conviction Over Compromise

1 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. 2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And 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 Syria?” 4 And 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.”

5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 6 Then 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.” 7 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?” 8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “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.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

13 And 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.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” – 1 Kings 22:1-14 ESV

King Ahab had been placed under a curse from God for having spared the life of Ben-hadad, the king of Syria. Rather than obey God’s command to put his enemy to death, Ahab had chosen to sign a peace treaty with him that would allow Israel to profit from Syria’s lucrative trading business. Yet, despite the judgment leveled against him by God, Ahab’s decision seems to have produced positive results.

The treaty that Ahab brokered produced three years of peace and prosperity between the two nations. Israel and Syria became allies and trading partners. According to an inscription on an Assyrian tablet discovered in 1861, Ahab and Ben-hadad were part of a 12-nation confederation that faced Emperor Shalmaneser and the Assyrians in the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. So, while God had decreed that Ahab’s dynasty would come to an end with his death, the king of Israel continued to enjoy a small measure of success. His insatiable desire for glory and self-aggrandizement would eventually drive him to jeopardize his peaceful and prosperous relationship with Syria.

During the time Ahab was on the throne of Israel, Jehoshaphat became the king of Judah. He succeeded his father, Asa, and, according to the book of 2 Chronicles, Jehoshaphat proved to be a good king.

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. – 2 Chronicles 17:3-6 ESV

Because Jehoshaphat chose to remove all the false gods and restore the worship of the one true God, his reign was blessed, and the southern kingdom of Judah became a powerful force in the region. But Jehoshaphat, like his father before him, made the mistake of placing his trust in the Syrians. When King Baasha of Israel began to build a fortified city on the border between Israel and Judah, King Asa sought the help of Ben-hadad and the Syrians. Asa “took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria” (2 Chronicles 16:2 ESV). He used these funds to convince Ben-hadad to break his covenant with Israel and join forces with him. His ploy worked, and Baasha stopped construction on his military outpost. But God condemned Asa for his alliance with Ben-hadad, warning that Judah would face non-stop war during the rest of his reign. Rather than trust God, Asa had placed his hope in a foreign king who worshiped false gods.

And while his son Jehoshaphat would prove to be faithful to God, he would also make an alliance with an ungodly, idol-worshiping king.

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. – 2 Chronicles 18:1-2 ESV

This marital alliance ultimately put Jehoshaphat in a difficult position. While visiting Israel’s capital city of Samaria, Jehoshaphat was presented with an official request from Ahab for military assistance in recapturing the town of Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. It galled Ahab that the Syrians had stolen a city that had once belonged to Israel, and nothing had been done about it.

“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 Syria?” – 1 Kings 22:3 ESV

So, he called on Jehoshaphat to help him right this apparent wrong, and Jehoshaphat quickly and readily agreed.

“I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” – 1 Kings 22:4 ESV

But Jehoshaphat, anxious to remain obedient to God, asked Ahab to seek Yahweh’s counsel. It’s important to understand that Jehoshaphat wanted to know what the “LORD” (Yahweh) would have them do. But when Ahab commissioned his 400 prophets to seek the will of the gods, they came back with the answer:

“Go up, for the Lord (ăḏōnāy) will give it into the hand of the king.” – 1 Kings 22:6 ESV

These men did not mention the name of Yahweh, and Jehoshaphat seems to have immediately recognized that these were false prophets who had been seeking the will of their false god. So, he asked Ahab if there were no prophets of the one true God left in Israel. Ahab reluctantly confessed that one prophet of Yahweh remained, a man named Jehoshaphat, whom he hated with a passion.

“He never prophesies anything but trouble for me!” – 1 Kings 22:8 NLT

Micaiah never told Ahab what he wanted to hear, so the king avoided him like the plague. But Jehoshaphat insisted that Micaiah be consulted before any action was taken against the Syrians.  So, Ahab sent someone to fetch his least-favorite prophet. In the meantime, his 400 false prophets bombarded Jehoshaphat with their cheery predictions of success.

“Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD (Yahweh) will give it into the hand of the king.” – 1 Kings 22:12 ESV

This time, the prophets of Baal changed their tune and mentioned the name of Yahweh. Perhaps they hoped this reference to the God of Israel would convince Jehoshaphat to acquiesce and give his approval for the joint venture against the Syrians.

The text doesn’t reveal how long it took for Micaiah to be located and brought to Samaria. However, during the delay, Jehoshaphat found himself pressured to listen to the false prophets and join forces with Ahab. The temptation to compromise his convictions was great. He could have easily given in and listened to the popular opinions of the crowd, but instead, Jehoshaphat waited to hear a word from Yahweh.

Even Micaiah found himself pressured to follow the party line. The messenger who located him delivered a not-so-subtle warning that there was only one answer King Ahab wanted to hear.

“Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.” – 1 Kings 22:13 NLT

But Micaiah would not be bullied into submission. He knew how much Ahab hated him, and he would be risking his life to disobey a direct order from the king. Yet his allegiance to Yahweh was greater than his fear of Ahab. So, he told the messenger, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what the LORD tells me to say” (1 Kings 22:14 NLT).

It must have been a long and awkward trip back to Samaria for the messenger. He probably feared for his own life because he knew the prophet was determined to deliver bad news to the king. Everyone who worked for Ahab and all the people who lived in Israel knew that their king had no love affair with Yahweh. He had spent his entire reign promoting the worship of false gods like Baal and Asherah, and he had done everything he could do to ignore and even eliminate the prophets of God. Ahab knew exactly what Micaiah was going to say when he showed up, and it would not be what he wanted to hear.

Ahab needed Jehoshaphat’s help against the Syrians, and he knew that Jehoshaphat’s God would stand opposed to his ambitious plans to recapture Ramoth-gilead. Ahab didn’t want to hear from God because he was unwilling to do God's will. Like a petulant child, Ahab was determined to get his way, even if it meant disobeying Yahweh’s will. But the prophet of the LORD was unwilling to succumb to the pressure to compromise his convictions and tell the king what he wanted to hear. He would speak the truth, even if it cost him his life. This obscure and little-known prophet was going to choose character over conformity and stand up to the threats of the wicked and powerful king of Israel.

Micaiah’s commitment to Yahweh was unassailable and non-negotiable. Nothing would convince him to compromise or sell out. He was determined to remain faithful to his God, whatever the cost. His bold determination to stand his ground in the face of intense opposition and even the threat of death is reminiscent of the actions of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the Hebrew friends of Daniel who found themselves facing a death sentence for refusing to bow to the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. 

“I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” – Daniel 3:15-18 NLT

These three young men were willing to die for their beliefs and gladly faced the fires of the furnace with their commitment to Yahweh uncompromised. And their unwavering faith was rewarded. 

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! – Daniel 3:26-27 NLT

The Book of Acts records another story of uncompromising faith in the face of unrelenting pressure. Peter and John had been jailed by the powerful Jewish Sanhedrin for preaching “that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2 NLT). The following morning, when the two men were dragged before the council, they were ordered to cease and desist. The high priest commanded them, “never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18 NLT). 

But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:18-20 NLT

Facing the threat of additional jail time or worse, Peter and John stood their ground and declared their intention to continue preaching the truth concerning Jesus. They could be threatened, but they would not be silenced. And, in doing so, they joined the ranks of other faithful men like Micaiah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Glory of God

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth! – Psalm 8:1-9 ESV

The opening description of this Psalm refers to the “Gittith.” There is no consensus on the meaning of this Hebrew word but some have speculated that it relates to a Gittite harp. It is likely a musical notation meant to provide instructions concerning the song’s tempo or style. Perhaps it was meant to be played by the accompaniment of a certain instrument.

But while this notation is unclear as to its meaning, the Psalm itself is straightforward and impossible to miss. In eight short verses, David praises God's glory and majesty. He opens his Psalm by using two of the primary names for God: LORD and Lord. The first is God’s personal name used by the Israelites alone. He is Yahweh, the ever-present God who has made an unbreakable covenant with His chosen people. He is also Adonai, the sovereign, all-powerful ruler of all creation, including His covenant people. The name of God figures prominently in this Psalm as David calls out to His majestic LORD and Lord.

But unlike the previous Psalms, this one is reverential rather than penitential. David is not petitioning Yahweh for anything. Instead, he glorifies God for His unparalleled greatness. He refers to God as “majestic” using the Hebrew word 'adîr, which carries the idea of immensity, power, glory, might, and excellence.

David uses this rich and multifaceted word to describe the name of God. Having never seen God face to face, David can only speak of His name (šēm), which encompasses His reputation or fame. Everywhere David looked, he saw the evidence of God’s glory. It was visible and tangible, but you had to be able to recognize it all around you. This former shepherd could see it throughout the earth and even in the night sky.

O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
    Your glory is higher than the heavens. – Psalm 8:1 NLT

Even children have the innate capacity to recognize God’s glory and greatness in the world around them. Jesus spoke of His Heavenly Father’s intention to make Himself knowable to the innocent and pure.

“O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!” – Matthew 11:25-26 NLT

David’s awareness of God’s majesty revealed in the world around him produced a sense of humility and awe-struck wonder.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them? – Psalm 8:3-4 NLT

God’s glory – His reputation, renown and fame – was all-pervasive to David. He couldn’t look out the window and not see the majesty of God revealed. He couldn’t look up into the night sky and not be reminded of the greatness of God. To David, God’s reputation was not only based on His miraculous interventions in the affairs of Israel—His victories in battle, divine provision, and protection—but was also evident in the everyday affairs of life. Everything around David screamed the praise of God, because that is the way God designed it. Even Jesus understood what David was talking about when He quoted this Psalm in an exchange with the religious leaders.

The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” – Matthew 21:15-16 NLT

From birth, man was made to praise God. We are appointed for that purpose. But the effects of the fall and the influence of sin have a way of hijacking our purpose and blinding us to the majesty and greatness of God. We lose the ability to see Him all around us. Our eyes become blind to His presence and power.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion, the crowd of disciples following Him cheered wildly, proclaiming, “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” (Luke 19:38 NLT). The Pharisees were appalled at what they heard and demanded that Jesus tell His disciples to cease and desist. Instead, Jesus replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40 NLT).

Jesus knew what David knew. Everything in creation shouts God's praise and glory. While all men were created to praise God, most do not, but creation does. God’s glory is not relegated to man’s recognition of it. God’s reputation is on permanent display in His creation—at all times.

David found it difficult to comprehend that this glorious, majestic, mighty, all-powerful God would give any thought to men. We are insignificant when compared to creation. Yet God not only takes note of us, He has given us a job to do. He has appointed us as stewards of His creation, with the responsibility to care for all that He has made. In doing so, God shared a bit of His glory with humanity. Made in His image, we have the capacity to display His creativity and caretaking abilities, and that gives us glory and honor. We get to care for what He has created—an honor and privilege that no other created being shares.

Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents. – Psalm 8:5-8 NLT

The recognition of that vital role given to us by a mighty God should rock our world and cause us to exclaim with David, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8:9 NLT). We should recognize the greatness of God’s reputation and desire to do everything in our power to protect it, proclaim it, and live up to it.

Father, give me eyes to see You all around me. Don’t let me look past Your divine presence in creation as I search for You elsewhere. Like David, may I be able to look out the window or up into the sky and see You. Let me be blown away by Your majesty, might, and glory. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.