1 Kings 22:13-14 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. But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
What amazing honesty! Micaiah was not intimidated by the king into lying or soft-selling the truth. He simply said, “As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.” And he said this to the king whose wife, just the chapter before, arranged a brutal murder of someone who simply told the king, “no.”
America is the country of salesmen. Our politics are politics of sales. If you can smile and charm people then you can pretty much get what you want. Just look at all the scandals that go on every day in all levels of business and state. Ponzi schemes and book cooking are just a few of the atrocities that go on in corporate America. Strong arming and blackmailing are just a few sad realities of the political landscape. This is not to say that all politicians and high level executives are bad. Well…maybe not all the executives.
Israel was not that much different at this time. All of the prophets before Micaiah straight up lied to the king, telling him that he would be successful in a war when they likely knew he would die! Wow! But what was the alternative? Death? Imprisonment?
So the question arises, “What would you do in that situation? What would I do?” Let’s say the king or ruler of your country, who is known for brutally murdering his enemies, asks you for what God thinks about his actions. How do you respond? You are likely to be killed if you are honest. If you smudge the truth you will save your skin, but would have to live with the guilt and shame of cowering to the evil of the world. It is something to think about. I know when I read this passage I was challenged with this question.
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