READING FOR OCTOBER 29, 2025: 1 KINGS 22, HEBREWS 10, PSALM 114 1 KINGS 22 This is a chapter with some strange twists that are not easy to follow. Let’s proceed with caution. Jehosaphat, the generally good king of Judah, met in Israel with Ahab, its generally bad king. Apparently, Ramoth-gilead, land that the King of Aram had promised to return to Israel, was still possessed by Aram. Ahab informed Jehosaphat and asked if Judah would help him repossess it. Jehosaphat agreed but suggested they consult with the Lord first.
Ahab asked 400 of his prophets. They said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king” (vs. 6). Notice these prophets referenced the “Lord” in their prophecy. Possibly these were not prophets of Baal. But what were they? Let’s follow the story more. Jehosaphat, who had an ongoing relationship with God and his prophets, did not trust Ahab’s prophets. He asked if there was a real prophet of the Lord available.
Ahab didn’t seem surprised and said there was one such prophet. He was not excited about him, though, because he never prophesied anything Ahab liked. This is quite a modern view. Sometimes when we don’t like the truthful feedback provided, we blame the source and, in effect, find our own prophets. Paul nailed this for our time: “For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires” (2 Tim. 4:3). Ahab’s and our approach doesn’t change the facts.
While they waited for the true prophet, one of Ahab’s prophets gave an effective audio-visual presentation, again telling Ahab what he wanted to hear. We mustn’t fall for slick communicators. Finally, Micaiah, the Lord’s prophet, arrived. For some reason, perhaps in sarcasm, he first told Ahab to go ahead. The King could tell, though, that he wasn’t being truthful. Then Micaiah said they should all go home and forget it.
HERE’S WHERE IT GETS COMPLICATED. Starting in verse 19, Micaiah gives us a glimpse of God in hea- ven with angels on either side. God asks who will go and entice Ahab to war in Ramoth-gilead. A spirit volun- teered and explained he would do it by putting deceptive words in Ahab’s prophets. God approved this plan and said it would work. But even though God was behind this deception, Ahab would still be at fault and be destroyed (vs. 23). In this case, God used a spirit of deception and involved prophets who may have thought they were expressing God’s words to influence King Ahab to do something that would bring about God’s judg- ment against him. Space and wisdom do not permit a full explanation, but we could go back to story of God’s hardening the heart of Pharoah against Israel to find a similar example. The reason given for God’s action in that case is given: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demon- strate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.’” (Rom. 9:17).
Ahab didn’t accept Micaiah’s full explanation and proceeded with his plan. He was killed by a random arrow that snuck through a tiny opening in his armor. As predicted beforehand, the dogs licked his blood. His son, Ahaziah, was then made King of Israel. He had a 2-year reigned but, sadly, facilitated Baal worship in Israel.
Jehosophat eventually completed a mostly successful 25-year reign in Jerusalem. His main downfall was not destroying all the altars to the false gods. That’s something we can all work on: destroying anything that detracts from our relationship with God. He was succeeded by his son Jehoram.
READINGS FOR OCTOBER 29, 2025 CONTINUED: HEBREWS 10, PSALM 114 HEBREWS 10 The author reiterates that the law is only a shadow of the things that are to come. It does not compare to what Christ will bring. He quotes Psalm 40:6-8 to emphasize his point. In the Psalm, David states that the system of temple sacrifices is not what God desires. What God truly wants is a person who is dedicated to serving God. The author then quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 (previously cited in chapter 8.) The new covenant in Jesus Christ guarantees that sins will be forgiven. There is no need for additional temple sacrifices to be made. Since we have Jesus, the High Priest, who sits at the right hand of God, we can draw near into God’s presence. Those who draw near will have 1) a sincere heart – an undivided allegiance; 2) full assurance that faith brings – a faith that knows no hesitation in trusting in and following Christ; 3) hearts cleansed from a guilty conscience; 4) bodies washed with pure water. The ideas of a heart sprinkled and a body washed allude to the sacrament of baptism. Verses 23-25 are often quoted (and often dealt with separately). Verse 23 – We have hope because God is faithful. We are assured of the promises that Jesus made because we know that God will follow through. Verse 24 – It is imperative that we assist one another in the living of our Christian faith. We must work together for the strength to persevere. Verse 25 – We must not abandon our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must not stop meeting together as the body of Christ. We must encourage one another in faith. The author warns those who deliberately go on sinning. Those who have experience the grace and mercy of God and have rejected it have chosen to continue in sin. Verse 29 states: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace” (NIV). Those who have “fallen away” or those who have “stopped meeting together” have sinned by rejecting the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ.
Psalm 114 Psalm 114 is a hymn that celebrates the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt. It tells of God’s wondrous deeds in free God’s people from bondage. Scholars consider this hymn as one of the most beautifully constructed hymns of all the Psalms. There are five events alluded to in the Psalm. The giving of the Law on Mount Sinai (Verse 2); the parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan River (Verses 3-6); twice providing water from a rock (see Exodus 17 and Numbers 20). The God who provided these things for the people of Israel in the desert is still with us. The God who did these amazing things, who stopped the waters from flowing and provided for God’s people, is still providing for the faithful. We should be in awe of the God who provides for all our needs.
