II Chronicles 18, Jehoshaphat and Ahab

Jehoshaphat, great-great-grandson of Solomon, is now reigning in Jerusalem. The date is about 855 BC. Assyria is growing in power to the east.

The past chapter emphasized some important reforms that occurred in  the early years of Jehoshaphat's reign. In the middle years of Jehoshaphat's reign, like other kings before him, he begins to succumb to various political pressures. This leads to some significant events in collaboration with King Ahab in Israel, material also covered in 1 Kings 22.

2 Chronicles 18: 1-4, Alliance with Ahab

Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.

Some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?" 

Jehoshaphat replied, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war." But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD."

 

Jehoshaphat allies himself by marriage to Ahab. It is not clear what the alliance is, but as we will see later, it at least includes the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab. This marriage to a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel will have a serious effect on Judah for generations.

Ahab wants Jehoshaphat to join him in a campaign against Ramoth Gilead, on the trade route to Damascus. Payne says that in 853 BC Shalmaneser III of Assyria fought a significant battle with Aram-Damascus and Israel at Quaqar on the Orontes River. It is possible that this battle had weakened Aram-Damascus enough for Ahab to believe he could collect a town or two on the border with Damascus.

Jehoshaphat, after agreeing to join Ahab, decides that he wants to hear from some prophets on this.

2 Chronicles 18: 5-7, Ask the prophets

So the king of Israel brought together the prophets--four hundred men--and asked them, "Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" 

"Go," they answered, "for God will give it into the king's hand."

 

But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?"

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." 

"The king should not say that," Jehoshaphat replied.

Ahab agrees to Jehoshaphat's request to hear from prophets regarding an attack on Aram-Damascus. Four hundred of Ahab's prophets all say, "Yes, sure! Attack Ramoth Gilead!"  But none of these are prophets of YHWH. Indeed, as we learn from the account in 1 Kings, Ahab and Jezebel worship Baal and Ashtoreth. Jehoshaphat wants to hear from a prophet of YHWH. Ahab grudgingly agrees. "But that guy never says anything good about me," the king complains.

So they bring in Micaiah son of Imlah.

2 Chronicles 18: 8-13, Michaiah's prophesy.

So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once."

Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance to the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: `With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'" 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 hand."

The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably."

But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what my God says."

Zedekiah makes a pair of iron horns (symbols of power) and prophesies that with those horns Ahab will gore the army of Aram-Damascus and be victorious. But then Micaiah is brought in to prophesy on the upcoming battle. (There is an implication that Micaiah is restrained in a town nearby; at the end of this chapter we will see Micaiah sent back to the town and to prison.) As Micaiah is brought into the palace, he is warned that the other prophets have already spoken favorably to Ahab and that he should also give a positive response. Micaiah shrugs and says, "I can only tell him what God says."

2 Chronicles 18: 14-17, Sheep without a shepherd

When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" 

"Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for they will be given into your hand."

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?"

Then 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.'"

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?"

Micaiah's first prophesy is dripping with sarcasm.  "Sure, go attack Ramoth Gilead. You will be victorious."  The sarcasm is clear to Ahab. He asks Micaiah to tell him the truth. Micaiah's answer is the one Ahab feared, that the battle will result in chaos for Israel, with the army scattered about without a ruler, like sheep without a shepherd. Ahab whines to Jehoshaphat, "See! He only says bad things!"

2 Chronicles 18: 18-22, The spirit volunteers

Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, `Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' 

"One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, `I will entice him.' 

"`By what means?' the LORD asked.

"`I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. 

"`You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. `Go and do it.'

"So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you."

To emphasize his prophesy, Micaiah tells of a scene at the throne of God. YHWH asks for someone to entice Ahab to his death.  A spirit comes forward and offers to use the mouths of the false prophets to bring Ahab to his death. (Payne says that the Hebrew herfe is literally "the spirit", similar to The Accuser in Job.) This spirit is giving the authority to go and do so, and, says Micaiah, this is what you have before you, false prophets leading you to your doom

2 Chronicles 18: 23-27, Slapped

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked.

Micaiah replied, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room."

The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon 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.'"

Micaiah declared, "If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Mark my words, all you people!"

The false prophet Zedekiah is infuriated by Micaiah's answer and slaps him. Zedekiah sarcastically asks, "Where did that spirit go after he went from me to you?" Micaiah responds by saying, "You will know I speak truth when later you are hiding in an inner room." (Presumably Zedekiah will either be hiding from enemy forces after a defeat or possibly hiding from Ahab's leaders after Ahab's death.)

Micaiah is sent back to prison and is to be fed little until Ahab returns fro battle. Micaiah's response is a strong one. To Ahab he says, "If you return them I have indeed been a false prophet." But to the audience he says, "Remember what I said here!"

2 Chronicles 18:28-32, Disguise

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 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 the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel."
 

When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, "This is the king of Israel." So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

In a scene that is almost comical, Ahab attempts to avoid the promised death by dressing as a common soldier while Jehoshaphat dresses at the king-leader. (Why Jehoshaphat would agree to this, after all the prophesy and deceit, is unclear!)

As one might expect, the soldiers of Aram are trying to kill the king of the opposing army. They concentraste on Jehoshaphat but Jehoshaphat cries out (either to God or to the enemy) and the enemy, helped by YHWH, realize they are not pursuing theking of Israel and break of their pursuit of Jehoshaphat, presumably to search for Ahab.

2 Chronicles 18: 33-34, At random

But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told the chariot driver, "Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I've been wounded."

All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.

Besides kings, other soldiers die in battle and a random shot from the enemy strikes Ahab. Ahab tells his chariot driver that he is hit and they withdraw from the battle. Eventually, badly wounded, King Ahab dies facing his enemy. Micaiah was right.