LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE: 1 KINGS 22
Lesson 9 May 1, 2021
Key verse
“But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, I will speak it”.
1 Kings 22:14
INTRODUCTION AND STUDY.
Nehemiah The people living today have always had one bad problem. This problem is something that the people who lived a long time ago also had. This problem is about speaking the truth. The truth that everyone should live by is written down for us in the Word of God, the Bible.
The problem is that many people always have in mind something that they would like to do. They are so overcome by this desire to do what they want that they more often than not forget the instructions of God which are instructions that they should live by if they want to live in peace and have prosperity.
We seem to have a problem overcoming our desires.
It is especially bad when leaders and Kings and people in authority want to do things that they should not really be doing. Sometimes they know the Word of God and the instructions of God but their desires are so strong that they go in a completely wrong direction. This of course hurts them and it hurts the people that they are in charge of.
We therefore have to constantly remind everyone that there is something called the truth and the fact that God has established what the truth is.
In our Study today we have a King of Israel called Ahab. He was a pretty bad fellow. It is not that he did not know what God wanted but for him what he wanted was more important. He was an idolater and he brought into his nation a pagan wife called Jezebel who did not accept the Lord God of Israel.
She and Ahab killed all the prophets of God that they could find. They worshiped idols, sacrificed their children in the fire to a idol god called Molech. They were both very greedy, stole property that other people in the country had, made all kind of agreements with pagan nations despite the fact that God had told them not to do that, and they were very disobedient to the Commandments of God.
Everybody was afraid of these two people except a few prophets of God. One prophet called Michaiah stood up to King Ahab and told him that he was doing wrong and that he was disobeying the Lord God of Israel. Of course they have did not like him and Ahab threw the prophet into prison.
One day however King Ahab invited the king of Judah called Jehoshaphat and convinced them that they should both join their armies together to fight against the king of Syria. The king of Syria had signed a treaty with Ahab to give control of a town called Ramoth- Gilead but he did not live up to this Treaty. So we know that this was a bad king and we know that he did not like Ahab. But Ahab needed the support of Jehoshaphat to fight against the king of Syria so that he would get control of the town.
The prophet Jeremiah experienced that kind of feelingWhen King Ahab met King Jehoshaphat and they made an agreement to fight together (something God did not approve of), Ahab had his 400 false prophets who did not really like the God of Israel prophesy that Ahab would win the war and get control of the town. Jehoshaphat believed in God and he did not like or believe the prophecy the 400 pagan prophets had made. He wanted to hear from a prophet of God. Ahab did not like this request but he had to go along with it and he sent for the prophet Micaiah.
When Micaiah came he sarcastically told Ahab that he would win the war. But Ahab knew that the prophet was just being sarcastic and he demanded that the prophet tell him the truth.
Micaiah told Ahab the truth which was that he would lose the war, he would be killed and that the army of Israel would be scattered and would run away.
Ahab was very upset.
The king of Judah should have told Ahab not to go to war because God did not want him to go to war but instead he kept quiet. That was bad. Not only should this righteous king have warned Ahab not to go against God’s intention, but in fact he should not even be here with Ahab at all because Ahab was a terrible and unrighteous person.
But Ahab was smart. He knew that the God of Israel was against him. So when they went out to fight Ahab disguised themselves as ordinary soldier to hide the fact that he was a king. But he encouraged Jehoshaphat to keep on his Royal clothes in the fight so that the Syrian army would attack him thinking that he was Ahab. The Syrian army and its commanders knew that if Ahab was killed the war would stop and the army of Israel would run away. So they decided to target anyone dressed in royal clothes. When they concentrated on attacking Jehoshaphat and almost killed him, he cried out to God for help and God helped him and turned away the soldiers that were chasing him.
Ahab thought he was getting away but a Syrian soldier fired an arrow not really knowing where he was firing and the arrow hit a hole in Ahab’s armour, hit his body and Ahab led to death.
So we can learn a lot of lessons. If you are a child of God do not mix with people who do not believe in God. Do not get into associations with people who do not believe in God because it might very well lead to your death.
God does not like Christians to get into certain kinds of relationships with people who are non-Christians. You can associate with them in some things but not in others. There is a line you should not cross. Some relationships are forbidden. If you get into them you will get hurt.
When Jehoshaphat reached home a prophet met him and rebuked him for his behaviour and told him that his behaviour was not good and God saved him simply because he had done some other good things for the nation of Judah.
Besides these lessons given to us in this Study there is one advising you that you should be smart and not allow other people to make a fool of you for their own ends.
Do not think that you can avoid the judgment of God by playing tricks like disguising yourself. It will not work. God sees everything and knows everything.
Sometimes you have to speak hard words to people who are not doing right just like the prophet
Micaiah spoke hard words to King Ahab and told him that his behaviour was not good and that if he went to to war without the permission of God he would lose and be killed.
When you speak the truth to powerful people you are really doing them a favour.
Of course we know that when you are very young you have to be careful speaking to parents, teachers, and all kinds of people who are in positions of authority over you. Sometimes you have to pray to God to ask Him to speak to the people directly.
Sometimes you might have to speak to another adult and tell them what is going on in your school or your church or in your community and then ask them to speak the necessary hard words to correct the people that are doing wrong.
But remember you have to ask the Holy Spirit for direction as to what to do. He will help you and you will be better for it.