1 Kings 22:13-14
“And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
This was a dramatic scene. Micaiah was brought out from prison (1 Kings 22:26 indicates that he came from prison). We see a prophet in rags and chains stand before two kings, ready to speak on behalf of the Lord. He is an authentic man of God; a man who has the courage to speak the truth, even when it goes against the popular narrative. Even when it is costly.
“And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” (1 Kings 22.15)
When Micaiah said this, his tone was mocking and sarcastic. Can you picture the scene? There is Micaiah — filthy and tattered from prison — standing before the two kings. He knows what Ahab wants to hear, and he knows what the 400 unfaithful prophets have said. So with dramatic sarcasm in his demeanor and tone of voice, Micaiah parrots the message of the 400.
Via his mocking comments, Micaiah sends a very clear message to Ahab. The very message that Ahab knew was forthcoming, but does not want to hear. Ahab was quite aware that Micaiah was being sarcastic.
“But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” (1 Kings 22.16-18)
Micaiah now changes his tone from mocking to serious. He told Ahab not only would Israel be defeated, but also that Ahab would perish.
Ahab knew in his heart that Micaiah would not fear him or flatter him, but only declare the word of the Lord. But in his arrogance, Ahab thought he could defy the message of the prophet. “After all,” Ahab must have thought, “I survived Elijah’s pronouncements of judgment. I will survive this one also.”
He could not have been more wrong.
