And Micaiah said, “ As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!” So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?

I Kings 22:14-18 NKJV

William Hunter at the young age of 19 was one of many Reformed Christians who was burned at the stake under Bloody Mary’s reign* for holding to the Word of God over the word of the pope. After his imprisonment for refusing to take part in the mass, he was urged many times, even up to the moment of his execution to recant his faith and submit to Rome. He would, however, only do one thing; submit himself to the Word of God. Since the Word of God said Christ suffered and died once and for all for the remission of sins, he would believe the Word over the pope, who claimed Christ must continuously be offered. With that simple, seemingly harmless confession, he was burned to death at the stake.

We know little of Micaiah the prophet, other than his father’s name. We do not know which city he came from in Israel, his age, history, etc. The only account of him given in Scripture is this passage in I Kings 22 and the parallel account in II Chronicles 18. But while the Lord does not reveal to us the things we celebrate in people today, academic, athletic, financial, and professional achievements, the Lord does reveal to us that which is most important and for which we should all desire to be known: Micaiah was a faithful servant of the Lord.

Four hundred prophets told Ahab the flattering message he wanted to hear. Micaiah went to Ahab to tell him: “whatever the Lord says to me” (vs. 14)**. Here is the mark of a true prophet, preacher, and teacher of the Word: He tells the Word of God. Unintimidated by the messages of the numerous false prophets or the hatred of the pure Word of God, the faithful prophet receives the Word of God in the Scripture and tells it to all who will hear.

Micaiah was known to Ahab and Ahab to Micaiah. They had a history together. Ahab did not like him because Micaiah told him the truth when all Ahab really wanted was soothing lies.*** With this history in mind and in accordance with Elijah at Mt. Carmel, Micaiah came with a godly mocking of the 400 prophets by echoing their message (vs. 13). Micaiah showed Ahab and Jehoshaphat how silly and transparent the message of the false prophets really was. Anyone can say what you want to hear. The difficult message to hear and say is the truth. At Ahab’s rebuke and urging, Micaiah then gave the vision from the Lord: “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have no shepherd…” (vs. 17).

We should learn several things from this passage:

First, the mercy of the Lord is very great to warn us of our sin and pending judgment. Ahab was warned many times by several prophets. Nineveh was warned in the end by Jonah alone and with a very limited sermon. If we hear the warning, heed it (repent), and have faith in Christ, we shall be saved from the judgment.

Second, the long-suffering of the Lord is very great. Ahab’s judgment from our perspective was very long in coming. The wicked often live long lives, and sometimes the righteous are cut short in their days. This gives the wicked even more time for repentance while the righteous are forever with the Lord.

Third, the long-suffering of the Lord is not forever-suffering of the Lord. The day of the Lord’s judgment will come upon all men, for all have sinned. Ahab’s judgment finally came. The Lord will not withhold his wrath forever so while it is still today “hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation… but exhort one another daily, while it is still called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Hebrew 3:7-8, 13-14).

Finally, let us learn that against any intimidation, opposition, threat, or fear, like William Hunter and Micaiah the son of Imlah, we can stand confident and firm on the Word of God and the God of the Word, who endures forever!

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*Mary I of England (1516 – 1558) used much of her power and resources to put down through persecution the Protestant Reformation in England.

** For additional short reading on Micaiah and the 400 prophets see a recent article on the topic: http://heritageopc.org/2020/04/23/400-to-1-are-you-willing-to-contend/

***How many have left the church and the Christian faith because they did not like the message they heard from the Word of God? Faithful preaching will make us uncomfortable at times and ought to if it is to reveal and convict us of our sin and unrighteousness. How can we become more like Christ if we know not where we are opposed to Christ? Do not run from faithful preaching because it pricks your conscious but, confess your sin to the Lord and humble yourself before the Almighty.

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Copyright ©, LikeTheGreatMountains.com, 2020

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