And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day.( I Kings 22:1-5)
God had given Israel victory, over his nemesis, the Syrians. Ahab had been advised and helped by the very prophets of God that He and his wife had once tried to kill.
But Ahab soon forgot God, and played worldly politics, refusing to slay the enemy of God and Israel, Ben Hadad.
Three years had passed in which Syria dared not make any more incursions into the Holy Land. But Ahab decided he would make war on Syria, to recover Ramoth Gilead, a city pledged to Israel by Ben Hadad, but never given.
Ahab sent for Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, to come for a state visit to his capitol in Samaria. There He invited King Jehoshaphat to participate in a joint venture, the recapture of Ramoth Gilead from the Syrians.
Flattered by the offer, and perhaps in a misguided ecumenical spirit, Jehoshaphat pledged his people and horses to the effort. The godly King verbally committed himself to Ahab’s adventure, and now there would be no going back.
Jehoshaphat realized to his horror that without seeking God, he had committed himself, his nation and the integrity of his Kingdom, to a fight that he had no permission from the LORD to be involved in.
So Jehoshaphat asked for a “Word from the LORD”, to be enquired of, by any prophets of Jehovah which would have been in the Kingdom.
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.( I Kings 22:7-9)
Who were these 400 prophets? They weren’t the prophets of Baal, for they had been slain at Carmel and all but wiped out. Nor were they Jezebel’s prophets of Astarte, for they were prophesying in the name of the LORD.
It could be that Ahab had re-instated the former state religion , the false worship of Jaweh in the idolatrous forms of two Golden Calves, centered in the two shrines, at Dan and at Bethel. We don’t know, but obviously these were not Baalists, they were false prophets of Jahweh, and served the interests of Ahab’s government.
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king’s hand. ( I Kings 22:10-12)
Their ‘prophetic’ enactments, and use of props, didn’t convince the godly King Jehoshaphat, for none of their utterances held that ‘ring of truth’ evident in the genuine prophetic ministers.
As the two Kings sat in the plaza between two of the city gates, and beheld the spectacle of ‘Prophets’ assuring Ahab of victory, the prophecies seemed hollow.
The use of the prop of horns may have been inspired by a real prophecy, ie the prediction that” Joseph would push down the nations with horns”in Deuteronomy 33:17. Thus in these sham prophets of Jehovah, there was a mixture of scripture and hype.
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. ( I Kings 22:7-9)
Ironically, when Jehoshaphat expressed doubts about the veracity of these ‘prophets’ of Jehovah, he inquired further, for a valid man of God. Ahab immediately knew who to send for. But He didn’t like to have to do so, for this prophet, Micaiah, “never prophesied good towards him, only evil”.
In the mind of carnal and pagan men, Prophets are brokers between the world of Spirits and gods, who can secure favorable or unfavorable “Words” (curses) according to the situation. The trick is to find the right ‘prophet’ and to maintain good terms with him, in order to receive a ‘good word’. in Paganism, the categories are not “True and False” rather “good or evil” Words. Ahab believes that Micaiah is against him personally, thus he gives him an evil Word.
But Jehoshaphat knew God and knew that the issue was truth, revealed by God. All that counted was what does God say? What is the reality of the situation? What has God decreed and what should we do about it? Jehoshaphat, who had already unwisely committed himself to Ahab’s fight, needed to know the mind of God, for good or for evil, and what to do about it.
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. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead 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. ( I Kings 22:13-15)
Micaiah is warned to give a “good Word” to the King like the other ‘prophets’ have done. So initially he does so, “Go and Prosper…The LORD gives you the victory…”.
But now even Ahab knows that this ‘word’ isn’t right, and demands the truth, putting the prophet under oath in the name of the LORD.
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. And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.( I Kings 22:16-17)
The Truth?
The truth was a vision of Israel routed, leaderless , defeated and in retreat to their homes, scattered and Shepherd-less .
Pastor Bill Randles Blog 
I saw a few verses recently that I wanted to share as I believe they may relate to this message:
“LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your Name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let no man prevail against You.” ~ 2 chronicles 14:11
This was spoken by King Asa, who started off by fully trusting in the LORD, and therefore the LORD routed his enemies before him and shattered them to pieces, leaving Asa with much plunder.
But This warning comes next:
“Listen to me, Asa… the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
Later, Asa ends up hiring foreign troops to help him! So, Instead of continuing to trust in God, he is now in a “foreign alliance”, which ends up bringing war to him. The LORD also causes him to be afflicted by a foot disease until his death.
Here is another verse in the midst of this story:
“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro from throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
~ 2 chronicles 16:9
Just wanted to share that as an encouragement to us as we are facing such perilous times and such a great enemy…. we mustn’t fall into the temptation of “yoking ourselves together” in a “spiritual way” with others who want to stand against this evil tyranny but are more of an “ecumenical” force.
The LORD is our Warrior and Deliverer, but only as WE trust Him FULLY!!! 💗🙏💗
“The Angel of the LORD surrounds the ones who fear Him, and delivers them!” amen
Brilliant, thank you
As for how this relates in our current world…
There are many voices out there clamoring for us to “join together with them” to fight/win this battle.
(as the false prophets in this story of Jehoshaphat claimed, “We will prevail in this battle against the enemy!” – false)
The LORD has brought this evil delusion upon the world for such a time as this, in order to fulfill His purpose for the End of this Age. “We” cannot stop what is written… and certainly it is never God’s will for us to be spiritually “yoked”, even for a “good cause” with unbelievers. Therefore, we must choose to “walk by faith, not by sight” and trust the LORD to help us to do what is according to His will in our own lives as we seek to also help lead others to the Truth… we must not compromise or be drawn into an alliance that is not of Him. “We” will not prevail against this evil… but HE will!!