Viewing page 6 of 44

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

150     THE CONVENTION TEACHER 

INTRODUCTION

"Though Ahab continued under guilt and wrath, and the dominion of the lusts to which he had sold himself, yet as a reward of his profession of repentance and humiliation, though the time drew near when he should descend into battle and perish, yet we have him blessed with a three year's peace and a honorable visit made by Jehoshaphat, king of Judah."

The king of Judah came to consult with the king of Israel about matters concerning their kingdoms. Ahab meditates war against the Syrians and seeks advice from those who are his chief advisors. The Syrian King promised to give him his lost cities. Ahab accepted his word. In the restoration of the cities Ramoth-Gilead was withheld. It was an important city. Ahab seeks help from Jehoshaphat who accepts the invitation. Then he asks advice from the prophets at this expedition. While Ahab south advice from the prophets at this expedition. While Ahab sought advice from this men, Jehoshaphat urged to ask word from the Lord. Ahab got no satisfaction from his prophets, yet he had a prophet called Micaiah, whom he hated but to please Jehoshaphat he consulted him. In the report from Micaiah, Ahab's doom was declared and the battle raged. Ahab was mortally wounded, then he sought to hide himself as a private sentinel.

EXPOSITION

I. FOUR HUNDRED PROPHETS' WORDS WRONG. (Vs. 5-9) (5) And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord today. King Ahab engages Jehoshaphat, and draws him to join with him in his expedition to recover Ramoth-gilead. It is no question why Ahab would seek the help of a pious and prosperous neighbor but it may cause wonder why Jehoshaphat would go to champion Ahab's interest to say, I am as thou art, my people as thy people. Jehoshaphat and his people were not so wicked as Ahab and his people. The king of Isreal opened his heart completely to the king of Judah and was willing to put his nation and his array at his disposal. 

(6) Then the king of Isreal gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. --The four hundred prophets of Ahab, the standing regiments he had of them (prophets of the grove they called them) agreed to encourage him in his expedition, and to assure hum success against Rmoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? But they knew which way his mind was directed, and designed only to humor the two kings. To Please the king Jehoshaphat, they used the name Jehovah, He shall deliver it into the hand of the king, they state the word from the true prophets, and spake their language. To please Ahab,  they said go up. They had probabilities on their side; Ahab had,not long since beaten the Syrians twice; he had now a good cause and was much strengthened by his alliance with Jehoshaphat; but they pretended to speak by prophecy, not by natural conjecture; by Divine, not human foresight. "Thou shalt certainly recover Ramoth-gilead." Zedekiah, a leading man among these prophets in imitation of the true prophets showed his false prophecy with a sign. He made himself a pair of iron horns, representing the two kings, and their honour and power both of which were signified by horns, exaltation, and force, and with these the Syrians must be pushed. All the prophets agreed as one man, that Ahab should return home from this encounter, a conqueror. Here were four hundred men that prophesized with one mind and one mouth, yet all in error. 

(7) And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of him. --Jehoshaphat would not accept this kind of prophecy and preaching. It was not like that to which he was used. The false prophets cannot so imitate the true but that he who has spiritual senses could be exercised could discern the fallacy, and so he inquires for a prophet of the Lord besides. He has too much courtesy to say anything by way of reflection on the king's chaplains, but he waits to see a prophet of the Lord; intimating that he could not look upon those to be so. They seemed to be prophets (Whatever they were they made no matter to him), in conference they added nothing to him, they gave him no satisfaction. One faithful prophet of the Lord was worth them all.

(8) And the king of Israel said unto  Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man. Micaiah, 

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

THE CONVENTION TEACHER     151

the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I  hate him; for he doth not prophecy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. --Ahab has another prophet, but he hates hum,Micaiah by name, and to please Jehoshaphat, he is willing to have him brought forth. Ahab owned that they might inquire of the Lord by him, that he was a true prophet, and no one that knew God's mind. And yet, he hates him, and was not ashamed to own to the king of Judah, that he did so, and to give this for his reason, he doth not prophecy good for me but evil. And whose fault was that? If Ahab had done well, he had heard accordingly from heaven. If he do ill, he may thank himself for all the uneasiness which the reproofs and the threats of God's word gave him: he had it seemed imprisoned him: for when he interviewed him, he bade the officers carry him back; namely, to the place whence he came. We may suppose that this was he that reproved hum for his clemency to Benhadad and for that cause he was cast into prison where he was lain for these three years, hence Ahab knew where to find him so quickly. Though in prison he had divine visitors, the spirit of the prophecy continued with him there. He was bound but the word of God was not, nor did it make him less courageous or less confident or less faithful in delivering his message. Jehoshaphat gave too gentle a reproof to Ahab for expressing his hatred against a faithful prophet. Let not the king say so. 

(9) The king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. --Ahab yielded to the reproof from Jehoshaphat for fear of provoking him to break his alliance with him, thus he send for Micaiah with all speed. The two kings sat dressed in royalty in the gate of Samaria to hear what their poor prophet had to say.

11. MICAIAH'S TRUE PROPHECY. (Vs. 13-18) (13) And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the 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. Micaiah is advised by the officer that went after him to give the same good words unto the kind as the other had done, you imitate one of them. That officer was not worthy of the name of an Israelite, who pretended to prescribe to a prophet; but he thought him such an one as the rest, who studied to please men, and not God. He tells him how the words of the other prophets were the same in the foretelling of the king's good success; how pleasant it was to the king; it was to his (Micaiah) interest to say as they said, he might gain not only encouragements, but preferment, by it. He hints that to contradict the words of the other prophets would bring ridicule upon him. 

(14) And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. --But Micaiah knows better things, protests it, and backs his protestation with an oath, that he will deliver the message from God with all faithfulness, whether it be pleasing or displeasing to his prince. He speaks out boldly--  What the Lord saith to me that I will speak, without any addition of alteration- bravely resolved, and as became one who had his eye to a greater King than either of these two, arrayed with brighter robes, and sitting on a higher throne. 

(15) So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? and he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. --Observe how faithfully Micaiah delivers his message as one who is more careful to please God than to humor the great or the many. Three ways he delivers the message, all displeasing Ahab. He speaks as the other prophets did, but ironically, Go and prosper. Ahab asked him the same question that he asked the other prophets, Shall we go or shall we forbear? Seeming desirous to know God's mind which Micaiah noticed closely: when he bade him go, but with such an air of pronounciation, as plainly shewed he spake by way of division; as if he had said, I know you are determined to go, and I hear your own prophets are unanimous in assuring you of success; go then, and take what follows. They say the Lord shall deliver it unto the hand of the king; but I do not tell thee that thus saith the Lord. No, he saith otherwise. 

(16) And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord. --In answer to this Ahab adjures him to tell the truth, and not to jest with him, as if he sincerely desired to know both what God would have him do, and what he would do with him; Yet intending to represent the prophet as a perverse, ill-humoured