#40. The Terror of Unbelief
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.”
I Kings 22:19-13 NKJV
Every so often in Scripture the Lord gives us a glimpse into His throne room in Heaven,* where we read of sights too amazing for our finite, mortal minds to comprehend. In verse 19, Micaiah was taken in a vision to the throne room of the Lord where “all the host of heaven [was] standing by, on His right hand and on His left.” What does “all the host of heaven” include? The angels? What about the fallen angels? Are the righteous on the right and the fallen on the left? Is this the same place and gathering where Satan met with the Lord and discussed Job (Job 1:6-12)? Many questions arise that the Lord has not answered for us, and we must rest content that these secret things belong to Him. However, in the middle of these mysterious visions, the Lord still revealed a conversation for us to understand.
As the host was gathered by the Lord’s throne in Heaven, the Lord asked who would persuade Ahab to go to battle in Ramoth Gilead so that he might be killed there. The Lord had purposed for Ahab to die in battle so it would certainly come to pass. Then “a spirit came forward… and said, “I will persuade him… I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets” (vs. 22). The Lord confirmed this would be successful and allowed the lying spirit to proceed to the 400 prophets of Ahab (vs. 22).
Have you ever considered that you may be a topic of conversation for the Lord with His heavenly host? This was the case for Job (a righteous man) and Ahab (an unrighteousness man). We may think because the Lord does not speak to us from the clouds today that He does not care so much about us and that our actions have little bearing on the future. The opposite is true. He who sees and knows all carries out His perfect purposes.
Ahab used Micaiah’s prophecy as proof to Jehoshaphat that Micaiah simply had it in for him. Ahab’s argument was that Micaiah could not be telling the truth because every word Micaiah spoke about him was bad. In order to prove the prophecy was true, Micaiah revealed greater background to his prophecy through the conversation in heaven.
Micaiah’s vision was one final warning to wicked Ahab: “Look, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you” (vs. 23).
In this last phase of Ahab’s terrible life, the Lord revealed a terrifying message to Ahab. Ahab should have been running from the wrath of God, falling down on his face, pleading with God for mercy at this late hour of desperate need. If Ramoth Gilead was north, Ahab should have gotten into his chariot and headed south. Instead, Ahab hardened his heart and would not listen.
Telling the truth (sharing the Word) to our families and friends includes at times giving difficult messages. Not all who hear our report of the grace of God in Christ will believe it. To some, the gospel will minister greater judgment, for it will leave those like Ahab who don’t believe in greater sin. To others, however, the gospel will minister salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. May the Lord use this passage to humble the Christian before the Almighty and give the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom to the unbeliever that he might be saved.
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*Isaiah 6:1, Ezekiel 1:26; Daniel 7:9; Revelation (Especially chapters 3-7)
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