Week 3 August 2025, Devotion Part 1

Thus says the king, “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with scant fare…until I come in peace.”  1 Kings 22:27

 When Syria had attacked Israel twice and at last the Syrian king was captured, Ahab signed a trade agreement instead of a death warrant. Three years later the Syrians still occupied Ramoth-gilead, which vexed wishy-washy Ahab, possibly egged on by his ruthless queen, the notorious Jezebel. When Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, came for a friendly visit, guess who offered to take him sightseeing in Ramoth-gilead?

War being the good clean fun of ancient kings, Jehoshaphat was game as long as some prophets were consulted first to guarantee a good outcome. Four hundred of Ahab’s best yes-men came forth to bow and ballyhoo before their ruler and his dubious guest. When the true prophet, Micaiah – summoned at Jehoshaphat’s insistence – joined the impressively choreographed bobbing babblers of lies, their leader was waving horns of iron to symbolize Ahab’s prowess in battle. Warned to be bullish in his prediction in order to present closed ranks for the king’s pleasure, Micaiah nevertheless had to unceremoniously say “bull.”  Part 1 of 2

Comment: Who would ever believe that Greek roots could lead to Hebrew hoots?  As said before, in order to “compel” someone, the N.T. Testament writer used the Greek word “anagkazo.” In fact, it was derived from the Latin roots of “com,” meaning together, and “peliere,” to drive. This makes perfect sense to the old-school trilingual Swiss, but if you throw some kings and bull into the mix, the one with a wacky sense of humor gets a hoot out of yet another meaty O.T. story.  It’s the kind you can’t  make up, as the saying goes, but after the brief ha-ha moment passes, the Holy Spirit presses for the personal response that “edifies the church,” as an Apostle Peter or Paul would soberly point out. Naturally, they would ask us to read 1 Kings 18 and 19, which paint a horrible picture of Israel’s King Ahab through the eyes of the prophet Elijah. Now, chapter 22 shifts to the prophet Micaiah, mentioned only here and in the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 18.  The illustrious King Jehoshaphat of Judah has come for a family visit and the gleeful host proposes they mount chariots and DRIVE TOGETHER to Ramoth-Gilead. If this reeks of the devious Pharisee host, the nose is on the right track.  Ramoth-Gilead was a strategic city located in northern Israel near the border with Syria and conquered by their king.  Located on a key trade route, Ahab wanted it back for control of commerce and taxation.  Deplorably on many accounts, King Jehoshaphat had his son Jehoram marry Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Such alliances were common, designed to strengthen political ties  Jehoshaphat’s season of clearly spiritual compromise sadly brought grievous idolatrous practices into Judah.  Read “Dear Abby” about today’s “in-laws from hell” she’s asked to sort out, and think of a walk in a park like Disneyland.