1 Kings 22:17

_SO HE CAME TO THE KING. AND THE KING SAID UNTO HIM, MICAIAH, SHALL WE GO AGAINST RAMOTH-GILEAD TO BATTLE, OR SHALL WE FORBEAR? AND HE ANSWERED HIM, GO, AND PROSPER: FOR THE LORD SHALL DELIVER IT INTO THE HAND OF_ _ THE KING._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

15-28 The greatest kindness we can do to one that is going in a dangerous way, is, to tell him of his danger. To leave the hardened criminal without excuse, and to give a useful lesson to others, Micaiah related his vision. This matter is represented after the manner of men: we are not to imagine that God is ever put upon new counsels; or that he needs to consult with angels, or any creature, about the methods he should take; or that he is the author of sin, or the cause of any man's telling or believing a lie. Micaiah returned not the blow of Zedekiah, yet, since he boasted of the Spirit, as those commonly do that know least of the Holy Spirit's operations, the true prophet left him to be convinced of his error by the event. Those that will not have their mistakes set right in time, by the word of God, will be undeceived, when it is too late, by the judgments of God. We should be asham...

Verse 1 Kings 22:17. _THESE HAVE NO MASTER_] Here the prophet foretells the defeat of Israel, and the death of the king; they were as _sheep_ that had not a _shepherd_, people that had no _master_, the political _shepherd_ and _master_ (Ahab) shall fall in battle....

Thus adjured, Micaiah wholly changes his tone. Ahab cannot possibly mistake the meaning of his vision, especially as the metaphor of “sheep and shepherd” for king and people was familiar to the Israelites from the prayer of Moses Numbers 27:17....

EXPOSITION THE EXPEDITION OF AHAB AND JEHOSHAPHAT AGAINST HRAMOTH-GILEAD. THE DEATH OF AHAB. THE REIGNS OF JEHOSHAPHAT AND AHAZIAH. 1 KINGS 22:1 AND THEY CONTINUED [rather, _rested_._ _Heb. _sate_, _dwelt_._ _Cf. Judges 5:17. The LXX. has ἐκάθισε, sing.] THREE YEARS WITHOUT WAR [The Hebrew explains the "rested"—_there was not war, _etc. See Ewald, 286 g

AND HE SAID,.... The prophet, in a serious and solemn manner, being adjured by the king: I SAW ALL ISRAEL SCATTERED ON THE HILLS, AS SHEEP THAT HAVE NOT A SHEPHERD; the armies of Israel routed, dispersed, and fleeing, some one way and some another, on the mountains of Gilead near Ramoth, weak and helpless, not knowing where to go for safety, having none to direct them; and this was either now instantly represented to his mind, or what had been before in a dream or vision: AND THE LORD SAID, THESE HAVE NO MASTER; these sheep have no shepherd this army hath no general, [ISRAEL] HAS [LOST ITS KING]: LET THEM RETURN EVERY MAN TO HIS HOUSE IN PEACE, very few slain, Jarchi thinks Ahab only, see 1 Kings 22:31 that part of the threatening, 1 Kings 20:42

CHAPTER 22 THE DEATH OF AHAB _ 1. Jehoshaphat and Ahab (1 Kings 22:1)_ 2. The prophet Micaiah (1 Kings 22:13) 3. The battle and Ahab's death (1 Kings 22:29) 4. Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kings 22:41; 1 Kings 2 Chron. 19-20) 5. Ahaziah, King of Israel (1 Kings 22:51) Three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. In the third year Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to Ahab. Jehoshaphat's son and heir-apparent ha

AHAB'S ATTACK ON RAMOTH-GILEAD AND HIS DEATH. The death of Ahab must have taken place before or during the year 854 B.C., when the battle of Qarqara was fought, and his name is mentioned in the Assyrian inscription (p. 69). The question is, did he take part in that battle as a vassal of Bir-' idri (Ben-hadad) before or after the war related in 20. In the latter case his death was probably later in 854 B.C. The chapter is a continuation of the latter case his 20, and from the same source with additions. Jehoshaphat, whose son married Ahab's daughter (2 Kings 8:18), is present as Ahab's ally. Here, as in 1 Kings 20, 21, there is no allusion to the Baal worship. Ahab's prophets are prophets of Yahweh, and the king can muster four hundred. The rivalry is between true and false prophecy. It is not known where Ramoth-gilead (the heights of G.) actually was. It was a most important place, menti...

_And he said_ Here the LXX. adds οὐχ οὕτως, -Not so," and there is a similar insertion at the beginning of 1 Kings 22:19, where see note. _I saw all Israel_ Here Micaiah in true prophetic tone relates a vision which foretells the utter ruin of the coming expedition. _scattered upon the hills_ R.V. MOUNTAINS. This is A.V. in 2 Chronicles, and the change gives a sense of greater dispersion. But in any case the two places should be alike. _as sheep that have not a_[R.V. NO] _shepherd_ Again the rendering in 2 Chronicles is adopted. The language of Micaiah spake in no doubtful tone of the coming death of Ahab. For the simile cf. Numbers 27:17, a passage which may have been in Micaiah's thoughts. _let them return_ The prophet pictures the great disa

B. THE PROPHECY OF MICAIAH 22:13-28 TRANSLATION (13) Now the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah had said unto him, saying, Behold now the words of the prophets are unanimously good toward the king; let your word, I pray you, be like the word of one of them, and speak good. (14) And Micaiah said, As the LORD lives, what the LORD has said unto me, that will I speak! (15) So he came unto the king and the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go up against Ramothgilead to make war or shall we refrain? And he said, Go up, and you will prosper, and the LORD will give it into the hand of the king. (16) And the king said unto him, How many times have I caused you to sware that you would not speak unto me anything except truth in the name of the LORD? (17) And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep which had no shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; l...