This blog post was adapted from a sermon preached at Harpeth Baptist Church in the summer of 2012. While much can be said about the contrasting personalities, the methodology, and the forthcoming end resultвЂ¦the key to this entire story seems to be the fact that God is offering Ahab an escape from himself, but he is too вЂњrightвЂќ to take it. Then there is Jehoshaphat, seemingly just along for the rideвЂ¦ and Micaiah, the prophet nobody likes and who has bad news. At times, the Truth will hurt us.Дo you see the contrast here? There is Ahab and his 400 prophets with what seems like a good idea and plan. We arenвЂ™t promised that things will always go well for us as we follow truth. Take the вЂњoutвЂќ God gives and avoid the pain. This, if true, would mean the end of his life/reign. This could alter his plans with Jehoshaphat. Even after hearing what he needed to hear from 400 others, 1 manвЂ™s words were messing things up. Even though he was trying to go with the flow! Once you become someone who sticks with the Truth, there is no turning back.ДЄhab didnвЂ™t like what he heard. Obviously, Micaiah could be believed, but the leaders around him wouldnвЂ™t believe him. As we will find out next time, they go to war and Ahab is killed. This angers Ahab and he decides Micaiah should be put in prison. Micaiah eventually tells the Kings that they should not go to war. Ahab says there is Micaiah, but he hates him because he never brings good news! Jehoshaphat asks if there is not another prophet of the Lord.

Ahab gathers 400 prophets who all tell him it is GodвЂ™s will to go to war. Before they do Jehoshaphat asks Ahab to seek GodвЂ™sВ wisdom/blessing. Ahab and Jehoshaphat (Kings of Israel and Judah) decide together to go and take Ramoth as it is rightly theirs. In the text here, Ahab has grown impatient with Syria.В After 3 years of peace they still have not fulfilled their treaty and given up the lands promised. If you read the last post, Ask Someone Else, please skip ahead to the application. He tried to have his cake and eat it too.

Elijah had already told him the dogs would get him. God sent Micaiah with one last chance for Ahab, but he didnвЂ™tВ take it. We canвЂ™t have one foot in the world and one in church. Many points can be made from these verses, but if nothing elseВ we should learn from this that we canвЂ™t have our cake and eat it too. A stray shot from a random archer killed him! Ahab decided to do what he wanted to do and goвЂ¦ but, dress like someone else to keep him from getting killed. One prophet told Ahab to go to war another told him he wouldВ be killed. It is not complicated or hard to figure out. You will do some things in life that are a success. But to those motivated by things other than GodвЂ™s will, вЂњrightвЂќ can become confusing.Дo Right. God allowed the prophet to show him this.

So who should he listen to? And if you over think it, you can really get confused here on what is right.Д«ut to you and I, only one thing seems right. Many debate AhabвЂ™s actions in going to war. So he did some things that worked, and some that didnвЂ™t!Д«ut for all of time he will be remembered as a King who did right. He removed the remnant of idolatry left in Judah. We read that he did right in the eyes of the Lord. If you read the last post, You canвЂ™t have your cake and eat it too, please skip ahead to the application. Someone eventually has to decide, I am not going to be like my fathers. The good news is, if you are the one looking up to someone, you canД«reak the chain of poor behavior. If parents are not disciplined, children arenвЂ™t. So it is with us todayвЂ¦it isnвЂ™t a rule, but generallyвЂ¦. If you donвЂ™t, it will effect those coming behind you.В Time after time in scripture we read of sons doing just as their fathers have done. The sad part of AhabвЂ™s story is that his son was just like him. Let me take you through these verses and give you our final applications from 1 Kings. And we read a little of AhabвЂ™s son who replaces him. In this passage we get the conclusion of 1 Kings. If you read the last post, Do Right, please skip ahead to the application.

The story of your life we the kings