Courage to Speak the Truth

MEMORY SELECTION: “As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.” —I Kings 22:14

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: I Kings 22:5-8, 13-19, 26-28

IT IS a blessing, as well as a responsibility, to speak the Word of Truth whenever and wherever the Lord’s people have opportunity. This admonition is as important today as it has been throughout the long centuries of the Gospel Age.

Our best example of courage and faithfulness in proclaiming the message of God is, of course, our Lord Jesus. We are reminded of the prophecy concerning our Lord which reads: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”—Isa. 61:1-3

The memory selection and the selected scripture reading for this week’s lesson center around a portion of the history of the nation of Israel. Israel had become a kingdom as a result of rebelling against God’s arrangement with them, in which they had been governed by judges. With the establishment of a kingdom, however, new problems arose.

The final chapter in I Kings indicates the strengthened alliance that had come about between the separated ten tribes under Ahab, and the tribe of Judah under Jehoshaphat. A cordial relationship is suggested in their conversation. Ahab “said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.” (I Kings 22:4) No doubt this closer affiliation between the two had come about in part because of the marriage of Ahab’s daughter Athaliah and Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram.

The historical setting of the lesson finds Jehoshaphat visiting Ahab in Samaria, at which time Ahab sought his support in a joint effort to retake Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. Ahab was perhaps already weary at the further prospects of renewed warfare but was evidently moved to action by Jehoshaphat’s royal visit.

But Ahab needed assurance that such a venture would be successful. He therefore summoned his entire entourage of prophets for guidance in the matter. There were in all about four hundred false prophets (vs. 6) who were especially called for the occasion. They, having been given the question concerning the feasibility of such a campaign, chorused their assurances of success.

Jehoshaphat, however, was unconvinced by the whole thing and advised that they inquire first for the word of the Lord. Micaiah, a prophet of the Lord, was subsequently called to the scene, although he was much hated by Ahab. It was at this point that Micaiah spoke the words in our memory text, “As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.” The prophet would speak the word of God fearlessly as it was to be revealed unto him.

Micaiah’s initial response when he was asked whether or not it was God’s will that Ahab and his forces go against Ramoth-gilead, was an ambiguous one. But then, when pressed for a true answer, he said: “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.”—vs. 17

As Ahab had predicted, the prophet’s words indicated disaster. “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?” (vs. 18) Instead of accepting the prophet’s answer, Ahab had him arrested. He then stubbornly went ahead with his plans to attack Ramoth-gilead. During the ensuing battle Ahab took the precaution to disguise himself, but he was ultimately hit by a Syrian archer and later died as a result of his wounds. His body was taken back to Samaria, where he was buried.

Micaiah was courageous to speak the word of God, regardless of the outcome to his personal safety.

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