Scripture:

“So he asked Jehoshaphat, ‘Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?’

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, ‘I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.’ But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord.’ So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, ‘Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?’

‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’

But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?’

The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one prophet 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 such a thing,’ Jehoshaphat replied. 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 of 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, the other prophets without exception 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 the Lordtells me’.” 1 Kings 22:4-14 (NIV)

 

Perspective:

The king of Israel wanted Jehosphat to join him in attacking the king of Aram to get back land that had been conquered by Aram. Jehoshaphat had a good inclincation that they needed God’s wisdom in this decision. So the king of Israel gathered four hundred prophets who unaniomously encouraged the kings to attack Aram. Four hundred people said yes to the plan, but Jehoshaphat needed a different voice. Micaiah was summoned to report what God’s Word was for this pending battle. Micaiah was challenged to let his voice fit in with the other four hundred prophets. They needed four hundred and one opinions that were all pointed in the same direction. However, Micaiah was more committed to God’s Word than popular opinion. 1 Kings 22 goes on to tell Micaiah’s word from God that was not in agreement with the other prophets. Then, the kings had to decide which voice would be the loudest in their lives. Their decision to follow the crowd cost them.

 

We live in a time when everyone feels the liberty to give their opinion on everything. Social media tends to be an open platform that allows people to give their opinions rather decidedly. However, when we are making significant decisions, it is important that we don’t just listen to the majority and popular opinion. We can always find people who will tell us what we want to hear. The crowd is always loud and dominating. Wisdom starts asking different questions and is not afraid of sifting through multiple sides of an issue. The direction God may be leading can be contradictory to what your family, friends, or colleagues say. They simply may not understand what God has put in your heart. Their voices can get louder and louder by sheer number. Yet, hundreds of people validating a popular opinion doesn’t make it true. In these moments, you have to decide which voice will be the loudest in your life.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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About Hona Amer

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