Submitting to a Sovereign King

This fourth sermon was the follow-up to the last one, delivered the week before. It continued the story of Ahab’s life, and that led into a very difficult topic: God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. This can be especially difficult for Baptists because some of us are Calvinists and other Arminians, and we don’t always know who is who. But this is where the text led, so I tried to do justice. It helped that this was another fascinating story.

The audio for this sermon was lost, but you can read the manuscript below. Delivered to First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, MI, on 10/19/2014.

Prayer

Good morning, Father. We lift these songs to You in worship and praise. You alone are worthy of our love and obedience. And we thank You for revealing Your goodness and truth to us. You are a gracious God, and we thank You that You have made us Your children. We ask now that You would bless our time together as we study Your Word, that we would know You better, love You better, and serve You better. Amen.

Introduction

Last week we began a series on the life of King Ahab, and this morning we “finally” reach the conclusion. We began with Naboth’s Vineyard, but really the story of Ahab goes back a lot further. It goes through a drought, the big confrontation with Elijah on Mt. Carmel, the siege of Samaria, and victory over Aram—and it’s a story that spans decades. It’s also a story of wickedness. Yet we see God’s incredible patience with Ahab, and His mercy upon him even in judgment.

And from one angle there’s something really beautiful about God’s patience and mercy, but from another there’s something deeply troubling. If God is the one who really rules Israel, if He really is all-good and all-powerful, why does He allow someone like Ahab—one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history—to stay in power? Last week we asked “Who is this God?” and sometimes we think we’ve got Him figured out. But then life gets messy and uncomfortable.

And this morning we’re going to see more messy and uncomfortable events unfold in 1 Kings 22 as Ahab finally meets his appointed end. We’re going to take a closer look at how God rules, and what it really means to submit to a sovereign King.

Part 1: Jehoshaphat & Ahab Prepare for War

Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Kings, chapter 22. We’ll begin reading in verse 1:

¹For three years [Aram] and Israel continued without war. ²But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
³And [Ahab] the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of [Aram]?” ⁴And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

1 Kings 22:1–4 (ESV)

It’s been three years since Aram attacked Israel and God gave Ahab the victory. We talked about this in passing last week, but Aram was Israel’s greatest enemy at that time, and God miraculously intervened, defeating the King of Aram and the 32-king alliance with him.

Now Israel and Aram are at peace, but there’s a problem. Ben-hadad, the King of Aram, promised to return all the cities his father had taken from Israel. But he conveniently missed one: Ramoth-gilead. This was an important city on the highway connecting Aram in the north with Arabia in the south, especially strategic for trading. And after three years, Ahab decides he’s waited long enough; this is his city, and it’s high time he took it back.

So he asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah—the Southern Kingdom—to help him. Like all the kings of Judah, Jehoshaphat is a descendent of David and an ancestor of Jesus. We know from 2 Chronicles that he’s a courageous king and a God-fearing man: he initiated an education campaign in the Law of Moses, reinstituted the system of regional judges, and humbled himself before God, and God gave him riches and honor.

He’s a good king, but he made one huge mistake: he’s bound himself by a treaty with Ahab—a treaty formalized by the wedding of his son Joram to Ahab’s daughter Athaliah. (Now, that name should give you chills. But that’s a story for another day.) So when Ahab suggests an attack on Aram, Jehoshaphat is all-in. His people, his horses, and his own life are in Ahab’s hands.

Part 2: Seeking the Sovereign’s Direction

But Jehoshaphat is not completely off his bean because in verse 5 he says: yeah, I’m with you, but, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.”

Don’t you sometimes wish you lived in Old Testament times? I mean, sure, no phone, no lights, no motorcar—but who needs the Internet when you can consult a real live prophet! Could you imagine how different our world would be if our Presidents could just summon a prophet of the LORD and ask whether they should go into battle? To know whether they ought to intervene in Germany, Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East? Africa? South America? Eastern Europe?

Unfortunately for us, that’s a luxury we don’t have. But Jehoshaphat does. He knows that God has a special relationship with Israel, and He has sent prophets to guide His people. God has revealed battle plans on many occasions, and even Ahab has won victories by following God’s military instructions.
So in verse 6, Ahab agrees. Or at least he seems to:

⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

1 Kings 22:6 (ESV)

There’s something wrong with this picture. Did you catch it? Since when does anyone need 400 prophets to hear the word of the LORD?!? You might find prophets hanging out in groups from time to time in Scripture, but nothing like this. If you want to see this many prophets together, go hike up Mt. Carmel, where Ahab assembled 400 prophets of Asherah, and 450 prophets of Baal. That’s not how our God works. When our God speaks, He doesn’t need a hundred voices. When the words are the LORD’s, He only needs one mouth.

Ahab, you’re doing it wrong. And Jehoshaphat knows it. Look in verse 7:

⁷But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?”

1 Kings 22:7 (ESV)

I want you to notice a subtle difference here between what Ahab’s prophets say and what Jehoshaphat says: the prophets talk about “the Lord” in mixed caps. This is just a title like “the master.” But Jehoshaphat wants to hear from the LORD—in all caps—which refers to God by name as “Yahweh.” They’re all looking for guidance from the Master, but Jehoshaphat wants to make sure they’re talking about the same master.

So Jehoshaphat asks for a second opinion. And Ahab knows who to call. Verse 8:

“There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.”

1 Kings 22:8 (ESV)

This is where it gets good, and I wish I could do justice to the humor that’s all over this chapter. You’ll just have to go home and read it again and use your imagination.

Ahab sends for Micaiah while the 400 prophets carry on, making props and giving performances. And the tension is building: will Micaiah have bad news for Ahab again? If 400 prophets are agreed that the LORD is with them, what can one man do to oppose them? And they feel the tension, too; notice verse 13:

¹³And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.”

1 Kings 22:13, 14 (ESV)

I love this: 400 prophets are unanimous and this messenger is worried about what one man will say. Micaiah has a reputation for being faithful.

¹⁵And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶But the king said to him, “[Micaiah] How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

1 Kings 22:15, 16 (ESV)

There’s nothing worse than a sarcastic prophet.

¹⁷And [Micaiah] said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'”

1 Kings 22:17 (ESV)

And Ahab says, “I knew it! I told you! Do you see what I have to put up with?”

Ahab hears 400 “yes’s” and only one “no.” Every voice is unanimous—except the one with a reputation for faithfulness. One prophet says they will gore the Arameans like a bull, but Micaiah says they will be scattered like sheep. Who is really speaking the Word of the LORD?

This is where things really get complicated.

Part 3: A Troubling Scene and a Trustworthy God

Most of you are probably familiar with the scene in heaven in Isaiah 6, where Isaiah sees the LORD on His throne, exalted—the train of His robe filling the temple with glory. Maybe some of you can picture the scene in heaven in Revelation with the 24 elders worshipping God day and night, with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. Maybe you can even recall the scene in heaven where Satan approaches God and accuses Job.

But I’ll bet most of you haven’t pictured the scene in heaven that Micaiah describes in verse 19:

¹⁹And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; ²⁰and the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. ²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ ²²And the LORD said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ ²³Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.”

1 Kings 22:19–23 (ESV)

This is a picture of heaven I would just as soon forget. But it’s here in our Bibles, and it’s here for a reason. Could Micaiah be telling the truth? What do we do with this mess?

Well, let’s clarify a few things. First, looking ahead, we know Micaiah is telling the truth because his prophecy is the one that comes true. This is the only test of a true prophet: 100% accuracy. The 400 prophets are discredited and Micaiah alone is right—which means we have to take this scene in heaven at face value.

Second, looking back, we know God already told Ahab his days are numbered. He’s a wicked, disobedient king, and judgment is coming. Sooner or later, Ahab will meet a violent death, and it looks like his time is up.

And third, we know why God declared this judgment: because of His love for Israel and His holy name. God has been exceedingly patient through years of idolatry and unfaithfulness—this isn’t a vindictive or capricious act. This is justice finally being served by a good God.

So Micaiah’s vision is true, Ahab deserves it, and God is right and good to dish it out. But there’s still a bit of a mess here. I’m willing to bet that if this passage makes you uncomfortable, it’s not because of what God is doing but how God is doing it. We know lying is a sin. Deception is clearly wrong. God has said this over and over, in the Old Testament and the New. So what is God doing ordering a spirit to deceive Ahab’s prophets?

This is the point in the sermon where I tell you there’s something in the Hebrew that indicates this spirit is a demon. But I can’t. There isn’t. The word for “spirit” could be any number of things. The “hosts of heaven” around the throne are simply “mighty beings,” a phrase that could describe stars, angels, demons, or a whole pantheon of gods. The only clue we have that this is a demon isn’t found in the language, but in our theology: this spirit is volunteering to lie.

And it wouldn’t be impossible. Satan appeared before God in heaven and God gave Satan permission to strike Job. Satan is the one doing the dirty work, but God is allowing it to happen according to His will.
This is what I think we’re seeing here: God doesn’t lie—it’s Satan who is the father of lies. I believe this spirit is a demon who’s volunteering to mislead Ahab, and God is allowing it to happen just like in Job. And just like in Job, we’re confronted with the troubling fact that God allows evil to accomplish His purposes.

And just like in Job, He doesn’t explain Himself. And we’re left wondering “why?”

Who is this God? How can we submit to a God who rules this way?

Well, for one thing God still told Ahab the truth. Even though God purposed to lure Ahab into battle, even though He allowed a deceiving spirit to speak through 400 prophets, He clarified the situation through Micaiah! Not only did Micaiah tell him how the battle would go, but he explained why Ahab was getting conflicting answers! God didn’t conceal the truth from Ahab.

So even if we don’t understand why God did it this way, God’s character is vindicated. And any time we don’t know why things are going the way they are, we must remember that God is trustworthy.

One of my professors tells the story of being stuck on a highway in Dallas late at night. Four lanes of traffic at a standstill, and he’s stuck in the right lane waiting for the next exit. All of a sudden, he sees these headlights in the mirror, and they’re coming way too fast. A car is barreling down the shoulder, an accident waiting to happen. As the car blows by, he recognizes it: the make and model, the color, the scratch over the wheel, the bumper sticker. That’s his parents’ car. And in that split second he recognizes to his horror: that’s his dad behind the wheel. And you can imagine he’s shocked—what could have possessed his dad to drive so recklessly?

But then he realizes: he doesn’t need to know the reason, because he knows his dad. And he knows his dad would never do anything like that without a good reason.

We don’t need to understand all the details of the scene in heaven to know that the God who rules heaven is trustworthy. He’s proven Himself time and time again. And because we can see His goodness in the things we do understand, we know that we can trust Him with the things we don’t understand. And this principle holds true for every trial that comes our way, every pain. We can see His goodness when we do understand, so we can trust His goodness when we don’t understand.

Part 4: God’s Sovereignty Displayed

If the first question we might ask as we read this passage is “how can I submit to a God like this?” the second might be “what choice do I have anyway?” God is sovereign, isn’t He? What does it matter if I recognize His right to rule? What choice do I have in the matter? After all, He’s already told Ahab he’s going to die in this battle. What can Ahab do about it?

God allows the lying spirit to deceive Ahab, then He tells Ahab the truth through Micaiah—but Ahab goes anyway! Hearing the truth didn’t change his mind. We don’t see Jehoshaphat sticking up for Micaiah, trying to dissuade Ahab.

And it gets worse as we keep reading, picking up again in verse 29:

²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
³¹Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³²And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
³⁴But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

1 Kings 22:29–34 (ESV)

By sunset Ahab is dead.

You see Ahab thought he could take the city without getting killed. He dressed up as a nobody and let Jehoshaphat take all the heat. And it almost worked.

Then this random archer made a random shot, and that’s the end. And don’t misunderstand—it’s not like someone blindfolded a random soldier and spun him around. He was an archer doing his job, shooting at his enemies. He just had no idea he was shooting at THE enemy. So the shot went out just like any other, but this one struck the king, struck him through his armor, and struck him with a fatal wound.

God’s will is done. There is no way Ahab could have survived because God was orchestrating the situation. Proverbs 21:31 tells us “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” In 16:33, it says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21.

Part 5: Our Responsibility Remains

Can there be any doubt that God has been in control this entire time? If God can direct the lying spirit over here and the arc of a random arrow as it falls over there, what’s left for us to do? God’s sovereignty is all over this chapter—and frankly, all over Scripture. So the question is not just how should we respond to that, but how can we respond?

I’m especially interested in this question because it confused me for a long time. In fact, when I left here for seminary six years ago, I was in trouble. I absolutely believed in God’s sovereignty. I believed I was saved by grace. I believed I was sanctified by grace. But these beliefs started to undermine my obedience to my King.

Because, let’s face it: how do I pray to a God who knows everything and controls everything? What’s the point of that? I believed that prayer doesn’t change things, so I all but stopped.

And how do I fight temptation if God’s the one who sanctifies me, if I’m just supposed to “let go and let God”? Because when I let go, I sin more, and if I sin more, does that mean God wanted me to sin more?

And what’s the point in sharing my faith if God has already decided who goes to heaven and who doesn’t? I can’t convince the condemned to believe, and I can’t prevent the elect from coming to faith so why bother?

I could go on. One problem leads to another. And when you don’t know how to pray and you don’t know how to fight sin and you begin to lose hope of accomplishing anything for God, what’s left?

If you haven’t struggled with these questions, I’m not trying to shake your faith now. You don’t need to struggle with these questions to be a good Christian. What you need to know is that God’s sovereignty over our world, our future, and our hearts under no circumstances means that we are helpless. Christians don’t believe in fate. The idea that you have nothing to do with your life is wrong. It’s a lie. But it’s one we sometimes fall into even as we gaze into the awesome truth of God’s greatness.

You need to remember that Ahab chose to sin. Ahab chose not to believe. Ahab chose to go into this battle. Ahab was responsible for all his actions. And we’re responsible for all of ours.

But how can this be? If God controls everything, doesn’t that mean I control nothing? If God controls me, why doesn’t that mean I’m helpless? The Bible doesn’t explain how this works. This is another area where we must look at God and know that even if we don’t understand, we can trust Him. What’s crystal clear and undeniable is that there is nothing—nothing outside of God’s control, but also that we are free creatures responsible for our actions, our thoughts, our desires.

We often hear these discussions framed as a choice between Calvinism and Arminianism. Do you believe God is sovereign like a good Calvinist, or do you believe man is free like a good Arminian? Well, neither side is that simple, but I’m not here to get into that debate; you’ll find Baptists in both camps. Instead the answer that gives me the most comfort comes from someone older than Jacob Arminius, older than John Calvin. His name is Augustine.

He’s known as the doctor of grace because he fought hard against works-based salvation. He absolutely believed that He was saved by grace alone, by Christ alone. But instead of saying it is God’s work NOT my work, Augustine says God’s work IS my work. It’s not that God’s will overrides my will, but God’s will heals my will and works with my will. I work, and I work hard, but God’s grace is always there at work with me.

Now please hear me, this explanation isn’t in the Bible. The Bible simply says God is sovereign and we are responsible; it doesn’t say how that works, just that it does. But if the tension between those two issues bugs you, then I want you to know there are good explanations out there.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that believing one truth more doesn’t mean we believe the other truth less. Your faith in God’s right to rule shouldn’t mean you doubt your ability to obey. You believe both all the more. And your faith in man’s responsibility shouldn’t mean you doubt God’s control over your life. You believe both all the more.

When we see God at work directing the hosts of heaven, speaking through Micaiah, orchestrating Ahab’s death, bringing about what He said beforehand would happen, guiding an arrow into the soft spot of a moving target—we must not doubt Ahab made his own decisions and was responsible for his own actions. We must not doubt Micaiah chose to be faithful despite the punishments. We must not doubt the deceiving spirit is the one responsible for lying. We must not doubt the skill of the archer, that he earned his reward.

And when we consider God’s right to rule, when we submit to His commands and live by His decrees, we must not doubt He is in control whether or not we understand it. We must not doubt He is good even as we see horrible things in the headlines. We must not doubt that He is at work in us even when we are tired from beating our bodies into submission. And we must not shy away from our responsibilities even as we proclaim Him the sovereign Lord of all.