At this point we are introduced to godly Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. A summary of his reign is found in 22:41–50 and even more fully in 2 Chronicles 17— 20. He followed in the way of David and sought to please the Lord (17:1–6). He sent teaching priests throughout the land to explain God’s law to the people (17:7–9) and assigned the other priests to serve as faithful judges to whom the people could bring their disputes. God gave Judah peace, and Jehoshaphat took advantage of this opportunity to fortify the land (17:10–19).
He was a good king and a godly leader, but he got involved in three costly compromises. The first was the “bride compromise” when he married his son to a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Chron. 18:1; 21:4–7; 1 Kings 22:44; 2 Kings 8:16–19). This led to the “battle compromise,” when Jehoshaphat got entangled in affairs of his son’s father-in-law when Syria attacked Israel (18:2—19:3). Ahab’s evil influence affected the reign of Jehoshaphat’s grandson Ahaziah (2 Chron. 22:1–9), and the “battle compromise” almost cost Jehoshaphat his life (1 Kings 22:32–33). The third compromise was the “boat compromise,” when Jehoshaphat foolishly joined forces with Ahab’s son Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:48–49; 2 Chron. 20:31–37) and tried to get rich by importing foreign goods. The Lord wrecked his fleet and rebuked him for his sinful alliance.
One of Jehoshaphat’s great achievements was the defeat of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, a great force that attacked Judah (2 Chron. 20:10). The king humbled himself before the Lord, called for a nationwide fast, and encouraged the people to seek the face of the Lord. At a mass meeting in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat prayed for God’s guidance and help, reminding the Lord of His covenant with Abraham (v. 7) and God’s acceptance of Solomon’s prayer when he dedicated the temple (vv. 8–9; 6:12—7:22). If the people would look toward the temple and pray, God promised He would hear and answer. The Lord could see the great army approaching, and the king asked Him to judge them. (The name “Jehoshaphat” means “whom God judges,” that is, “God pleads his cause.”)
The prayer was followed by a declaration of the Word from Jehaziel (20:14–17), assuring the king and his people that the Lord would indeed intervene and give Judah victory. “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (v. 15). The king and the people believed the Lord’s promise and praised Him even before the battle started. The next day, Jehoshaphat sent the army out with the singers at the very front! God caused the three enemy armies to fight among themselves and destroy themselves, leaving the spoils of war for the army of Judah. The army had praised God before the battle and at the very time of the battle, and now they praised him at the temple after the battle. Faith, prayer, and praise are great weapons!
In chapter 22, the writer of 1 Kings focused primarily on the “battle compromise.”
Ahab compromises God’s king (vv. 1–6). When after three years, Ben-hadad hadn’t kept his agreement to give Israel back the cities his father took (21:34), Ahab decided it was time to fight Syria and take them back. Jehoshaphat’s son was married to Ahab’s daughter, so Jehoshaphat had to be friendly toward Ahab and help him fight his battles. He was disobeying the Lord when he took this step (2 Chron. 19:1–3), but one compromise often leads to another. As the descendant of David, Jehoshaphat should have kept his distance from Ahab and never allowed the Davidic line to mingle with that of Ahab. All the court chaplains, paid to agree with the king, assured Ahab that he would win the battle, but Jehoshaphat was wise enough to ask Ahab for some word from the Lord.
Yes, there was a prophet of the Lord in Israel, and he was where true prophets are often found— in prison. Ahab sent for his enemy Micaiah, and while the two kings were waiting, the prophets put on quite a demonstration. Zedekiah, who seemed to be their leader, made some iron horns to illustrate how Israel would push back and gore the Syrians and win the battle. All the other prophets agreed and shouted their approval. But it takes more than enthusiasm to win a war, especially when God has decreed otherwise.
Ahab ignores God’s warning (vv. 7–28). Micaiah was under a great deal of pressure to agree with the false prophets and assure Ahab he would defeat Syria. Not only was Micaiah outnumbered four hundred to one, but the officer who brought him to the two kings warned him to agree with the majority. Often in Scripture, it’s the minority that’s in the will of God, and Micaiah was determined to be faithful, not popular. The sight of the two kings on their thrones, dressed in their royal robes, must have been impressive, but it didn’t sway Micaiah. His words in verse 13 were spoken in sarcasm and Ahab knew it, but Ahab’s reply wasn’t honest. He was just trying to impress Jehoshaphat and make him think he really did want to know and do God’s will.
The Lord had given Micaiah two visions, both of which announced judgment to King Ahab. In the first, he saw Israel wandering hopelessly, like sheep without a shepherd, obviously a description of a nation without a leader (Num. 27:15–22). Jesus used this image to depict the Jewish people without spiritual direction (Matt. 9:36). Ahab got the message: he would be killed in the battle.
The second vision explained how this would be accomplished: a lying spirit would give Ahab false confidence so he would enter the battle. That the God of truth should allow a lying spirit to accomplish His work is a puzzle to some people, but it’s no different from God permitting Satan to attack Job (Job 1—2) or to motivate Judas to betray Jesus (John 13:21–30). God deals with people on the basis of their character. “With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious [crooked niv] You will show Yourself shrewd” (Ps. 18: nkjv). Ahab was fighting against God, and like any good boxer or wrestler, the Lord anticipated his moves and countered with the right response. Ahab was a consummate liar and the Lord dealt with him according to his character.
God didn’t lie to Ahab; quite the contrary, through the lips of Micaiah He told the truth and gave Ahab fair warning of what lay ahead. The fact that God warned Ahab before the battle clears the Lord of the charge of being guilty of his death. The reaction of Zedekiah proves that the four hundred false prophets didn’t believe Micaiah either. A much greater mystery is why a godly man like King Jehoshaphat went into the battle at all and risked his life. Ahab ordered the true prophet to be taken back to prison and given bread and water, as if punishing the prophet would change his message. The test of a true prophet was the actual fulfillment of his words (Deut. 18:17–22; Num. 16:29), and Micaiah knew this. That’s why his parting message to Ahab was, “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me” (v. 28 nkjv).
Ahab meets his death (vv. 29–40, 51–53). How could King Jehoshaphat not discern what Ahab was doing to him? If Ahab had put a target on Jehoshaphat’s back, he would not have made it easier for the enemy to kill him! If Jehoshaphat had died, then his son would have taken the throne, and Ahab’s daughter would have been the Jezebel of Judah! If Ahab then united the two thrones and blended the Davidic line with his own line, what would have happened to the Davidic covenant and the Messianic line? But God is sovereign in all things and protected Jehoshaphat, while at the same time allowing a random arrow to hit an opening in Ahab’s armor and kill him. Ahab was disguised and yet was killed, while Jehoshaphat was in his royal robes and never touched. Ahab had set the king of Syria free when he should have destroyed him, and now the Syrians killed Ahab.
Micaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled and so were the prophecies of Elijah (20:42; 21:19–21).
Ahab’s son Ahaziah took the throne and continued the evil ways of his father and mother (vv. 51–53). He reigned only two years, and his brother Joram (or Jehoram) succeeded him. The prophecy about the dogs licking blood on Naboth’s property was actually fulfilled in the death of Joram (21:29; 2 Kings 9:25–26).