Chapter 305 of 1163

1 KINGS 22

Fight your own battles. Jehoshaphat had no reason to meddle in Ahab’s wars. He made the mistake of marrying Ahab’s daughter (2 Chron. 18:1; 2 Cor. 6:14–18), so there were family obligations to fulfill.

Deliver your own message. False prophets usually agree in their messages of success and glory. The messenger tried to get Micaiah to imitate them, but he gave the true message of the Lord. It was not easy to be a prophet in Israel in that day, but Micaiah was faithful.

Know your own enemy. Ahab cleverly tried to make Jehoshaphat a decoy and get him killed (Luke 16:8), but God overruled and Ahab was slain instead. The prophecy of 1 Kings 21:19 was fulfilled (v. 38). Paul may have had verse 31 in mind when he wrote Ephesians 6:12ff. Our real enemy is the god of this age and the prince of darkness, so let’s not waste time and ammunition on lesser foes.

Learn from your own mistakes. When the new king of Israel, Jehoshaphat’s brother-in-law, asked for a new alliance, Jehoshaphat refused. He had learned his lesson the hard way, but at least he had learned it and profited from his mistakes. He was a great and godly man, and we must not allow one event to discredit his service for the Lord.

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