A Lying Spirit

Last time I wrote about Ahab, the king of Israel, and the evil done by he and his wife, Jezabel. In the following verses of 1 Kings: 22-37 the story of Ahab continues…
For three years the countries of Israel and Syria had been at peace. In the third year, Ahab decided that the land known as Ramothgilead, which belonged to Israel but claimed by Syria, should be taken back. At the time he made this decision, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, had come down to visit. Ahab asked if Johoshaphat would join him in the battle and Jahoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
Johoshaphat asked that first they enquire as to the Lord’s will in this matter. So Ahab gathered all the prophets in the area, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear?”
And they all said, “Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Jahoshaphat asked, “Is there not one prophet of the Lord here that we might ask?”
“There is one man,” Ahab told him, ” by the name of Micaiah, that we could ask, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything good for me, but only evil.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Jahoshaphat insisted.
So Ahab ordered that Micaiah be brought before him and he asked, “Shall we go against Ramothgilead, or shall we forbear?”
Micaiah answered, “Go up and prosper; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king”
But Ahab didn’t believe it. “How many times,” he asked, “must I make you swear to 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.”
And Ahab said to Jahoshaphat, “See, did I not tell you that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but only evil?”
Micaiah said, “Hear then, the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on both sides. And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab to go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spoke one way and one another, then there came a spirit before the Lord and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said, How? And he said, I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail, go forth and do so. Now, look, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets and the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.”
Ahab ordered that Micaiah be taken away and put in prison.
The two kings then decided to go up to Ramothgilead. Ahab disguised himself but told Jahoshaphat to wear his robes as usual, and they went into battle. The king of Syria had ordered his men to fight only with the king of Israel, so they did. Ahab was wounded by an arrow and told the driver of his chariot to take him out of the battle, but there was no chance as the attacks grew worse. As evening fell, Ahab died and every man was ordered to return to his own city and country. Ahab was buried in Samaria.
This story put me in mind of all the lying spirits that have spoken their way into the minds of men today. So much evil and dishonesty going on in the world makes it hard sometimes to discern exactly who is telling the truth.
The story also left me with many questions. There was a reference to Ezekiel 14:9 so started reading at verse 7: For every one of the house of Israel or of the stranger that sojourneys in Israel which separates himself from me (as Ahab did) and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I, the Lord, will answer him by myself. 8 and I will set my face against that man…and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people.
As we see, God allows certain spirits to influence certain people. It is known that at times a heart is hardened, ears not allowed to hear. This only assures us that God is in control and He only knows what the future holds for any of us. Did you ever do something you knew was not pleasing to God and then tried to ignore His urging to confess and repent? Ahab knew the things he had done were not what God would have him do, so he hated Micaiah because he knew the words Micaiah spoke came from the Lord…and he didn’t want to hear it.
Though God might sometimes allow a lying spirit, or whatever means He sees fit, in order that His plans for us are carried out, let us remember that Satan is the great deceiver and never stops trying to convince us that bad is good and evil should be accepted.
I think many of our leaders today and their followers know that the things they promote are not what God would want us to do. A perfect example is the stance some have taken on the legality of abortion. The killing of any human is considered murder no matter the age of the victim. The heartbeat law and others that thankfully are being passed are meant to protect the most vulnerable among us who have no voice. Let us pray that more who have the power to pass these laws have the courage to do so.
With so much division and hatred being displayed by those ‘ in charge’ it is encouraging to read in Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
I am much encouraged to know that Franklin Graham is continuing his Decision America tour in the Northeastern states right now. Let us be much in prayer for this effort to bring God’s message of salvation home to those with ears to hear and hearts to understand.
Sunday, June 2, has been set aside as a day of prayer for our President also. Hopefully, even those who do not agree with all his policies or the ways he conducts himself at times, will take a moment to ask God to bless him and to direct his decisions in the months ahead. Pray that the lying spirits among us be revealed and that we might once again know peace… especially that peace which passes understanding.