October 2002 chaplain's corner
The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.
Chaplain's Corner - October 2002
Rev. Rich Hines
This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Christ as their own Lord and Savior, and are serving as correctional chaplains within the United States.
This month I want to look at an Old Testament text and make some points I believe are applicable to the ministry of correctional chaplains today. I am very concerned that God's true word gets heard by both inmates and correctional staff. Therefore, I want to look at an account that tells us about a man named Micaiah, in1 Kings 22.
Micaiah the son of Imlah, was an Old Testament prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He prophesied in the years leading up to the biblical passages we will look at, which are dated in 853 BC. He is a little know hero of the faith, whom we all should be more like. He didn't go along with the crowd. He was not a man-pleaser. Rather he was faithful to the LORD when called upon to give an unpopular message.
Like recent popular television commercials that refer to a great basketball player, we should "want to be like Mike." Not just the professional athlete "Mike," but Mike, short for Micaiah the prophet, is the one we should emulate. Why? Because times change, but God's truth and the consequences of being opposed to His truth, never changes.
The background to the Scriptural account in 1 Kings 22, is God's sovereign judgement on Ahab, who was the wicked king of Israel. He who did more than all the rulers before him to provoke the LORD to anger - for he did evil in His sight more than all that were before him.
The account of the faithful prophet, Micaiah, (faithful to give God's word) is told in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. The record in 2 Chronicles is given while telling of the reign of basically good king Jehoshaphat of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. For my purpose I want to have you look at 1 Kings 22:1-28, which is part of the biblical narrative of evil king Ahab's reign.
1 Kings 22 (almost the same as 2 Chronicles 18)
1 Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
2 Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.
Do you want to know the reason he went down to visit?
2 Chron. 18:1,2 reads:
"Jehoshaphat (meaning 'the LORD (Jehova) judged') had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab (a serious breach of God's will - his son, Jehoram married Ahab's daughter - 2 Kings 8:16-18, it was a wrong choice for Jehoshaphat to allow this). After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead"
So Ahab "wined and dined" Jehoshaphat. Ahab put on a BIG BBQ for Jehoshaphat!
The text in 1 Kings 22 continues -
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?"
4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, (at the BBQ) "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
This was a further wrong choice by Jehoshaphat, who knew and served the LORD. 2 Chronicles 19:1,2 records the rebuke he received from a man of God as he returned home after the incidents recorded in 1Kings 22.
2 Chronicles 19:1,2
...Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD?"
Even though he was doing the wrong thing, Jehoshaphat still wanted the true God's input and blessing, so the text in 1 Kings continues -
5 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."
This was good king Jehoshaphat's idea - not Ahab's.
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?" So they said. "Go up, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king."
7 And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?"
Even though, Jehoshaphat was doing something against the LORD'S leading and word in uniting with the wicked, he still had a sense of who spoke truth from the LORD and who didn't. He knew none of the 400 prophets that did Ahab's bidding were giving the LORD'S truth.
With the indwelling Holy Spirit and the complete written word of God today, a true believer in Christ has discernment. Spiritually, a true believer in Christ instinctively knows truth from error (see 1 John 2:18-27). Therefore, I wonder how many hungry inmate sheep (God's true chosen ones) today are asking in the correctional religious setting, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?"
It is my tested conviction that the majority of America's correctional chaplains today do not speak for the LORD. How sad! I am not saying it is as bleak as in Ahab's court over 2850 years ago, with a 400 to 1 ratio. But we know the biblically committed chaplains, are a minority today.
Getting back to the text in 1 Kings 22 - Ahab's answer to the question "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD?"
8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said , "Let not the king say such things!"
9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!"
Verses 10-12 are a parenthesis -
10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor ( a higher level place) at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.'"
These horns represented the honor and power of these two kings (Ahab and Jehoshaphat) in alliance.
12 And the prophets prophesied so, saying "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand."
13 Then the messenger (sent in verse 9) who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement."
This was said to intimidate and give the king what he wanted. After all, it was 400 to 0 in favor of going to war. I have some questions. Is a true man of God ever to be intimidated by the crowd or by public opinion? Are ministers of the word ever to be swayed by the "landslide" of political votes? The answer must be a solid "NO!"
Michaiah's name meant "Who is like the LORD?" As he grew up and became a prophet of the LORD, he obviously realized none was like the LORD in glory, power, virtue, excellence and authority. He learned that what God said was far more important than what any man says. So we have in response to the messenger's intimidation the following great answer from our hero:
14 And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that will I speak."
(2 Chron. 18:13 reads: "As the LORD lives whatever my God says, that I will speak.")
He must have said both phrases, one after the other.
Recognizing Micaiah lived in a special time in history when God gave His revelation directly to specially chosen men, and that today we do not get that same thing, (I mean there is no ongoing new revelation from God after the completion of the biblical text) we still must have the same type of conviction, to speak only what God has said in his written word, rather than some human substitute. Every biblically defined Christian chaplain today ought to say, "As the Lord lives, whatever the God of the Bible has said, that and only that, is what I will speak and teach and use to give counsel!"
In our text, the scene is set for Micaiah to come before the kings, arrayed in their royal robes, sitting above the people on their thrones.
15 Then he came to the king; and the king (Ahab) said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!"
There must have been sarcasm or something in Micaiah's words here, that made it obvious even to Ahab that his answer in verse 15 was not God's message - it was only the message Ahab wanted to hear.
16 So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"
17 Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd." And the LORD said, "These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace."
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
So Micaiah spoke with "a noble resolve," as Matthew Henry commented, he "had his eye to a GREATER KING than either of these, arrayed in BRIGHTER ROBES, and sitting on a HIGHER THRONE."
That's what we need to have today, an "eye to a greater King." We need to remember in Whose presence we always are, and Who we must speak for and not worry about who we speak to.
Micaiah then even grew bolder - note it in verses 19 to 23.
19 Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left."
20 And the LORD said, "Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?" So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, "I will persuade him."
22 The LORD said to him, "In what way?" So he said, "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." And the LORD said, "You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so."
Then the warning from a loving prophet to a sinful king.
23 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you."
Do you have a problem with that? You shouldn't. It is part of God's judgement against willful sinners to turn them over to their own sins and consequences. He gives them up and over to their sins. If they don't want to believe the truth, he gives them over to the lies they want to follow. Compare what's written in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 -
9 The coming of the lawless one ( a reference here to the final Antichrist) is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they might believe the lie,
12 that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Yes, God gives people up to their own sins. Read about it in Romans 1:18-28.
24 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, (compare Jesus in Luke 22:64 and Paul in Acts 23:2) and said, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?"
25 And Micaiah said, (to Zedekiah) "Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!"
26 So the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son;
27 and say, 'Thus says the king, put this fellow in prison, and feed him with the bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.'"
So confident was Ahab that he would return the conquering hero that he commanded Micaiah to be placed in maximum security, even in "the hole."
A chaplain true to God's word today, like Micaiah ("like Mike") was 2850 years ago, has to be willing to suffer for telling the truth. Let me ask you, are you going to serve men or God? Are you going to say what the Scripture says, no matter what the threats or consequences are to you personally? I sincerely pray that you are willing to do just that. We are not in ministry to receive the praise of men. We are where we are to glorify God and make the true God known.
In the closing scene here in this court at the threshing floor by Samaria's gate, our hero had a final solemn word.
28 But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people."
This means he was saying "kill me as a false prophet, if Ahab returns in peace." He was confident he had spoken God's truth, so he said to the rest of the crowd and the 400 prophets "Take heed!"
The rest of 1 Kings 22 tells how Ahab died in the battle with the Syrians at Ramoth Gilead, just as Micaiah had said that the LORD had said.
As they went to the battle at Ramoth Gilead, there must have been some doubts in Ahab's mind, because in verses 30 and 32 , he made Jehoshaphat look like a king and disguised himself, - but that didn't prevent God's word from being fulfilled. God protected Jehoshaphat in the battle and found Ahab:
Verse 34 "Now a certain man (a Syrian soldier) drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel (Ahab) between the joints of his armor." God directed that arrow!
So ...
Verse 35 "...the king died at evening..."
Verse 36 "Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!"
Compare this verse to Micaiah's prophecy in verse 17, "These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace." It was literally fulfilled.
Earlier I said a minority of men in chaplaincy are like Micaiah. Here are some reasons why I think men "like Mike" are so few and far between in correctional chaplaincy today:
1. A general low view of Correctional Chaplaincy
Biblical evangelical churches need to do a better job of telling the truth about where we need to take the biblical gospel. They need to teach and train believers to not be afraid of getting into the jails and prisons and of being with sinners to call them to repentance. Churches need to be willing to send their best preachers, teachers, theologians and biblical counselors into correctional ministry.
2. The general political climate of our nation
This effects state and other tax supported facilities, by demanding compromise and so called "tolerance."
3. Biblical ignorance
Unfortunately many in chaplaincy and all other forms of ministry, are biblically ignorant. Sometimes this ignorance is due to the kind of schooling required to get the job as chaplain. Ultimately, if we are going to serve the Lord, we better get well trained in the Bible, we better learn to sharpen our spiritual sword. Nothing less than God's word rightly divided and lived out honors Him. Nothing less than God's word truly helps inmates and the correctional facility.
4. Marriage of worldly wisdom with the Bible
Like Jehoshaphat's son who married the pagan idol worshiping daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who did corrupt his devotion to the LORD, many in correctional chaplaincy today for some weak reason, marry psychology and the Bible. When that happens, in application and practice it's always the true teaching from the Bible, God's word, that comes out on the bottom and gets influenced by unbelieving ideologies.
These are some reasons, why we have few "like Mike," like Micaiah, in correctional chaplaincy today. You be different. Be one who is like the biblical Micaiah. Be like Mike!
Rev. Rich Hines
Minister To Chaplains - Aurora Ministries