1st Kings 22:7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 8 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.
These verses of scripture contain very important lessons pertaining to the tendency of many people to desire smooth-sounding messages, especially when the word of The Lord should be presented in its unadulterated form. In this instance, the king of Israel was asked by the king of Judah, for a true prophet to be called, so that they two could receive candid advice, and sound instructions from the Lord, about a battle that was soon to ensue. But Ahab king of Israel, took offense to that suggestion by king Jehoshaphat, for Micaiah, the prophet of The Lord, was not someone who could be bought or sold, neither would he accept any gifts or monetary rewards in exchange for prophesying smooth sounding messages, which God had not given.
Ahab had his own set of prophets who were obviously on his payroll, and because they were being paid to prophesy according to what Ahab wanted to hear, they could not be depended on to give honest advice, for their main concern was their salary, not the welfare of the king or his people. This attitude by both Ahab and his false prophets produced an ongoing collusion, by which Ahab would tell them of his plans, and they in turn would prophesy along those lines, making certain to offer their blessing on whatever the king desired. Let's read:
1st Kings 22:12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand. 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.
But a course of action such as this always carries with it detrimental consequences, for it lulls the listeners into a false sense of security, and causes them to overlook or dismiss real dangers, in favor of phantom promises that are in harmony with one's own desires. Thus Ahab, who had hated the truth, and the messenger of God, died a premature death in battle, whereas if he were to swallow his pride by accepting God's instructions and warnings, he could have lived for many more years. Let's read:
1st Kings 22:34 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
In our day, the same attitude manifested by Ahab is being repeated in many of the Christian congregations across the land, for millions have now traded the gospel in exchange for smooth sounding speeches, and rhetoric which may temporarily soothe the soul, but does not give us a faithful warning of the consequences of trampling upon God's law. Whenever the gospel is offered on terms that are not stipulated nor endorsed by God, there we may know for sure that the spirit of Ahab is present, and like himself, we too will end up being ruined for time, and for eternity, if we continue in the same course of action.
One of the identifying characteristics of true Christians, is that they love the truth, even though it may not always rub them the right way, or may step on our toes. A sincere person does not crave falsehood, in order to satisfy the clamors of the carnal heart, for the true Christian would recognize, that to do so could jeopardize one's relationship with Christ, and thus put us at risk of losing out on eternal life. If a woman finds a lump in her breast, we would be very surprised to hear that after going to her doctor, and receiving a diagnosis of cancer, that she would then try to have her physician jailed, just because he told her the truth. Instead, we would expect her to be grateful to him for the right diagnosis, so that the appropriate treatments and cures, could begin without delay, thus saving her from potential ruin and death.
Similarly, when God sends us messages of warning and entreaty, they may not always be what we would prefer to hear, but they are always given with our best temporal and eternal interest in mind, with the intention that we will take heed, and implement the necessary steps to avoid dangers that we may have been previously unaware of. Let us therefore cultivate a love for the truth, and avoid the dangers of smooth sounding messages, which quiet the conscience, but always lead to "Never land". We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to both love and practice the truth, because it's only the truth that sets us free. Let's read:
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those"... "which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
May God add His blessing too the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!