Translation
And he said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘you will make him wide open and moreover, you will prevail. Go and do so.’
Paraphrase
The spirit said, ‘He shows tendencies toward following foreign gods. Early in his kingship I will test him by offering him a foreign wife and by bringing him prophets and priests from pagan religions; they will lie to him continually and teach him falsehoods. If he listens to them, and surrounds himself with more like them, he will lose all ability to discern what is true and what comes from You and what does not come from You. In the end he will become so proud and arrogant that he will be sure to fall in the way and at the place you have decreed for him to die, the HIGH PLACE OF THE MEMORIAL MOUND. The Lord said, ‘Yes, you see things clearly; that is exactly what is needed. Go and do what you have said.’
DID IT REALLY HAPPEN THIS WAY?
Did God really ask the angels this question, or did He give them orders? I think they waited for Him to give them orders. The testing that took place was God’s idea.
However, God instructed His prophet to couch things in ways that Ahab could understand. Ahab did not believe in the sovereignty of God, but he did believe in a council of gods and the gods he followed were part of that council. In this way the true God was showing Ahab that even the gods he followed, or the demons behind those gods, took part in pointing him in the wrong direction. In a way that was true. The demons behind those gods specialized in religious deception, and Ahab allowed himself to be fall for their deception, over and over again.
My paraphrase seems a bit convoluted, but it is the only way to mention all the factors that need to be brought up. Taking this passage to mean that God really does take council from a council of gods seems straightforward at first, but it does not account for the fact that Ahab had been deceived by his false prophets for a long time.
This passage does not prove the existence of a council of gods. Here are the reasons I say that:
1) These words were spoken to someone who already believed in such a council.
2) There has obviously been some history between this king and this prophet of God, characterized by antagonism, mocking and playing games.
3) The deception of the lying spirits started long before this military campaign against Ramoth Gilead came into view. That is why I said earlier that timing in Micaiah’s vision was not included. In most visions timing is either vague or nonexistent, especially in this one.
4) This angel was working within the limits God places on Himself. God does not force us to do anything, so God did not force Ahab to become evil. But God did test Ahab and, as he failed each test of character and commitment, Ahab got further from God and became more arrogant, self-centered, angry, etc. The cause of Ahab’s downfall was Ahab.
5) Interpreting this as a council of gods ignores what had been going on in Ahab’s life for years. Any method for interpreting this passage cannot be just about sending Ahab to his death, it must take into account everything about his life. The council of gods theory does not do that.
6) In various places the Bible communicates that God does not take council from anyone. The idea of a council of gods runs contrary to what we know about God.