No compromise

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2024 am – MR JASON CRUISE

2 CHRONICLES 18

This story was recorded of a time when Israel was divided.  There was Israel in the North and Judah in the South.  10 tribes in the North and the 2 tribes of Benjamin and Judah in the South.  King Ahab ruled in the North from Samaria while Jehoshaphat ruled the South in Jerusalem.  Ahab worshipped Baal and he was married to Jezebel.  Jehoshaphat stood to please the Lord.  Chapter 17 verse 3 “And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim.”  Jehoshaphat was a man greatly blessed by the Lord.  Even the other nations around him were at peace.  Jehoshaphat knew great peace in his reign.  Chapter 17 verse 10 “And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.”  That reminds me of Proverbs 16 verse 7 “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  A man who the Lord had blessed.

Chapter 18 verse 1 "Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance and joined affinity with Ahab." He came into association with the wicked king Ahab through marriage.  Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram had married the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel, Athaliah.  The consequences of this marriage were felt down in Judah for many years.  When his son came to the throne he was not like his father Jehoshaphat.  Chapter 21 verse 6 “And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord.”  Even after the death of Jehoram, his son Ahaziah came to the throne and walked in the way of Ahab.  The evil and wickedness of Ahab has now filtered down into Judah because of this marriage.  This should press upon us the great need to be in prayer for our sons and daughters and our grandchildren – that God would raise up godly men and women to be partners in life, wives and husbands who seek to serve the Lord in the years ahead.  We should be constantly praying that God will raise up godly men and women to be wives and husbands for them.  Athalia was eventually killed at the horse gate in Jerusalem – 2 Kings 11 verse 16.

Chapter 18 verse 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 Ramoth-gilead.”  If you have a map in your bible you would realise that the journey from Jerusalem to Samaria was going northward yet it says “he went down”.  This is not referring to a geographical journey but rather to a spiritual one – he was going out of the will of God for his life.  That is why we need to be constantly in prayer to know God’s will for our own lives.  Up to now Jehoshaphat had sought to please the Lord but now he is going down to the wicked king Ahab.  It is just like the story of Jonah – he went down into the ship (Jonah 1 verse 3).  He was going out of the will of God.  Jehoshaphat is doing the same.  Chapter 19 verse 2 “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.” After the battle at Ramoth-gilead Jehoshaphat makes his way back to Jerusalem and he is met by Jehu.  He told him “where you went is not where the Lord wanted you to go.”  We need to be constantly in prayer for the Lord to show us how we can be in his ways at all times.  2 Corinthians 6 verse 14 “be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness?”  Whether it be in business, in the marriage or socially we are not to be unequally yoked.  We are in the world physically but we are not to be in the world spiritually.  We must be separate in our lives at all times. 

Chapter 18 verse 3 “And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.”  This is a very dark stain upon the testimony of Jehoshaphat.  The last person Jehoshaphat should have wanted to align himself with was the wicked king Ahab in Israel.  It is far removed from Ruth’s reply to Naomi “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.”  King Ahab was a wicked and evil man.  1 Kings 16 verse 30 “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.”  King Jehoshaphat who had sought to please the Lord, to walk in the ways of God, now aligns himself to the wicked king Ahab. 

Jehoshaphat says the first wise statement in verse 4 “And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord today.”  Suddenly Jehoshaphat has realised that they hadn’t sought the guidance, the direction and the instruction of the Lord concerning this matter.  Sadly for many Christians today prayer is always a last resort instead of the first reaction.  By default Christians should be men and women of prayer.  1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17 “pray without ceasing.”  Writing to the believers in Philippians 4 Paul said “be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Paul is saying – for the big things bring it before the Lord in prayer and for the little things bring them before the Lord in prayer too.  Are we people of prayer today?  It was said of David Brainerd the missionary to the Indians that his life was one of a continual prayer meeting  He spent so much time in prayer.  Charles Spurgeon said “I would rather teach one man to pray than teach 10 men to preach.”  How much emphasis do we put on prayer today?  Jehoshaphat is not where he should be.  He is aligning himself to a man who is wicked and evil.  A man the Lord would not want him to be connected with.  Now he says “enquire I pray thee, at the word of the Lord today.”

Chapter 18 verses 6 and 7 “But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 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; or 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.”  Ahab has brought in 400 prophets.  None of these men had access to the ear of God.  They are not prophets of the Lord, not the genuine article.  Jehoshaphat asks “is there not a prophet of the Lord besides that we might enquire of him.”  What great words Jehoshaphat has said here.  Wouldn’t it be a great thing if kings and those in government sought and knew guidance from the Lord?  If they came and sought the instruction and direction of God?  Here is this man Micaiah and there is no-one outside of Christ himself that sets such an example in his day.  I am sure we are all looking forward to getting to glory to see Christ face to face.  We are also looking forward to seeing those of our families and friends who have gone before us.  I am sure there are many people from scripture we are also looking forward to meeting.  People like Daniel, David, Abraham, the apostle Paul, Peter, even Deborah and Phoebe.  This man Micaiah is the one I am looking forward to meeting.  These 400 prophets have been brought in  before the king and they tell the king exactly what he wanted to hear.  They tell him to go to Ramoth-gilead and there will be a great victory.  Jehoshaphat asks for a man with a word from God – Micaiah.  He is referred to as the four hundred and one prophet. He is not coming to tell Ahab what he wants to hear but rather what he needs to hear. 

Chapter 18 verses 12 and 13 “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.  And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.”  These 400 prophets had come and told Ahab what he wanted to hear – you go up to Ramath-gilead and you will be victorious in battle.  Now Micaiah comes along.  The messenger told Micaiah what the 400 prophets had said and warned him not to say anything against what they had said.  ‘Don’t upset things, say the same thing, don’t go against the tide.’  Micaiah responds “as the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.”  If Micaiah was in the pulpits of our churches today he would be only there for the one Sunday, he wouldn’t be back for a second time.  Micaiah would be telling people they needed to repent and put their faith and trust in Christ.  As a result he wouldn’t be asked back for a second time.  I have 2 words written in my bible against verse 13 – “no compromise”.  Micaiah was a man of whom there was no compromise.  This was written approximately 900 years before the birth of Jesus.  Many people were worshipping Baal but here is a man who is willing to stand alone and stand for God.  A man for whom there was no compromise.  No wonder Ahab says “I hate him” in verse 7.  What a day of apostasy it was.  “There is yet one man.”  Could that be said of us today?  Maybe in the work place, amongst our neighbours when they are discussing biblical matters, those people unsaved, far from God want to know the answers from the bible.  Do they know of a person who might be able to help.  Would they know of you?  Could they ask you?  Could it be said of us today?  Micaiah would not be too popular in his day.  He came with a message from God.  Paul said to Timothy “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4 verse 3)   Many people today have no desire for the word of God.  They have indeed turned to fables.  Paul told Timothy “preach the word in season or out of season.”  Whether it is popular or unpopular.  Ahab said of Micaiah “I hate him”.  There was a man for whom there was no compromise.  Faithful, steadfast in his service for the Lord.  His name meant “who is like Yahweh?”  As a result of his word he is put in prison. Verses 25 and 26 “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. 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.”  Micaiah like so many others in scripture – Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist was in prison for his faith and witness for the Lord.  Even today there are so many brothers and sisters who are faithful for the witness of Christ and are in prison around the world.  Micaiah – no compromise.  Faithful and steadfast.  As you and I look ahead into 2025 may we be like Micaiah.  Let us be as faithful as this man was in that day of apostasy. Hebrews 11 verse 32 “And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson and of Jephthae; of David also and Samuel and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment.”  There are those brothers and sisters in prison today for their witness for the Lord like Micaiah.  May we bring them before the Lord in prayer.

Chapter 18 verses 33 and 34 “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture 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. 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,”  Now we see that the word of the Lord brought by Micaiah the prophet came to pass.  Those 400 men had not the ear of God.  They didn’t know what the Lord had in store for this situation.  Micaiah had the ear of God.  He could speak to the Lord in prayer like we can today.  God had told him what would happen at Ramoth-gilead.  That the people would be scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd (verse 16).  That Ahab would be killed at Ramoth-gilead (verse 19).  Here is a man who took a chance with a bow and arrow.  He found his target – Ahab was smote and killed at Ramoth-gilead.  What the Lord said came to pass.  It did happen as the Lord had said it would.  A reminder to us that we can rely on every promise given in scripture.  2 Peter 1 verse 19 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.”  We can rely on the word of God.  There is one promise in scripture – John 14 verses 2 and 3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also.”  The Lord is coming again in fulfilment to that promise.  Jesus is coming for those who know him.  Not for a church built of bricks and mortar but a people built up by God’s word, a people who have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life.  May God by his grace make us like the prophet Micaiah, men and women with no compromise to the things of God, faithful and steadfast in the Lord’s work even in these days.