READING: 1 Kings 21-22
Much of the Bible’s teaching about spiritual warfare is clear, but today’s reading includes a text that is quite confusing at face value: “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours [Ahab’s]. The Lord has decreed disaster for you” (1 Kings 22:23). The difficulty with this text is that is it appears to make God the author of evil and the tempter of the wicked king.
Here’s why that conclusion does not work. First, James 1:13 clearly shows that God does not tempt people. The clarity of that New Testament text helps us to understand the 1 Kings 22 passage that is less clear. Whatever has happened, God has not tempted Ahab.
Second, Ahab had already had a track record of turning against God. In fact, he had previously stated his opposition to God’s prophet Micaiah because “he never prophecies anything good about me, but always bad” (1 Kings 22:8). Ahab, who already had his own prophets, hated the true prophet for his words, so it was not as if the king suddenly turned evil under the influence of the deceiving spirit.
Third, even the prophet’s announcing God’s plan to the king becomes further evidence of Ahab’s rebellion. Rather than listen to the true prophet about the deceiving spirit, the king instead imprisoned Micaiah. Ahab remained sure he would return safely from battle, thus proving Micaiah’s words to be false — but he would be deadly wrong.
In the end, God who is sovereign over even Satan used a deceiving spirit to bring judgment on Ahab while holding Ahab personally responsible for his own rebellion. This truth is actually good new for us, though, because we would have no victory over the evil one if God were not already sovereignly and powerfully the ruler over all powers. Because God reigns supreme and has conquered the enemy, we are on the winning side.
ACTION STEPS:
- Be willing to wrestle through difficult Bible texts while trusting God as you learn.
- Be aware that God is still the judge. It is never wise for us to choose to follow the enemy’s path. If you are losing sin battles in your life, fervently seek God’s grace to listen to Him rather than to the enemy.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You that You are sovereign over the enemy. I praise You that You are the winner, even though I may not always understand the truths of Your Word.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 1-3
