Ahab did not want to hear the word of a true prophet concerning his ambition to take Ramothgilead. When his messengers fetched Micaiah, they said explicitly, "the [false] prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good." If you want to know God's will, don't tell Him what to say. Why pray that someone will lie to you? Micaiah retorted,
1 Kings 22:14 - "As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak."
PRINCIPALS - "Jehoshaphat"
Jehoshaphat ascended to the throne of Judah in the fourth year of King Ahab's rule in Israel. They reigned concurrently for seventeen years. Two kings could hardly have been more opposite. Ahab was the worst king Israel had ever had. Jehoshaphat earnestly sought to please God. In the days of his righteous reign, "the remnant of the sodomites [homosexuals], ...he took out of the land."
I Kings 22:43 - "And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD."
PRINCIPLES - "Grit"
If you are going to stand for God, you have to have grit - "firmness of character; indomitable spirit." Micaiah told Ahab, "I saw all Israel scattered ...as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master," then added, "A spirit ...stood before the LORD, and said, I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face, and Ahab sent him to prison until he returned from war.
1 Kings 22:28 - "Micaiah said, If thou return at all ...the LORD hath not spoken by me."
PROPHECIES - "The Dogs Lick Ahab's Blood"
Ahab was determined to defy the word of the LORD. "I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle." But "a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel, ...and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot." Ahab died, and they buried him in Samaria. The forgotten prophecy of Elijah came to pass.
1 Kings 22:38 - "One washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake."
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| His Testimony Her Praise |
The Two Together | |||||||
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:6-7 | |||||||
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Established in the faith and abounding with thanksgiving. These days it seems that's a rare combination. A lot of people have been taught faith over the last several years, and a lot of people have been taught to abound with thanksgiving. But it's been hard to set the two together. Faith folks want to confess the Word all the time, but they don't praise God very much. And those who like to praise God just want to jump and shout and dance and have a good time in the Lord. You can't get them to get very serious about the Word. Success comes from combining the two. So, do it! Put them together in your life. When you run into a challenge, don't just stand around grim-faced and white-knuckled holding on to your faith. Raise your hands high and praise. Start thanking God in the midst of what's happening around you. Keep thanking Him for the answer until it comes. Instead of just standing on the Word, let the joy of the Lord enable you to dance around on it a little. It will get you where you're going a whole lot faster...and both you and God will have a much better time on the way.
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