June 20

1 Kings 22:1-53; Acts 13:16-41; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 17:17-18

In our reading today God uses “a deceiving [or lying] spirit” (2 Kings 22:20-23) to draw the murderous King Ahab into a fatal battle with the king of Aram (or Syria).  And yet the Bible is clear that God is truth itself (Deuteronomy 32:4) and it is impossible for him to lie (Hebrews 6:18).  Walter Kaiser, in a helpful book Hard Sayings of the Old Testament, makes several observations that help us understand this difficult text:

• God can permit evil without being the source of it.  For example, God can allow the crucifixion of Jesus—and plan this before the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8)—without being the author of the evil perpetrated on his Son.  Further, the writers of the Bible  do not always make a distinction between allowing an action and actively performing it (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 has similar language to this text: “God sends … a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie”).  Here God is allowing the evil spirit to deceive 400 false prophets who, in turn, deceive a king who had much earlier hardened his heart against God.
• God is revealing the truth to Ahab through Micaiah, a true prophet.  Kaiser writes: “God is telling Ahab, ‘Wise up.  I am allowing your prophets to lie to you.’  … If God were truly trying to entrap Ahab into a life-threatening situation, he would not have revealed the plan to Ahab!”  And finally …
• It is possible to hear nothing more than echoes of our own desires and wrongly believe that we have received a word from God.  Ahab’s team of prophets simply mirrors Ahab’s wishes.  We must allow God’s Word to speak clearly and forcefully into our own lives—even when, especially when, it is not what we want to hear.  Religious voices in our culture, or even a less-than-honest reading of the Bible, can allow us to rationalize almost any choice we make—and believe that we have God’s approval when we do not.  

Father, please help me to see myself as you see me, to live in truth and not deceit, to seek your will over my will, and to invite your Spirit to work fully within me.  In Jesus’ name.  

Question of the day: How can you distinguish God’s Word for you from your own wants and desires?