4 Minute Read + Scripture readings
Today’s Bible Reading:
1 Kings 22
1 Thessalonians 5
Daniel 4
Psalms 108-109
Today’s Bible Verse(s):
1 Kings 22:8 (CSB): “The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man who can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.’ ‘The king shouldn’t say that!’ Jehoshaphat replied.”
Reflections on Today’s Bible Verse(s):
We like people who say encouraging things about us, don’t we? Not that there’s many people who do it but we like it when people say nice things to and about us.
On the other hand, we really don’t like people who say mean or bad things to us. It feels negative and it makes us feel horrible when others criticize us or say harmful things.
With that being the case, we understand King Ahab’s resistance to calling for Micaiah. He was a prophet who spoke on the Lord’s behalf. But, according to King Ahab, he hated Micaiah because “he never prophesied good things about” the king.
Why? Why did the prophet never say anything good about King Ahab? Was it because the prophet was mean-spirited? Was it because he wanted to verbally hurt the king? Nope!
The reason Micaiah constantly said bad things about Ahab was because Ahab, and his wife Jezebel, were constantly in violation of God’s commands. They were evil. They hated truth, God’s Word, and anyone who spoke on God’s behalf. They just wanted to live their evil lives without any interference from someone who presumed to speak for God.
If Ahab had straightened his life up, Micaiah may have started to prophecy good things about him. If Ahab had read God’s Word and passionately sought to obey it, Micaiah might have said some really wonderful, hope-filled things about Ahab.
Friend, I know that we like it when people say nice, kind things to us. But, even more importantly is that we need people who will be completely honest with us even if that means that they point out error and sin in our lives.
We need to surround ourselves with preachers, teachers, and fellow Jesus-followers who love us enough to point out error when they see it. Sure, it doesn’t feel good when it seems like they are simply saying bad things to us. But if they are helping to identify error or sin in our lives, then we need to listen to them.
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Lord Jesus, I want to become more like You. I want to know and enjoy You. I want the blessings of a life that come from pursuing holiness. But, I know that I really need people in my life who will be honest with me, even if their words don’t necessarily feel good as they point out sin in my life. If you haven’t already done so, please sent a Micaiah into my life. Amen.
Matt’s Musings 