Articles
“Five Helpful Truths”
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.”
1 Kings 22:5-8a
In the early years of the divided kingdom, Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, formed a military alliance against Syria. While Ahab was ready to rush into battle, Jehoshaphat wisely wanted to consult the LORD first. All four hundred of Ahab’s prophets promised victory but these men were not true prophets of Israel’s covenant God but pawns telling Ahab what he wanted to hear.
When Jehoshaphat suggested a prophet of Israel’s God, Ahab expressed his hatred for Micaiah because “he never prophesies good concerning me.” Jehoshaphat pressed the issue and Micaiah, who was languishing in prison for some reason, was sent for. Micaiah was briefed on his way to the king’s court and was essentially told to get in line with the other prophets. But Micaiah responded, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” (14)
Micaiah proceeded to tell Ahab what God had revealed to him: that Ahab would be killed in battle and Israel would be scattered. Sure enough, God’s word proved true and pierced Ahab in the end. Ahab entered the fray in a disguise, thinking this ruse would protect him, “but a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate.” (34)
This story reminds us about the power and importance of truth. Here are five principles I heard years ago that have always helped me:
- It’s better to be divided by truth than united by error — Micaiah was unwilling to lie to the king for the sake of peace. The church today mustn’t kowtow to what is culturally fashionable or relevant for the sake of unity. True unity is based both on an attitude of love and the measurable standard of truth (Eph. 4:1-6).
- It’s better to speak the truth, which may hurt at first but heals later, than to tell a lie, which may comfort at first but destroys later — It was Ahab’s belief in a lie and his rejection of the truth that led to his demise. Though the truth may be uncomfortable to hear at first, stinging like a spiritual antiseptic, it brings lasting healing from God (Prov. 27:5-6; 2 Sam. 12:7).
- It’s better to be hated for telling the truth than be loved for telling a lie — Ahab considered Micaiah an enemy because he told him the truth (Gal. 4:16). No one wants to be hated but we can’t compromise the truth for the sake of a friendship. We must realize that standing up for what is right often makes enemies.
- It’s better to stand alone with the truth than be wrong with the crowd — Micaiah stood alone against 400 prophets of Ahab. Elijah stood alone against 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Joshua, Caleb, Moses and Aaron stood alone against all Israel. Noah and his family stood alone against the whole world! But they weren’t really alone were they? When we stand with God, no matter who is against us, we’re standing in the right place.
- It’s better to ultimately succeed with the truth than to temporarily succeed with a lie — For a while, it seemed like Ahab—with all his prophets on his side, the nation of Israel behind him and Jehoshaphat beside him—had won and Micaiah— back in his prison cell—had lost. But the truth eventually caught up with Ahab and he died in disgrace. The humble are always exalted and the proud are always brought down. When Jesus died on the cross, he looked like the ultimate loser, forsaken by God. It seemed that Satan had won… until three days later.
These five principles about truth have guided me through many difficult situations. And while all those situations were painful in the moment, I’ve never once regretted remaining faithful to God’s truth. I hope these principles can help you navigate hard times in your life. As a church family, let us always be encouraging to one another by “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). After all, the truth has set us free (Jn. 8:32).
