Two Kings and a Prophet (2 Chronicles 18)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:18.510 Let's turn to second chronicles, Chapter Eighteen. Second Chronicles Eighteen. This here 2 00:00:18.589 --> 00:00:25.420 we have another scene, another episode of the life and reign of King Jehosaphat, 3 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:30.300 the king who was ruling in the southern portion of Israel, which is 4 00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:35.770 called Judah, the kingdom having been divided between North and south, Israel in 5 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:40.770 the north, Judah in the south. And we read about an alliance that 6 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:44.530 he makes with the King of the North, a very evil and terrible king, 7 00:00:44.570 --> 00:00:50.640 King Ahab, you may remember from scripture. We read about this alliance 8 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:57.159 and what happens. So is common with the Chronicler, he gives a lot 9 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:03.560 of good detailed makes it very easy to imagine, to put yourself there on 10 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.469 to picture what it is to happen. So let's do that now, with 11 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:14.349 a lot of attentiveness and desiring to hear God's word. Second Chronicles Eighteen. 12 00:01:15.469 --> 00:01:21.620 Now Jehoshah fat had great riches and honor and he made a marriage alliance with 13 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:26.140 Ahab. After some years, he went down to Ahab in Samaria and have 14 00:01:26.260 --> 00:01:30.260 killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who are 15 00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:36.530 with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth Gilead. Hey Hab, 16 00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:40.250 King of Israel, said to Jehosha fat, King of Judah, will 17 00:01:40.290 --> 00:01:44.810 you go with me to Ramoth Gilead? He answered him I am as you 18 00:01:44.930 --> 00:01:49.120 are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the 19 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:56.319 war. And JEHOSH's Jehoshah Fat, said to the King of Israel, inquire 20 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:00.280 first for the word of the Lord. Then the King of Israel gathered the 21 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:05.189 prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, shall we go 22 00:02:05.310 --> 00:02:09.789 to battle against Ramoth Gilead or shall I refrain? And they said go up, 23 00:02:10.349 --> 00:02:15.629 for God will give it into the hand of the king. But JEHOSHAH 24 00:02:15.669 --> 00:02:20.460 FAT said, is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we 25 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:24.620 may inquire? And the King of Israel said to Jehosaphat, there is yet 26 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:30.129 one man by whom we may acquire of the Lord, Macaiah, the son 27 00:02:30.210 --> 00:02:36.530 of imlaw. But I hate him. This part is very childish. I 28 00:02:36.610 --> 00:02:40.009 think he sounds very childish, but I hate him for he never prophesies good 29 00:02:40.090 --> 00:02:46.120 concerning me, but always evil. And Jehoshah Fad said, let not the 30 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:50.719 king say so. Then the King of Israel summoned an officer and said bring 31 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:54.159 quickly Makaiah, the son of imlaw now, the King of Israel, and 32 00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:00.069 Jehosha Fat, the King of Judah, were sitting on their thrones, arrayed 33 00:03:00.270 --> 00:03:02.990 in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor, at the 34 00:03:04.030 --> 00:03:07.669 entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the People's were prof are all 35 00:03:07.710 --> 00:03:14.740 the prophets were prophesying before them, and Zenechaiah, the son of Shenana Shah 36 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:19.900 Anna, made for himself horns of iron and said, thus says the Lord, 37 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:24.580 with these shall you push the Syrians until they are destroyed. And all 38 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:30.729 the prophets prophesied so and said go up to Ramoth Giliad and triumph. The 39 00:03:30.889 --> 00:03:36.169 Lord will give it into the hand of the king. And the Messenger who 40 00:03:36.169 --> 00:03:40.960 went to summon macaiah said to him, behold the words of the prophets with 41 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:46.560 the the words of the prophets with one accord, are favorable to the king. 42 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:51.439 Let your word be like the word of one of them and speak favorably. 43 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.870 But macaiah said, as the Lord Lives, what my God says, 44 00:03:57.590 --> 00:04:00.789 that I will speak. And when he had come to the king, the 45 00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:04.909 king said to him, Makayah, shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, 46 00:04:04.990 --> 00:04:10.500 or shall I refrain? And he answered, go up and triumph. 47 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:14.300 They will be given into your hand. But the king said to him, 48 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:17.579 how many times shall I make you swear that you will speak to me nothing 49 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:24.100 but the truth and the name of the Lord? And he said, I 50 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:29.730 saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as a sheep that have no shepherd. 51 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:34.449 And the Lord said, these have no master. Let each return to his 52 00:04:34.610 --> 00:04:39.519 home in peace. And the King of Israel said to Jehoshah Fat, did 53 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.879 I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil? 54 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.759 Macaiah said, therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw 55 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:53.189 the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of Heaven standing on his 56 00:04:53.230 --> 00:04:57.949 right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, who will entice 57 00:04:57.990 --> 00:05:00.949 Ahab, the King of Israel, that he may go up and fall at 58 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:06.259 Ramoth Gilead? And one said one thing and another said another. Than a 59 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:11.100 spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying I will entice him, 60 00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:15.259 and the Lord said to him by what means? And he said I will 61 00:05:15.300 --> 00:05:17.860 go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets, 62 00:05:18.420 --> 00:05:21.810 and he said, you are to entice him and you shall succeed. 63 00:05:23.009 --> 00:05:27.250 Go Out and do so now, therefore, behold, the Lord has put 64 00:05:27.290 --> 00:05:30.569 a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared 65 00:05:30.689 --> 00:05:38.040 disaster concerning you. Then Zedekiah, the son of Chennana, came near and 66 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:42.120 struck macaiah on the cheek and said which way did the spirit of the Lord 67 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:46.959 go from me to speak to you? And macaiah said, behold, you 68 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:50.189 shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself. 69 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:55.670 And the King of Israel said, seize Machaiah and take him back to 70 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:58.990 ammon, the governor of the city, and to Joe Ash, the king's 71 00:05:59.029 --> 00:06:02.550 son, and say thus, thus says the king. Put this fellow in 72 00:06:02.629 --> 00:06:09.100 prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in 73 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:13.139 peace. And macaiah said, if you return in peace, the Lord has 74 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:18.370 not spoken by me. And he said here all you people's so the king 75 00:06:18.449 --> 00:06:21.370 of Israel and Jehoshah Fat, the King of Judah, went up to Ramoth 76 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:28.050 Gilead, and the King of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself 77 00:06:29.129 --> 00:06:32.439 and go into battle, but you wear your robes. And the King of 78 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:38.240 Israel disguised himself and they went into battle. Now the king of Syria had 79 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:44.399 commanded the captains of his chariots fight with neither small nor great, but only 80 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:48.509 with the King of Israel. As soon as the captains of the chariots saw 81 00:06:48.629 --> 00:06:54.110 Jehosha fat, they said it is the king of Israel, so they turned 82 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:58.430 to fight against him, and Jehosha fat cried out in the Lord helped him. 83 00:06:59.230 --> 00:07:02.420 God drew them away from him, for as soon as the captains of 84 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.660 the chariot saw that it was not the King of Israel, they turned back 85 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:13.259 from pursuing him. But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck 86 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:17.689 the king of Israel, but queen the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore, 87 00:07:17.850 --> 00:07:21.170 he said to the driver of his chariot, turn around and carry me 88 00:07:21.290 --> 00:07:26.410 out of the battle, for I am wounded. And the battle continued that 89 00:07:26.490 --> 00:07:30.560 day and the King of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians 90 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:35.839 until evening. Then, at sunset, he died. Just a few more 91 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:40.720 verses here, Jehosha Fat, the King of Judah, returned in safety to 92 00:07:40.839 --> 00:07:45.149 his house in Jerusalem, but Jay who the son of Hanani the seer, 93 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:48.149 went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshah fat, should you help 94 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:53.709 the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the 95 00:07:53.790 --> 00:07:57.949 wrath of God has gone out against you. Nevertheless, some good is found 96 00:07:58.029 --> 00:08:01.300 in you, for you destroyed the Ashraff out of the land and have set 97 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:13.329 your heart to seek God it. God bless his word to us. A 98 00:08:13.490 --> 00:08:22.050 big story and a fascinating one, one with many, many truths, some 99 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:26.889 very mysterious. For example, as we consider the will of the Lord and 100 00:08:26.129 --> 00:08:35.200 his providence in deceiving this Israelite King, his providence in working in various ways 101 00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:41.549 in the details of the lives of these people, I'm some very clear some 102 00:08:41.750 --> 00:08:50.350 some doctrines and truths about God that stand out very strongly. For example, 103 00:08:50.710 --> 00:08:54.389 and this will be our main focus this evening, the Prophet of the Lord 104 00:08:54.549 --> 00:09:01.059 says that he sees the people of Israel like sheep without a shepherd, an 105 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:03.940 ironic thing, given that there are two shepherds, two kings, right there. 106 00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:09.009 And yet we do see that the Lord is watching over them all and 107 00:09:09.250 --> 00:09:16.809 ruling all things. I read these last few verses in Chapter Nineteen, because 108 00:09:16.850 --> 00:09:22.090 they really help us to understand what was happening at the very beginning of chapter 109 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:26.639 eighteen. Let me point this out to you and then we'll kind of go 110 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.519 through the story, thinking through it together and making sure that we all understand 111 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:39.389 what's there and what's going on and focusing on some important observations along the way. 112 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:43.669 The first thing I want to point out are these beginning verses in Chapter 113 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:50.789 Nineteen. We're here. We read how the Lord characterizes it this event. 114 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:56.820 He says that what Jehosha fat is done is to help the wicked and love 115 00:09:56.980 --> 00:10:01.779 those who hate God. This is something I think you see implicitly throughout the 116 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:07.330 story, but it doesn't, but it comes out very explicitly here. Implicitly. 117 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:13.929 Why? How do we see Jehosha fat helping the the wicked loving those 118 00:10:13.970 --> 00:10:16.929 who hate the Lord? Well, first of all we remember Ahab, a 119 00:10:18.129 --> 00:10:22.360 terrible, wicked king whom he's made an alliance with. We also know that 120 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:28.919 throughout this story Jehosha fad is really serving as a servant of King Ahab, 121 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.519 though at one point they're pictured in their robes, perhaps sitting equally on two 122 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:39.590 thrones. Throughout the story this is very clearly Ahab's battle. You notice the 123 00:10:39.669 --> 00:10:45.669 prophets continually say the victory will be yours, O king, and not kings 124 00:10:45.789 --> 00:10:50.019 plural. Also notice how it's Ahab who initially who proposes this arrangement. He 125 00:10:50.139 --> 00:10:54.460 goes to Jehoshah fad and says, I want to go up against Ro Moth 126 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:58.580 Gilead, I want to win this battle. Will you come with me? 127 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:03.809 So jehosha fat is serving as a supporting role. Again. The question is 128 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:11.289 why? Why is he going to unite himself with Ahab? Why is he 129 00:11:11.490 --> 00:11:16.649 this wicked and Evil King? What's the purpose? It's not entirely clear, 130 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:20.639 at least to me, what that purpose is, but he follows it anyway. 131 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:28.120 We also read that this fight against this foreign power, the king of 132 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:33.870 Syria, was also against Ahab. In other words, Ahab's perspective was I'm 133 00:11:33.909 --> 00:11:37.870 against them, and the perspective, as I of his enemies was we're against 134 00:11:37.870 --> 00:11:41.309 Ahab. You remember that at the end of chapter eighteen, the King of 135 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:48.500 Syria commands this is verse twenty. The captains of the chariot fight with nobody. 136 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:50.980 I don't care how important they are, I don't care how unimportant they 137 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:56.980 are. I only want one thing, the King of Israel. That's who 138 00:11:56.019 --> 00:12:01.610 I want, and it seems that Ahab even understands that this is going to 139 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:05.929 happen. I don't know why Jehoshah fat went along with this plan, but 140 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:07.769 he says, remember to Jehosha Fat, Hey, when we're going to go 141 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:11.490 out into battle, I want you to make sure that you were all of 142 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:13.570 your robes, have your big king had on. You know, all the 143 00:12:13.649 --> 00:12:20.120 arrows king right here over here. ME, however, I'm going to cover 144 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:24.279 myself up with armor and going out in disguise again. Jehosha fat, what 145 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:28.039 are you thinking? Why is he doing this, especially when ahabs not even 146 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:33.309 following the same plan? It's not two kings in all their glory and power 147 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:37.950 moving out into battle, it's Ahab sneaking along the side lines, making Jehosha 148 00:12:37.990 --> 00:12:43.230 fat take all the risk. Again. Jeosha fat, what are you thinking? 149 00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:48.899 And for him? So these are the things that we read implicitly throughout 150 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:52.899 the story, and then the Prophet makes very clear to us and and of 151 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:58.850 course, to Jehosha fat himself at the end. Should you help the wicked 152 00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:05.129 and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath because 153 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:15.320 of this wrath has gone out against you from the Lord. With that sort 154 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.159 of in our minds, let's go back to the beginning of chapter eighteen and 155 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:22.720 think what happens here. We've already set up the scene. A HAB is 156 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.789 wanting to go to war. He grabs Jehoshah fadden says, will you come 157 00:13:26.870 --> 00:13:33.990 with me, Joseph Hat? Jehoshah fat says yes, sir, but it 158 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:41.220 seems as though Jehoshah fat has some reservations. Before they go, Jehoshah fad 159 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:48.100 in verse four, says let's let's ask the Lord First. There's something about 160 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:54.059 him that seems to hold back. Doesn't exactly say why, but it's certainly 161 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:58.330 a smart thing. Jehosha fat says in quire first, a word of the 162 00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:01.769 Lord, and the King of Israel seems to he agrees with us, and 163 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:07.570 he gathers the prophets together. Four hundred men. Now this is should be 164 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:09.799 a little bit suspicious to us, especially when we read that these are his 165 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:13.440 prophets, because, if you remember, a while back, the King of 166 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:18.679 Israel cast out all the servants of the Lord, he set up his own 167 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.519 priests, he set up his own idols and perhaps he set up his own 168 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:26.909 profits as well. So here he has a class of men that are ruling 169 00:14:26.710 --> 00:14:31.429 for him and for his glory, not particularly wanting to speak the word of 170 00:14:31.470 --> 00:14:35.350 the Lord, and he asks them, right, he asks four hundred yes 171 00:14:35.509 --> 00:14:39.539 men. What do you think, guys? SHALL WE GO OUT IN BATTLE? 172 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:43.460 What do they say? Go Up, go up, for God will 173 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:48.779 give it into the hand of the king. So there's this decision to be 174 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:54.049 made. Ahab's already made his decision. Jehosha fat has some reservations, and 175 00:14:54.169 --> 00:15:03.570 so he calls on some prophets. But Josha Hoosha fat presses him a little 176 00:15:03.570 --> 00:15:09.200 more. Perhaps he senses in these prophets not the word of the Lord. 177 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:16.200 Don't know exactly why. Maybe it was the historical circumstances that I mentioned before. 178 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:20.679 They're just not trustworthy people. Maybe it was that he didn't trust King 179 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:26.909 Ahab entirely, or maybe it's maybe it was simply that he wasn't hearing the 180 00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:31.350 voice of his shepherd, his shepherd, the Lord himself. Jesus says, 181 00:15:31.429 --> 00:15:35.460 you remember that the sheep hear my voice. They we there. We recognize 182 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:41.740 when we hear God speak, and maybe something in Jehoshah fat's conscience was bothering 183 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:46.820 him and even having all of this great display. Four hundred that's a lot 184 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:52.570 of people, all working together and to put on this show for Ahab and 185 00:15:52.570 --> 00:16:00.289 Jehoshah fad he. He presses yet further and says is isn't there anyone else? 186 00:16:00.330 --> 00:16:03.769 Verse six, is there not yet another profit of whom we may inquire? 187 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:07.279 Now the King of Israel tips his hand a little bit in verse six 188 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.360 and first seven and says, yeah, I suppose we could ask Macayah. 189 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:21.110 But notice what happens before macayah comes. There's this little interlude, this this 190 00:16:21.549 --> 00:16:25.269 transition time. Macaiah doesn't just show up and start speaking. There's some few 191 00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:27.750 things that happen. First of all, the prophets, these four hundred pro 192 00:16:27.909 --> 00:16:34.100 four hundred prophets, continue to press the point, even after Macaiah is sent 193 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:38.019 for as they are sitting there a raid, on their thrones and in their 194 00:16:38.100 --> 00:16:45.419 robes at this very important place, this place of Judgment and rule, the 195 00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:52.769 prophets continue to prophesy. Zetechiah makes these horns of iron. Not sure how 196 00:16:52.889 --> 00:16:59.049 long that would take, but some effort is going into this prophesying. I 197 00:16:59.169 --> 00:17:02.440 think it might be fair to. It's a little bit of a conjecture, 198 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:06.759 but I think it's fair to imagine some kind of big display going on, 199 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:11.680 that there are these presentations and people, all these people. They are these 200 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:18.190 kings seated on their thrones. The point gets keep it keeps being pressed and 201 00:17:18.390 --> 00:17:22.349 pressed and pressed. Go, go, go, battle, battle, battle. 202 00:17:26.029 --> 00:17:29.630 Then in the meanwhile the Messenger goes to Makaiah. We read in Verse 203 00:17:29.710 --> 00:17:36.539 Twelve and listen to what he says. He says, Hey, you should 204 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:41.220 probably know the words of the Prophets. We are with one accord a favorable 205 00:17:41.380 --> 00:17:45.250 to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them 206 00:17:45.329 --> 00:17:51.730 and speak favorably. This messenger probably thought he was doing Makayah favor. You 207 00:17:51.809 --> 00:17:53.450 know, he's sort of you know, put your finger in the air see 208 00:17:53.529 --> 00:17:57.680 which direction the wind is blowing, and I'm going to tell you they're all 209 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:02.519 saying the same thing. If you go in there right now and you say 210 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.960 I don't think so and you shouldn't go to battle, this is not going 211 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:10.119 to bode well for you, Makaya. We know from the past, from 212 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:14.349 Ahab's comment, that it's not gone well from macayah before, and he's selling 213 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:17.150 him is not going to go well for you if you do this. Just 214 00:18:17.390 --> 00:18:22.230 go with it, go with the flow, say what everybody's saying. It's 215 00:18:22.269 --> 00:18:26.740 sort of a political move. I'm perhaps I'm done, even out of a 216 00:18:26.859 --> 00:18:33.140 desire to help. But macaiah, a true prophet, as all true prophets 217 00:18:33.259 --> 00:18:38.819 do, stands firm and instead of saying that the Messenger pay. Thanks, 218 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:44.089 Buddy, I really appreciate that. I almost walked into that one. He 219 00:18:44.329 --> 00:18:53.009 says, as Yahwe lives. What my God say as that I will speak. 220 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:00.799 What boldness. This morning we were talking about zeal. Certainly a big 221 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:07.720 part of it there. So Makaiah is set up right away. We see 222 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:14.109 that this is someone who has a character that we can trust, and indeed 223 00:19:14.269 --> 00:19:18.910 he is a trustworthy so he shows up and then we get another scene, 224 00:19:18.990 --> 00:19:23.980 or at least the continuing of this round two of the decision making process. 225 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:30.859 Makaiah cut is brought before and then he says something that I think throws us 226 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:34.099 off a little bitter, at least it does on a first reading. He 227 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:40.690 says, macay or he's asked, Macaiah, shall we go to Ramoth Ghilliad 228 00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:45.809 to battle, or shall I refrain? And he answered go up and triumph. 229 00:19:45.450 --> 00:19:52.210 They will be given into your hand. So what's going on here? 230 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.440 Makaiah just gave this great expression of his confidence and hit the thing that he 231 00:19:56.599 --> 00:20:00.000 was planning to do. Was it? Are we supposed to read it as 232 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.960 a moment of weakness? Was He trying to lie? What's going on here? 233 00:20:07.150 --> 00:20:10.230 I think it's a little bit hard to say exactly why, but I 234 00:20:10.309 --> 00:20:14.109 think there are several reasons that we can say Makaia knew exactly what he was 235 00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:18.869 doing and he wasn't doing anything wrong. First of all, there is his 236 00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:26.619 history, his commitment, his character. The the chronicler sets up an expectation 237 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.740 for us to understand this profit in a certain way. We're supposed to trust 238 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:34.500 him. That's what we're pulled that. He's spoken well, he's been against 239 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:40.170 King Ahab He, and then we see his confession here to the Messenger of 240 00:20:40.250 --> 00:20:44.329 what his plans are to do. And along with that point we see no 241 00:20:44.569 --> 00:20:49.039 mark of change, no transition in macaiah. Right. It's surprising because everything 242 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:53.640 is not set up that way in the story. So that's one reason to 243 00:20:53.720 --> 00:21:00.000 think macaiah isn't isn't doing something wrong here. His personal history, is character, 244 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.829 his commitment, a second reason, and this comes from EJ young, 245 00:21:04.950 --> 00:21:11.670 the Great Old Testament Professor at Westminster, a theological seminary. He notes a 246 00:21:11.789 --> 00:21:17.109 contrast between the first thing macaiah says in the second thing he says. The 247 00:21:17.230 --> 00:21:21.619 first thing is this kind of parroting, this very simple phrase. Go Up 248 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:25.619 and try UMPH, they will be given into your hand. You compare that 249 00:21:25.779 --> 00:21:32.420 to what comes where in after he's pressed in Verse Sixteen. Listen to the 250 00:21:32.539 --> 00:21:37.289 language. What EJ young says is there is now no mere repetition of words 251 00:21:37.329 --> 00:21:41.730 which the king wished to hear, but a depth and dignity and beauty such 252 00:21:41.769 --> 00:21:48.680 as characterized could by great and true prophecy. So compare the first thing he 253 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:52.559 says to her sixteen. I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep 254 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:56.039 that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, these have no master. 255 00:21:56.079 --> 00:22:00.400 Let each return to his home and peace. And then after that we get 256 00:22:00.470 --> 00:22:04.509 this opening up of the heavenly places, in this great scene of the Lord 257 00:22:04.630 --> 00:22:10.150 seated on the throne, which matches in many ways some of the other expressions 258 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:15.980 of prophecy, great prophecy that we have from Isaiah and others. So EJ 259 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:19.259 Young's point is that Macaya is way of speaking as we see it here, 260 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:26.539 is markedly different, and he draws from that this perhaps that it was intended 261 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:33.009 to be that way. Perhaps macaiah spoke in a way that wasn't intending to 262 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:36.970 lie or be tricked, but that everyone was going to understand it in the 263 00:22:37.049 --> 00:22:41.049 very first place, that that's not what he really thought. Perhaps he spoke 264 00:22:41.089 --> 00:22:45.119 in a mocking way, you know, perhaps he was asked, all right, 265 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:48.119 what do you think we should do, and he says, well, 266 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:49.519 why don't you go and triumph that they may be given under your hand. 267 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:55.599 Right. He's sort of obviously parroting what's going on around him as a way 268 00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:00.109 to scorn and mock those who are hearing the word. It's one possibility. 269 00:23:00.190 --> 00:23:06.269 There's other ways that you can you could perhaps express that, but what is 270 00:23:06.509 --> 00:23:14.019 clear is that Ahab's not tricked. Ahab seems to immediately recognize what's going on 271 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:17.940 there. Notice he doesn't say, oh great, finally some good news. 272 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:22.460 He says, come on, spit it, what do you want to say? 273 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:26.140 So there must be something in the way that he said it, or 274 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.809 perhaps it's in the Hebrew or something else that at least I'm not able to 275 00:23:29.890 --> 00:23:33.450 perceive, but something by the everyone's reaction, by his character, by the 276 00:23:33.569 --> 00:23:37.890 contrast with it, does his other words, something that is indicating to us 277 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:44.480 that Isaiah or that Makaiah wasn't making a mistake here. He was speaking plainly 278 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:48.599 and clearly, in a way that these kings would understand that this is not 279 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:55.869 what he believed and this is not what he meant. And so he speaks 280 00:23:55.869 --> 00:24:00.630 to them plainly and says this isn't going to go well. And in fact 281 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:03.309 he not only tells him that if they go into battle, there will be 282 00:24:03.869 --> 00:24:07.710 it will it will not go well, but even explains why all this has 283 00:24:07.789 --> 00:24:12.140 happened, that a lying spirit has been sent out from the Lord to Create 284 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:21.180 Deception among these prophets and to and to lead Ahab to his death, most 285 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:27.809 certainly a punishment for all of Ahab's witness in Israel. Now, before we 286 00:24:27.890 --> 00:24:32.289 go any further, I want to just pause and reflect a little bit with 287 00:24:32.450 --> 00:24:38.359 you. What can we learn thus far from what the chronicle has told us? 288 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:42.759 I think one thing we might say, and is good to point out 289 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:48.279 a simple truth, is that there are true and false prophets. Not everyone 290 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:52.950 who says that they speak from the Lord are from the Lord, and that's 291 00:24:52.990 --> 00:24:56.470 exactly what Z that a Kiah and the other prophets were saying. Thus, 292 00:24:56.589 --> 00:25:00.990 says the Lord. He even uses a God's name, Jehovah or Yahweh. 293 00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:07.259 Thus says the Lord. With these you shall push the Syrians until they are 294 00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:12.180 destroyed. There's a possibility there that Zee Kiah is even speaking of a prophecy 295 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:18.539 earlier, I mean God's Word Concerning Joseph. He was very much grounding what 296 00:25:18.660 --> 00:25:22.970 he was saying in Yahway's words, in the all ways promises. And yet 297 00:25:23.049 --> 00:25:26.970 he was false. We know that not only from what Macaiah says, but 298 00:25:27.089 --> 00:25:33.970 from what actually happens. Ahab died in this battle and was not successful, 299 00:25:33.410 --> 00:25:37.680 as Ze Kai and the others said they were. There are true and false 300 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:41.799 prophets, and the same is true today. We are warned by the Lord 301 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:47.319 in the New Testament that there are people who will deceive us. His Apostle 302 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:49.000 say the same thing, and we are to be on guard, we are 303 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:56.589 to watch out and be testing. If jehoshahats conscience here is being at least 304 00:25:56.710 --> 00:26:02.309 somewhat sensitive to the situation he's put himself in. It's a good thing to 305 00:26:02.430 --> 00:26:07.980 notice and a good thing to remember. We ought to be testing and listening. 306 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:15.740 Just because someone says something doesn't mean that it's true. A second thing 307 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:18.730 you might notice is that the existence of the false, true and false prophets 308 00:26:18.769 --> 00:26:26.650 presupposes that there is a God who speaks to some people and not to others, 309 00:26:26.529 --> 00:26:30.809 that there are some people who speak the word of the Lord and there 310 00:26:30.809 --> 00:26:36.279 are other people who simply speak their own words and their own hearts. There 311 00:26:36.359 --> 00:26:40.680 is a God who exists, a God who speaks, a God who declares, 312 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:48.670 and this sovereign, awesomely powerful God is sort of in the background here 313 00:26:48.710 --> 00:26:52.910 at the beginning of chronicles, but the more and more macaiah speaks, the 314 00:26:52.990 --> 00:26:56.509 more and more he comes into the foreground of the story and we see how 315 00:26:56.630 --> 00:27:03.740 God is ruling over everything, the false prophets and all that. We will 316 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:12.940 continue certain courses of action that we might take. Our right and some are 317 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:18.890 wrong. It depends on God's word. The difference depends on God's word. 318 00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:22.849 So we are right to ask ourselves, well, if all of this is 319 00:27:22.930 --> 00:27:26.490 true, which it most certainly is, where do we hear the Voice of 320 00:27:26.569 --> 00:27:32.720 the Lord? And it's here in his word and the words of the Apostles 321 00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:36.759 and the prophets and the words of the Chief Prophet Himself, the Lord Jesus 322 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:40.759 Christ, who has spoken to us and told us the will of God. 323 00:27:41.680 --> 00:27:48.029 Knowing that there are true false prophets, and false prophets should make us desire 324 00:27:48.309 --> 00:27:52.829 to know what is true, to test and to learn and to grow, 325 00:27:52.990 --> 00:27:57.230 and that means hearing God's word in the scriptures and learning it and growing in 326 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:06.539 it. Well, let's continue on and the story. In addition to telling 327 00:28:06.579 --> 00:28:10.940 the truth about what would happen in battle, he goes on to talk about 328 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:15.809 what, why all of this has has happened. He allows macaiah to see 329 00:28:17.769 --> 00:28:22.650 the events that happened or that proceeded all of this from a spiritual perspective. 330 00:28:22.849 --> 00:28:26.680 And with all of that before him, now a HAB and Jehosha fad have 331 00:28:26.759 --> 00:28:33.559 a choice. They are brought to this point of decision. Will they listen 332 00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:37.039 to the Prophet of the Lord? Will they do the right thing, or 333 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.519 will they not? And we of course, know what a have chooses. 334 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:44.630 Lock him up. I don't want to hear this guy anymore. And in 335 00:28:44.789 --> 00:28:48.470 fact he presses the point and his great confidence that it's not the word of 336 00:28:48.509 --> 00:28:55.029 the Lord that matters, but what a have desires. When he says you 337 00:28:55.230 --> 00:29:03.099 stay there until I come back in peace, they have locks up Makayah and 338 00:29:03.299 --> 00:29:07.700 sets out to prove him wrong. And then we have the end of the 339 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:18.210 story. Of course macaiah is absolutely right and despite every human expectation, humanly 340 00:29:18.410 --> 00:29:23.680 speaking, Ahab is killed, despite everything that we would expect to happen, 341 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:32.920 despite everything that Ahab was planning for. This great I think perhaps deception or 342 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:37.920 seems kind of obvious to me, but anyway, Jehosha fat seems fooled. 343 00:29:37.829 --> 00:29:41.789 He goes into battle. There's one person that seems like he should die, 344 00:29:42.430 --> 00:29:48.630 and that's Jehoshah fat. Jehosha fats out there. JEHOSHA FAT's obvious. Everyone's 345 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:53.500 looking for a king and they even go after him. They're on his trail, 346 00:29:53.660 --> 00:29:57.779 they're about to bring him down and the Lord pushes them away. It 347 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:03.700 doesn't say how he does it, but he does it. JEHOSHAH FAT is 348 00:30:03.019 --> 00:30:07.809 about to face certain death. They turn to fight him. They say in 349 00:30:08.009 --> 00:30:15.609 verse the Thirty One. It is the King of Israel after him, but 350 00:30:15.730 --> 00:30:19.809 it says that Jehoshah fat seeing them coming, he cries out and the Lord 351 00:30:19.930 --> 00:30:25.839 helped him. God drew them away from him, for as soon as the 352 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:29.720 captains of the chariot saw that it was not as the not the King of 353 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:34.950 Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. So here you have the the 354 00:30:36.069 --> 00:30:41.789 great captains in the chariot's rushing at Jehosha fat, and then meanwhile this Arrow 355 00:30:41.910 --> 00:30:45.750 goes off in the midst of whatever, and I put it that way not 356 00:30:45.869 --> 00:30:49.180 to be respectful, but that's the way scripture reports it. Verse Thirty Three. 357 00:30:49.579 --> 00:30:56.059 A certain man, just someone. They're no great commander, no Cherry, 358 00:30:56.259 --> 00:31:02.299 just a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of 359 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:07.930 Israel, the King of Israel, Ahab, who is seeking to win the 360 00:31:07.009 --> 00:31:15.369 whole thing between the scale armor and the breastplate, he's even wearing an armor, 361 00:31:15.410 --> 00:31:19.319 and somehow this random Arrow set bought shot by this random man, goes 362 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:30.079 and from lodges in between his armor. This is a good reminder, as 363 00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:34.990 we think about these words like random and chance, that they are very much 364 00:31:36.150 --> 00:31:41.950 that way from our human perspective. But ultimately the point of this chapter is 365 00:31:41.069 --> 00:31:47.940 that they are not random. They appear that way, they act that way, 366 00:31:48.019 --> 00:31:55.059 but the Lord is sovereign over all, and Ahab who puts his hands 367 00:31:55.180 --> 00:31:59.779 on his fists and climbs into his armor and rides out into battle and says 368 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:07.690 forget that I'm going to win, does not win. Those who go against 369 00:32:07.730 --> 00:32:19.319 the Lord do not win. They will die. Jeoshah fat receives, I 370 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:23.720 think, some long suffering patience in this story. I wonder if you've been 371 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:30.029 in a situation like that, gotten yourself into a fairly big mess and fell 372 00:32:30.190 --> 00:32:35.509 and felt the consequences of it trailing on you, breathing down on you, 373 00:32:36.190 --> 00:32:43.230 and in the last moment the Lord diverts them away. How should you react 374 00:32:43.390 --> 00:32:49.859 in a moment like that? How should you respond? I think we should 375 00:32:49.859 --> 00:32:55.819 praise the Lord. Think we should turn in repentance and walk away from enemies 376 00:32:57.019 --> 00:33:00.849 of the Lord, from evil and wickedness, and say that the Lord is 377 00:33:01.049 --> 00:33:09.849 good, the Lord is Merciful. Jehoshah fat lives another day and he goes 378 00:33:09.890 --> 00:33:19.200 on. I think the central message of this chapter of God's Word here is 379 00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:23.960 that ultimately, God is, is sovereign and connected without is that we would 380 00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:30.150 do well to heed his word. It's a story about what happens when we 381 00:33:30.269 --> 00:33:36.589 don't, and it's a story of Jehosha fat, feeling that. I think 382 00:33:36.630 --> 00:33:39.630 he's feeling that. He's wondering, even though he kind of keeps pressing on, 383 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:46.420 even against his conscience, even after he hears macaiah speak Jeosah had is 384 00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:52.339 his feeling, that burden. He's right to be sensitive to it, even 385 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:59.170 though ultimately he callouses his heart against it. Now, you may not be 386 00:33:59.289 --> 00:34:07.009 a king, but God doesn't only command kings. He commands prophets and Messengers 387 00:34:07.210 --> 00:34:19.639 and arrows. God commands you. He calls us to obedience and he tells 388 00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:29.670 us that if we do not obey, we will die. There is a 389 00:34:29.750 --> 00:34:34.750 king, though, who comes after these two kings, and he is the 390 00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:37.980 final king, the long hoped for king, the promised King, and that 391 00:34:38.179 --> 00:34:45.300 is King Jesus. I bring him up not only because he is our king, 392 00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:49.860 but he is the pulmination of this line of Kings. He is the 393 00:34:49.980 --> 00:34:54.289 one to whom all of this is pointing towards. And when we consider King 394 00:34:54.409 --> 00:35:00.650 Jesus not only ruling all over all of these things, the kings and the 395 00:35:00.809 --> 00:35:05.730 prophets and the messengers and the arrows and you and me, we are right 396 00:35:05.889 --> 00:35:10.599 to stand in awe that our king goes into a battle that is winnable. 397 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:20.920 When Jesus goes to battle sin and death and wickedness and idolatry and all of 398 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:25.230 the rest, he goes according to the word of the Lord. Indeed, 399 00:35:25.469 --> 00:35:29.230 not only does he go according to the will of the Lord, but all 400 00:35:29.349 --> 00:35:34.230 of the prophets have been speaking about this day. This is one of the 401 00:35:34.349 --> 00:35:39.179 contrasts we see in this chapter with the final king, King Jesus, throughout 402 00:35:39.219 --> 00:35:44.940 the Prophets, they, the prophets, speak and testify that there is a 403 00:35:45.260 --> 00:35:49.980 coming one, an anointed one, a shepherd, who will rule, who 404 00:35:50.010 --> 00:35:54.929 will win. When Jesus goes into battle and we align ourselves with him, 405 00:35:55.170 --> 00:36:00.809 we're not making a mistake, because all of the law and the prophets are 406 00:36:00.010 --> 00:36:06.440 testifying to this fact that this king will go into battle and will win. 407 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:10.960 When we stand on Jesus's side, we are not standing with a wicked king 408 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:15.840 who's going against God's word. We are standing with the king to whom all 409 00:36:16.039 --> 00:36:22.590 God's word, including this chapter, is pointing to. When we stand with 410 00:36:22.710 --> 00:36:27.750 King Jesus as he goes in to fight against sin and death and the devil, 411 00:36:29.190 --> 00:36:36.300 we stand with Jesus who is garanteed a victory. Now we in some 412 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:39.300 ways face an opposite situation, because there are all kinds of prophets saying don't 413 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:44.980 go, don't go, it won't go well, and snickering at us when 414 00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:52.690 that King is put on a cross and put to death. See how well 415 00:36:52.730 --> 00:36:57.929 that went for you, they said. And indeed his disciples were afraid, 416 00:36:58.809 --> 00:37:04.719 his subjects were scared, but the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. He 417 00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:08.880 didn't die in his chariot, looking at the battle field and saying I didn't 418 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:15.949 accomplish it, I didn't do it. The Sun didn't set on Jesus, 419 00:37:16.190 --> 00:37:22.710 but on that Easter morning it rose and he rose with it. He rose 420 00:37:22.789 --> 00:37:28.909 from the dead victorious over battle, and we rise with him too, conquering, 421 00:37:29.110 --> 00:37:32.739 ruling and powerful. Perhaps we will have to suffer, we will have 422 00:37:32.900 --> 00:37:37.619 to suffer, he tells us that we will have to endure false prophets and 423 00:37:37.739 --> 00:37:44.329 people and lying spirits. But the Lord who promises that his son will come 424 00:37:44.489 --> 00:37:50.530 and win is sovereign, as we've seen in this chapter. The Lord God, 425 00:37:51.090 --> 00:37:55.849 Yaw Way of Israel, controls all things, and so when God comes 426 00:37:57.730 --> 00:38:02.679 and takes on the flesh of mankind and goes into battle, we need not 427 00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:09.039 fear that he will fail because, though he submits himself to though he submits 428 00:38:09.079 --> 00:38:15.190 himself to pilot and to the Jews and goes to the cross. Ultimately, 429 00:38:15.269 --> 00:38:22.110 we read and we know that it is God's work, that he is going 430 00:38:22.309 --> 00:38:25.030 of his own accord, that all things are falling out to his perfect plan. 431 00:38:27.940 --> 00:38:30.539 Just to remind you, as it's he tells this to his disciples. 432 00:38:30.619 --> 00:38:32.179 He says, I will die and in three days I will raise again from 433 00:38:32.179 --> 00:38:36.099 the dead, and they scratch their beards and wonder what does he mean? 434 00:38:37.619 --> 00:38:42.969 That's exactly what happens, exactly as the Lord speaks here with confidence and second 435 00:38:42.969 --> 00:38:47.849 chronicles eighteen, and it comes to pass. He speaks with confidence in the 436 00:38:47.889 --> 00:38:52.769 land of Galilee and and Jerusalem, and it comes to pass. And so 437 00:38:52.969 --> 00:38:58.320 I want you to have confidence when you think about this final king, this 438 00:38:58.440 --> 00:39:01.719 one whom we submit to and love to, to put your faith in him. 439 00:39:04.039 --> 00:39:07.400 The prophets testify to him, the law testifies to him. He Speaks