Thurs.’s Devo - You Can’t Trick God

Read: 1 Kings 22:1-53; Acts 13:16-41; Psalm 138:1-8; Proverbs 17:17-18 Israel and Aram experienced three years of peace. During that third year, King Jehoshaphat went to visit King Ahab in Israel. King Jehoshaphat reminded Ahab that the town of Ramoth-gilead had been taken by Aram and nothing had been done about it. Ahab suggested they join together and go get it back. *** Jehoshaphat wanted to ask the Lord first. Ahab went and got about 400 prophets of Baal to ask them. They said they should go and they would have victory. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of God they could ask. Ahab told him he knew of one, but he never prophesied good for him. Jehoshaphat rebuked him for talking like that and asked to see him. *** They brought Micaiah to Ahab. Ahab and told him what all of the other prophets had said and warned him to agree with them. Micaiah told him to go fight because surely he would be victorious. The king caught his sarcasm and told him to speak the truth. Then Micaiah told him he had seen a vision and all Israel was scattered on the mountain and their leader was killed. *** Ahab looked at Jehoshaphat said, “didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t have anything good to say?” Then Micaiah told him the rest. He had seen the Lord and his army trying to decide what could convince Ahab to go to war with the army of Aram and one of them said that he could do it by lying through his prophets. God said that would work. *** One of the lying prophets named Zedikiah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him in the face and asked him when did the Spirit of the Lord leave him to speak through Micaiah. Micaiah answered that he would find out when he was looking for a room to hide in. *** Ahab ordered Micaiah arrested and sent back to Amon and put in prison and fed nothing but bread and water till he came home safely. Micaiah said that if he returned home safely that would mean he hadn’t spoken the truth from God. *** The kings led their armies against Aram to recover Ramoth-gilead. Ahab decided to disguise himself like a common soldier. The army of Aram had been given the command to find the king of Israel and kill him alone. *** During the battle some of the soldiers of Aram chased King Jehoshaphat thinking he was King Ahab but when he cried out, they realized he wasn’t Ahab and stopped chasing him. One of their soldiers shot a random arrow at the army of Israel and it hit Ahab between the joints of his armor and he was fatally wounded. *** They battle continued while he bled out on the very land that Naboth had died on. The dogs licked his blood, just as Elijah had said would happen. Ahab died and his son, Ahaziah became king during Jehoshaphat’s seventeenth year of reigning in Judah. Ahaziah only reigned for two years and did evil in God’s sight. He served Baal and invoked God’s anger. *** Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah 35 years and was a good king who pleased the Lord even though he didn’t remove all the pagan shrines where the people offered sacrifices and burned incense. He made peace with the king of Israel. *** Jehoshaphat built a fleet of trading ships that never left the harbor. When he died, his son, Jehoram became king. *** In Acts, Paul had been asked to speak at the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia. He began with the conception of their nation with Abraham and went through Moses and Samuel, the judge and on to the kings. He explained how Jesus was the ancestor of David and the fulfillment of God’s promise. John the Baptist had been sent to prepare the people for his coming. Now, this salvation was being offered to all. Jesus had not been received or recognized as the one the prophets had spoken about, but was condemned to die even though there was no legal reason to execute him. When Jesus was placed in his tomb, God resurrected him and he appeared to many of his followers and they were his witnesses. *** Now, Paul was there to offer forgiveness for their sins through Jesus. Everyone who believes in him could be made right in God’s sight. Habakuk had said, “Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day., something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” *** Lord, it is true your promises stand true and never die. You always do what you say you will do.