Daily Manna 29 May
KEY VERSE: “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” – (2 Chronicles 18:7).
TEXT: 2 Chronicles 18:1-12
1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.
2 And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.
3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.
4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.
5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.
6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?
7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.
11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Just as it is today, false prophets were common in Old Testament times. They prophesied only what the kings and the people wanted to hear, claiming it was the message of God.
From the text, King Ahab asked King Jehoshaphat to join forces with him to battle Syria. Jehoshaphat rightly sought God’s counsel before embarking on the mission to which Ahab’s four hundred prophets gave answer of peace with one accord. They told him only what he wanted to hear by extolling his greatness and predicted victory regardless of the fact of the matter. To Ahab, those were good and true but in reality, they were false and perverted prophets God hath not sent. On the other hand, the true prophet Micaiah who always spoke the mind of God was hated and regarded as an enemy who always prophesied evil against Ahab.
The deception of our contemporary times has gone beyond the ordinary. Our Lord Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned against them. “For… false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:22). They can go to any length to portray evil as good. Some employ counterfeit signs and miracles and false prophecies to deceive their followers, thereby giving them false hope. They make people despise and reject the true and the right path to eternal life by their deception.
As people who have found the right path, we must hold fast that which we have and remain unmovable in our stand for the truth till the end. We should endeavour to shun and reject every appearance of evil and falsehood. The way of the Cross, the path of holiness of life and the totality of God’s word are what we need both on earth and in eternity and must not be exchanged for anything else.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Shun the broadway that leads to destruction.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 17-18
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Beware of Praise-Singers – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 29 May 2021
