Arrows of Chance?

2 Chronicles 18

Arrows Of Chance Hit Sinners of Choice

1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.

Here we have a righteous man willingly befriending an unrighteous man.

2 And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.

3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thouart, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.

An unclean thing makes a clean thing unclean. It’s only a matter of time before bad company corrupts good morals.

1 Corinthians 15:

33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Proverbs 22:

24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king's hand.

Of course they did! Here is the ecumenical council, the elite of the religious class, the best of the dr. do-flunkies gathered together to bring “good news” to a wicked man.

When the popular religious crowd advises a course of action; there’s trouble nearby.

Psalm 64

1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.

8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.

9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?

Jehoshaphat knew this was not the counsel of God

Psalm 1 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...

7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Ole’ wicked Ahab knew where the REAL man of God was to be found. He knew his address, he knew his God, and he knew his message. A man of God has got to be known.

8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.

9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

A public spectacle is made to puff themselves up and here comes the TV preachers.

10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.

Machinations of his own doing, evoking pride and puffing up but not the Word of the Lord.

11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

Yes, yes. We all agree to this sabre rattling, flag waving exercise in vanity.

12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.

We want your advice as long as it is positive.

13 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.

The answer of a man who reverences God and His Word

14 And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

Dripping with sarcasm.

15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?

The King knows that the other prophets are false. He knows they function to edify him only in the eyes of the people and to ease his conscience for his wickedness. By them he is justified but his spirit is not quieted. Men in REAL power recognize truth and lies.

16 Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.

17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?

Who is critical of the preacher of the Word of God but the wicked? Be careful from whom you take counsel against any man who preaches the Word of God faithfully.

18 Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

19 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith?

21 And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.

22 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.

The wicked prophets are the prophets of Ahab and not of God. But God puts the lies in their mouths as His judgement on all who follow them. He still does this today with Word of Faith preachers as well as others.

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

Here is the persecution of the righteous by the religious. Always the persecution of the righteous by the religious.

24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

The word of God will rebuke him, not Micaiah.

25 Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

26 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.

The preacher of the Word of God expects to dine on affliction.

27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.

The Word of the Lord is a sure word. You can bet your life on it.

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead.

29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.

He thinks he can hide from God in the crowd. Safety in numbers! Here is your brave and wicked king.

30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel.

There’s a hit on the King of Israel and not on the King of judah

31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

He was mistaken for the company he kept. His identity was confused with another. Is your identity easily established?

32 For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.

It appears as though Ahabs little deception is working. At least for now. You can outsmart men but you can’t outsmart God. These are disciplined men on a mission. They’ll turn away now but don’t tempt God’s patience.

33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, (a specific man drew a bow at what he believed was chance) and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.

34 And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.

Arrows of chance, hit sinners of choice.

There are too many false prophets speaking to too many Ahab’s who are all too willing to listen. How long will God’s Patience hold back His wrath?

Proverbs 6

16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Ungodly people in the church who sow discord amongst the brethren perform the work of Satan.

Matthew 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Discord is sown by friends of the world, in secret, while men sleep because the wicked are cowards.

James 4

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

There are always wolves hiding in the flock. They are friendly with the world and the enemies of God. They seek to sift you like wheat. God knows who they are.

Galations 6

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Don't worry about ole' Ahab. God's got an archer.