“Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.” But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.” When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?” Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!” But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?” Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’” “Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.” Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’ “There were many suggestions, and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’ “‘How will you do this?’ the Lord asked. “And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’ “‘You will succeed,’ said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’ “So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.” Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded. And Micaiah replied, “You will find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret room!” “Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash. Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’” But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it will mean that the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!””
1 Kings 22:13-28 NLT
Micaiah is a prophet of the Lord who speaks with sarcasm and disdain. He knows, as does Ahab, that judgment is coming for him, and he uses this fact to be clever. A lie is a clever thing. It requires an intent to deceive. Micaiah does not intend to deceive Ahab at all, but instead uses falsehoods to tell the the truth. This is a relational quality between the two men. Ahab knows that his words are never favorable toward him and immediately senses the sarcasm, which Michaiah immediately agrees to. Interestingly, this still doesn’t dissuade Ahab or his false prophets. People hear what they want to hear. Often, those of us who have a task of admonishment before God can be rigid in our application. We can think there is no room for humor or wit in it. But this isn’t true in this case. Jesus made a similar statement when he claimed that his Kingdom is “not of this earth.” This was not deceit, but it didn’t truly address Rome’s fears. In fact Christianity has outlasted Rome, easily. Micaiah didn’t try to deceive. He pronounced judgement openly, but with wit, understanding the type of man that the king was. Perhaps this is not prescriptive behavior for a man of God, but it demonstrates a path that God used against such a wicked enemy. We should listen carefully to a man of God despite the packaging he chooses to use.
JOSH McGARY. COM 