“Then the king said to him, ‘How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?’” (1 Kings 22.16 – nasu)

Ahab was the wicked king of Israel, the husband of wicked Jezebel. He and the king of Judah wanted to reclaim territory taken by the king of Syria. They would not attack Syria without first consulting prophets. Many false prophets told the kings exactly what they wanted to hear: “Go up and take the land.” The king of Judah was suspicious and inquired whether there were any prophets of the Lord who will speak only what God has revealed to him. The messengers went to summon the prophet Michaiah to appear before the kings and suggested that he agree with the other prophets. Michaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I shall speak” (1 Kings 22.14).

Before the king, the prophet uttered words that sounded like he agreed with the false prophets, but his tone must have indicated that he was being facetious. “Then the king said to him, ‘How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?’” (1 Kings 22.16).

Then the prophet warned the kings of the impending disaster in such military action against Syria. The kings disregarded the warning and Ahab was mortally wounded in battle. A “favorable” report is worthless if it doesn’t truly represent the situation.

There are people who are satisfied to listen to false prophets, teachers of error, and go headlong into destruction. There are others who want to know the truth, learn it, and in spite of the truth do what they had intended to do anyway. These are more foolish than the former. But knowing the truth and not obeying it has the same results as willfully believing a lie and disobeying God.

Today, we are confronted with satanic lies and doctrines of demons. Truth is being perverted to justify every conceivable act of man. But pity the poor fellow who knows the truth and does not obey it. Such is rebellion before God. Samuel told King Saul: “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15.23).

James said, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James 4.17). God’s Word never fails in accurately informing us about “the good.”

[-Adapted, BTW]