Dear Brothers and Sisters, Have you ever heard of Micaiah? His example, one that many have never heard before, is one that especially needs to be told today. So who is Micaiah? He was a prophet of the Lord, who served God during the reign of Ahab, one of Israel's most wicked kings. All we know about Micaiah is what we read in 1 Kings chapter 22. At the time, Ahab (king of Israel) and Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) teamed up to face the threat of the Syrians to the north. But before going into battle Jehoshaphat insisted on hearing from the Lord so King Ahab reluctantly sent for Micaiah. We pick up the story in 1 Kings 22:13-28 "the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” And 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 home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.” Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace.”’” And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!” (ESV) Micaiah refused to lie, flatter, bend the truth, or avoid the situation. He could have softened the word of the Lord, He could have run away like Jonah did, but when faced with the choice to lie or speak truth, Micaiah refused to compromise, even when he was told to 'speak favorably.' He was thrown in prison for the crime of speaking the word of the Lord. Today, in Canada we face many similar choices, to speak or not to speak the word of God. Micaiah's example is a reminder to each of us at all times to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth regardless of the cost. We must not be silent. Grace and Peace, Matt
Matthew Deneault Pastor at Christ Community Fellowship
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