Year One, November 24

What Accord Has Christ With Belial?1

1 Kings 22:1-9; 13-14; 23; 28; 30-35; 37-38

1For three years Syria and Israel continued without war.

This was evidently a remarkably long time of peace. What an unhappy condition for these poor but sinful people to be in a continual state of war. There was hardly a family that had not experienced the violence of war or the loss of a father or sons.

2But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3And the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” 4And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” (A good person should not join with an idolater so easily.)

5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” (There are always plenty of false prophets, because there is money to be made.) 7But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 8And 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.” (This rebuke was far too mild. Fellowship with evil people tends to lower the standards of even the best of people.) 9Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

13And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” (This was an evil attempt to keep the prophet from doing the right thing. But Micaiah was a true disciple of Elijah and could not be tempted to join the crowd.) 14But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

23(And Micaiah said to the king), “Now therefore behold, The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

28“If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

He spoke like a man of God and called on everyone who was there to be a witness of his prophecy.

30And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. (King Ahab was very cruel. It did not bother him to protect himself and leave his friend exposed to danger. If we keep company with bad people, we will discover they will not hesitate to see us ruined if they think doing so will be to their advantage.) 31Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 32And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. (This was a special deliverance. We read in 2 Chronicles 18:31 that, “Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; God drew them away from him.” The great danger he found himself him in must have made him feel how wrong he was to associate with Ahab.)

34But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 35And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.

37So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.2

That arrow shot “at random” was guided by divine vengeance. Every syllable of Elijah’s threatening prophecy proved true. “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. ... Your righteous acts have been revealed.”3

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¹ 2 Corinthians 6:15

² New King James: “and the dogs licked up the blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the LORD which he had spoken.”

³ Revelation 15:4