Preach the Word

 I want to talk today about a prophet of God named Micaiah. He prophesied in the northern kingdom during the reign of the wicked king Ahab. The story picks up with Jehoshaphat, (the king of the southern kingdom) making an alliance with Ahab through marriage. This was a typical method of making alliances during this period.

One day Jehoshaphat was visiting Ahab and Ahab asked him to join him in battle against Ramoth Gilead.    Jehoshaphat said, “let’s find out what the Lord says about that?” So Ahab called on all his  “yes men” prophets to get the green light and they all said “Go up for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

 

Ahab may have been convinced, but Jehoshaphat saw right through these yes men, and asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him? And Ahab said, yeah, there’s one left, but I hate him. He never prophecies good concerning me.” (Read that, “he rails against all my wicked ways, and keeps telling me to repent! ”) He is Micaiah the son of Imla.  

So Micaiah is summoned and the messenger who brought him before the king told him, “Hey why don’t you just be like the other guys and encourage the king.” Micaiah replied, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.”

So he is brought before the king and evidently he makes a remark that is dripping with sarcasm. This is another time in Scripture where you wish the written word could include voice inflection! He said, “Go and prosper and they shall be delivered into your hand.”

 

Ahab says to Jehoshaphat, “see, I told you he never speaks anything good about me!” Micaiah then spouted forth the words of the Lord and they spelled doom for Ahab. He said, “If you ever return in peace the Lord has not spoken  by me. Take heed all you people.”

Long story short, they went to battle in spite of Micaiah’s prophecy and Ahab died in the battle.

 

By the way, Micaiah’s reward for speaking the truth was a punch in the mouth and a trip to the hoosegow where he was fed bread and water.

 

Sometimes it costs to speak the truth of God’s Word…..speak it anyway! Sin  wreaks all kinds of havoc in our lives….speak against it. The Gospel is the only cure……. speak for it!

 

Be like Micaiah! Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Tim 4:2)