HealingStrong's Around the Word

Episode 28 - The Jehoshaphat Series: Heavenly Council (2 Chronicles 18:14-27 NIV)

• HealingStrong • Episode 7

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The spiritual realm influences our daily lives in tangible ways, as revealed through the story of the prophet Micaiah and his vision of heaven's council.

• Taking thoughts captive is an action verb requiring intentional effort
• Spiritual warfare happens daily whether we choose to see it or not
• God permitted a "lying spirit" to deceive false prophets as judgment
• The prophet Micaiah was imprisoned for telling the king uncomfortable truths
• The name of the Lord spoken aloud has power over spiritual forces


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Suggested Resources:

BIBLE PLAN - Trusting God's Plan in the Battle: Lessons from the Life of Jehoshaphat

PODCAST - Genesis to Revelation Bible Reading

TOOLS - Refresh Your Spirit through God's Word




Please visit our website at healingstrong.org to learn more about our mission and community groups.

HELP US GROW:

Your donation enables us to continue offering this podcast and other resources for free supporting those facing cancer and chronic illness, caregivers and others. Every donation makes a big difference. Please donate here.

Speaker 1:

We get in our head. I know Jeff and I talk about this a lot and we have to take those thoughts captive, and that is an action verb. We take it captive and make it obedient to Christ and His Word.

Speaker 2:

Well, hey everybody, it is Cheryl and you are listening to Healing Strong's Around the Word. We're friends sitting around a table that love reading God's Word and we love digging deep into it. So each day you'll hear me reading a Bible passage and then we'll chat about what we're learning from it. Today I'll be reading 2 Chronicles, 18, verses 14 through 27 from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us Around the Word version of the Bible. So join us around the word. 2 Chronicles, 18, verses 14 through 27.

Speaker 2:

When he arrived, the king asked him Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead or shall I not Attack and be victorious? He answered, for they will be given into your hand and be victorious? He answered, for they will be given into your hand. The king said to him how many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord? Then Micaiah answered I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said these people have no master. Let each one go home in peace. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad? Micaiah continued therefore, hear the word of the Lord. Therefore, hear the word of the Lord.

Speaker 2:

I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left, and the Lord said who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there? One suggested this and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said I will entice him. By what means? The Lord asked I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets. He said you will succeed in enticing him, said the Lord. Go and do it. So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.

Speaker 2:

Then Zedekiah, son of Kenanah, went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you, he asked? Micaiah replied you will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room. The king of Israel then ordered take Micaiah and send him back to Ammon, the ruler of the city, and to Joash, the king's son, and say this is what the king says Put this fella in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely. Micaiah declared if you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. Then he added mark my words, all you people. That was our Bible reading for today. So now let's listen in on the discussion that Angie, jeff Susie and myself had around the word. We ended the last passage with Micaiah, the godly prophet, saying I can only tell him what my God says. So what happens from here on out?

Speaker 3:

Well, he tells the king, like the other false prophets did yeah, go ahead, you'll succeed. But I think what we see right after that is what was his demeanor when he was saying that, because obviously the king of Israel says how many times do I have to tell you, just tell me the truth. So it makes me wonder you know how did he? Yeah, king, go right ahead. Yeah, if you want, you'll succeed, just like the rest of the guys are saying.

Speaker 4:

I agree. I think he's being sarcastic there with the risk of being killed, because they would kill prophets sometimes. When they said something, I never thought that. I think he said sure, go ahead, it'll be a glorious. My translation says it will be a glorious victory, with an exclamation point but yeah, the king responded Tell us the truth. So there had to be some sarcasm or something in it. Yeah, but you know what's interesting.

Speaker 2:

Then, once the truth starts coming out, then we hear about this interesting thing that's happening in the heavens with all of this. Susie, did you see anything interesting happening, like with the spirit world?

Speaker 1:

Well, the spirit came forward before the Lord and he said well, I'll entice him. Came forward before the Lord and he said well, I'll entice him. The Lord said who will entice Ahab, king of Israel, into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there? And then one suggested, and another one, and finally a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said I will entice him. So then there's this exchange between the spirit and the Lord and finally they agree Okay, you're the one you go, you're going to be in the ears of all of them. And did you notice?

Speaker 2:

it's a lying spirit, by the way.

Speaker 4:

Hold on, hold on hold on, you're just glossing over this like it's no big deal. Okay, this is Micah a prophet. Micaiah, micaiah, yeah.

Speaker 3:

I always say his name, the M guy.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, he's a prophet. He's just a regular guy like we are. He is talking about a vision that he saw of something going on in the heavens. Okay, this is a big deal. He's saying I saw this exchange going on in heaven. And then, and he tells about the spirits talking. What do you think about that? Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, they have a whole council meeting going on and God saying, ok, what do you all think? And one of them, you know they're all kind of debating amongst themselves, which I find very interesting, because when I look at the Lord, I look at his sovereignty rules like who you know, who would, who dare come up and tell the Lord, hey, I got this. But we have this where the Lord is freely opening it up for discussion. It's conversation. Let's talk about.

Speaker 2:

That's interesting yeah.

Speaker 3:

Let's talk about this. And they come together and they're counseling. And they come together and they're counseling. Okay, this Ahab's demise is already in full motion, so how are we going to do it?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, that blows me away and that's why we got to read it closely and carefully and slowly this is amazing, you know we're partaking in this, the vision that was taking place. You're getting a glimpse of it too, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And notice that they said what type of spirit? It says a lying spirit that came forth and he's like, yeah, I'll entice him. Which guys? That just blows the cover off of everything. How many times have you had a weird idea pop in your head and you're like, where did that come from? Or whatever, whatever. We, as Christians, are not impervious to the spirits trying to entice us or lie to us or accuse us, because you know, all the time, it's all the time, yeah, we are literally. That is a battle that we are dealing with every single day. If you choose to see it or not, we live in a spiritual world and are impacted every single day. So you have to be aware of that and conscious and he tells us.

Speaker 1:

This is so important because we do, and more so now than ever, the distractions that are going on and we get in our head. I know Jeff and I talk about this a lot and we have to take those thoughts captive, and that is an action verb. We take it captive and make it obedient to Christ and his word, and so it's just amazing to me that you know we can park on, you know the things that are coming in our mind, or we can choose to take action and make it obedient to the word of God.

Speaker 3:

And I want to go back to the counseling here amongst the angels and the spirits that the Lord is having here, because you know I mentioned that Ahab's demise is already in motion and it's easy to look at wow God, he's so mean. But we have to remember how evil Ahab was and it was God's judgment that was coming upon him. And so it wasn't that God was being bad. God's justice was about to be poured out on someone who was dreadfully sinful.

Speaker 2:

The thing that I took away from too, which is a different interpretation, and that's why I love us sitting around a table, because we see things differently sometimes and it makes me wonder, since a lying spirit, he's seeing a vision of something that had happened in the past. It makes me wonder if the lying spirit itself compelled him, micaiah, to tell a lie, and that's why he lied to the king, because he said I can only tell him what my God says, you know.

Speaker 3:

And then he goes and tells a lie immediately, which is great because once the king invoked the name of the Lord, that's it.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it was the name of the Lord that then compelled him to tell the truth over everything. It usurped it, if that's the right word, but he had to tell the truth at that point.

Speaker 2:

the name of the lord is powerful, I mean the spoken spoken name of the lord, yeah the spoken name of the lord, like there's a song about in jesus name, you know, by tasha layton. Tasha layton, yeah, about just speaking, I speak the name of j over you. That's a powerful name. Even it impacts the spiritual world, and so what's so really cool about this is he does tell the truth and then they're like they're not happy with the answer at all. He gets slapped in the face and then they send him to prison for doing his job and telling the truth. And I love this last part. It makes me laugh out loud.

Speaker 2:

Micaiah, I swear it's like he's yelling this In verse 25, this is what the king says put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely. And then Micaiah declares if you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. So he knew that. He knew that this guy was going to die. And it just makes me laugh. It was like if he returned, yeah, because he knew he wasn't going to the end. No, seriously, this I'm telling you guys, the word of God is alive and active, and boy is it fun to read sometimes.

Speaker 1:

But didn't you see like Mokiah just running? You know he spoke his word and boy is it fun to read sometimes. But didn't you see like Melchiah just running? You know he spoke his word and you know he's just turning, he's facing where he's going, what his judgment is from the other. He's like mark my words.

Speaker 2:

And then Jehoshaphat is watching all of this. He's watching all of this and we'll see what happens. He's probably taking note of this, can you tell? I really liked this part of the story. I just find it so funny. It's just it really is a pretty funny scene in the Bible. There's some really funny stuff in the Bible, by the way y'all it's. I mean, you got to look. I mean there really is some funny stuff in there, funny and serious, but it's a good read. It's the number one seller in the world, by the way. I hope you know that. Anyway, thank you so much for joining us for Healing Strong's Around the Word podcast. I hope that you were encouraged to dig deeper into God's word and find passages like this today. It's like finding gold. Anyway, if you have time, check out our website, healingstrongorg, where you can find out more about our mission and our amazing community groups. Until next time, remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.