Daily Bible Reading: 1 Kings 22

Three years later, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, went to visit King Ahab of Israel. Ahab had been complaining about the fact that Syria still had control of Ramath in Gilead, and he didn't feel like it was the Syrian's to control. He asked Jehoshaphat to ally himself with Israel in taking Ramoth back. Jehoshaphat agreed, but he said, "We need to inquire with God to make sure this is the right thing to do."

So Ahab gathered together about 400 prophets, and told them the situation, and asked for their advice. Jehoshaphat, still doubtful asked, "Is this all you have for prophets?"

Ahab answered him with, "Well, there is one more. Micaiah the prophet; but, he always has bad things to say about me."

"Say it isn't true!" Jehoshaphat proclaimed (I'm sure he was rolling his eyes and grinning) "Surely not." So, Ahab had one of his officers go get Micaiah.

Both kings sat at the entrance gate of Samaria, listening to the prophets prophesy about how they would defeat the Syrians, as they waited for Micaiah. Zedekiah was one of those prophets.

Micaiah came, and said, "I am not going to tell you anything other than what God tells me."

Ahab said, "Yeah, yeah. What's new?"

So, Micaiah told him, "If you go, you are going to die."

Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, "See. I told you so."

Furthermore, Micaiah told him that the Lord had sent a lying spirit to all these prophets before him.

Zedekiah slapped Micaiah on the face and said, "And what kind of spirit did he send with you?"

Micaiah held his composure and said, "You'll see, when you are hiding in fear."

So Ahab told his men to carry Micaiah to his son Joash, who was governor of Ammon, and have him locked up until he returned. Micaiah shot back, "The Lord has not said anything about you coming back!"

Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to Ramoth, where Ahab decided he would disguise himself, while Jehoshaphat did not. The king of Syria told his men to only fight with Ahab, and kill him and no one else if they could help it.

When the Syrians saw Jehoshaphat from a distance, dressed like a king, they thought it was Ahab until they got close to him. Then they turned away. There were small battles as they searched for Ahab, and someone hit Ahab with an arrow between the shoulders. Ahab immediately took the safety of hiding in one of his chariots. Later that evening, he died, having bled to death.

They took him to Samaria and buried him there, and washed his chariot in a local pool of water. The dogs licked up the excess blood around the pool, bringing to pass the prophesy of Elijah. Ahab's son, Ahaziah, took his place.

Jehoshaphat walked in the ways of the Lord, even though he didn't take down the high places where some of the people of Judah still worshipped other gods. He built ships to go to Ophir for gold, but they broke down before they could get there, and he wouldn't let Ahaziah's men go with them. He died in Jerusalem and his son, Jehoram, ruled in his place.

Ahaziah served Baal, and this angered God.

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What God says is going to come to pass. Just because you don't like what is being said to you doesn't make it any less the truth. And, any warning given to you should be heeded, whether you agree with them or not. There is only one God in control, and He expects total loyalty.