A random arrow

[theophilus]

1 Kings 22:1-40 describes the battle in which King Ahab of Israel lost his life. He asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to join him in taking Ramoth-gilead back from the Syrians. Jehoshaphat agreed to help but insisted that they ask God’s guidance first.

Ahab called 400 prophets and asked whether he should go to war. The prophets were not true prophets but cared more about pleasing Ahab than delivering God’s message. They all assured him of victory. Jehoshaphat apparently realized they weren’t prophets of God and asked Ahab if there was another prophet they could ask. Ahab said there was another prophet, named Micaiah, but he hated him because he prophesied evil for Ahab. Jehoshaphat insisted on hearing him so Ahab ordered that he be brought in. Sure enough he predicted that Ahab would be killed in the coming battle.

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.”
1 Kings 22:19-23 ESV

Ahab refused to believe Micaiah and carried out his plan to fight Syria, but apparently he feared that the prophecy might come true. He told Jehoshaphat to wear his royal robes to battle while he wore the uniform of an ordinary soldier. At first this ruse seemed to work. The Syrian soldiers saw Jehoshaphat’s robes, thought he was Ahab, and attacked him. When they got close enough to see that he wasn’t Ahab they broke off their attack.

But Ahab didn’t escape the doom God had declared for him.

But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
1 Kings 22:34 ESV

His wound was fatal and he died just as Micaiah had said he would.

I wonder if the Syrian soldier ever realized what he had done. As far as he knew the man he shot was an ordinary Israelite soldier. He didn’t know he had killed the king of Israel and fulfilled God’s prophecy.

Many Christians serve God faithfully but see no results from their work. Sometimes it seems that their work is useless and they are tempted to give up. But like the arrow shot by that Syrian soldier their efforts may have had a powerful impact on someone’s life. God has never promised that we will see the full effect of our work during this life, but he promises that if we serve him faithfully our work will have good results.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

So don’t give up serving God just because you don’t see any results.

[thatkidakayoungguy]

Wait, so an angel went out an made the prophets lie?
Why let Ahab be enticed? Why not just decree he will go up there and be killed?

Tbh, sometimes I can't help but to wonder about God's character. Ik He's good but sometimes its hard to understand God.

[Mallz]

Wait, so an angel went out an made the prophets lie?
Why let Ahab be enticed? Why not just decree he will go up there and be killed?

Tbh, sometimes I can't help but to wonder about God's character. Ik He's good but sometimes its hard to understand God.

What are you having a hard time understanding? It wasn't a lying angel (would be a contradiction of sorts), but a lying demon who most likely was already in communion with those false prophets (if not already in communion with that spirit, personally, they were with satan and his minions as well as their own spirits; a community of darkness).

God already pronounced Ahabs death sentence (1 Kings 20:42 and 1 Kings 21:19); what you saw here was how it was going to be played out. So, God decreed Ahab will die for his stubbornness against God. God worked with part of His fallen creation to accomplish his death (the whole using evil for good thing). And we got a glimpse into how God will actualize His will in a matter (not to say it's the only way He'll do something). Is there something that is particularly troubling for you?