The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com

Presents 
I Kings
Chapter 22

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Drake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it?  Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
 published at http://www.theseason.org/ 

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

 Now here is our revised study of:

I Kings

Chapter 22

"War with Syria [1-38]."
"Jehoshaphat's Uneasiness [5-28]."
"Micaiah's Prophecy of Ahab's Death [14-28]."
"Judah and King Jehoshaphat [41-50]."
"Ahaziah, King of Israel [49-53]."

As the prior chapter came to a close, Elijah had just prophesied that Ahab and his wife Jezebel would die in the gutter, and their blood would be lapped up by the dogs. This upset Ahab and he repented in his heart for the evil that he brought upon Naboth and his sons, in ending Naboth's inheritance through the killing of all of the males in his family. So now lets see how long that repentance will last, and God has allow Ahab a few more years before Elijah's prophecy would be carried out.

I Kings 22:1 "And they continued three years with out war between Syria and Israel.

It was during this three years of peace that the taking of Naboth's vineyard by Jezebel took place. There was no war at that time and Ahab's mind turned to gardening, and because of this, he wanted Naboth's ground located next door to the palace.

I Kings 22:2 "And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel."

Keep the two houses of Israel in mind. These two houses are two separate nations, each with their own kings. These two nations came into being at the death of Solomon, when God took ten tribes and put them in the hand of king Jeroboam, not of the lineage of Solomon, while the other nation called the "house of Judah" was given to Solomon's son Rehoboam.

At this time, some hundred and thirty years later, Jehoshaphat is the king of the "house of Judah", while Ahab is still reigning over the "house of Israel". 

I Kings 22:3 "And the king of Israel said unto his servants, "Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?"

In that the land of the house Israel is north of the house of Judah, we see that Jehoshaphat came north to Samaria, to have a conference with Ahab the king over the house of Israel.  Keep in mind that Israel had been at war with the Syrians three years before and beat their army in a huge victory. Some seven thousand two hundred and thirty two from the house of Israel killed over a hundred and thirty thousand Syrians. Jehoshaphat knew of this tremendous victory that God gave into the hand of Ahab. He knew that an alliance existed between Ben-hadad of Syria and king Ahab.

However, there was also a covenant between the "house of Israel" and "the house of Judah". For Jehoshaphat's son married Ahab's daughter, so the two royal houses were joined by marriage.

These two kings sat down together here to talk about Ramoth-gilead, for it was part of Israel, but now in the hand of the Syrians. Remember back in chapter twenty, after the big battle where Ahab spared Ben-Hadad's life, Ben-Hadad volunteered to return all the land that his father took from Israel. Yet, here it is three years later and Ramoth-Gilead is still in the hands of the Syrians. This is what this conference is all about. Ben-Hadad hadn't intended to keep his word all the time, but just made those promises to escape out of Ahab's hands with his life.

I Kings 22:4 "And he said unto Jehoshaphat, "Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as thou art, my People as thy People, my horses as thy horses." "

Keep in mind that these two kings are now tied together through the marriage of their children, so this has become a family matter. Ahab was suppose to have been given lands taken by the Syrians, But the promise still had not taken place, Ahab is telling Jehoshaphat that he and the house of Israel are going to war over the matter, and Ahab is asking his daughter's father in law, "are you going to war with me?" Jehoshaphat made the complete commitment to follow Ahab into battle, and used the strength of his kingdom to back Ahab. Jehoshaphat said, my horses are your horses, and my people are your people: If you call on us, we will be by your side.

I Kings 22:5 "And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day." "

Notice the difference between these two men. Ahab thinks that if Judah is helping him, that is good enough, but Jehoshaphat wanted more than that. Jehoshaphat wanted the assurance that God also was in this whole war venture to recapture Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoshaphat is telling Ahab to go to a prophet of God and enquire of him what the Lord would have us do, before we go out into battle and get ourselves killed. That is the mark of a good king, and through this chapter we will see the emotions of God.

I Kings 22:6 "Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear: And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."

These prophets are Ahab's false prophets, the prophets of the groves and those that stand before the golden calves. They are not the prophets of God. They were appointed by Jezebel when she set up that form of worship, and when she demanded that all Israel would follow that form. Even so, they took on the title, "men of God" and "prophets of God" so that by their title they would be accepted by the people. They were sort of like the hirelings that are behind many pulpits today, for the only thing that matters to them is that the people are pleased and keep on coming. They are taught what to say in their seminaries, and the denominations can count on them to be faithful to their traditions. The one thing that Ahab could count on here, was that these prophets would always try to please him, no matter what the cause. Of course Ahab knew that these four hundred men were nothing but hired servants that would tell him only what he wanted to hear. Even though Ahab accepted these men's babblings, notice what Jehoshaphat said.

I Kings 22:7 "And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him?"

Jehoshaphat watched as this spectacle was taking place, he knew that these men were not of God, but idol priests. He knew that these prophets are fakes, and he wants a true prophet of God to let them know what the Lord thinks of this whole matter. He knew that their religion was false, even though they claim to be of God, they were not. Remember that for the past century, from the time of Jeroboam, the people of the House of Israel were forbidden to go to Jerusalem to worship as God instructed them to worship. Instead the house of Israel worshipped the two calves, as well as their sex orgy rites that took place in the groves and on the high places.

I Kings 22:8 "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

Ahab told Jehoshaphat exactly why he would not allow a true prophet of God around him; "because I hate him, for he does not say good things concerning me, but evil." Jehoshaphat told Ahab, "Don't talk like that." Here we are about to go to war, and you are talking evil of God's prophet and saying you hate him."

This is a type of what we are seeing in our land today in this 21st. century, for if you teach God's Word, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse with understanding, you will not be a popular individual. At least not in the religious community. Our so-called Christian denominations and many independent churches have their sacred cows, which are their personal traditions that go against God's Word, and you would be attacking the very things that they hold dear and sacred. 

Ahab had his sacred cows, and heathen rites, and those traditions were dear to him. God's prophets let Ahab know exactly what God thought of him and his sticks of wood idols every time they met. Of course Ahab hated God's prophets, and those prophets spoke evil of the heathen gods of Ahab, just like those hireling preachers will speak evil of you when you bring their heathen traditions to light. If you are a teacher, then teach God's Word with understanding, just as it was written. When you do this, God promised you that he will bless you for it.

I Kings 22:9 "Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah."

I Kings 22:10 "And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them."

So if God's prophet is going to appear before them, they want this meeting to be very formal. Both kings, Ahab and Johoshaphat put on their kingly robes, and brought out their thrones before all the people. The meeting would take place at the city gate of the capital Samaria. They would call all the prophets, the four hundred of the heathen gods, as wells as the true prophet, Micaiah. They wanted to hear what they all had to say.

This will be like an old time revival, with four hundred super-preachers all working the crowd's emotions, to get them ready to go to battle with the enemy. Only the enemy was not Satan, but the Syrians. These priests knew before hand what must be said, and they followed their orders to please their master king Ahab. Boy do we see this going on today, with all the false preachers all saying that God gave them special instruction, when all the time what they say goes against God's Word. The problem is that when you listen to any of them, you become the jerk. Turn on your television and listen to their babblings.

I Kings 22:11 "And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, "Thus saith the Lord, `With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.' " "

The first to speak was the false prophet, Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, and he was going to present himself as a real holy man, the most high rite reverend prophet. These "horns of Iron", were farm instruments of the field, and as he held them up, he stated to the kings; "Thus saith the Lord,..." He is taking his own ideas and saying that God revealed it to him. How stupid, and I'm sure king Jehoshaphat saw right through this spiritual idiot. This sounded so religious, just as much of what the hirelings are saying behind the pulpits today. However, you had better not listen to them any more than Jehoshaphat listened to this false prophet Zedekiah. Beside Zedekiah, there were four hundred more of these false prophets by his side shaking their heads in concert, all bowing to the wishes of Ahab.

I Kings 22:12 "And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the kings hand." "

One thing about all the fakes, they will all say that God said a certain thing, yet God has not spoken a word to any of them. The desire of Ahab is to go to battle, so that became these false prophets desire, and they lied when they said God told them to go to battle, and that "The Lord shall deliver it into the kings hand."

I Kings 22:13 "And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good."

Now we see what the messenger that was sent to Micaiah said to God's prophet. It is obvious that when he came, Ahab wanted him to say just a certain thing, and only that. The order by Ahab was that he was to state exactly as the othesr had stated, and they told the messenger what that was.

This is the thought that is going around today, that just because some four hundred in a pole say one thing, that this makes it right. This reminds me of the rapture doctrine that is floated around today by many false prophets, giving God's people a false sense of security. Because all the super preachers teach it, it must be so; and God's people sit back an refuse to prepare themselves to make their stand before the great apostasy that is coming upon the earth in this generation. The comedy about the whole thing is the way that it is presented, with all the pictures and songs that are made up about this great lie. The "rapture" doctrine is not biblical, for it is written no where in the entire Bible. However God did warn us against it in Ezekiel 13:18-20.

Ezekiel 13:18 "And say, `Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every statue to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My People, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?"

The "pillows" are the coverinsg that cover over the truth, they are lies, they are put over the armholes and give a false sense of duty to the Word of God. The "kerchiefs" are the false teachings that you put into your mind to cover over what you think, to give you a false sense of security. That "statue" is your doctrine that you have made to sound so good and real, and it is with that doctrine that you draw the souls to you with a false sense of security.

This is a warning to "the women", and the women are all those, both men and women, who claim to be part of the spiritual bride of Christ. If you claim the name of Christ, you are of the bride of Christ, and if you are teaching the false doctrine and teachings of the rapture, then this "woe" is directed to you.

Ezekiel 13:19 "And will ye pollute Me among My People for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My People that hear your lies?"

God is asking you, just how long will you pollute my Word amongst My People? How long do you think I am going to stand by and watch you peddle your lies for food, money or what ever you receive, so that the souls of my people will die. Those souls will be spiritually dead once Satan has arrived here on earth in the supernatural role of the Antichrist, the instead of Christ; and God is going to hold you accountable for those lies that you are teaching.

Ezekiel 13:20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; `Behold, I am against your pillows, where with ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tare them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly."

This prophecy is written to those people living in the time of the end. We are living in that generation, and Ezekiel is directing this to the doctrine that "makes souls to fly". Many today are staking their eternal salvation on that lie, and this is why it is so serious, for it gives a false sense of security, that teaches God's dear people that it is not necessary to study the Old Testament, and the Book of Revelation, for it tells them that they will not be here when Satan comes in is role of Antichrist. Christians will not put on the "whole Armor of God, to protect themselves against the spiritual darts that Satan will throw at them", when they are counting on not being here at Satan's arrival. It leaves them completely defenseless against the lies and deception of the supernatural powers of Satan at the time of the sixth trumpet.

Are you starting to catch on? False prophets are not good, not in Ahab's time nor in our 21st century, for they give a false sense of security and hope. Sure in Christ, everything will be fine and God's elect will have the victory. Jesus warned us of what is going to happen in our day in Matthew 24:5; "For many shall come in My name, saying, `I am Christ;' and shall deceive many." They will tell you from their pulpits that is true. That is what is going on here with Ahab. These prophets are telling him only what he wants to hear.

I Kings 22:14 "And Micaiah said, "As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak." "

Micaiah stated that the only thing that he will say, is exactly "what the Lord saith unto me."

I Kings 22:15 "So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, "Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" And he answered him, "Go and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king." "

You have to understand what is going on here to get the full meaning of this verse. For Ahab has already told Micaiah what he should say. So Micaiah is saying this in a tone of mocking and irony to the king. Micaiah is not speaking what the Lord said, but what the king wanted him to say, and he did not mention that it was of God. If you want to kill yourself, than go ahead.

I Kings 22:16 "And the king said unto him, "How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord"

Just by the tone of Micaiah voice, king Ahab knew that he was making fun of him.

I Kings 22:17 "And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.' "

So Micaiah told Ahab exactly what the vision from the Lord was. In short what this vision showed was that if you go to war, you are going to be killed. The sheep of Israel, the ten tribes to the north, will not have their king or "shepherd". And after the battle, each man shall return to his home in peace.

I Kings 22:18 "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell thee that he would prophecy no good concerning me, but evil?"

This prophecy has pronounced Ahab's death, and that upset the king.

I Kings 22:19 "And he said, "Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left."

This is Micaiah speaking here, telling of the vision that he had from the Lord.

I Kings 22:20 "And the Lord said, `Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner."

Micaiah is telling Ahab that right there in heaven they were deciding how to get rid of Ahab, for he was an embarrassment to God. This is the Father and the great hosts of heaven taking part in that discussion.

I Kings 22:21 "And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, `I will persuade him.' "

That spirit that came forth was a false spirit that God was allowing to persuade the false prophets, and Ahab himself. Sure that spirit will look authentic, for it will tell them exactly what they want to hear, but not the truth.

I Kings 22:22 "And the Lord said unto him, `Wherewith?' And he said, `I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And He said, `Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.' "

Micaiah has laid out what is going to happen to both Ahab and Jehoshaphat, as well as what the outcome of the war will be. That the instructions that these four hundred false prophets are giving are under the influence of this lying spirit.

I Kings 22:23 "Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee." "

Micaiah is telling it like it is and that every one of those false prophets are liars, and what I have spoken is from the Lord. If you want to hear lies, than God will allow you to believe what ever you desire to listen to. If you are God's, he expects more from you than that. Those things that went around before, will come around again, for that is history, and God expects you to learn from those mistakes of the past.

I Kings 22:24 "But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to spake unto thee?""

Zedekiah was the son of "Chenaanah", which in the Hebrew means "little merchant", and probably a Zidonian Kenite merchant. This priest of Baal heard Micaiah call him a liar right before the king. If you say the truth and it hurts the false teachers of today, that same reaction will take place, and you can count on it. Remember what Jesus said to his disciples? When they smite you on one cheek, then turn the other cheek. We are to Take the insults for the name of Christ, for they act in ignorance.

I Kings 22:25 "And Micaiah said, "Behold, thou shalt see the day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself."

Micaiah looked at the false prophet Zedekiah, and told him that when you are running from chamber to chamber to hide yourself from the wrath of God, you will know that what I say is true.

I Kings 22:26 "And the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;"

Micaiah had just insulted Ahab's high bishop, "the right reverend Zedekiah of the temple of Baal, and leader of the sex orgy rites of the groves", or by what ever title they had in those days, and that was serious, for the man at the top was Ahab himself. Micaiah was being turned over to the king's son to be thrown in prison.

I Kings 22:27 "And say, `Thus saith the king, "Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."

We can see here that there is not much support for those that teach God's Word with truth and understanding. You can expect insults and tribulation when you step on their holy cows, and doctrines of devils.

I Kings 22:28 "And Micaiah said, "If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me." And he said, "Hearken, O People, every one of you." "

Micaiah is telling the king and all those that are present, if Ahab comes back from this battle alive, then I am the fake and these four hundred prophets of Baal are telling you the truth.

I Kings 22:29 "So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead."

So even after the warning by Micaiah, Ahab and Jehoshaphat went to war anyway. This act of stupidity cost Ahab his life. My fellow Christian, when the false prophets and false teachers of today tell you things that are not in God's Word, don't listen to them. Don't go along with their ride when you know that God is not with them.

Jehoshaphat had the wisdom to know that God's prophet should be consulted first. Then when he heard the many false prophets, he did not trust their words. So he required that a prophet of God be called to see what God would say on the matter. The prophet of God said "don't go", but Jehoshaphat is going anyway. What type of a king is this? Remember that Jehoshaphat had already given his word to Ahab that he would back him, so what could Jehoshaphat be thinking when he marched his army into doom, when God already told him what to expect. No matter what the reason, the act of going to war in this case was an insult to the Father.

Even thou you personally are a religious person and desire to seek what is right with God; if God tells you through His Word not to do a thing, and you do it anyway, you are on your own, so don't blame God when things go bad. That is the position that Jehoshaphat puts himself in, when he goes off to war with Ahab. He knew that those false prophets were giving bad information, but for what ever reason, it just didn't matter to him.

I Kings 22:30 "And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes." And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle."

It is important that you remember what was said by the true prophet of God back in verse 22; "And the Lord said unto him [this lying spirit], `Where with? [how are you going to lead]' And he said, `I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And He said, `Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.' " In other words, God allowed a lying spirit to be sent to the false prophets of Ahab, that they should believe a lie.

This should remind us of the warning by Paul in II Thessalonians 2:9-12, of how it shall be in the latter days. God said that if they want to believe a lie, then I will send them a spirit of delusion.

II Thessalonians 2:8 "And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:"

II Thessalonians 2:9 "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and sins of lying wonders,"

II Thessalonians 2:10 "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

II Thessalonians 2:11 "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"

"The spirit of delusion" are their traditions that go against God's Word: Those tradition of men that build a false hope, and strip you of your desire to prepare yourself to stand against Satan with all his lying wonders, God will allow it.

II Thessalonians 2:12 "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

If you want to be fooled and find pleasure in traditions made by man, God will lead the evil spirits to help you be fooled. It is your choice, you make the choice by what you chose to follow; God's Word of man's traditions. On judgment day you will have not one leg to stand on, for you chose the path that you would follow, and you will be judged accordingly. The lie that is spoken on here in II Thessalonians 2, was the chronological order of the second advent of Christ return. Which would come first, Satan as the Antichrist, or Jesus Christ the true Christ. It began in verse three with the warning; "Don't let any man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,"

The "falling away first" is what is called the great "apostasy", in the Greek text. The "man of sin", and the "son of perdition" are the same person, that person is Satan. Satan will come first and declare himself to be God, before the seventh trump sounds and this earth age of the flesh is over.

II Thessalonians 2:4 "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

Satan arrives here on earth at the sixth trumpet, while our Lord Jesus Christ returns as King of Kings at the seventh and last trumpet. Before Jesus Christ's return, Satan the son of perdition will be revealed and made know to all the people living on the earth. Before Jesus returns, Satan will oppose all the truths of God's Word, and exalt himself to the position of God. He will demand that the people of this world worship him as God, for they will believe him to be God. You may say, How can this be?

All the events of our day are spelled out in detail by the prophets of the Old Testament, and given in the book of Revelation. Jesus warned of the seven events, which are the seven seals and the seven trumpets, in three of the Gospels, yet the churchmen of today have chosen to reject them as not applying to them, because it would go against their traditions. The Apostle Paul revealed all the mysteries of the Bible, and Peter backed Paul's word up in his letter. Are you starting to catch on? There is a lie being told to Christians today, and they are believing that lie by their own choice, by accepting the traditions of men and rejecting the truths of the Word of God.

As Ahab and Jehoshaphat are taking their armies into battle against the Syrians, they are far outnumbered, and they are following false lying spirits, just as the church world is doing today. All of their directions and what they did was at the orders of Satan's spirits, and God allowed it to happen. Ahab actually thought that he could disguise himself in the battle and get away with it, when Satan's spirit had tagged him as a sucker, and marked Ahab well on the field of battle. God's Word stated this would happen and we will read that it did happen. Don't let any one fool you, for Satan also will come first during these end times and you will either be sealed in your mind with the truth and ready for him, or like Paul said in II Thessalonians 2:11, "God is going to send a false spirit upon you, and you will believe a lie." You are the one that makes the choice, and then God allows you to follow that path.

Here it is time for the battle, and Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to put on the kings robe, while he thought he could slip into a disguise, and go off to where it was save and get away from the heat of battle. He knew that the king of Syria would want to take the king alive, and make him pay tribute after the battle. Ahab would slip away, and leave the punishment to fall wholly on Jehoshaphat. This stupid king actually thought that he would end up being king of both houses, when all the time he was being set up for the fall. Who knows what was in Johoshaphat's mind for it showed his stupidity.

I Kings 22:31 "But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel." "

The king of Syria gave strict orders to all his top generals, you leave both the small and the great alone, but you go straight for the juggler, you go after king Ahab. All of Ahab's mistakes are coming back to haunt him on this day. Remember back when God gave Ahab the victory, and he had Ben-Hadad in his hands, he allowed him to live, and now Ben-Hadad is to have Ahab in that same position. The second time was when Micaiah told him that he would not live through this battle, yet he defied God and went anyway. Ahab has a big heart and a very small mind.

I Kings 22:32 "And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, surely it is the king of Israel." And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out."

When the full force of the Syrian army turned away from Israel's army and spotted the only man on the battle field in a king's robe, they came for him. Instantly Jehoshaphat knew that he had been made a fool of; he fell to his knees and cried out to get right with God. It is too late, but he knew that he had been made a fool of, while Ahab was sitting off to the side watching his daughter's father in law being taken captive. There is a place in the book of the Chronicles that states that God heard Jehoshaphat and helped him.

I Kings 22:33 "And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him."

When it became obvious that Jehoshaphat was not the the king of Israel, they let him go. Remember the order was to get only the king of Israel, Ahab.

I Kings 22:34 "And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the Joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, "Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded."

One of the Syrian soldiers decided by chance that he would fire one arrow into the middle of the battle, and that one arrow found its way between the armor of Ahab, and right into the king's ribs. That arrow caught Ahab between the breast plate armor, and the armor about the hip and loins, and the blood flowed all over his chariot. This is one of the most painful ways to die, for Ahab will bleed to death. Who do you think caused this soldier to shoot that arrow by chance, and directed that arrow right through the lower ribs of Ahab? God did. Ahab would not listen to the warning that God gave him, and now he is suffering the consequences.

I Kings 22:35 "And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound in the midst of the chariot."

Though the king was dying, his chariot driver tied the king up in a standing position, to give the rest of the troops hope, and the battle went on. Ahab was in the battle, and dead. The prophecy of the man of God had come true. The sheep of Israel are in the thick of the battle and they have not a shepherd to lead them.

I Kings 22:36 "And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the son, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country"

The king was dead, and the war was over. The sheep of Israel have no shepherd, and the men are to return to their own homes. The men of Israel to their homes in the north, while the men of Judah to their homes in the south. This is exactly as it was written by Micaiah from God. Jehoshaphat was wise enough that he cried out in repentance and the Father heard him. He begged for mercy for his stupidity in going against one of God's prophets And God protected his life.

I Kings 22:37 "So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king of Samaria."

Because Ahab had repented that first time after Elijah told him of God's judgment, God did allow him a burial, but there is more to it that that.

I Kings 22:38 "And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria: and the dogs licked up the blood; and they washed his armor; according unto the word of the Lord which He spake."

This is the rest of the prophecy concerning the blood of Ahab. When they washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, the dried blood flowed off the chariot into the ditches. God through Elijah said that because of his sins, the dogs would lick up his blood in the trenches. That prophecy of Elijah's had come true. I Kings 21:19; "And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, `Thus saith the Lord, `Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' ' And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, `Thus saith the Lord, `In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." This is the place where Naboth and his sons were stoned, and the dogs lapped up their blood. This prophecy is fulfilled.

"And they washed his armor"; so why would they wash a dead man's armor? Your armor is made to fit only your body, and not for anybody else. There is more to this than what is stated here. This "armour" in the Hebrew text is # 2185 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary; "Zonowth, so-noth'; regarded by some as if from 2109 or an unused root, and applied to military equipment; but evidently the feminine plural, act. of 2181; harlots: -armour." If it is in the masculine it applies to military equipment. However this is referring to the feminine plural, and thus it goes to the prime root of # 2181.

# 2181 in the Hebrew numbered dictionary reads: "Zanah, zaw-naw'; a prime root [highly fed and therefore wanton]; to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); fig. to commit idolatry (the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of Jehovah):..." So what is this saying? The prostitutes were washing themselves in the pool of Samaria, and thus the blood of both of these were mixing. The blood of the adultery was mixing with the blood of the idolatry, which gives the shame of shames down on Ahab. In the time of this writing, to wash anything of yours where the harlots bathed, to a man or woman of God, was the most serious degradation that could be done. Symbolically that is what was happening where with the blood of Ahab was being washed off the chariot.

It was mixing with the blood of the harlots with Ahab's in the pool outside the city gates. It then was symbolic of the Ahab's soul. This verse was given in the feminine in the Hebrew text, so it was not referring to Ahab's armor at all, but the fact that Ahab's blood was scorned upon and in a view of degradation before the people. So we see that in the King James translation from the Hebrew, it should have been translated a different way that it reads here.

I Kings 22:39 "Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?" "

Of course they were written these. So Ahab is dead and gone.

I Kings 22:40 "So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead."

I Kings 22:41 "And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the forth year of Ahab king of Israel."

I Kings 22:42 "Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi."

"Azubah" in the Hebrew tongue means "forsaken".

I Kings 22:43 "And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the People offered and burnt incense yet in the high places."

This Jehoshaphat is the same man that later went against the Micaiah, the man of God, and got caught in battle by Ahab's deception. Even while Johashaphat was king, he allow all the idolatry to continue in the house of Judah.

I Kings 22:44 "And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel."

This "king of Israel" stated here was Ahab, for their peace came through the marriage of Ahab's daughter to Jehoshaphat's son.

I Kings 22:45 "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?"

Jehoshaphat was a very good king, only he had one very bad problem, he was not disciplined to stay focused on God's ways. He could be moved any time a person presented something that sounded reasonable to him. The keeping of his word was important to him, even taken over the Word of God. He made a promise to Ahab, and when the prophet of God showed him that he was not to go to battle, he put his word over God's Word. Remember when Ahab talked down on a prophet of God, Jehoshaphat corrected him immediately, that it was not to be done.

We can read in II Chronicles 18 the full account of Jehoshaphat.

I Kings 22:46 "And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land."

Jehoshaphat would not allow the queers and sodomites to remain in the land, if they stuck around, they were dead, stoned. That is God's ways to deal with sodomy.

I Kings 22:47 "There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king."

I Kings 22:48 "Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-gever."

Jehoshaphat knew of the wealth of gold and silver that came from Ophir, from the days of Solomon. He build large ocean going ships to sail to Ophir and bring back the gold for himself. All of the ships that he build were destroyed by a storm, and he never pursued the matter after those ships were destroyed. .

I Kings 22:49 "Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not."

After Ahab's death, king Ahaziah of Israel tried to get him to build more ships, and the sailors of both their lands would sail together. However remember how Ahab drug him into the battle at Ramoth-gilead, and then left him there to take the heat of Ben-hadad's generals. Jehoshaphat remembered that and wanted no part of any joint venture with the house of Israel. He learned his lesson well, and almost paid with his life.

I Kings 22:50 "And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead."

I Kings 22:51 "Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel."

This identifies the exact time when Ahaziah ruled in Israel, for it was the two years following Ahab's death.

I Kings 22:52 "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:"

There wasn't much difference in the ways of Ahab to that of his son Ahaziah. Ahaziah was as bad as all of the rest of the wicked king of Israel put together. He brought up and supported all sorts of wickedness, from calf worship, to sex orgies of the groves, to sodomy and any other spiritual and physical filth that can be thought up by man. Baal worship is the worship of Satan, and Satan is Belial. The sons of Balial then are the sons of Satan from the garden of Eden, they are the Kenites, and his mother Jezebel was a Zidonian, a Kenite. This is the reason that Ahaziah felt comfortable with all these things, for he was taught them by his mother, Jezebel.

That same man Satan is coming to this earth again, and very shortly, and he will even call himself Jesus. This is why to worship any form of Baal worship is so serious, for it cause you to be taken by the false christ. When you give any form of worship to Satan, no matter in what religious rite or form, it provokes God to anger.

I Kings 22:53 "For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done."

Ahaziah served the god of his mother Jezebel and his father Ahab, and he served Satan in all that he did. We will get into the acts and deeds of Ahaziah in the first chapter of the book of II Kings.

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