Ahab Dies in Battle, 1-40
22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. 22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit the king of Israel. 22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.” 22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “First seek an oracle from the LORD.” 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said, “Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king.” 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD still here, that we may ask him?” 22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the LORD’s will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” 22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel – Evidently, peace has been established between the northern and southern kingdoms after a long period of war. This peace had been cemented by marriage between Johoshaphat’s son Jehoram and Ahab’s daughter Athaliah, 2 King 8:18; 2 Chron 18:11. We cannot be sure whether Athaliah was the offspring of Jezebel or of one of Ahab’s other wives, but she was a Jezebel clone in every other way, 2 King 11.
“Ramoth Gilead belongs to us” – This town, 25 or so miles east of Jordan, stood on an important trading route. ‘It’s a shame to have a turnpike running through a place if you aren’t sitting in the toll booth.’ (Davis)
Although godly Jehoshaphat sought to enquire of Yahweh, it seems that Ahab summoned the prophets of Asherah – the very four hundred – who had failed to turn up to the contest at Carmel.
v7 This makes clear what was implied in the previous verse, that the prophets summoned by Ahab were not prophets of Yahweh at all, but rather the 400 (cf v6) prophets of Asherah who had been absent from, and therefore missed the consequences of, the ‘god contest’ in ch 18. Davis, however, disputes this, and noting that they prophesy in the name of Yahweh suggests that they belong to the syncrestic Jeroboam cult, 1 King 12:25-33.
“I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad” – Davis wonders if the church is drifting back to an Ahab mind-set, one that discourages candour and only wants people to feel good about themselves. The ultimate sin, it seems, is judgementalism and making peoeple feel guilty. ‘What will the ministry of the word be like in such a church? Will it ever press home the word of God in its searing honesty? Or must that be sacrificed lest it destroy the non-judgemental ambiance? Ahab would love such a place.’
22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the LORD says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’ ” 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.” 22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.” 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what the LORD tells me to say.”
v11 This prophecy does not come out of the blue. Obviously, the iron horns had been manufactured. And Zedekiah has pulled apiece of paper out of God’s promise box (Deut 33:17) and applied it to the present situation.
v13 The messenger who has been sent to fetch Micaiah urges him to side with the majority and speak positively (for once). Neither Ahab (v8) nor the messenger (v12) understand that a prophet is under compulsion to speak the truth, however uncomfortable it may be. The prophet is captive to the word; he is not at liberty to bend, distort or manipulate it.
v14 The prophet has been placed under tremendous pressure, but he cannot help speak the word of the Lord.
22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.” 22:16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?” 22:17 Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’ ” 22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 22:19 Micaiah said, “That being the case, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 22:20 The LORD said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The LORD asked him, ‘How?’ 22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22:23 So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.” 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water until I safely return.” ’ ” 22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, all you people.”
v15 Micaiah’s first response is one of ironic agreement with the prophets of Asherah. Ahab clearly understood it as such by his reaction in v16.
Ahab recognises the irony in Micaiah’s response and pleads with him to tell the truth.
Ahab’s response (“How many times must I make you…?”) tells us that this was a stock routine between Micaiah and himself.
‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace’ – This implies two things: first, that Ahab is to be eliminated; second, that once he is dead, Israel can enjoy ‘peace’.
v19 ‘Clearly our writer wants us to see verses 19-23 as the antithesis of verses 10-12. Both sections depict “royal” scenes with kings upon their thrones. In the one, two earthly kings in all their regalia listen to the prophetic cheerleading of Zedekiah & Co. In the other, the sovereign King of all determines the manner in which he will dispose of Ahab. Is there any doubt as to which decision will shape history?’ (Davis)
v25 There are true prophets and there are false prophets, each claiming to speak the word of the Lord. How do we know which message is authentic? Is it the one who is in the majority? Is it the one who has the most authoritative tone? Is it the one who claims to be inspired? Micaiah’s answer at this point is, “Wait and see” (cf his answer to Ahab, v28; cf. also Deut 18:21f).
“Mark my words, all you people!” – These closing words from Micaiah are the same as the opening words of the book of Micah (1:2). Micah looks forward to the destruction fo Samaria because of idolatry and prostitution, 1:2-7 and it condemns both social injustice, 2:1-5 and false prophecy, 2:6-10; 3:1-12. (Provan)
22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. 22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel.” 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, because I’m wounded.” 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. 22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); dogs licked his blood, just as the LORD had said would happen.
v29 Ahab (and godly Jehoshaphat) side with the majority and go to war.
“I will enter the battle in disguise” – Evidently, Ahab had a secret forboding that all was not well. ‘Ahab is an interesting bundle of perversion: he hates the word, v8, yet wants the word, v16; he fears the word, v30ab, yet defies the word, v29, 30c.’ (Davis)
Jehoshaphat cried out – His shout reveals that he is not the man Ben-Hadad is after. ‘Like a dupe – almost a dead one – Jehoshaphat complied with Ahab’s battle plan.’ (Davis)
Someone drew his bow at random – Jewish legend, recorded in Josephus but unsubstantiated, identifies this person as Naaman (2 King 5). Ahab thought to avoid by disguise what Micaiah had foretold. In this he almost succeeded. But then the word of the Lord is fulfilled almost casually, as if by accident.
An arrow shot ‘at random’ ‘flies unerringly to its divinely ordained target – to a single figure in the vast crowd, to one of the few undefended spots on his body.’ (Provan)
v36 The army is now leaderless, cf. v17.
‘For the writer of Kings, history is no accident but is directed by the word Yahweh speaks. Both the unwilling and the unknowing only fulfil it. Precisely here a bit of gladness reaches out of this dark narrative and grabs the people of God, for if Yahweh’s word is certain (the writer’s point), we know that Yahweh’s words of hope must be as solid as his words of judgement.’ (Davis)