And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
2 Chronicles 18:7 KJV
It is only human nature that we find ourselves seeking information that supports our opinions.
When we are set in the way we think, we try to avoid having our opinion challenged by those who don’t agree with it.
This is what was happening during King Ahab’s rule over Israel.
While having a conversation with Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, about going to war against “Ramothgilead”, he called on 400 prophets.
They were men that he had appointed to the role of giving him advice.
Chosen because they would tell him what he wanted to hear when it came to him making decisions.
When asked about going to war, they each replied, “Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand” (v.5).
Jehoshaphat was not comfortable with what they were saying.
He asked, “Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?” (v.6).
Ahab was not in favor of asking anyone else.
He was slow to speak but responded that, “There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil.” That his name was “Micaiah the son of Imla” (v.7).
Jehoshaphat wanted to meet with him (v.7).
“And [Ahab] called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla” (v.8).
As Ahab feared, Micaich told them that they would not be victorious.
That he saw “all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd” (v.16).
Not what Ahab wanted to hear.
He wanted things to happen like the previous 400 prophets had said.
As we all read this story, we all can remember a time when we avoided wise advice because it wasn’t what we wanted to hear.
We wanted things to go our way no matter what.
We must avoid engaging in worldly things. They only lead us to go against all that the Lord wants for us.
Things end more positively when we listen to wise advice.
The Bible, God’s Words, is the voice of truth that we should be seeking.
Listening to everything He says.
It is the only counsel that is trustworthy and wise.
He wants the best for us.
His Word never changes.
Blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Savior, we desire to seek and listen to the instructions You give. No longer letting worldly things have control over what we do. That when we live according to the Word, we can make it through all our difficulties and dangers. You are always there to rescue us. We are thankful for all that You do for us. We put our trust in You.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen