This brings us up to the true prophecy in 1 Kings 22.13-28. Ahab tries to get Micaiah to agree with the other prophets, but he says he will speak what Yehovah tells him. So the king asks him if they should go up to Ramoth-gilead to battle or should they remain. Micaiah tells him in sarcastic way to “go up and succeed, and Yehovah will give it into the hand of the king.” Perhaps he was smiling as he said it. But Ahab knew he did not speak in the name of Yehovah, so he knew he wasn’t being serious and says, “How many times shall I adjure you that you tell me nothing but which is true in the name of the Lord?”
So, Micaiah said, “I saw Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep which have no shepherd. And Yehovah said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'” The armies will be routed, weak and helpless. They will not know where to go for safety because there will be no one to lead them. Ahab will be slain (1 Kings 22.37) according to the prophecy, but the people will not be quite yet. That will come later. Ahab tells Yehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” Ahab knew Micaiah would not flatter him like the other prophets, but tell the truth. That’s why he did not like him. So Micaiah is going to reveal the inspiration behind the 400 prophets and Zedekiah.
Micaiah says he saw Yehovah sitting on his throne in heaven. This is called a “Ma’aseh Merkavah” or “Work of the Chariot.” This is also seen in Ezek 1; Isa 6; Dan 7.9-15; Rev 4.6-7; 2 Kings 19.15; Psa 80.1; Psa 99.1; 2 Sam 22.11 and Psa 18.10 for example. The Merkavah (throne/chariot) visions explain a God we can’t see (Exo 33.20) and how he is able to reveal himself to us through these visions and symbolism. These visions are known in Rabbinic literature as the “Ma’aseh Merkavah” (work/account of the chariot). Implicit in the word “merkavah” (chariot) is the idea of spiritual movement. Micaiah and the others see a heavenly throne in action, or even “moving” (Ezekiel).
Micaiah sees the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the armies of heaven standing by him. Micaiah is going to explain how one prophet can be right and 400 prophets can be wrong. Remember, Ha Satan and the fallen angels have access to God, even today (Job 1.6; Rev 12.10). There is a false teaching that says, “God will not allow evil into his presence.” But these passages, and others like them, tells us God does allow evil in his presence. He can have no “fellowship” with evil and one day all evil will be removed, but that day has not come yet.
Micaiah then hears the Lord ask, “Who will entice (persuade) Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said this, while another said that. There were various ways to accomplish this. Then in verse 21 a spirit (fallen angel) volunteered for the job. Since Ahab wanted to be deceived, Yehovah would give him what he wanted. Yehovah asked, “How?” Now, it is not that Yehovah was ignorant of how this evil spirit would do it, but it is said to bring out the following account. He said, “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Then Yehovah said, “You are to entice and also prevail. Go and do so.”
Micaiah tells everyone that the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of Ahab’s prophets. Then Zedekiah came and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” This is nothing but a boast here. He thought he was speaking by the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) so how could Micaiah speak the opposite? Micaiah answered, “Behold, you shall see on the day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” In other words, the news of the defeat of Ahab will drive Zedekiah to hide in fear from the enemy. Then Ahab told his officers to put Micaiah in prison, the typical response of those who are defeated in a spiritual argument (violence). He also gave orders to feed him sparingly “until I return.” This shows how deceived Ahab was. Micaiah says, “If you return safely, then Yehovah has not spoken to me.” Then he told the people to listen to what he has just said. He is willing to be judged by whether his prophecy comes true or not.
In 1 Kings 22.29-40 we learn that Ahab and Yehoshaphat went to battle at Ramoth-gilead. Now, one can see why Ahab went to war; he didn’t believe Micaiah and wanted to prove him wrong, and the evil spirit did his job well. But Yehoshaphat is another story. He should have stayed out of it, and he should have believed the prophecy that the battle would not go well and end in defeat. This mistake will nearly cost him his life.
So, Ahab decides he is going to to disguise himself before going into battle, but Yehoshaphat should wear his kingly armor. This was to avoid the prophecy and to make Yehoshaphat appear as the chief commander. But Ben-hadad commanded his army to avoid fighting anyone else but Ahab. Ahab’s previous mercy to Ben-hadad did not win any favor with him. When the Syrian chariots saw Yehoshaphat they thought he was Ahab. When they went after him, Yehoshaphat cried out to God (2 Chr 18.31). God diverted their hearts away from him.
Now a certain bowman shot his arrow at random (at nobody in particular) and the arrow struck Ahab in a joint in his armor (by God’s hand). So he told the driver to turn around and take him out of the battle. He was propped up in his chariot by the “shalish” or third man in his chariot. Ahab died that evening and the blood from his wound ran into the bottom of his chariot. Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset saying that everyone should go home.
This alludes to the judgment at Yeshua’s coming. The sun (Messiah-Psa 19; Mal 4) moves from east to west (sunset is the second coming) and then we have the defeat of the False Messiah (Ahab being a type). They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria and the dogs licked up his blood. In verse 38 there are two translations. Where it says, “They washed his armor there” in KJV is translated “The harlots bathed themselves there” in the NASB. But the word can mean “harlot “(“zanah”) or armor, ornaments, clothes or jewels. The best meaning is they washed his coat of mail through which the blood came out. So, Ahab’s life went for Ben-hadad’s as prophesied in 1 Kings 20.42 and he fell at Ramoth-gilead as prophesied in 1 Kings 22.17. Ahab’s son Ahaziah (“Yehovah possesses”) reigned in his place.
In 1 Kings 22.41-53 we learn that Yehoshaphat had become king in the fourth year of Ahab’s reign of 22 years (1 Kings 16.29). He was a good king and he took away the bamot (high places of idolatry), but not the ones where they worshiped Yehovah. But, he should have torn those down also because the Temple had been built and those were no longer allowed. Yehoshaphat also made ships of Tarshish (this word is used for “sea” in general (Psa 48.7) to go for gold at Ophir, and allied himself with the wicked Ahaziah.
Then Eliezar the prophet came against Yehoshaphat saying, “Because you allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken at Ezion-Geber and could not go to Ophir (2 Chr 20.35-37). Later, Yehoshaphat died and Jehoram his son became king. Ahaziah reigned two years and did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baal. His short reign is in fulfillment of the prophecy in 1 Kings 21.29. This provoked the Lord, and we will learn more about Ahaziah later in 2 Kings. Jehoram was given in marriage to the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Chr 18.1). This was a very big mistake because the name of this daughter is Athaliah and she will be a spiritual and national disaster for Judah, as we shall soon see in 2 Kings 11. Jehoram walked in the pagan ways of the kings of Israel (2 Chr 21.6) and 1 Kings ends on a low note after beginning so well with the reign of the greatest king, King David.
We will pick up with 2 Kings 1.1-18 in Part 1 next time.
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