Investigation of 1 Kings 22

Introduction: The Monday night Bible study I'm a part of is nearing completion of our study of 1 Kings. The study wasn't as in depth as some, but some serious discussion was generated going 2 chapters at a time, seeing there was much more than simple history going on in 1 Kings -- as this particular Old Testament book has many relative themes including the importance of Godly leaders, the sovereignty of God, and the accountability of human obedience. Anyway, the last chapter, chapter 22, had an interesting passage that got us talking for quite some time. I thought I would take a deeper look to see what some famous commentaries had to say on the matter.

The Whole Chapter

1 Kings 22:19-23 - "And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, 'I will entice him.' And the LORD said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.' Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you."

Key Background Info: Ahab was the King of Israel at this time, a very evil king at that. His latest evil involved allowing his wife (Jezebel) to basically plot a murder against a man named Naboth simply to gain a vineyard that Ahab wanted. Naboth had rightly refused to give up his vineyard, as it was land given from the Lord to his fathers. God had already send Elijah to inform Ahab of his pending judgment in 21:19 -- "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood." With that in mind, chapter 22 opens with Ahab plotting with the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, to take the land of Ramoth-gilead from Syria (for this land once belonged to Israel). Anyway, the kings inquired of prophets to see if they should go to battle, and after 400 prophets lied to the kings to say what was pleasing to the ear, one prophet, Micaiah was thought to truly be a prophet who spoke the word of God. Micaiah basically tells Ahab that going to battle for the land will end in disaster -- and that is where the passage above picks up.

My First Thoughts: When I first came across this passage, I did not take it literally and really didn't even focus as much on what was happening in Micaiah's vision. Instead I was more interested in why God decided to choose this course of action. A couple of things: the lying prophets give Ahab a false sense of security, he obviously prefers lies to the true word of God, and I also notice that even though these 400 men are so called prophets, they lie, as we should be guarded still today of what we believe from people thought to be men of God.

Other Thoughts: With the way this all went down, it appears that God may need to be justified in his actions. Is this literal? Who is consulting with, good angels, bad angels, or both? If good angels, then why are they deceiving? If bad angels, then why is God consulting them? Is God approving evil? Worse, can he be an author of evil? Where is Satan in all of this? Why is Ahab judged this way? These are all some questions that popped up during Bible study, and I after reading a few commentaries on the passage, I thought it would be interesting to lay some side by side to see the differences.

Matthew Henry: "This matter is represented after the manner of men: we are not to imagine that God is ever put upon new counsels; or that he needs to consult with angels, or any creature, about the methods he should take; or that he is the author of sin, or the cause of any man's telling or believing a lie."

John Gill: "Since he had represented what he had said as proceeding from hatred to him, he would make it clear and plain that what he had said was the word of the Lord, and according to his mind; and that what the other prophets had said was owing to a lying spirit in them, which the Lord suffered for his ruin; all which are represented as in a vision, in which things are brought down to the capacities of men, and not as really transacted: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne; so it was represented to his mind, as if he had seen with his bodily eyes the divine Being in a glorious form, as a king sitting on his throne, to do justice and judgment; as Ahab and Jehoshaphat were now sitting on their thrones, only as a far greater King, even the King of kings, and in a more splendid manner: and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left the ministering angels ready to do his will."
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Not that it can be supposed that the Lord entered into a consultation with the angels upon this subject; only that it was the decree of God that he should go thither, and fall by the hand of the man whom he had let go, as a just punishment of him: and one said on this manner, and another said on that manner; not that there was such an altercation among them; it only signifies, that there are various ways and means, by which the purposes and decrees of God may be and are brought about.
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And there came forth a spirit,.... Not from the heavenly host on the right hand or the left, for they are pure and holy spirits, and impeccable, and cannot lie or deceive; but the evil spirit, Satan, the father of lies, the old deceiver, who came forth from his own place and his own company: and stood before the Lord presented himself before him, as Satan did (Job 1:6) and said, l will persuade him; or prevail upon him; evil spirits love to be employed in doing harm to men, they go about seeking whom they may devour. "

Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown: "Since Ahab was disposed to trace this unwelcome truth to personal enmity, Micaiah proceeded fearlessly to tell the incensed monarch in full detail what had been revealed to him. The Hebrew prophets, borrowing their symbolic pictures from earthly scenes, described God in heaven as a king in His kingdom. And as earthly princes do nothing of importance without asking the advice of their counsellors, God is represented as consulting about the fate of Ahab. This prophetic language must not be interpreted literally, and the command must be viewed as only a permission to the lying spirit (Romans 11:34)."

C F Keil & F Delitzsch: "The vision described by Micah was not merely a subjective drapery introduced by the prophet, but a simple communication of the real inward vision by which the fact had been revealed to him, that the prophecy of those 400 prophets was inspired by a lying spirit. The spirit ( haaruwach (OT:7307)) which inspired these prophets as a lying spirit is neither Satan, nor any evil spirit whatever, but, as the definite article and the whole of the context show, the personified spirit of prophecy, which is only so far a pneu'ma (NT:4151) aka'tharton (NT:169) tee's (NT:3588) pla'nees (NT:4106) (Zech 13:2; 1 John 4:6) and under the influence of Satan as it works as sheqer (OT:8267) ruwach (OT:7307) in accordance with the will of God. For even the predictions of the false prophets, as we may see from the passage before us, and also from Zech 13:2 and the scriptural teaching in other passages concerning the spiritual principle of evil, were not mere inventions of human reason and fancy; but the false prophets as well as the true were governed by a supernatural spiritual principle, and, according to divine appointment, were under the influence of the evil spirit in the service of falsehood, just as the true prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit in the service of the Lord. The manner in which the supernatural influence of the lying spirit upon the false prophets is brought out in Micah's vision is, that the spirit of prophecy ( hnbw'h rwch ) offers itself to deceive Ahab as sheqer (OT:8267) ruwach (OT:7307) in the false prophets."

My Final Thoughts: Wow. Some totally contradict even thought their doctrine wouldn't -- which just shows how difficult this passage can be. I'm led to believe that 1.) this passage should not be taken literally, 2.) the lying spirits are not 'good angels,' 3.) God in no way is causing Ahab to believe lies; in fact, he is telling him that they were lying, 4.) God is also not the author of these lies, and finally, 5.) God in every way is justified in carrying whatever form of judgment he appoints for Ahab.