Micaiah, lying spirits, and false prophets

JudahJudah ProphetsProphets IsraelIsrael

931 BC931 BC RehoboamRehoboam ““A prophet from A prophet from Judah” (1 K. 13)Judah” (1 K. 13)

JeroboamJeroboam

AbijahAbijah NadabNadab

900 BC900 BC Asa*Asa* BaashaBaasha

850 BC850 BC Jehoshaphat*Jehoshaphat* Elijah Elijah

2 prophets warn 2 prophets warn Ahab (1 K. 20-22)Ahab (1 K. 20-22)

Zimri, Omri, Zimri, Omri, AhabAhab, , Ahaziah, JoramAhaziah, Joram

800 BC800 BC Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Queen Athaliah, Joash*Queen Athaliah, Joash*

ElishaElisha

JonahJonah

AmosAmos

Johoahaz, Johoahaz, Johoash, Johoash, Jeroboam IIJeroboam II

750 BC750 BC Amaziah, Uzziah, AhazAmaziah, Uzziah, Ahaz HoseaHosea

MicahMicah

IsaiahIsaiah

Zechariah, Zechariah, Shallum, Shallum, Menahem, Menahem, PekahiahPekahiah

722 BC722 BC Hezekiah*Hezekiah* IsaiahIsaiah Pekah, HosheaPekah, Hoshea

“The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow?” (Hosea 4:16)

“Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in the hills of Ephraim and lived there…He said to himself, ‘The kingdom will probably return to David’s dynasty now. King Rehoboam of Judah, the former master of these people, will regain popularity if they go to sacrifice in the LORD'S temple in Jerusalem. Then they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.’ After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said, ‘You’ve been worshiping in Jerusalem long enough. Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. Worshiping them became Israel’s sin. The people went as far as Dan to worship the one calf. Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops.

He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests. Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. He went to the altar in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He appointed priests from the illegal worship sites to serve in Bethel. He went to his altar in Bethel to burn an offering on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the festival he had invented for the Israelites.” (1 Kings 12:25-33)

At the LORD's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice. Following the LORD's command, the prophet denounced the altar: "O altar, altar, this is what the LORD says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you." And the prophet went on to say, "This altar will fall apart, and the ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that the LORD has spoken through me." When King Jeroboam heard this, he pointed at him and ordered, "Seize that man!" At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back. The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground, as the prophet had predicted in the name of the LORD. (1 Kings 13:1-5)

King Jeroboam said to the prophet, "Please pray for me to the LORD your God, and ask him to heal my arm!" The prophet prayed to the LORD, and the king's arm was healed. Then the king said to the prophet, "Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done." The prophet answered, "Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you. The LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came." So he did not go back the same way he had come, but by another road. (1 Kings 13:6-10)

At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam. "Which way did he go when he left?" the old prophet asked them. They showed him the road and he told them to saddle his donkey for him. They did so, and he rode off down the road after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree. "Are you the prophet from Judah?" he asked. "I am," the man answered. "Come home and have a meal with me," he said. (1 Kings 13:11-15 GNB)

But the prophet from Judah answered, "I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here, because the LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came." Then the old prophet from Bethel said to him, "I, too, am a prophet just like you, and at the LORD's command an angel told me to take you home with me and offer you my hospitality." But the old prophet was lying. So the prophet from Judah went home with the old prophet and had a meal with him. As they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet, (1 Kings 13:16-20)

and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, "The LORD says that you disobeyed him and did not do what he commanded. Instead, you returned and ate a meal in a place he had ordered you not to eat in. Because of this you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in your family grave." After they had finished eating, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet from Judah, who rode off. On the way a lion met him and killed him. His body lay on the road, and the donkey and the lion stood beside it. Some men passed by and saw the body on the road, with the lion standing near by. They went on into Bethel and reported what they had seen. (1 Kings 13:21-25)

When the old prophet heard about it, he said, "That is the prophet who disobeyed the LORD's command! And so the LORD sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as the LORD said he would." Then he said to his sons, "Saddle my donkey for me." They did so, and he rode off and found the prophet's body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey. The old prophet picked up the body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back to Bethel to mourn over it and bury it. He buried it in his own family grave, and he and his sons mourned over it, saying, "Oh my brother, my brother!" (1 Kings 13:26-30)

After the burial the prophet said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his. The words that he spoke at the LORD's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true." King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one. This sin on his part brought about the ruin and total destruction of his dynasty. (1 Kings 13:31-34)

What is there to learn from this story? Why did the older prophet lie? How could the younger prophet have

known that the older prophet was lying? What should the younger prophet have

said to the older prophet?

JudahJudah ProphetsProphets IsraelIsrael

931 BC931 BC RehoboamRehoboam ““A prophet from A prophet from Judah” (1 K. 13)Judah” (1 K. 13)

JeroboamJeroboam

AbijahAbijah NadabNadab

900 BC900 BC Asa*Asa* BaashaBaasha

850 BC850 BC Jehoshaphat*Jehoshaphat* Elijah Elijah

2 prophets warn 2 prophets warn Ahab (1 K. 20-22)Ahab (1 K. 20-22)

Zimri, Omri, Zimri, Omri, AhabAhab, , Ahaziah, JoramAhaziah, Joram

800 BC800 BC Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Jehoram*, Ahaziah, Queen Athaliah, Joash*Queen Athaliah, Joash*

ElishaElisha

JonahJonah

AmosAmos

Johoahaz, Johoahaz, Johoash, Johoash, Jeroboam IIJeroboam II

750 BC750 BC Amaziah, Uzziah, AhazAmaziah, Uzziah, Ahaz HoseaHosea

MicahMicah

IsaiahIsaiah

Zechariah, Zechariah, Shallum, Shallum, Menahem, Menahem, PekahiahPekahiah

722 BC722 BC Hezekiah*Hezekiah* IsaiahIsaiah Pekah, HosheaPekah, Hoshea

“At the LORD's command a member of a group of prophets ordered a fellow prophet to hit him. But he refused, so he said to him, ‘Because you have disobeyed the LORD’s command, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me.’ And as soon as he left, a lion came along and killed him. Then this same prophet went to another man and said, ‘Hit me!’ This man did so; he hit him a hard blow and hurt him. The prophet bandaged his face with a cloth, to disguise himself, and went and stood by the road, waiting for the king of Israel to pass. As the king was passing by, the prophet called out to him and said, ‘Your Majesty, I was fighting in the battle when a soldier brought a captured enemy to me…’” (1 Kings 20:35-39)

“The king went back home to Samaria, worried and depressed.” (1 Kings 20:43)

2 “prophets of the LORD” claimed to speak for God and asked another prophet of the LORD to do something

The first lied The other prophet was killed by a lion for

believing The second told the truth

The other prophet was killed by a lion for not believing

“My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threatened war for those who don’t. To these prophets the LORD says, ‘Prophets, your day is almost over; the sun is going down on you. Because you mislead my people, you will have no more prophetic visions, and you will not be able to predict anything’…The city’s rulers govern for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for pay, the prophets give their revelations for money – and they all claim that the LORD is with them. ‘No harm will come to us,’ they say. ‘The LORD is with us’” (Micah 3:6,11)

“Those men are not true apostles---they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

“Come home with me and accept my hospitality”

“Hit me”

“My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.” (1 John 4:1)

“…do not despise inspired messages. Put all things to the test: keep what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, 'Come, let us worship other gods'—gods you have not known before—do not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you truly love Him with all your heart and soul.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

When King Jehoshaphat of Judah became rich and famous, he arranged a marriage between a member of his family and the family of King Ahab of Israel. A number of years later Jehoshaphat went to the city of Samaria to visit Ahab. To honor Jehoshaphat and those with him, Ahab had a large number of sheep and cattle slaughtered for a feast. He tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead. He asked, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I am ready when you are, and so is my army. We will join you." Then he added, "But first let's consult the LORD." (2 Chronicles 18:1-4)

So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, "Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack it," they answered. "The Lord will give you victory." But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there another prophet through whom we can consult the LORD?" Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied. Then Ahab called in a court official and told him to go and get Micaiah at once. The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. (1 Kings 22:6-10)

One of them, Zedekiah…made iron horns and said to Ahab, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them." All the other prophets said the same thing. "March against Ramoth and you will win," they said. "The LORD will give you victory." Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same." But Micaiah answered, "By the living LORD I promise that I will say what he tells me to!" When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack!" Micaiah answered. "Of course you'll win. The LORD will give you victory." (1 Kings 22:11-15)

But Ahab replied, "When you speak to me in the name of the LORD, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?" Micaiah answered, "I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.' " Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good for me? It's always something bad!" Micaiah went on: "Now listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him. The LORD asked, 'Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?' Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else, (1 Kings 22:16-20)

until a spirit stepped forward, approached the LORD, and said, 'I will deceive him.' 'How?' the LORD asked. The spirit replied, 'I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The LORD said, 'Go and deceive him. You will succeed.' " And Micaiah concluded: "This is what has happened. The LORD has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!" Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, "Since when did the LORD's spirit leave me and speak to you?" "You will find out when you go into some back room to hide," Micaiah replied. (1 Kings 22:21-25)

Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, "Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash. Tell them to throw him in prison and to put him on bread and water until I return safely." "If you return safely," Micaiah exclaimed, "then the LORD has not spoken through me!" And he added, "Listen, everyone, to what I have said!" Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead. (1 Kings 22:26-30)

“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still!”

– Benjamin Franklin

Does God send lying spirits? “If we are tempted by such trials, we

must not say, ‘This temptation comes from God.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13)

Parable

The Rich Man and LazarusDo we really go to Abraham’s bosom at

death?Is there really direct communication

between those in hell and in heaven?Is there a place of forever torture in fire?

The Heavenly Council in the OT “When the day came for the heavenly beings

to appear before the LORD, Satan was there among them.” (Job 1:6)

“lying spirit” – “the father of lies” (John 8:44) “The LORD was angry at Israel again, and he

made David think it would be a good idea to count the people in Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 24:1)

“Satan wanted to bring trouble on the people of Israel, so he made David decide to take a census.” (1 Chronicles 21:1)

Applications for today “I am shocked that you are turning away so

soon from God, who called you to Himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-7)

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!” (Galatians 1:8)

Romans 1:16,17: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel...for in it, the righteousness of God is revealed."