Father, we thank you for the word of your truth.
Thank you that it is powerful and effective.
And we pray that we would not sit in judgment over it,
but we would sit in submission under it.
And we would ask, Father, that you would take your word
and drive it deep into our hearts and lives
so that we may become who you call us to be.
Teach us this morning, we pray.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, Ahab's persistent rebellion...
Oh, good man, Sam. We're going to stop.
We're going to press pause again.
These things I forget.
If you'd like a sheet, sorry about that.
So take notes and a pen.
Thank you.
Ahab's persistent rebellion has been matched by God's persistent grace.
For six chapters we've been following his life from chapter 17 all the way up to chapter 22.
And God has continuously and persistently been calling Ahab back to himself by his word through the prophets.
Ahab, come back to me.
But the more he hears God's word, the more defiant he becomes.
His life is summarized for us at the very end of chapter 21 verse 25.
There was never anyone like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife.
He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols.
So setting up his own gods.
Like the Amorites, the Lord drove out before Israel.
So now as we enter into chapter 22, it records for us the tragic end of Ahab's life.
Now as we follow along these last few days of his life, we need to be careful that Ahab's story doesn't become our story.
In fact, the New Testament tells us how we should read accounts like Ahab.
You can see it there on the screen.
It's talking about the account in the Old Testament.
And it says,
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.
So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall.
So the account of Ahab, this whole account of One Kings and this life of Ahab has been written down for us.
And it becomes a gracious warning to us.
Be careful that you don't fall.
Well, what do we need to be careful of?
Well, first, our stubborn refusal to hear God's voice.
Ahab seems to be trigger happy.
He's itching again for a fight.
Let's read from verse 1.
For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel.
But in the third year, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, went down to the sea, the king of Israel.
So Judah was in the north, Israel in the south.
And the king of Israel had said to his officials,
Don't you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us?
And yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram.
Now, Ramoth Gilead was a very important, it was a very strategic town.
It kind of sat right on the border of Israel and their enemies, Aram.
So it was an important place to own or to have rule over.
Verse 4.
So he asked Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, I am as you are.
My people is your people, my horses is your horses.
Of course, I'll support you in a fight.
I'm with you.
But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel,
First seek the counsel of the Lord.
So it seems that at least between the two of them,
there is one of them who has a little bit of sense.
We need to hear what God has to say about this.
First seek the counsel of the Lord.
Well, what's Ahab going to do?
Well, Ahab stubbornly rejects the word.
Verse 6.
So the king of Israel brought together the prophets, about 400 men, and asked them,
Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead or shall I refrain?
Go, they answered, for the Lord will give it in to the king's hands.
Well, it appears, doesn't it, on the face of it, that he's taken good advice.
He's called in the prophets.
Not just one of them, but 400 of them.
Advisors who's going to tell him what to do.
But they're not who they appear to be.
Verse 7.
But Jehoshaphat asked,
Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?
Prophets they may be,
but they are not the Lord's prophets.
You see, Ahab doesn't want to hear God's word.
And the reason why,
look at the end of verse 8,
because the prophets, and in particular Micaiah,
well, he never prophesies anything good about me,
but always bad.
He is Micaiah, son of Imlah.
I don't want to listen to him.
Now, don't we treat God's words in the same way?
We won't listen to it.
We won't read God's word.
We push it away because, well,
I don't like what God's word has to say.
It tells me terrible things about myself.
That I'm a sinner and that when I try to be good,
I can't be good.
And so we search out other words.
We go from one church to another church,
from one teaching to another teaching.
We turn on the television to the God channel,
or we look up preachers on the internet
who promise things like health and wealth
and tell us, you're wonderful.
Never settling until we hear what we want to hear.
Never content until the preacher says,
what suits my desires.
The New Testament says exactly the same thing.
Listen to Paul's instruction to Timothy,
a young pastor.
He says,
the time will come
when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires,
they will gather round them
a great number of teachers
to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths.
Have you got itchy ears?
Ahab did.
Never satisfied
until he heard what he wanted to hear.
Be careful
that none of us
don't develop
an itchy ear syndrome
where we close
our ears
to the word of God's truth.
Second, Ahab stubbornly
sits in judgment
over the word.
Ahab,
it seems,
goes along with Jehoshaphat
and he goes,
right, okay,
I've got these 400 prophets,
but I'll listen to this one prophet of God.
But look at the way Ahab does it
in verse 10.
Dressed in their royal robes,
the king of Israel
and Jehoshaphat,
king of Judah,
were sitting on their thrones.
There they are
with their crown
and their fine robes
and all their regalia
at the threshing floor
by the entrance
of the gate of Samaria
with all the prophets
prophesying before them.
It's kind of like
the meeting place,
the gathering place
to hear what has to be said.
He's acting like
a high court judge.
Bring in the prophets.
Let's hear what they have to say.
First up,
verse 11,
Now Zedekiah,
son of Kenanah,
had made iron horns
and he declared,
This is what the Lord says.
With these you will gore
the Arameans
until they are destroyed.
Oh, I like Zedekiah.
He's a good prophet.
I'll keep him.
And one by one
they all have their say.
Verse 12,
All the other prophets
were prophesying
the same thing.
Attack Ramoth Gilead
and be victorious,
they said,
for the Lord
will give it
into the king's hands.
Now it's Micaiah's turn.
God's prophet.
He's under serious pressure.
If he wants to keep
on the king's good side,
well,
all he has to do,
look at the end of verse 13,
Let your word agree with theirs
and speak favourably.
Just say what everybody else
is saying
and you'll be okay.
Verse 14,
But Micaiah said,
As surely as the Lord lives,
I can only tell him
what the Lord tells me.
We can see it coming,
can't we?
Micaiah isn't going to win
prophet of the year award,
is he?
But it's not just Ahab
who sits in judgment
over God's word.
We sit on our own
self-made thrones,
assuming a position of authority
over God's word.
Do we ever decide
what parts of the Bible
I think are right?
It's no longer
what God actually says,
but what I desire,
what I think is right.
And so we ignore
difficult things
about marriage
and sexuality.
Things about
forgiving your enemy
and repenting
and dealing with things
like greed
and gossiping.
So we sit in judgment
over God's word
and we decide
what parts we obey
and things we don't
want to obey.
Well, I need to hear
the word of God
through another prophet,
the prophet Isaiah.
This is what he says.
God's speaking through him.
And these are the ones
I look on with favour.
Those who are humble
and contrite in spirit
and who tremble
at my word.
We never ever sit
over the word.
We are always to be sitting
under the word.
Let it challenge us.
Let it shape us.
Let it show us
who we are.
So first,
be careful
of the warning
or the refusal
to hear God's voice.
Second,
be careful
of the tragic deception
by rejecting
God's truth.
You see,
Ahab is still concerned
about the war situation.
Verse 15.
So when Micaiah arrived,
the king asked him,
Micaiah,
shall we go to war
against Ramoth Gilead
or not?
Attack and be victorious,
he answered,
for the Lord's going
to give it into
the king's hands.
The king said to him,
how many times
must I make you swear
to tell me nothing
but the truth
in the name of the Lord?
Will you stop messing
with my head,
Micaiah?
You only tell me
bad things.
Why are you telling me
this good thing?
Just tell me the truth.
Okay,
you want the real truth?
Well,
here it is.
Verse 17.
Micaiah answered,
I saw all Israel
scattered on the hills
like sheep
without a shepherd.
And the Lord said,
these people have no master.
Let each one go home
in peace.
Look, Ahab,
if you go up and fight,
you will not only lose,
you are going to die.
The people are going
to be left
without a shepherd,
a leader,
a king.
But what's the truth
to a man
who's already decided
what he wants
the truth to be?
The reality is,
Ahab is convinced
in his own heart
what he should do.
He doesn't want
to know the truth.
You see,
Micaiah explains
to Ahab
what is actually
going on
in his own heart.
Micaiah
has had a vision.
God has given him
a vision
of what's actually
going on
in Ahab's life.
Let's pick it up
in verse 19.
Micaiah continued.
He's speaking
to Ahab.
Therefore,
hear the word
of the Lord.
I saw the Lord
sitting on his throne.
Now,
isn't that significant?
Just a moment ago,
Ahab was sitting
on his throne
in all his judgment.
Now,
the focus changes.
I saw the Lord
sitting on his throne.
with all the multitudes
of heaven
standing around him
on his right
and on the left.
So all the who's who,
those who think
they have power
and authority,
all of them
gathered around
God's throne.
And the Lord said,
who will entice
Ahab
into attacking
Ramoth Gilead
and going to
his death there?
You see,
God has already
decreed
that Ahab
is going to die.
Because he's
rejected the truth,
because of his
persistent disobedience,
he will die.
It's just a case
of when
and how that's
going to happen.
Verse 21,
Finally,
a spirit
came forward,
that's an evil spirit,
and stood
before the Lord
and said,
I will entice him.
By what means,
the Lord asked.
Well,
I will go out
and I will be
a deceiving spirit
in the mouths
of all his
prophets,
he said.
You will succeed
in enticing him,
said the Lord.
Go
and do it.
God gives
the lying spirit
permission
to go out
and deceive
Ahab.
So,
Ahab,
you want to know
what's going on
in your own heart?
You really want to know
what's going on
behind the scenes?
Well,
here it is.
Let me tell you,
verse 23.
So now the Lord
has put a deceiving spirit
in the mouths
of all these
prophets of yours.
The Lord
has decreed
disaster
for you.
You see,
the word
that Ahab
has been chosen
to listen to
is a word
of deception.
rejection.
In fact,
the voices
that Ahab
has been listening
to
is in reality
a voice
of God's
judgment.
He's become
so deceived
by his own
rebellion
that he can
no longer
discern
what the truth
is.
Now,
I don't know
about you,
but that
frightens me.
That in my
rejection
of God's
truth,
I'm actually
only deceiving
myself.
In fact,
I can become
so deceived
that I can
no longer
discern
what the
truth
actually is.
And that
scares me.
But he doesn't
just have a
deceived heart.
He has a
defiant
response.
Tragically,
Ahab
plays out
what God
has exposed
in his
own heart.
The word
of truth
has absolutely
no effect.
You see,
we'll sit
here and
we'll go,
well,
that's not
fair.
God
deceived
him.
God
told him
lies.
Well,
God
also made
it absolutely
crystal clear
what was
going to
happen.
Do you
see at the
end of
verse 23?
The Lord
has decreed
disaster
for you.
So whether
it's a
deceiving spirit
or the
truth,
it's loud
and clear,
it's plain
and simple,
you go to
war,
you're going
to die.
Well,
what's his
response?
Verse 26,
the king of
Israel then
ordered,
take Micaiah
and send
him back
to Ammon,
the ruler
of the city
and to
Joash,
the king's
son,
and say,
this is
what the
king says,
put this
fellow in
prison and
give him
nothing but
bread and
water until
I return
safely.
How
defiant
is that?
It's just
been spelled
out to him
so clearly,
you go and
fight,
you're going
to die.
The Lord
has decreed
disaster for
you,
but in
his defiance,
his only
response is,
put Micaiah
in prison,
I'm going
to come
home safely.
Even if he
wanted to
listen to
the truth,
he can't.
The truth
no longer
means anything
to him.
You see,
this does
scare me,
because
continued
and persistent
disobedience
leads to
defiance.
If we keep
ignoring the
truth time
and time
again,
then the
time will
come when
we will no
longer be able
to discern
the truth.
We can no
longer recognize
the sin in
our life that
needs repented
of.
we have
become so
deceived by
the very
voices that
we have
chosen to
hear,
that we
can no
longer see
what's right
and what's
wrong.
So,
be careful
of the
refusal to
hear God's
voice.
Be careful
of the
deception
by rejecting
God's
truth.
And let's
be warned
about the
faithful
consequences
of defying
God's
word.
You see,
Ahab may
be a man
of authority,
he may
be a king,
he may
lock
Micaiah up
in the
prison,
he may
have
silenced
God's
prophet,
shut him
away,
but God's
word will
not and
cannot be
silenced.
What God
has spoken
will come
to pass.
First,
there's going
to be no
hiding from
God's
word.
Let's
follow the
account.
It's,
again,
brilliant
writing,
wonderful
narrative,
a great
story.
Let's pick
it up in
verse 29.
So the
king of
Israel and
Jehoshaphat,
king of
Judah,
went up
to Ram
of Gilead.
They're
going to
go fight.
The king
of Israel
said to
Jehoshaphat,
I will
enter the
battle in
disguise,
but you
wear your
royal robes.
So the
king of
Israel disguised
himself and
went into
battle.
Now from a
military point
of view,
it makes
perfect sense.
What a
wonderful plan.
Dress up,
pretend to be
somebody different.
If the enemy
doesn't know
who you are,
then there's a
high chance
you're going
to survive.
Because the
whole idea in
battles then
was you
aim for the
king.
If you got
the king,
you got the
whole army.
So there's
Jehoshaphat,
the dumb
nut,
dressed up
as the
king,
and the
true king
in disguise.
What's going
to happen?
Well,
verse 31.
Now the
king of
Aram had
ordered his
32 chariot
commanders,
do not
fight with
anyone,
small or
great,
except the
king of
Israel.
When the
chariot
commanders saw
Jehoshaphat,
they thought,
surely this is
the king of
Israel.
So they
turned to
attack him.
But when
they heard
Jehoshaphat
cry out,
please,
not me,
it's not
me,
I'm not
Aram,
I'm not
Ahab,
not me,
don't kill
me.
Verse 33,
the chariot
commander saw
that he was
not the
king of
Israel and
stopped
pursuing him.
Ahab's
plan is
working,
it's
wonderful.
We can
see him
there flying
around in
his chariot.
Micaiah,
who does
he think
he is
telling me
I'm not
going to
die in
battle?
Verse 34,
but someone,
we don't
know his
name,
drew his
bow at
random,
and hit
the king
of Israel
between the
sections of
his armour.
Now,
if this was
a movie,
the camera
would be
focused right
on that
soldier's
face.
Picture the
scene,
the bow
tight up
against his
face,
and as he
releases the
arrow,
the camera
follows it
through the
battle,
all the
people
fighting,
and it's
just going
straight,
and the
arrow
pierces
Ahab,
and then
the camera
locks on
Ahab's
face,
and his
smile,
that grinning,
defying
smile,
turns to
agony,
and
disbelief.
verse 34,
the king
told his
chariot
driver,
wheel round
and get me
out of the
fighting,
I've been
wounded.
All day
long the
battle raged
and the
king was
propped up
in his
chariot
facing the
Arameans.
The blood
from his
wound ran
onto the
floor of
the chariot,
and that
evening he
died.
You see,
there is no
hiding from
God's
word.
What God
has decreed
will come
to pass,
and nothing
and no
one can
stop it.
Now we
need to be
very careful
that we
don't play
the role
of Ahab,
because we
too can
put on
our disguise
of,
well,
we can
use clever
arguments,
undermining
God's
word.
We look
at it
and read
and go,
it's just
made up.
It's just
an elaborate
fairy tale.
Don't need
to believe
what God
has to
say.
We can
even put
on a
disguise
of
ignorance.
I didn't
think it
was serious.
I didn't
realise that
we had to
take it
literally,
that what
God says
really does
happen.
I didn't
understand
that.
Well,
whatever our
reason,
whatever disguise
we put on
to push
God's
word away,
God's
word will
find a
way through
like an
arrow.
It will
pierce our
hearts.
We
cannot
hide
from the
truth.
No
hiding
from God's
word.
word of
judgment
falls.
You see,
let's not
forget what's
going on
here.
This is a
story that
started in
chapter 17.
All the
way,
Ahab has
persisted in
disobedience
and defiance.
And God
has matched
that,
persistently,
speaking so
clearly,
warning him
so graciously,
providing
prophet after
prophet,
Ahab,
come back
to me,
Ahab.
But when
grace is
refused,
judgment
will
come.
Verse 37.
So the
king died
and was
brought to
Samaria,
and they
buried him
there.
They washed
the chariot
at a pool
in Samaria,
where the
prostitutes
bathed,
and the
dogs licked
up his
blood,
as the
word of
the
Lord
had
declared.
In chapter
21,
we didn't
get an
opportunity
to look
at this.
It gives
us a
whole long
account of
how Ahab
had agreed
to murder
a vineyard
owner named
Naboth.
he liked
his vineyard
and he
decided,
I'll take
it,
I'll have
it.
And so
they had
him killed
so that
Ahab could
have the
vineyard.
And in
response,
this is what
God said,
chapter 21,
verse 19.
the prophet
said to him,
this is what
the Lord
says,
have you
not
murdered a
man and
seized his
property?
Then say
to him,
this is what
the Lord
says,
in the
place where
dogs licked
up Naboth's
blood,
dogs will
lick up
your blood.
Yes,
yours.
And so,
chapter 22,
end of
verse 38,
the dogs
licked up
his blood
as the
word of
the Lord
had
declared.
Defy the
word of
God.
Reject
his grace.
Persist
in defying
him.
And
judgment
will
come.
Now,
you can
say,
well,
you know
what,
Johnny,
it's a
great
story.
Yes,
it would
make a
great
film,
but it's
all a
bit much,
isn't it,
really?
Isn't
this all
a little
bit far
fetched?
I mean,
you don't
really expect
us today,
in 2019,
to believe
this kind
of stuff
anymore.
This is
ancient
stuff.
It's
just a
story.
No need
to take
it
seriously.
Well,
be careful
that you
don't begin
to deceive
yourself,
because it's
beginning to
sound a
little bit
like,
just like
Ahab.
Be
careful
that you
do not
fall.
You see,
God's
word is
final.
What God
decrees
will be
done.
In other
words, we
are to
trust what
God says.
Defying
God's
word will
ultimately
destroy us,
yet trusting
his word
is what is
going to
save us.
God's
final word
through his
final and
ultimate
prophet,
Jesus
Christ.
Have a
look at
John chapter
5 with
me.
John
chapter 5,
the gospel
according to
John in the
New Testament.
Here we
hear the
words through
God's
final and
ultimate
prophet,
Jesus
Christ.
And how
we respond
to this
word determines
our destiny.
John chapter
5, verse
24.
Very
truly, take
note of
this.
This is
important.
This is
serious.
Jesus
says, I
tell you,
whoever
hears my
word and
believes him
who sent
me has
eternal
life and
will not
be judged
but is
crossed over
from death
to life.
my word
says Jesus
is a
saving
word.
I have
saved you.
I have
died for
you.
I will
forgive you.
I will
no longer
condemn you.
I will
bring you
peace.
I will
bless you.
I will
save you.
Hear my
word.
Believe my
word.
Believe what
I say.
verse 25.
Very
truly I
tell you,
a time is
coming and
has now
come when
the dead
will hear
the voice
or hear
the word
of the
Son of
God and
those who
hear will
live.
What
word are
we going
to listen
to?
A
word
that will
judge
or a
voice that
we will
one day
hear that
will say
to those
who have
died in
Christ,
arise,
get up,
live,
welcome
into my
eternal
kingdom.
Welcome
to a
kingdom where
there is no
more suffering
or pain
or death.
It is
God's
final words.
Defy it,
and it
will destroy
us.
Trust his
word and
it will
save us
and give
us life
today and
life for
all eternity.
Be careful.
Be warned
from the
life of
Ahab so
that we
too do
not fall.
Let's
pray.
Amen.
E