Bible Questions Answered: Lying Spirit

Bible Questions Answered:
How could a holy God send a lying spirit to Ahab?
Albert/ South Korea

Bible Answers:

The scripture to which you refer is …

I Kings 22:1-40 NLT
1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel.
2 Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel.
3 During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-gilead belongs to us? And yet we’ve done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!”
4 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.”
5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”
6 So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I hold back?” They all replied, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”
7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.”
8 The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”
9 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick! Bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
10 King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them.
11 One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”
12 All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”
13 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”
14 But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”
15 When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?” Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”
16 But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?”
17 Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”
18 “Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.”
19 Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on His throne with all the armies of heaven around Him, on His right and on His left.
20 And the Lord said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’“There were many suggestions,
21 and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’
22 “‘How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’ “‘You will succeed,’ said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’
23 “So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”
24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded.
25 And Micaiah replied, “You will find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret room!”
26 “Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash.
27 Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’”
28 But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it will mean that the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!”
29 So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead.
30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
31 Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his thirty-two chariot commanders: “Attack only the king of Israel. Don’t bother with anyone else!”
32 So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. “There is the king of Israel!” they shouted. But when Jehoshaphat called out,
33 the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, and they stopped chasing him.
34 An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. “I’m badly wounded!”
35 The battle raged all that day, and the king remained propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of his chariot, and as evening arrived he died.
36 Just as the sun was setting, the cry ran through his troops: “We’re done for! Run for your lives!”
37 So the king died, and his body was taken to Samaria and buried there.
38 Then his chariot was washed beside the pool of Samaria, and dogs came and licked his blood at the place where the prostitutes bathed, just as the Lord had promised.
39 The rest of the events in Ahab’s reign and everything he did, including the story of the ivory palace and the towns he built, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
40 So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became the next king.

God does not sin, neither does He tempt men to sin.

James 1:13-15 KJV
[13] Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man:
[14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
[15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13-15 NLT
3 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else.
14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard, and had him murdered (Leviticus 25:23), and stole his vineyard.

I Kings 21:17-29 KJV
[17] And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
[18] Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
[19] And thou shalt speak unto him, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
[20] And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
[21] Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
[22] And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
[23] And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
[24] Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
[25] But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
[26] And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
[27] And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
[28] And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
[29] Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

I Kings 21:17-29 NLT
17 But the Lord said to Elijah,
18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself.
19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
20 “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight.
21 So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel!
22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made Me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
23 “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’
24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
25 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.
26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
27 But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
28 Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah:
29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

Elijah's prophecy concerning Ahab, and his son (II Kings 9:26).

Ahab, seventh King of Israel, had been an evil king.

I Kings 16:32,33 KJV
[32] And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
[33] And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

I Kings 16:32,33 NLT
32 First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria.
33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.

There comes a very dangerous time, when after warning after warning from God, that when left unheeded, God gives an individual up.

Israel's ungratefulness:

Psalm 78:1-72 NAS
1. Listen, O my people, to my instruction ; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2. I will open my mouth in a parable ; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3. Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
4. We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
5. For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,
6. That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7. That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,
8. And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9. The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, Yet they turned back in the day of battle.
10. They did not keep the covenant of God And refused to walk in His law ;
11. They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.
12. He wrought wonders before their fathers In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14. Then He led them with the cloud by day And all the night with a light of fire.
15. He split the rocks in the wilderness And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.
16. He brought forth streams also from the rock And caused waters to run down like rivers.
17. Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.
18. And in their heart they put God to the test By asking food according to their desire.
19. Then they spoke against God ; They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness ?
20. "Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing ; Can He give bread also ? Will He provide meat for His people ?"
21. Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath ; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel,
22. Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.
23. Yet He commanded the clouds above And opened the doors of heaven ;
24. He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven.
25. Man did eat the bread of angels ; He sent them food in abundance.
26. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.
27. When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
28. Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.
29. So they ate and were well filled, And their desire He gave to them.
30. Before they had satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths,
31. The anger of God rose against them And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel.
32. In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.
33. So He brought their days to an end in futility And their years in sudden terror.
34. When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God ;
35. And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.
36. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue.
37. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
38. But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; And often He restrained His anger And did not arouse all His wrath.
39. Thus He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.
40. How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert !
41. Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.
42. They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,
43. When He performed His signs in Egypt And His marvels in the field of Zoan,
44. And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, they could not drink.
45. He sent among them swarms of flies which devoured them, And frogs which destroyed them.
46. He gave also their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust.
47. He destroyed their vines with hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost.
48. He gave over their cattle also to the hailstones And their herds to bolts of lightning.
49. He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels.
50. He leveled a path for His anger ; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave over their life to the plague,
51. And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, The first issue of their virility in the tents of Ham.
52. But He led forth His own people like sheep And guided them in the wilderness like a flock ;
53. He led them safely, so that they did not fear ; But the sea engulfed their enemies.
54. So He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained.
55. He also drove out the nations before them And apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56. Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God And did not keep His testimonies,
57. But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers ; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.
58. For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.
59. When God heard, He was filled with wrath And greatly abhorred Israel ;
60. So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men,
61. And gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the adversary.
62. He also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.
63. Fire devoured His young men, And His virgins had no wedding songs.
64. His priests fell by the sword, And His widows could not weep.
65. Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, Like a warrior overcome by wine.
66. He drove His adversaries backward ; He put on them an everlasting reproach.
67. He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68. But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.
69. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.
70. He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds ;
71. From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance.
72. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.

Romans 1:21-32 KJV
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
[23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
[24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
[25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
[26] For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
[27] And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
[28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
[29] Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
[30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
[31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
[32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Romans 1:21-32 NLT
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even
the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Hebrews 10:31 KJV
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Micaiah son of Imlah, had a revelation from God, and he saw the heavenly court of God in session.
God's throne was surrounded by heavenly attendant, advisers.
Ahab was in the place of judgment.

Is it wrong that a sinful individual be met with an evil judgment?
God did not call for an “evil spirit,” to come forth, but one gladly came!

When one decidedly lives errant to the will of God, one will find them selves in the wrath of God.
The four hundered prophets of Ahab, were lying prophets, even though they said they spoke for the Lord.

II Corinthians 11:13-15 KJV
[13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
[14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
[15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

What Micaiah had prophesied came to pass.

I Kings 21:

17 Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”

19 Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on His throne with all the armies of heaven around Him, on His right and on His left.
20 And the Lord said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?’“There were many suggestions,
21 and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’
22 “‘How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’ “‘You will succeed,’ said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’
23 “So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”

34 An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. “Turn the horses and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. “I’m badly wounded!”
35 The battle raged all that day, and the king remained propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran down to the floor of his chariot, and as evening arrived he died.
36 Just as the sun was setting, the cry ran through his troops: “We’re done for! Run for your lives!”
37 So the king died, and his body was taken to Samaria and buried there.
38 Then his chariot was washed beside the pool of Samaria, and dogs came and licked his blood at the place where the prostitutes bathed, just as the Lord had promised.
39 The rest of the events in Ahab’s reign and everything he did, including the story of the ivory palace and the towns he built, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
40 So Ahab died, and his son Ahaziah became the next king.

Job 4:8 KJV
Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Proverbs 22:8 KJV
He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Galatians 6:7,8 KJV
[7] Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
[8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Jeremiah 17:10 KJV
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Revelation 20:12 KJV
[11] And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
[13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
[14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.