the false prophets were on top of the hill, putting on a show for the two kings.
22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’ ”
Zedkiah really wanted to impress his king. He was running around acting like a bull and making false prophecies.
22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
All of the false prophets were running around like silly fools, tickling the ears of King Ahab. Many pastors who refuse to teach the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level are following this example.
22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.”
The messenger who was sent to Micaiah advised him to follow the crowd and please the king.
22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”
Micaiah was not that kind of prophet. He only communicated God’s word and nothing else.
22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah answered in sarcasm in order to teach a biblical doctrine. Baby Christians do not like pastor-teachers using sarcasm, but it is extremely effective. The prophets, Jesus, and His apostles often used sarcasm to drive home a biblical doctrine.
22:16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?”
Apparently, Micaiah had used sarcasm with the king on many other occasions.
22:17 Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’ ”
The shepherd was King Ahab. King Ahab was supposed to be shepherding the sheep. Micaiah predicted Ahab’s death in the nicest way possible.
22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?”
All of the other prophets were saying very many nice things about King Ahab. They were tickling his ears to the maximum. They were really putting on a show. If they were alive today, then they would visit the modern churches and quote from many Christian best sellers. They would fit in very well with the elder boards and modern emergent pastors f the local churches.
Micaiah had never read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” or “The Power of Positive Thinking.” He was not a seeker-friendly pastor. There are too many pastors today who are giving positive messages to an apostate nation who has rejected Christ. There needs to be more negativity from the pulpit. There is power in negative thinking, especially when a nation and church is apostate.
22:19 Micaiah said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left.
Micaiah used his prophetic skills given by God to look into heaven. Jehovah is sitting on His throne. All of the assembly of angels and demons were assembling in front of God.
22:20 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that.
Jehovah asked for a volunteer unclean spirit to deceive King Ahab.
22:21 Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’
One of the unclean spirits volunteered to deceive Ahab.
22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’
Micaiah in a very nice and polite way called these 400 prophets a bunch of liars.
22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
Jehovah allowed lying spirits to enter the mouths of the false prophets. Micaiah predicted disaster for King Ahab and Israel.
22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?”
Zedekiah was the prophet who was running around foolishly with horns on his head. He hit Micaiah right in the mouth with his fist. Zedekiah claimed that he was the true prophet, but Micaiah was the false prophet.
22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.”
Micaiah predicted that during the battle, Zedekiah would run and hide in an inner room.
22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son.
Micaiah was ordered to be taken away. Satan does not like prophets to be given their freedom. If he cannot kill them, he will imprison them. If he cannot imprison them, he will censor them. If he cannot censor them, he will ridicule them. This is satanic apologetics.
22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water until I safely return.” ’ ”
King Ahab imprisoned a prophet of God who was communicating the truth to him.
22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, all you people.”
Micaiah warned the king that if this battle was to be fought, then Ahab would die.
22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead.
Neither King Ahab or King Jehoshaphat listened to the prophet from God. Jehoshaphat agreed to attack for political reasons, although he should not have done so for spiritual reasons.
22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle.
King Ahab was not a friend of King Jehoshaphat. Ahab set up Jehoshaphat to be picked off by a bow and arrow sniper.
22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel.”
The King of Syria’s strategy was to find King Ahab and kill him.
22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.
According to 2 Chronicles, King Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord to protect him.
22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him.
The chariot commanders were looking for the real king of Israel.
22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, because I’m wounded.”
The arrow was random to the archer, but it was not random to God. God is so sovereign, that he controls every arrow of every battle which has even been fought on earth. The random arrow hit a bulls-eye on its target of King Ahab.
22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.
Just as Micaiah predicted, King Ahab was killed in the battle.
22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.”
After King Ahab died and the sun set, the commanders called all of their soldiers to return to their homes.
22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him.
King Ahab died as a fulfillment of Micaiah’s prophecy.
22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen.
Elijah predicted that dogs would lick the blood of Ahab.
22:39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
King Ahab built many luxurious palaces in many cities. The remains of Ahab’s “ivory house” has been excavated in Samaria. Ahab himself is also mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions. His history was recorded in the “Annals of the Kings of Israel.” This is an uninspired and secular book which has been lost to this day.
22:40 Ahab passed away. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
Ahaziah, the son of the evil Ahab, became the eighth king of Israel.
22:41 In the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign over Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah.
Jehoshaphat became the fourth king of Judah.
22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
The kings were too busy running the kingdom, so their wives raised the children. The mothers of the kings were often listed in the Bible, because they were the ones who trained them to be kings. A good or bad mother could produce a good or bad king. A good or bad mother could influence the morals of a nation.
22:43 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
Jehoshaphat was a good king who followed in his father’s footsteps. According 2 Chronicles 17:6, King Jehoshaphat removed the high places. Skeptics like to call this a biblical error, but it is not. Jehoshaphat took them down, they were rebuilt, but he did not remove the rebuilt high places.
22:44 Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.
King Jehoshaphat lived in peace with the kings of Israel. This was not spiritual peace, but political peace. However, this alliance almost cost him his life.
22:45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
The history of Jehoshaphat was recorded in the “Annals of the Kings of Judah.” This was an uninspired and secular history book that has been lost to this day.
22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah removed the sodomite prostitutes from his land. According to the Mosaic Law, sodomites were to receive the death penalty.
22:47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled.
Edom was the nation which descended from Esau. Esau was the brother of Jacob. Jacob was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Esau was the father of many Edomite nations.
22:48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber.
Solomon sent ships successfully to Ophir, but Jehoshaphat’s voyages were unsuccessful. No one knows the location of Ophir, but it was mentioned in secular literature. Many believe that it was located in India, Arabia, or Somaliland. There was an inscription found on a piece of pottery which was found on the plain of Sharon near Tel-Aviv which mentioned “the gold of Ophir.”
22:49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,” but Jehoshaphat refused.
According to 2 Chronicles 20:35-36, Jehoshaphat and King Ahab agreed to a a joint ship-building project. King Jehoshaphat refused to allow the wicked Israelite sailors to join the trip. The prophet Eliezer prophesied against even this ship-building agreement. The two kings continued with the shipping operation anyway. The result was that the ships were all destroyed in a storm (II Chronicles 20:37), so that the entire project was abandoned.
22:50 Jehoshaphat passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
Jehoram became the fifth king of Judah. He was also a descendant of King David.
22:51 In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for two years over Israel.
Ahaziah became the eighth king of Israel.
22:52 He did evil in the sight of the Lord and followed in the footsteps of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin.
King Ahaziah of Israel was evil, just like his father Ahab. He led Israel into idolatry.
22:53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done.
Ahaziah revived Baal worship in Israel, making Jehovah angry.