Troublesome Topic: I KINGS 22 IS THIS PROOF FOR A COUNCIL OF GODS?

1 Kings 22:6

Translation

Then the king of ISRAEL assembled the prophets, similar to four hundred men, and said to them, “Do I go to fight against RAMOTH GILEAD,

or do I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and ADONAI will deliver [the city] into the hand of the king.”

Paraphrase

Then the king over THOSE WHO NEVER LET GO OF GOD assembled the prophets, which numbered about 400 men, and he asked them, “If I were to use military force in an attempt to free THE HIGH PLACE OF THE MEMORIAL MOUND, would I be successful or would I fail? What does God say about this?” They all answered him, “Do it! We know THE LORD will make you victorious!”

1 Kings 22:7

Translation

Then JEHOSHAPHAT said, “[Is there] not here a prophet of YHVH [whereby] we can still inquire of Him?”

Paraphrase

Then THE LORD HAS JUDGED asked Ahab, “Don’t you have any prophets left here in your country that are committed to only speaking the words of THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD, so we can ask him what God says?”

THIS SETS THE TONE FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

First of all, the objective was a good one. The town of Ramoth Gilead with all its Jewish inhabitants had been taken from Israel by the Arameans. Retaking control of it would be a good thing. Maybe that is why Jehoshaphat, the God-fearing king of Judah, was willing to help with this military campaign.

Notice that the prophets of other gods were pretending to give a word from the Lord (Adonai in this case, but later YHVH will be used later). They did not use the name of the foreign gods they followed, so they were trying to deceive or cover something up.

The fact that Ahab had around 400 prophets but the righteous king Jehoshaphat did not want to listen to any of them shows that Ahab had been listening to deceiving spirits for some time. This story is not just about finding a way to get Ahab to go to Ramoth Gilead where he will die; it involves his entire kingship and probably all of his adult life. It is a long story of Ahab’s willingness to follow deceiving spirits, with the help, of course, of a wife who was heading that direction ahead of him.

A SUMMARY OF VERSES 8 THROUGH 14

v. 8 Ahab said there is one such prophet left, but he didn’t like the guy because he never told Ahab what he wanted to hear.

This informs us that King Ahab knew his 400 prophets were not true prophets of YHVH, and that Ahab used his priests and prophets in the same way that kings of foreign nations with pagan religions used them – simply as confirmation. In the end pagan kings eventually got the prophecy they wanted from their soothsayers, liver-readers, etc.

Jehoshaphat said, “You shouldn’t say that.”

v. 9 Ahad sent someone to bring the prophet Micaiah.

v. 11 Zedekiah had made iron horns and he told King Ahab, “Thus says YHVH, with these horns you will gore Aram until they are destroyed.”

Zedekiah, was one of Ahab’s prophets, his name includes the abbreviated form of the name YHVH. The name Zedekiah meant, “Yah is righteousness”. This guy was not following YHVH nor the righteousness of YHVH, but he was pretending to be able to speak for YHVH or declare the will of YHVH.

v. 12 All the prophets were telling King Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead because “YHVH will give it into your hands.”

v. 13 When the messenger arrived at Micaiah’s house, he told the prophet that all the other prophets were predicting success if the kings attacked Ramoth Gilead and urged Micaiah to agree with them.

v. 14 Micaiah responded, “I can only tell him what the Lord tells me.”

From the outset, Micaiah was determined to not bow to pressure but to communicate God’s message to King Ahab.

However, right after this, the story takes an unexpected twist.

1 Kings 22:15

Translation

And he came to the king. Then the king said to MICAIAH, “Shall we go to war against RAMOTH GILEAD,

or shall we refrain?” Then he answered him, “Go and succeed, for YHVH will deliver it (the city) in the hand of the king.”

Paraphrase

Micaiah came before King Ahab. Then King Ahab asked WHO IS LIKE YH, “Should we go to war against THE HIGH PLACE OF THE MEMORIAL MOUND, or should we refrain?” He answered King Ahab by saying, “Oh, absolutely. Go for it! Success is the only possible outcome because THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD will certainly give the victory to someone like you, in fact you have caused him to feel obligated to give you victory over your enemy.”

1 Kings 22:16

Translation

Then the king said to him, “How many footfalls mark the strokes

[when] I have made you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of YHVH?”

Paraphrase

King Ahab responded, “I hate it when you play this game with me! Stop mocking me and tell me what you really came here to say, even though I know I won’t like it. Tell me what you pretend to be the words of THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD.”

1 Kings 22:17

Translation

And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And YHVH (read Adonai) said, ‘These have no master; let each man return to his home in peace.’ ”

Paraphrase

Then Micaiah said, “In a vision I saw the entire Israelite army scattered on the mountains and hills of Gilead near Ramoth; they were afraid and helpless because they had no leader. Then I heard THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD say, ‘These people have no one to lead them in battle. They should be released to go home whole, without further risk of injury or death.’ ”

1 Kings 22:18

Translation

Then the king of ISRAEL said to JEHOSHAPHAT, “Did I not tell you he would not prophecy good concerning me, but only for evil?”

Paraphrase

Then the king of THOSE WHO NEVER LET GO OF GOD said to THE LORD HAS JUDGED, the king of Judah, “See! Didn’t I tell you he would have nothing but bad news for me? He never has any good news for me from God.”

1 Kings 22:19

Translation

And he said, “Therefore, hear the word of YHVH (read Adonai), I saw YHVH (read Adonai) sitting on His throne and all the army of heavens standing over against [Him] on the right and on the left.

Paraphrase

Micaiah continued, “Based on what I said a moment ago, you need to listen and hear the verdict of THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD concerning you. The vision I saw had no time markers, so I don’t know when this part happened and it doesn’t matter. The main point is that I saw THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD in His position of authority, ready to issue a command, with all His heavenly army [of angels] on their feet ready to obey any command and facing Him anticipating a command; there were so many that they had to position themselves in an arc from the far right to the far left of Him.

THIS VISION GETS A BIT STRANGE

The absence of time in his vision will prove to be important very soon.

Notice that all of those in the vast army of God are waiting for Him to give them a command and they will do it. They do not give Him advice, or counsel. They do not make suggestions. They simply wait, and then obey.

However, at this point in his retelling of the vision, the prophet Micaiah begins to present things in a way that King Ahab will understand. Ahab had been so highly influenced by paganism from his wife, Jezebel, and others around him that he now thought like they did. Whether God instructed the prophet Micaiah to say it this way, or whether the prophet took the main point God wanted him to make and wrapped it in a package that Ahab would easily grasp, we do not know for sure. I think it was by God’s direct instruction, for that is how all the good prophets functioned; they did not change the message.

1 Kings 22:20

Translation

Then YHVH (read Adonai) said, ‘Who will make AHAB wide open

to go up

so he may fall down at RAMOTH GILEAD?’ This one spoke in this manner, and this one spoke in that manner.

Paraphrase

Then THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD said, ‘FATHER’S BROTHER [shows no signs of wanting to follow me.] Which of you can persuade him to become completely proud and arrogant and eventually fall from his high position at THE HIGH PLACE OF THE MEMORIAL MOUND?’ One gave one answer and another gave another answer.

1 Kings 22:21

Translation

Then one spirit came forward and stood before YHVH (read Adonai), and said, ‘I will open him wide open.’ And YHVH (read Adonai) said, ‘How?’

Paraphrase

Then an angel came forward and stood before THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD to offer his idea; he said, ‘I’m confident I can persuade him to go up to fall down in that way.’ THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD said, ‘How?’

1 Kings 22:22

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.

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.

1 Kings 22:23

Translation

Therefore, look! YHVH (read Adonai) has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and YHVH (read Adonai) has declared disaster against you.”

Paraphrase

Pay attention to this, Ahab, because here’s the bottom line, THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD tested you many times with deceiving spirits. In your case they came in the form of the prophets you have gathered around you. How did you fare in those tests? You failed every test. God is patient, but you have come to the point of exhausting His patience; it is time for punishment. Based on your track record, God has determined that you deserve death, and you deserve it right away.”

1 Kings 22:24

Translation

Then ZEDEKIAH son of KENAANAH

approached MICAIAH and struck him on the cheek and said, “How did this spirit of YHVH (read Adonai) go from me to speak to you?”

Paraphrase

Then THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF YH, who was the son of CANAAN THE HUMILIATED, approached WHO IS LIKE YH and slapped him hard across the cheek. Then he said, “How is it possible that the same spirit from THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD spoke to me and then said something totally different to you? One of us must be wrong and it must be you!”

1 Kings 22:25

Translation

MICAIAH replied, “Look, you will see on the day that you go into the inner chamber to hide.”

Paraphrase

WHO IS LIKE YH replied, “Now it’s your turn to pay attention. You will learn which of us was right and which one was wrong when disaster strikes and you are forced into hiding.”

1 Kings 22:26

Translation

Then the king of ISRAEL said, “Take MICAIAH, and return him to AMON the governor of the city, and to JOASH the king’s son.

Paraphrase

Then the king of THOSE WHO NEVER LET GO OF GOD said, “Take away WHO IS LIKE YH, and return him to the custody of THE SKILLED ONE, who is governor of this city, and to SET ON FIRE BY YHVH, who is connected to the king.

1 Kings 22:27

Translation

and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this one in the prison of the house and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction until I enter [the city] whole.

Paraphrase

and say, ‘This is what the king says, Put this man in the prison that is in your house, and give him just enough provisions to keep him alive, but in miserable condition. Keep him that way until I return from battle healthy and whole as proof that he was wrong. Then I will make a decision about how to punish him.’ ”

WAS MICAIAH IN PRISON OR NOT?

It appears that the prophet Micaiah had been in some type of custody under Amon, and that is why they could call him quickly without having to go looking for him. The mention of Joash does not give us enough information to know how he was connected to the king, but the word “son” indicates there was some type of connection. I think the name was mentioned as one more indication that these people were pretending to follow the One True God, but they were not.

The injunction of verse 27 to put Micaiah in prison seems to go beyond what was happening to him before. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume he had already been in some lower level of custody. Previously, the king did not like or trust this prophet so he was keeping an eye on him in some way. Now he was furious and wanted to punish the prophet severely but the final decision on how to do that would have to wait till after they all had proof that the lone prophet had been wrong, and Ahab’s prophets had been right.

1 Kings 22:28

Translation

But MICAIAH said, “If you ever return whole, YHVH (read Adonai) has not spoken by me.” Then he said, “Pay attention

you people and obey.”

Paraphrase

Then WHO IS LIKE YH responded, “if you return from this battle whole and healthy, it will be clear that YHVH (read Adonai) has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Pay careful attention, people, to what has gone on here today and learn from it.”

AHAB DOUBTED HIS OWN PROPHETS

After this Ahab went into battle dressed in a disguise. He wanted Jehoshaphat to be the only one on their side that looked like a king. This tells us that he secretly worried that the prophet of YHVH might be right. He was wounded in battle and died that evening.

NOTICE THE USE OF NAMES IN THIS NARRATIVE

Most of the people who served King Ahab had names that reflect a Yahwistic upbringing. My favorite name in this passage is Joash, which means “fired by YHVH” or “Set on fire by YHVH.” That’s the kind of fire I want in my life! But unfortunately, we know that none of the people Ahab had gathered around him were living for God. This was part of the confusion that the demon-gods had purposefully caused. They wanted Ahab and the dwellers of the Northern tribes to think they were still OK with the Creator God, even while they dabbled in other religions.

Footnotes

1

Ramoth means “the heights, or the high places,” and Gilead seems to mean “a mound that is a memorial to someone or a heap of stones that testifies to some big event”. There is a good chance that the person or event being memorialized had religious significance because many of the important things in those cultures were religious in nature.

2 3: “footfalls mark the strokes”

They expressed the passage of time as the succession of occurrences such as steps (footfalls) or beats or strokes.

4: "make wide open"

This verb has the root meaning “to be spacious, to make spacious, to open up, to make wide.” By extension it meant “to make open to any idea” and “to be simple-minded or make someone simple-minded, to allure or seduce, to persuade or deceive.”

5: "go up"

“go up”: Gilead was in the hill country, so one had to go up hill to get there. However, I think this had double meaning, like this – “Who will cause Ahab to become arrogant and proud so he will think he can successfully ascend the foothills of Gilead and then die there?” Notice the play on words, “go up so he may fall down.” Pride always promises to take us upward, but in the end it only takes us down.

6

Take note of this set of names. Zedekiah means “the righteousness or justice of YHVH” but Kenaanah is similar to Canaan which means “humiliated”. I think we are given these two names to show that these people were pretending to follow the One True God, but they were not; they had become just like the pagan religions around them and deserved the humiliation those nations deserved.

7

The word used here is usually rendered “peace”, which is accurate, but peace meant wholeness, wellbeing. Therefore, something like “whole” fits the context better than in peace.

8

The Hebrew word for “listen, pay attention,” carries with it the idea of obeying.