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II CHRONICLES CHAPTER 18



Welcome to the early second decade of 800B.C., where we find the Nation of the House of Israel divided into two separate Nations: The House of Israel consisting of ten Tribes—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh—and occupied the Northern territories; and the House of Judah which comprises two Tribes—Judah and Benjamin—and occupying the southern territories. The House of Israel at present has as it’s king, king Ahab; and the House of Judah has as it’s king, king Jehoshaphat who ascended the throne in 819B.C.. As we are reading in the The Books of the Chronicles, we are reading things in the Esoteric, meaning, we are reading things from Father’s point of view or perspective, or in other words, events viewed from the Divine standpoint, and as seen and understood by the spiritual mind, to take that further, you could say, from the moral aspect, and you could go even further and say, for those with the “eyes to see.”. The reason Father split the Nation into two separate Nations was because of the actions of Israel’s third man-king, David’s son, Solomon—as can be read in I Kings 11:1-11—taking unto himself many foreign wives, served their false gods and idols, built altars for those false gods and idols on Father’s Holy mountain, turned his back on Father, which angered Father and caused Father to tell him that He was splitting the Nation into two separate Nations, but not until Solomon returned Home to Him and his son Rehoboam took over the reign and rule of the Nation.

II Chronicles 17 Brought is Jehoshaphat taking over the reigns and rule of the House of Judah after his father Asa died and returned Home to Father. The Chapter opened describing how Jehoshaphat—like his father before him—walked in the ways of Father YHVH—a rarity, as usually when we had a righteous king, his son turned from the ways of Father, to walk contrary to Him. The Chapter continued describing, that because he indeed was walking the Path of Father, Father Blessed him abundantly with peace and prosperity. As the Chapter came to a close, we read of the number of war-fighters who were dispersed among the five Generals of Jehoshaphat, the total number of war-fighters who were totaled, equaled 1,600,000, plus he had other war-fighters scattered throughout the territories of Judah, the number of which we know not.

This then, bring us to our current Chapter of II Chronicles 18—which is complementary to I Kings 22—where we’ll be reading of more good things of Jehoshaphat; but also of where he takes a wrong turn in his life, which will eventually cause the streets in the Nation of the House of Judah to run red with blood. How and why will this be? Let’s begin reading and find out.

With that introduction being said, let’s go to Father and ask Him for His Blessings on our Study of His Word: “ Father, I come to You right now and ask that You Oh LORD Lead me and Guide me as I try and teach Your Word, don’t allow me to mis-teach or mis-lead Your Children. We, Father, also come to You as a group who desire to Learn Your Word, to thank You for inviting us to Your table in order that we might be able to partake of and receive Your Spiritual Meat, and Father, as we prepare to dine on the sustenance which sustains our inner man, we ask that You Oh LORD open our ears and eyes, that we might be able to hear and see your Truths, open our hearts and minds and prepare us in order that we may receive Your Truth. We Pray for Your Understanding of Your Word, we seek Your Knowledge in Your Word, and most importantly Father, we Pray for and desire Your Wisdom from Your Word, in Jesus’ Precious name we Pray, thank You Father, Amen.”

                                       I Chronicles 10:1-II Chronicles 36:21
                                          HISTORY (UP TO THE CAPTIVITY.)
                                          (Division.)
                                       11:1-II Chronicles 36:21 THE HOUSE
                                          of DAVID. ESTABLISHED. (Division.)
                                       17:1-21:1 JEHOSHAPHAT. (Extended and
                                          Simple Alternations, with Introversion.)
                                       18:1-34 ALLIANCES WITH AHAB. (Alternation
                                          and Introversion.)
                                       18:1 Alliance, matrimonial.
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II Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat (YHVH-Judged; or, whom YHVH judges) (yeh-ho-shaw-fawtי) had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab (brother (that is, friend) of (his) father; or, uncle) (akh-awbי).   —>   …had riches and honour in abundance…=This is repeated here from II Chronicles 17:5 in order to show us that there was no need for Jehoshaphat to make any affinity—which I’ll explain the meaning of below—or alliance of any kind with Ahab who was the king of the House of Israel—which is assumed we know and understand, as Ahab’s title is not mentioned in the verse. Not only was there no need for this peace, truce, affinity and alliance, we read in II Chronicles 17:1, that Jehoshaphat had strengthened himself against the House of Israel because there had been border conflicts and wars between the two Nations in the past.

…affinity…=Let’s look up this word in our Strong’s Concordance brethren; when we do, we find that it is Hebrew word number: H2859, - חָתַן, - châthan, pronounced - khaw-thanי, and means: A primitive root; to give (a daughter) away in marriage; hence (generally) to contract affinity by marriage: - join in affinity, father in law, make marriages, mother in law, son in law. Total KJV occurrences: 28.. So, we see that the word means to make a marriage between two people. Though this verse states that Jehoshaphat made an affinity with Ahab, and we read in the Strong’s that the word means to “give away your daughter,” this isn’t actually what transpired in this case. We read in II Kings 8:18 that the two men arranged for Jehoshaphat’s son—Jehoram—to marry Ahab’s daughter—Athaliah. What is wrong with this you ask? Well, Ahab had married a woman named Jezebel, Jezebel was the daughter of a man named Eth-baal who was the king of Sidon, thus making him a non Israelite. Eth-baal was also a priest of the false god baal, and as such, he raised his daughter Jezebel to be a worshipper of baal. Ahab and Jezebel also raised their daughter Athaliah to be a worshipper of baal. These fatal flaws by Jehoshaphat will sadly, cause catastrophic results in Judah, as first, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram will eventually murder every one of his brethren so that none of them can lay claim on the throne, then, after he dies and returns Home to Father, his son Ahaziah will take over the reigns of Judah. A man named Jehu, whom Father sends, will kill Ahaziah, when his mother Athaliah hears that her son is dead, she’ll in turn murder all the seed-royal, causing the streets of Judah to “run red with blood,” meaning, she will murder every male in the royal seed-line—in both Houses, the House of Judah and the House of Israel—who could claim kingship. However, unbeknownst to her, she’ll miss one—a child by the name of Joash—but, She’ll reign for seven years until Joash—at the age of 7—is old enough to take over as king of the House of Judah, because the Levitical Priesthood finally did their job and stirred up the People to where they returned their hearts to Father and slew the evil, wicked self-appointed queen. So, as we see, Jehoshaphat sets into motion a very catastrophic set of events.

Jehoshaphat=For a detailed description of Jehoshaphat, including his history, the etymology of his name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of his name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.
Ahab
Ahab=Ahab was the son of Omri—who was the 6th king over the Divided House of Israel. Omri was also an evil king who followed after the ways of Jeroboam the 1st king of the Divided House of Israel. Ahab married a woman named Jezebel who was the daughter of a man named Eth-baal who was the king of Tyre, thus identifying him as a non-Israelite—thus also telling us, that Ahab should have never married this evil woman because of her being a non-Israelite. Eth-baal was also a priest of the false god baal, which tells us that he was a worshipper of baal and he raised his daughter Jezabel to be the same. Some of Ahab’s chatacter traits include his being a weak-minded man, who lacked moral fiber and righteousness; because of such, he was nothing more than a tool for his wife Jezebel. Because of his marriage to Jezebel many evil things happened in Israel: he reintroduced idolatry into the Nation; he had a summer house Jezreel which was next to a man named Naboth who was growing a beautiful vineyard which Ahab desired in order to turn it into a garden of herbs. Ahab asked to buy Naboth’s vineyard, to which Naboth told his king that he could not sell him his vineyard as that parcel of land was his inheritance, and it was against Father and His laws to sell any part of your inheritance. Hearing Naboth deny his request, angered and saddened Ahab and he returned to his palace in Samaria, climbed into his bed pouting. Seeing her husband upset, Jezebel asked him why he was distraught? When Ahab told her that Naboth would not sell or trade his vineyard, Jezebel wrote letters to the elders and nobles in Jezreel, sealing the letters with the king’s seal. These letters were lies that Naboth and his sons had blasphemed the king and his name. Blaspheming the king required those who committed same, be put to death. Jezebel also contacted two men of belial who were willing to lie and say that they heard Naboth blaspheme the king. When a trial was conducted before the elders and nobles, the men of belial told their lies and the elders, nobles and people of Jezreel stoned Naboth and his sons to death, thus allowing Ahab to have Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab also made an affinity with Jehoshaphat the king of the House of Judah, this affinity was an arranged marriage between Ahab’s daughter Athaliah—also raised to be worshipper of baal and not Father YHVH—and Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram. This arranged marriage had catastrophic results for the House of Judah, as because of it, the streets of Jerusalem “ran red with blood” when first Jehoram murdered all his brethren so that they could not lay claim to the throne, and then when his son Ahaziah is killed, Athaliah murderers all the other seed-royal and reigns as queen for seven years until the Priests reveal the youngest son of Ahaziah—Joash—whom they had hid away. † For the etymology of the name Ahab, we read the following in Abarim-Publications: “The name Ahab consists of two elements: The first element of the name Ahab is the curious little word אח ss(יah), probably meaning brother. This word is pronounced with a ch as in Bach (and the name Ahab is therefore to be pronounced as ach-ab, not ey-hab): The final element of the name Ahab is the Hebrew word אב ss(יab), meaning basically father: The name Ahab is a contraction of two main theologies, namely that of God Is Father and God Is Brother. For a meaning of the name Ahab, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Father’s Brother and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads the similar Brother Of The Father. Even Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary takes a shot at it and reads Father’s Brother, but notes that it would have to be an unexplained contraction of אחיאב (Ahayab).”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H256, - אַחְאָב,ss or אֶחָב, - 'ach'âb, or 'echâb, pronounced - akh-awbי or ekh-awbי, and means: The second form used once (by contraction) in Jeremiah 29:22; from H251 and H1; brother (that is, friend) of (his) father; Achab, the name of a king of Israel and of a prophet at Babylon: - Ahab. Total KJV occurrences: 93.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Uncle. Son of Omri, seventh king of Israel. He married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of Tyre; and in obedience to her wishes, caused temple to be built to Baal in Samaria itself; and an oracular grove to be consecrated to Astarte. See (I Kings 18:19) One of Ahab’s chief tastes was for splendid architecture which he showed by building an ivory house and several cities. Desiring to add to his pleasure-grounds at Jezreel the vineyard of his neighbor Naboth, he proposed to buy it or give land in exchange for it; and when this was refused by Naboth in accordance with the Levitical law, (Leviticus 25:23) a false accusation of blasphemy was brought against him, and he was murdered, and Ahab took possession of the coveted fields (II Kings 9:26). Thereupon Elijah declared that the entire extirpation of Ahab’s house was the penalty appointed for his long course of wickedness. [Elijah] The execution, however, of the sentence was delayed in consequence of Ahab’s deep repentance (I Kings 21:1) ... Ahab undertook three campaigns against Ben-hadad II. king of Damascus, two defensive and one offensive. In the first Ben-hadad laid siege to Samaria, but was repulsed with great loss (I Kings 20:1-21) Next year Ben-hadad again invaded Israel by way of Aphek, on the east of Jordan; yet Ahab’s victory was so complete that Ben-hadad himself fell into his hands, but was released contrary to God’s will, (I Kings 20:22-34) on condition of restoring the cities of Israel, and admitting Hebrew commissioners into Damascus. After this great success Ahab enjoyed peace for three years, when he attacked Ramoth in Gilead, on the east of Jordan, in conjunction with Jehoshaphat king of Judah, which town he claimed as belonging to Israel. Being told by the prophet Micaiah that he would fall, he disguised himself, but was slain by “a certain man who drew a bow at a venture.” When buried in Samaria, the dogs licked up his blood as a servant was washing his chariot; a partial fulfillment of Elijah’s prediction, (I Kings 21:19) which was more literally accomplished in the case of his son (II Kings 9:26).”.

                                             18:2 Jehoshaphat’s consent.
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II Chronicles 18:2 And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria (watch station; and, watch mountain) (sho-mer-oneי). And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the People that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead (heights of Gilad; and, heights of Gilead) (ram-othי gil-awdי).   —>   …after certain years…=This phrase is just saying that after Israel had peace with Syria for three years—as chronicled and described in I Kings 22:1—then Jehoshaphat decided he would go up to Samaria—the Capital of the House of Israel where Ahab’s palace was—to meet with Ahab.

…went down…=Let’s grasp what was actually taking place here brethren, as there is much more that transpired than what is stated in this verse. Did you catch the phrase in this verse which keys us in to what Jehoshaphat was actually doing? This “went down,” does not mean that he traveled south, as Judah inhabited the Southern territories, while the House of Israel the Northern territories. The phrase actually means that Jehoshaphat literally lowered his standards by going to visit with, and making an alliance with, one of Israel’s worst kings. It is a good thing that—and this is esoteric in that it is not mentioned here—Jehoshaphat first strengthened himself prior to going and visiting with Ahab. We know he did this as we read of it in I Kings 22 and I Chronicles 17. He had strengthened himself (A) Physically, by (1) placing his militarized forces in all the fenced cities of Judah; and (2) by setting garrisons throughout all Judah; and (B) Spiritually, by drawing closer to Father in that he—like his father Asa before him—(1) sought Father with all his heart in order that his heart was lifted up in the ways of Father; (2) he walked in the ways which Father had prescribed by following Father’s Commandments; (3) he removed the sodomites from the Nation—unlike all three branches of our government today, who only encourage and promote the sodomites, knowing full well, that homosexuality is the leading cause of HIV\AIDS—(4) he gathered his princes—Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel and Michaiah—who organized the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-adonijan—into a Teaching Mission—the first so recorded in all Father’s Word—along with the Priests—Elishama and Jehoram—who then went and taught—this was the Special Function of the Priests—all the People—the Law, and the Book of the Law—throughout all Judah; and (5) he forsook all other gods and idols. Because of all his righteousness, Father Blessed him and strengthened him even further, plus He enriched his kingdom with riches and honor in abundance so that he didn’t have any need for anything. This is all stated in order to show that there was no need of any alliance of any kind with the House of Israel.

And=Notice all the “and(s)” in this verse brethren? The use of multiple and(s) in Father’s Word indicates a polysyndeton. These consecutive or multiple uses of the word and, are used to highlight and emphasize each detail and point.
Ramoth
Ramoth-gilead=Ramoth-gilead was Father’s gift to Israel, it was one of the cities of Refuge—in other words, it was a sanctuary city, whereby, should some one accidentally kill somebody, they could flee to Ramoth-gilead in safety while an investigation and possibly a trial was conducted—a Levitical Priest’s city—compare with Deuteronomy 4:43.

…killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance=The reason Ahab killed these sheep and oxen was to try and seduce—it is stated as persuaded in the verse—Jehoshaphat to go to war against Ben-hadad the king of Syria who had taken some land from the House of Israel. Ahab wants his land back and he knows he doesn’t have the strength in numbers to go it alone.
Samaria
Samaria=There is a lot of history with Samaria in both the Old Testament—111 mentions in 103 verses—and the New Testament—13 mentions in 12 verses. The city—which was on a hill—lie roughly 30 miles north of Jerusalem and approximately 6 miles northeast of Shechem. The first we read of Samaria—in I Kings 13:32—is where we read that there were high places built—places where the people falsely worshipped and\or worshipped false gods and idols. We next read—I Kings 16:24—that Omri the king of the Divided House of Israel bought a piece of land and named it after the man from whom he purchased it, Shemer, which translates out to Samaria. When he died, Omri was buried in Samaria. Omri’s son Ahab, the next king of the House of Israel made Samaria the Capital city for the ten northern Tribes and then turned-around and built an altar to baal there. Ben-hadad the king of Syria, along with 32 other kings with him, besieged Samaria from Ahab, but Ahab was able—because of Father—to fend-off Ben-hadad’s besiegement and attacks twice, and later made a covenant with Ben-hadad and allowed Ben-hadad to return to Syria, against Father’s will. We next read that Ahab died—this came to pass because of his disobedience to Father Who demanded Ben-hadad be killed, Father sent a Prophet to Ahab with a scenario whereby Ahab pronounced judgment upon himself—and was buried in Samaria. One of Father’s servants—a man named Jehu—slew all the rest of Ahab’s descendants in Samaria. Every other king of the House of Israel—all of which only did evil in Father’s eyes—reigned, ruled and then died and were buried in Samaria up until the king of Assyria came and carried the House of Israel away captive; he then installed people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim; who remained in the city until the time of our Lord Jesus Christ walked in the flesh. It was in one of the suburbs of Samaria where He sat on the wall of the well of Jacob, where a woman from Samaria came to the well to draw water from the well, and He said to her, “Give Me to drink.” He used this woman to convert many of the people of Samaria. † For the etymology of the name Samaria, we read the following in Abarim-Publications: “The name Samaria comes from the verb שמר (shamar), meaning to keep, guard, observe or give heed: The name Samaria, or rather: Shomron, is formed by means of the familiar ון (waw-nun) extension, which personifies or localizes the root. When king Omri bought the hill Samaria (or Shomron), he named it after the man he bought it from, namely Shemer. Shomron therefore literally means Shemer’s Place, but it’s reasonable to assume that to the locals the name Shomron quickly obtained the meaning of Place Of Watching, or something to that extent. For a meaning of the name Samaria, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Watchtower and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has A Watch Mountain. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary doesn’t interpret Shomron beyond Belonging To Clan Shemer.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H8111, - שֹׁמְרוֹן, - shômerôn, pronounced - sho-mer-oneי, and means: From the active particle of H8104; watch station; Shomeron, a place in Palestine: - Samaria. Total KJV occurrences: 109.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: The information in the Smith’s Bible Dictionary is too extensive and long to put in here, so I’ll instead put the link to it: Click here.
Ramoth-gilead
Ramoth-gilead=Ramoth-gilead was a great and strong city east of the Jordan River, it was key to an important district and was a refuge city in the territory of Gad. Ramoth-gilead also played an important part in the wars of Israel, most notably, when Jehoshaphat joined affinity and alliance with Ahab in an endeavour to rescue it from the hands of Ben-hadad the king of Syria, and Ahab was mortally wounded. Later, a similar attempt was made by Ahaziah of the House of Judah and Joram of the House of Israel, and Joram, like Ahab, suffered a similar fate. It was in Ramoth-gilead that Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, was anointed by one of the sons of the prophets. † For the etymology of the name Ramoth-gilead, we read the following in Abarim-Publications: “The name Ramoth is either a plural form of the name Ramah, or an older spelling of the same. Both come from the verb רום (rum), meaning to be high: For a meaning of the name Ramoth, New Open Bible Study Edition(NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads the plural High Places and Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary has Heights. Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) appears to take Ramoth to be just an alternate spelling of the name Ramah, and reads the singular Lofty Place for both.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H7433, - רָמֹת גִּלְעָד,ss or רָמוֹת גִּלְעָד, - râmôth gil‛âd, or râmôth gil‛âd, pronounced - ram-othי gil-awdי and means: From the plural of H7413 and H1568; heights of Gilad; Ramoth Gilad, a place East of the Jordan: - Ramoth-gilead, Ramoth in Gilead. See also H7216. Total KJV occurrences: 20.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Heights of Gilead. One of the great fastnesses on the east of Jordan, and the key to an important district I Kings 4:13. It was the city of refuge for the tribe of Gad, Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8; 21:38, and the residence of one of Solomon’s commissariat officers I Kings 4:13. During the invasion related in I Kings 15:20, or some subsequent incursion, this important place had been seized by Ben-hadad I, king of Syria. The incidents of Ahab’s expedition are well known. [Ahab]. Later it was taken by Israel, and held in spite of all the efforts of Hazael, who was now on the throne of Damascus, to regain it II Kings 9:14. Henceforward Ramoth-gilead disappears from our view. Eusebius and Jerome specify the position of Ramoth as 15 miles from Philadelphia (Ammân). It may correspond to the site bearing the name of Jel˒âd, exactly identical with the ancient Hebrew Gilead, which is four or five miles north of es-Salt, 25 miles east of the Jordan and 13 miles south of the brook Jabbok.”.

                                                 18:3 Alliance, military
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II Chronicles 18:3 And Ahab king of Israel (he will rule as YAH; or, the prince that prevails with YAH) (Yis-raw-aleי) (secondary map) said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah (celebrated; and, praised, celebrated) (yeh-hoo-dawי), “Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as thou art, and my People as thy People; and we will be with thee in the war.”   —>   Ahab asks Jehoshaphat if he and the House of Judah will go to war with him and the House of Israel against king Ben-hadad and the Syrians? Jehoshaphat initially responds by saying that he and his People are brothers to Ahab and the House of Israel, which is a true statement on the face of things, as both Houses are from the seed-line of Jacob; however, Father divided the two Houses and both are to stay separate and not reunite until Ezekiel 37 comes to pass. What happens in Ezekiel 37? That is when Jesus Returns for His Second Advent and the “two sticks” are then brought back together.

There is a verse missing here which is included in the parallel verse to this in I Kings 22:3, which reads: I Kings 22:3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, “Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?”   —>   …Ramah is ours…=As I stated in my commentary of verse 18:2 above, click here—originally Ramoth was given to the Tribe of Judah and further subdivided to the Tribe of Gad, where it was also established as one of the Cities of Refuge. It had been captured and taken over by Ben-hadad’s father Tabrimon several years previous, and then when Ahab defeated Ben-hadad in I Kings 20, Ben-hadad had promised to restore it back to Israel, that has now been three years ago, and it still has not been returned. So, now, Ahab is trying to show how tough he is in front of his daughter’s father-in-law; therefore, he now, in front of Jehoshaphat, tells his servants that it’s time to “take it” back from Ben-hadad. What he really is declaring, is another war against Ben-hadad and Syria. The real reason Ahab is being so bold and talking this “smack,” is because he figures that since Jehoshaphat is there—and they are joined together via marriage—Jehoshaphat really has no choice but to say, “yes,” to what is about to be asked of him.

Though Jehoshaphat initially says that he and the House of Judah are as Ahab and the House of Israel, Jehoshaphat will at least make one correct decision before proceeding further: he’ll tell Ahab to seek the counsel of Father first.

Israel=For a detailed description of Israel, including his birth, his and the Nation’s history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.

Judah=For a detailed description of Judah, including the Tribes history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.

                                       18:4-27 Jehoshaphat’s anxiety.
                                       18:4-27 JEHOSHAPHAT’S ANXEITY. (Introversions
                                          and Alternations)
                                       18:4 Jehoshaphat, inquiry.
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II Chronicles 18:4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, “Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.”   —>   Jehoshaphat telling Ahab to first seek the counsel of Father, shows his consciousness that what Ahab wants him to do, may not be on the up-and-up. In either case, this is always a good idea to seek the counsel of Father whenever we are presented with a major decision. Jehoshaphat should have taken his own counsel even before leaving Jerusalem and going to visit with Ahab. For his part, Ahab would have never even considered seeking the counsel of Father YHVH, his thoughts were nowhere near Father or what He thought. For Jehoshaphat’s part, he should have heeded his own advice before he married off his son to Israel’s worst king and queen.

The LORD=This Title of Father as used here in this verse, is Father in His Role of יְהֹוָה, YHVH—from Dr. Bullinger’s Companion Bible Appendices: YHVH, YAHVEH, or YEHOVAH—the sacred and personal name of Father. While Elohim is God as the Creator of all things, YEHOVAH is the same God in covenant relation to those whom He has created (compare II Chronicles 18:31). YEHOVAH means the Eternal, the Immutable One, He Who WAS, and IS, and IS TO COME. The Divine definition is given in Genesis 21:33. He is especially, therefore, the God of Israel; and the God of those who are redeemed, and are thus now “in Christ”. We can say “My God,” but not “My YEHOVAH,” for YEHOVAH is “MY God.”.

                                                     18:5 Ahab, compliance.
1A5
II Chronicles 18:5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, “Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?” And they said, “Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.”   —>   Ahab gathered his four hundred prophets; but, he didn’t tell them to seek the counsel of Father, he just asked them if they thought he should go to war against Syria in order to take back the territories Ben-hadad had promised to restore to him. They replied saying, yes, go to war against Syria, for God will give you the victory Ahab. There is only one problem here brethren: these are not prophets of Father YHVH, they are prophets of the false god baal. We read back in I Kings 18, that Father’s Prophet Elijah had taken Jezebel’s 450 priests of baal up to Mount Carmel and challenged them to prove whether baal be a real god or not, and when baal failed to appear, or answer their call, he had the People slay all 450 of them. Jezebel had also had 400 prophets of baal, and that is who these 400 prophets whom Ahab is seeking counsel of. These false prophets were appointed by Jezebel when she set up that the grove worship which she brought with her from her native Tyre, and once she established this worship in Israel, she then demanded that all Israel worship her false gods and idols. These prophets had taken on the title, “prophets of God” in order that by their title they would be accepted by the people. They were sort of like the hirelings—read that: preacher, minister, reverend, etc.—who are behind many pulpits today, for the only thing that matters to them is that the people are pleased and keep on coming and putting money in the plates. They are taught what to say in their seminaries, and the denominations can count on them to be faithful to their traditions. The one thing that Ahab could count on here, was that these prophets would always try to please him, no matter what the cause. Of course Ahab knew that these 400 men were nothing but hired servants which would tell him only what he wanted to hear. Ahab accepts these men’s babblings; however, pay attention to what Jehoshaphat says next.

                                       18:6 Jehoshaphat, further inquiry.
1A6
II Chronicles 18:6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?”   —>   Jehoshaphat asks Ahab, isn’t there just one Prophet of Father YHVH here that we might inquire of? He isn’t impressed in any way, shape, or form with Ahab’s false prophets; nor with anything they have to say, as he knows that they are speaking falsely and not of Father YHVH. Jehoshaphat then asks Ahab where the True Prophets of Father YHVH are in order that he and Ahab seek Father for an answer as to whether they should go to war against Ben-hadad, and whether He will give the victory into their hand—of course, he should have known better than to ask, as he knew that the Levites and True Prophets for the most part had been kicked out of the Northern Territories all the way back to the time of Jeroboam; and those who had survived him, when Ahab took over the nation and married Jezebel, she was killing off every one she found in the nation.

Again, I remind you brethren, Jehoshaphat should have heeded his own advice, as you can see by what he’s telling Ahab here, that he knew, that if the word did not come from Father YHVH; then it was not to be trusted, and that is as it should be, no matter which generation you live in. This is true especially in our generation, for whenever any preacher, minister, reverend, or whatever their title, if they don’t teach or speak Father’s Word—as it is written—then, if you accept their word, you, my friend, are asking for trouble. Father told us what He thinks, and how to identify those whom He supports, it was all written down by his prophets right here in His Word.

                                                        18:7 Ahab’s reply.
1A7
II Chronicles 18:7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah (who (is) like YAH; and, who is like YAH) (me-kaw-yehי-hoo) the son of Imla (full; and, whom YAH will fill up) (yeem-lawי).” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”   —>   Aww, poor ole Ahab! After Jehoshaphat asks him where all the True Prophets are, Ahab’s first response is to say, yeah, there is still one True Prophet of Father YHVH’S here in Israel; however, I won’t seek his counsel, as he doesn’t like me and will only prophesy what Father wants me to hear, not, what I want to hear.

Ahab’s feeling toward Micaiah is pretty much the way many of the denominational kurch houses of today feel toward those who teach Father’s Word Chapter-by-chapter, Verse-by-verse, and Book-by-book, with understanding. We’re not popular amongst the kurch goers. Why? Because they hold their denominational doctrines, traditions of man and other sacred cows—which go against Father’s Word—far too close to their heart; and if you teach Father’s True Word, you are considered to be attacking the very things that they hold dear and sacred. They are what I call the “go along to get along crowd,” they don’t like to offend anybody. You see them, they vote with the liberal party, you know, the party who three times during the 2012 presidential election, initially voted to “GET GOD OUT of the party;” they vote for those who support abortion — when it is Father Who Blesses the womb; they vote for those who support the homosexual agenda — when Father calls homosexuality an abomination. Ahab too had his sacred cows and heathen rites; and those traditions were dear to him. Father’s Prophet told Ahab exactly what Father thought of him and his sticks of wood idols, every time they met. Of course, Ahab hated Father’s prophets, because those prophets spoke evil of the heathen gods of Ahab, just like the hireling preachers will speak evil of you when you bring their heathen traditions to light. If you are a teacher, then teach Father’s Word and teach it with understanding, just as it was written. When you do this, Father has promised you that He will bless you for it.

…I hate him…=I have always hated him. True Prophets of Father YHVH are always hated by Father’s enemies.

Let not the king say so=There are two ways we can read this reply of Jehoshaphat’s to Ahab, either: (1) Jehoshaphat is telling Ahab to not speak in such a manner, as it isn’t true; or (2) he is being sarcastic—which is the way I like to interpret this—meaning, he is more or less saying, “say it ain’t so” Ahab, lol.
Micaiah
Micaiah=Micaiah was the son of a man named Imla—as he identified in II Chronicles 18 and Imlah in I Kings 22—and was a Prophet of Father YHVH’S during the reign and rule of one of Israel’s worst kings: Ahab. He is only ever mentioned of prophesying during the time of Ahab, and against Ahab; so we know nothing else of the man, except to say that after prophesying against Ahab, Ahab had him thrown in prison. His prophesy of course, came true, and Ahab died in battle against Ben-hadad and the syrians. † For the etymology of the name Micaiah, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The name Micaiah consists of three parts: 1) מי (mi), the common inquisitive particle that seeks after identity: who? 2) כ (ke), common particle of comparison: like, as: 3) יה (yah), the abbreviate form of יהוה, or YHVH. The name Michaiah (Who Is Like Yah) and the name Michael (Who Is Like El) are thus quite similar and it is peculiar why Michael became such a popular name in modern times while Michaiah is largely forgotten. Perhaps this is because of Michael the famous archangel, and the fact that not many people know that the name Micah is the accepted abbreviated form of Michaiah (much like our Bill for William). “To the Lord our God they will come in dread, and they will be afraid before Thee. Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity...?” — Micah 7:17-18. For a meaning of the name Michaiah, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Who Is Like Yahveh? Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads the curious Who Is Like Unto The Lord?”. † Now from the Strong’s concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H4321, - מִיכָיְהוּ,ss or מִכָיְהוּ, - mı̂ykâyehû, or mikâyehû, pronounced - me-kaw-yeh-hooי or me-kaw-yeh-hooי, and means: Abbreviated for H4322; who (is) like YAH; Mikajah, the name of three Israelites: - Micah, Micaiah, Michaiah. Total KJV occurrences: 20.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Who is like YAH. Micaiah, the son of Imlah, was a prophet of Samaria, who in the last year of the reign of Ahab king of Israel predicted his defeat and death, I Kings 22:1-35; II Chronicles 18:8.”.
Imla
Imla=Imla—as he identified in II Chronicles 18 and Imlah in I Kings 22—was the father of Father’s Prophet Micaiah during the reign and rule of one of Israel’s worst kings: Ahab. The only time he is ever mentioned—4 times: I Kings 22:8,9 and II Chronicles 18:7,8—is of his being Micaiah’s father; so we know nothing else of the man. † For the etymology of the name Imla, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The author of the Book of Kings spells the name of Micaiah’s father with a final he: ימלה; Imlah, but the Chronicler spells it with a final aleph: ימלא; Imla'. The name Imlah appears to be an active form of either of the verbs מלל (malal) or מלא (mala'): For a meaning of the name Imla(h), New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Fullness and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has He Will Fill Up. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary does not interpret the name Imlah but does list it under the verb מלא (mala'), meaning to fill or fulfill.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3229, - יִמְלָא,ss or יִמְלָה, - yimlâ', or yimlâh, pronounced - yeem-lawי or yim-lawי, and means: From H4390; full; Jimla or Jimlah, an Israelite: - Imla, Imlah. Total KJV occurrences: 4.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Whom YAH will fill up. Father or progenitor of Micaiah the prophet II Chronicles 18:7, 8. The form Imlah is employed in the parallel narrative I Kings 22:8, 9.”.

                                   18:8 Micaiah, the True Prophet, sent for.
1A8
II Chronicles 18:8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, “Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.”   —>   Ahab complied with Jehoshaphat’s request to hear from one of Father’s Prophets in order to hear what Father had to say, so he sent for Micaiah to be brought before them.

                                             18:9 False prophets. Zedekiah.
1A9
II Chronicles 18:9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.   —>   Ahab and Jehoshaphat both put on their kingly robes in order to appear “oh so look at us high and mighty” before all the prophets and the People, then they both gather where Ahab had set-up their kingly thrones, and don’t overlook this phrase “void place” as it means “a threshing floor, or a wide open place,” and basically, what Ahab did was cleared and partitioned off an area right before the seat of judgment at the gate of Samaria in order that as many prophets as possible could come and prophesy the “good news” of the supposed victory that he and Jehoshaphat were about to achieve. The only problem is brethren, these are the false prophets, and they are prophesying falsely. They should have sought Father as He would have told them to tell Ahab of his impending death.

Void place=Let’s take a closer look at this “void place” and put it into today’s perspective. In the Strong’s Concordance, it is Hebrew word number: H1637, - גּרן, - gôren, pronounced - goי-ren, and means: From an unused root meaning to smooth; a threshing floor (as made even); by analogy any open area: - (barn, corn, threshing-) floor, (threshing-, void) place. Total KJV occurrences: 36.. So in other words, as I said, if we were to put what Ahab had his 400 false prophets doing—i.e., 400 prophets prophesying at one time in a large open place—it would many of our so called kurch houses today who love to hold their big “revivals,” with many of their “super-preachers” all working up the congregant’s emotions in order to get them ready to go to battle with the enemy. But, here in II Chronicles 18:9 and back in I Kings 22:10 the enemy was not satan, but the Syrians. These priests knew beforehand what needed to be said and they followed their orders to please their master king Ahab. Boy do we see this going on today with all the false preachers all saying, “God gave them special instruction,” all in order to make themselves look “oh so holy” when all the time what come out of their mouths goes directly against Father’s Word. The problem with this brethren, is that, when you listen to what any of them say, you then become the fool. Turn your TV on on any Sunday morning and you can listen to their babblings, and that is all it is — babbling, no better than what these false prophets were telling Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Think also brethren of the “revival” that’ll be taking place at the end of this Age when satan is here in his role of pretend-to-be-jesus and all those who are not intimately knowledgeable in Father’s Word, believe satan to be the true jesus, until that is, the True Christ does return for His Second Advent.

                                               18:10 False prophets. Zedekiah.
1A10
II Chronicles 18:10 And Zedekiah (right of YAH; and, justice of YHVH) (tsid-kee-yawי-hoo) the son of Chenaanah (humiliated; and, merchant) (ken-ah-an-awי) had made him horns of iron, and said, “Thus saith the LORD, ‘With these thou shalt push Syria (From the same as H758 the highland; Aram; and, elevated; to be high) (arawmי) until they be consumed.’s”   —>   Brethren, you an think of this Zedekiah as one of those today who stands before their congregations and proclaim that, “God has spoken to me and this is what He wants me to tell you.” These people think themselves to be in a higher spiritual position than you. Brethren, if Father laid it upon your heart to do something and He changes what He wants you to do, He will tell you; He won’t now send someone else to deliver a message to you. You can also this of this Zedekiah as the old, lying or false prophet of I Kings 13:11-34 who deceived Father’s True—disobedient—Prophet, thereby causing his death. But, here, this Zedekiah not only spoke as if he was more holy than any of the other prophets, he even went so far as to go and fashion a pair of “horns of iron” in a symbolic gesture, saying that Ahab would push back and defeat Ben-hadad for the third consecutive time, much the same way Moses was passing on the Blessing from Joseph to Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 33:17, which reads: Deuteronomy 33:17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.   —>   This promise by Moses though, was based upon their faithfulness and fidelity to Father.
Zedekiah
Zedekiah=Zedekiah was a false prophet of whom we can read of in I Kings 22:11,24 and II Chronicles 18:10,23; we also read in these verses that his father’s name was Chenaanah. What we read in these verses is all we know of this man, i.e., that he was a lying, false prophet who fashioned “horns of iron” and told Ahab that “he would push Syria until they be consumed;” and later smote Father’s True Prophet Micaiah on the cheek. † For the etymology of the name Zedekiah, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The name Zedekiah consists of two elements. The first part of our name comes from the verb צדק (sadeq), meaning to be just: The second part of the name Zedekiah is formed from the appellative יה (Yah) = יהו (Yahu) = יו (Yu), which are abbreviated forms of the Tetragrammaton; the name of the Lord: YHVH. For a meaning of the name Zedekiah, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List reads Yahveh Is Righteousness. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has Justice Of The Lord, and Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary says Yah Is Righteousness.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H6667, - צִדְקִיָּה,ss or צִדְקִיָּהוּ, - tsidqı̂yâh, or tsidqı̂yâhû, pronounced - tsid-kee-yawי or tsid-kee-yawי-hoo, and means: From H6664 and H3050; right of YAH; Tsidkijah, the name of six Israelites: - Zedekiah, Zidkijah. Total KJV occurrences: 62.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Justice of YHVH. Son of Chenaanah, a false prophet at the court of Ahab, head, or, if not head, virtual leader, of the college. He appears but once, viz. as spokesman when the prophets are consulted by Ahab on the result of his proposed expedition to Ramoth-gilead I Kings 22; II Chronicles 18. Zedekiah had prepared himself for the interview with a pair of iron horns, with which he illustrated the manner in which Ahab should drive the Syrians before him. When Micaiah the prophet of the Lord appeared and had delivered his prophecy, Zedekiah sprang forward and struck him a blow on the fact, accompanying it by a taunting sneer.”.
Chenaanah
Chenaanah=The only thing we know of Chenaanah, is that he was the father of the false, lying prophet Zedekiah, who had falsely prophesied to Ahab in I Kings 22:11,24 and II Chronicles 18:10,23, telling him that he would be the victor over Ben-hadad and the Syrians. † For the etymology of the name Chenaanah, we read the following in Abarim Publications: “The name Chenaanah is the feminine form of the name Canaan, and both are similar to the verb כנע (kanaי), meaning to be humbled or harnessed: For a meaning of the name Chenaanah, New Open Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List merely reads “feminine form of Canaan”. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names says Merchant, and explains this with the colorful One Who Bends The Knee. Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary does not translate this name.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3668, - כְּנַעֲנָה, - kena‛ănâh, pronounced - ken-ah-an-awי, and means: Feminine of H3667; humiliated; Kenaanah, the name of two Israelites: - Chenaanah. Total KJV occurrences: 5.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Merchant. Father or ancestor of Zedekiah the false prophet I Kings 22:11, 24; II Chronicles 18:10, 23.”.

Syria=For a detailed description of Syria, including the Nations history, the etymology of the name, the Strong’s Concordance definition of the name, and the Smith’s Bible Dictionary information, click here.

                                             18:11 False prophets. All.
1A11
II Chronicles 18:11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.”   —>   With Zedekiah leading this charge with his “horns of iron,” all the other prophets of this side-show join in as one voice behind him, telling Ahab to go and make war against Ben-hadad, as surely God was going to give him the victory just as He had the first two times.

Brethren, these false prophets saying Father told them to tell Ahab that he would have the victory is an outright lie; and what does Father think of those who lie in His name saying He said something when in fact He did not? You can read of it in Ezekiel 13.

The other thing these 400 false prophets are either not thinking of, or are forgetting, is, what is going to befall them when ole Ahab is slain on the battlefield. They’ll all be scattering like cockroaches from Jezebel when she finds out they told the king to go against Ben-hadad, as surely he’ll have the victory. These false prophets may have been her false prophets; but, that won’t stop her from killing them, like she killed off all Father’s True Prophets, she’ll just get herself some new ones. Of course, she’ll not have them long, as she won’t be for this Age much longer herself.

                                             18:12 Micaiah, True Prophet brought.
1A12
II Chronicles 18:12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.”   —>   Remember back in verse v22:9 that Ahab had sent his officer to go and get Micaiah after Jehoshaphat had asked if there was at least one True Prophet of Father YHVH? Well, we return to this officer now, and what do we find him doing and saying? Once he gets to Micaiah, he tells Micaiah that all 400 of Ahab’s false prophets are speaking with one voice—for good for the king—and he too would do well to join them in speaking well for upcoming battle. What will Micaiah do? Will he join in and speak with one assent, or will be speak what Father says to say? Micaiah is a True Prophet, and as such, he’ll only speak truth.

                                             18:13 Micaiah, True Prophet brought.
1A13
II Chronicles 18:13 And Micaiah said, “As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.”   —>   After listening to this officer of Ahab’s tell him, that all Ahab’s false prophets are advising Ahab and Jehoshaphat to go to war against Ben-hadad and Syria, and that he should follow suit; Micaiah then tells the eunuch that no matter what Ahab wants, he’ll only speak what Father YHVH lays upon his heart to speak.

As the LORD liveth=This is an oath by Micaiah, the strongest anyone can make.

Even what my God saith, that will I speak=Many of the denominational preachers of today, would do well to follow Micaiah’s lead here, as today, either they are Biblically illiterate, or, they just don’t read Father’s Word. I say this because, far too many kurch leaders and preachers of today, do not follow the tenets of Father; but, rather, the traditions of man, and the followings of their own hearts. They are too busy trying to be men pleasers and not pleasers of Father Whom they claim they speak for and represent.

                                             18:14 Ahab, inquires of Micaiah.
                                             18:14 Micaiah’s answer, patronizing.
1A14
II Chronicles 18:14 And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?”
And he said, “Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.”   —>   Upon being presented before Ahab and Jehoshaphat and asked by Ahab as to whether they should go to war against Ben-hadad, Micaiah replies with the exact words that he was told by Ahab’ officer to say; however, it was in a patronizing, sarcastic voice, “sure king Ahab, go and prosper, for the LORD shall deliver it into thy hand.”

Had you noticed, when Ahab asked him, he asked “Micaiah, shall I go against Ramoth-gilead…?” He didn’t ask Micaiah to seek Father YHVH’S counsel as to whether they should go to war; just like when he asked his prophets.

                                      18:15 Ahab, inquiry of Micaiah adjured.
1A15
II Chronicles 18:15 And the king said to him, “How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?”   —>   Ahab knew that Micaiah was belittling him and fires right back, asking Micaiah how many times he has to charge, command, or order Micaiah to tell him what Father YHVH has told him to tell him. Of course, that is what Micaiah had been previously been telling Ahab; but, Ahab to this point hasn’t wanted to hear the truth, he only wanted to hear what he wanted to hear. He reminds me of a petulant child in a store begging his parents for something, and when they don’t bow to that child’s desires, that child throws a temper-tantrum.

                                      18:16-27 Micaiah’s serious answer.
                                      18:16-27 MICAIAH’S SERIOUS ANSWER.
                                        (Repeated Alternation.)
                                      18:16 Vision, seen.
                                      18:16 Communicated.
1A16
II Chronicles 18:16 Then he said, “I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace.’s”   —>   Micaiah now tells Ahab and Jehoshaphat exactly what Father lay on his heart and showed him in a vision what was to become of Ahab and Israel’s war-fighters should Ahab continue to be obstinate and push to go to war against Ben-hadad and Syria: he does this by way of an analogy, and in this analogy, Ahab as king of Israel will be likened to a shepherd, and Israel’s war-fighters the shepherd’s sheep; and he then tells Ahab that the sheep are going to be scattered, because they had lost their shepherd. In layman’s terms Micaiah just told Ahab what Elijah had already told him in I Kings 21:19, i.e., that “Ahab is going to be killed and the dogs will lick up his blood,” and then he adds on this caveat: Israel’s war-fighters are going to flee and scatter before the Syrian war-fighters.

…scattered upon the mountains…=Micaiah was specifically speaking of Ramoth-gilead when he said this concerning the vision he had had.

                                                       18:17 Understood.
                                                       18:17 Communicated.
1A17
II Chronicles 18:17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?”   —>   After hearing what Micaiah tells him concerning what Father YHVH had told him to tell Ahab—Father’s pronounced death sentence upon him—Ahab again doesn’t like hearing what he hears, because it wasn’t what he wanted to hear; so, he then looks at and tells Jehoshaphat, that true to form, Micaiah only prophesies negatively against him.

                                                       18:18-21 Vision seen.
                                                       18:18-21 Communicated.
1A18
II Chronicles 18:18 Again he said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and on His left.   —>   Micaiah now tells Ahab that he had a another vision, and in this vision he saw all the sons of The Eternal Father YHVH—both those who had not yet been born in the flesh and were still awaiting their time, and those who had been born into this Age and have already returned Home to Father—standing beside Father, some on His left-hand side and some on His right-hand side.
1A19
II Chronicles 18:19 And the LORD said, ‘Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.   —>   Check out this word entice—in I Kings 22:20 it is “persuade,” however, they are the same Hebrew word—in your Strong’s Concordance brethren, as it is Hebrew word number: H6601, - פּתה, - pathah, pronounced - paw-thawי, and means: A primitive root, to open, that is, be (causatively make) roomy; usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively make) simple or (in a sinister way;) delude: - allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one). Total KJV occurrences: 28.. So in other words, Father has gathered all His Children together in order to seek their counsel as to who and how they are going to cause Ahab to go to war in order that Father’s Prophesy comes to pass and Ahab gets killed on the battlefield.

Do you grasp the gravity of what is taking place here brethren? Father has gathered all His Children together in order to discuss with them how to cause one of His Children in the flesh to do something, in order that he gets killed and returns Home to Father. I don’t know about you brethren; but, I Pray I never become such a one as to fall into this category as Ahab, where Father gathers all the host together and discusses with them as to how and who is going to entice me to do something in order to cause me to return Home in such a manner. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with going Home, I just don't want to ever be on Father’s bad side as Ahab is here, where He gathers all the rest of the host together to conspire against me.
1A20
II Chronicles 18:20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said unto him, ‘Wherewith?’   —>   This spirit—Hebrew word number: H7307, - רוּחַ, - rûach, pronounced - rooי-akh, and means: From H7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions): - air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y). Total KJV occurrences: 378.; so in other words, it was one of the angels, one of Father’s host—which came forth from all the host, said that it would be a false, deceiving spirit which would entice Ahab’s false prophets, and Ahab himself. This spirit will be able to manifest itself to appear to Ahab’s false prophets and Ahab himself, it will look authentic, and it will tell them exactly what they want to hear; only, it will not be the truth.
1A21
II Chronicles 18:21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.’   —>   So, upon hearing this Child of His explain how he’ll go and entice all Ahab’s false prophets to continue to lie to him about Ahab having the victory over Ben-hadad and Syria; Father likes and agrees to his plan, and tells him to “carry-on.” This illustrates quite well II Thessalonians 2:9-12, with which we can compare this verse, and it, with Ezekiel 14:9, which reads: Ezekiel 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel..

                                                       18:22 Interpreted.
                                                       18:22 Communicated.
1A22
II Chronicles 18:22 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.”   —>   Micaiah, having been granted knowledge of what had happened, now relays this information to both Ahab and Jehoshaphat in order to try and make them understand why Ahab’s 400 false prophets have been telling him, “to go up and war against Ben-hadad.” They received their false word from the spirit whom Father granted to come to those false prophets in order to try and persuade Ahab to go to war, in order Father’s Prophesy come to pass and that he be killed and return Home to Father. Will Ahab and Jehoshaphat accept this information from Micaiah and take heed?

                                                       18:23 Zedekiah.
                                                       18:23 Received.
1A23
II Chronicles 18:23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, “Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?”   —>   Upon hearing Micaiah tell Ahab and Jehoshaphat that Father send one of His spirits to lie to and deceive Zedekiah and the other 399 false prophets, Zedekiah doesn’t like the sound of what he hears. So, he then commits his grave error by going over to Father’s True Prophet, smacking him on the cheek, while at the same time asking Micaiah to prophesy which way the spirit then went. This reminds me of Mark 14:63 and following, where the high priest’s guards were detaining Jesus after He had been questioned by the high priest, and upon answering nothing, the high priest said Jesus was a blasphemer and his men then covered Jesus’ face in order to spit on Him and smite Him, and asked Him to prophesy who it was that spit and smote Him.

Brethren, this Zedekiah did not appreciate, in any way shape or form, Micaiah calling him a liar right in front of the king. It is no different today, for we who teach the Truth in Father’s Word, if you say the truth and it hurts the false preachers of today, they react in the exact same manner, they’ll smite you, and that you can count on. Remember what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:39? When they smite you on one cheek, then turn the other cheek and allow them to smite that cheek also. So many people mis-read\mis-teach this verse, and think that if anybody just walks up to you and smacks you, you are to turn the other cheek; but, that was not what Jesus was teaching them and us. He was teaching them and us, that should you, during the course of your teaching, offend one of the false preachers with the truth in Father’s Word and they reach out and strike you, then you have overloaded their donkey-cart, therefore, you should offer them your other cheek, because they were not yet ready to receive that Truth.

                                                         18:24 Micaiah.
                                                         18:24 Received.
1A24
II Chronicles 18:24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.”   —>   After being slapped by Zedekiah, Micaiah looked at him dead in the eye and told him, that when Father’s wrath comes for him via the Holy Spirit, he’ll be running from chamber to chamber in order to try and hide himself, all to no avail, as you cannot hide from Father YHVH. This too will come to pass shortly after Ahab gets killed, as Jezebel will enact her revenge upon all of these 400 false prophets who falsely told her husband to go to war against Ben-hadad, for he shall surely have the victory.

                                                            18:25 Ahab.
                                                            18:25 Received.
1A25
II Chronicles 18:25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon (From H539, probably in the sense of training; skilled, that is, an architect (like H542); and, builder) (aw-moneי) the governor of the city, and to Joash (YHVH fired; and, to whom YHVH hastens i.e, to help) (yo-awshי) the king’s son;   —>   After listening to and again not liking what Micaiah had to say, Ahab summoned his officer in order to have Micaiah taken back to his son Joash in Samaria and have him put back into the prison the officer had gotten him from to bring him before Ahab and Jehoshaphat.

…carry him back…=In other words, put Micaiah back into the prison from where this officer fetched him when he brought him before the two kings.
Amon
Amon=Amon was the governor of Samaria under the reign and rule of Ahab, King of Israel I Kings 22:26; II Chronicles 18:26. He was told by Ahab to re-imprison Micaiah whom had prophesied unfavorable but True words by Father YHVH as to what would eventually become of Ahab, i.e., he would be killed in battle against the Syrians. † For the etymology of the name Amon, we read the folllowing in Abarim Publications: “The Hebrew name Amon comes from the verb אמן ss(יaman), meaning to support or confirm: For a meaning of the name Amon, Brown Driver Briggs (BDB) Theological Dictionary and New Oen Bible Study Edition (NOBSE) Study Bible Name List both read Master Workman. Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names also derives the Hebrew name Amon from the verb אמן ss(יaman) but arrives at A Nourisher or A Nurse.”. † Now from the Strong’s Concordance, where we find that it is Hebrew word number: H526, - אָמוֹן, - 'âmôn, pronounced - aw-moneי, and means: From H539, probably in the sense of training; skilled, that is, an architect (like H542): one brought up. Total KJV occurrences: 17.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “Builder. One of Ahab’s governors I Kings 22:26; II Chronicles 18:25.”.
Joash
Joash=Joash was a younger son of Ahab, King of Israel. He is only mentioned in Father’s Word in I Kings 22:26 and II Chronicles 18:26. As such we know nothing of the man except that he lived in Samaria, was in charge of smaller jurisdiction of same, and was instrumental in the jailing of Father’s Prophet Micaiah for telling the Truth in prophesying concerning Joash’s father Ahab and his dying in battle against the Syrians. † Abarim Publications does not provide an Etymology for the name Joash and as such, neither can I. † From the Strong’s Concordance, we find that it is Hebrew word number: H3101, - יוֹאָשׁ,ss or יֹאָשׁ, - yô'âsh, or yô'âsh, pronounced - yo-awshי or yo-awshי, and means: A form of H3060; YHVH fired; Joash, the name of six Israelites: - Joash. Total KJV occurrences: 46.. † Now from the Smith’s Bible Dictionary, where we read: “To whom YHVH hastens. Apparently a younger son of Ahab, who held a subordinate jurisdiction in the lifetime of his father I Kings 22:26; II Chronicles 18:25.”.

                                                            18:26 Ahab.
                                                            18:26 Received.
1A26
II Chronicles 18:26 And say, ‘Thus saith the king, ‘Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.’s’s”   —>   So, not only was Micaiah being put back into his prison cell; but, Ahab put out the word that he should only be fed with bread and water until he returns from battle victorious against Ben-hadad. Micaiah is going to be eating bread and drinking water in his prison cell a long time, as Ahab will not be returning from battle victorious. Being fed bread and water while in prison is a common punishment even in our time today. Bread gives the stomach something to digest, while water sustains the body. On a Spiritual note, there is nothing wrong with being fed with the Bread of Life and Living Waters. Though this bread of affliction is so stated, as it means bread of distress, and is given because of its poor quality and small portion.

…Put this fellow…=Dr. Bullinger notes in his Companion Bible, that 11 kings and rulers were thus offended: (1) pharaoh against Moses in Exodus 10:28; (2) Balak against Balaam in Numbers 24:11; (3) Jeroboam against the Man of God in I Kings 13:4; (4) Ahab against Micaiah in I Kings 22:27; (5) Naaman against Elisha in II Kings 5:12; (6) Asa against the seer in II Chronicles 16:10; (7) the People of Judah against Zechariah and Father in II Chronicles 24:21; (8) Uzziah against the priests in II Chronicles 26:19; (9) Jehoiakim against Urijah in Jeremiah 26:21; (10) Zedekiah against Jeremiah in 32:3; and finally Herod against John the Baptist in Matthew 14:3. As we can see, things haven’t changed much, as there is not much support today either for those who teach Father’s Word with Truth and Understanding. You can expect the same insults, tribulation, and it’s getting close to jail-time when you step on their sacred cows, traditions of man, and doctrines of devils.

                                                            18:27 Micaiah.
                                                            18:27 Received.
1A27
II Chronicles 18:27 And Micaiah said, “If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me.” And he said, “Hearken, all ye people.”   —>   As Micaiah was being led away to be put back in prison, he looked back over his shoulder at Ahab and tells him, and all the staff of both Ahab and Jehoshaphat, that “should Ahab indeed return to Samaria in peace; then, and only then, will they all know that he was lying, and Ahab’s false prophets were telling him the truth.”

                                                  18:28-34 Defeat and death of Ahab.
                                                  18:28 The expedition.
1A28
II Chronicles 18:28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.   —>   Ahab I can understand being disobedient and rebellious against Father; however, I am truly disappointed in Jehoshaphat here, as he doing all the righteous things he did in Judah in following Father and such, to now see him join unto the worst of Israel’s kings and being disobedient, is almost beyond belief and comprehension. Remember brethren, it was he who requested Ahab seek the counsel of Father and not Ahab’s false prophets to begin with, and for him to now reject what Micaiah prophesied, befuddles me.

                                                  18:29 Ahab’s scheme.
                                                  18:29 Jehoshaphat’s consent.
1A29
II Chronicles 18:29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.   —>   Ahab thought he’d be smart in order to try and disprove Micaiah’s prophesies by telling Jehoshaphat to put on his—Ahab’s—royal robes, while Ahab would disguise himself as an ordinary foot soldier and enter into the battle. Again, I cannot believe Jehoshaphat went along with this ruse of Ahab’s, as what this did, was put a huge bright target right onto Jehoshaphat. What Ahab didn’t count on however, is what Ben-hadad is about to command his soldiers that they are to not kill anybody, but king Ahab.

                                   18:30 Ramoth-gilead, plan of king of Syria
                                   18:30 Ramoth-gilead, battle fought.
1A30
II Chronicles 18:30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, “Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel.”   —>   We read in I Kings 20:5-9, that Ben-hadad had sent a delegation to Ahab demanding he give to Ben-hadad all his gold, silver, his even wives and children. Ahab responded by only giving Ben-hadad what he thought Ben-hadad was entitled to; therefore, Ben-hadad isn’t so angry with the people of Israel as he is with Ahab, and as such, he now wants Ahab’s head on a silver platter. So, he tells battle commanders to tell his soldiers, that as they are engaging the Israelites soldiers, not kill any of them, seek only Ahab the king, and when you find him, he is the only one to be killed.

Ahab’s errors and rebelliousness are coming back to haunt him. Remember back when Father gave Ahab the 2 victories, and Ahab had Ben-Hadad in his hands; but, then called Ben-hadad his brother and he allowed him to live? Well, now Ben-Hadad is about to have Ahab in that exact same position; only, Ben-hadad isn’t going to be so kind.

                                   18:31 Jehoshaphat’ s consent and danger.
                                   18:31 Battle, fought.
1A31
II Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel.” Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.   —>   As we see, Ben-hadad’s men were so loyal to him, that they obeyed his commands very stringently; but, we also see, that it was all because Jehoshaphat cried out to Father, and Father came to his rescue, even after he had rebelled against Father and joined alliances with Ahab.

                                                      18:32-34 Battle, won.
                                                      18:32-34 Ahab’s death.
1A32
II Chronicles 18:32 For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.   —>   So, after encompassing who they thought was Ahab, as they drew closer to slay him, they then realized that it wasn’t Ahab after all, but Jehoshaphat, so they ended their pursuit in order to seek guidance from their Generals and Commanders.
1A33
II Chronicles 18:33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, “Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.”   —>   This is saying that one of Ben-hadad’s archers—Biblical historian, not scholar, Josephus, identifies this archer as Naaman—decided he’d loose one of his arrows into the middle of the battlefield far off into the distance, and in his, or it’s innocence, it happened to strike Ahab right in the breastplate of his armors coat-of-mail, or chainmail. Now let’s scrutinize this a little more closely, as we know there was no way this arrow “just happened” to strike its mark, especially considering that Father had already prophesied that Ahab was a dead man walking. In reality, it was Father Who placed His hand upon that arrow and guided to its mark.

So, after being struck in his chest with this arrow which so accurately found it’s mark, Ahab tells his chariot driver to turn the chariot around in order that he lead him off the battlefield and get him to safety.

Though this chapter and I Kings 22 are parallel chapters, I Kings 22 is Ahab’s history, whereas here in II Chronicles 18 is Jehoshaphat’s history.

1A34
II Chronicles 18:34 And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.   —>   Though mortally wounded, Ahab resolved to not allow his enemy to know of his mortal wounding, less they should halt the battle and leave the battlefield; so, he had his driver more or less tie him in an upright or standing position as he drove the chariot off the battlefield.

Ahab stayed in his chariot enduring the pain of his mortal wound and the blood of same running down his armor and into his chariot until sunset, when he fainted and then died. Father’s prophesy through Micaiah of Ahab dying on the battlefield in his chariot came to pass. What we do not read here in The Books of the Chronicles, is the rest of Father’s prophesy concerning Ahab coming to pass. The dogs did lick up the blood of Ahab from his chariot as one of his servants was washing off his armor and rinsed out his chariot as we read in I Kings 22:38, it just didn’t take place in Jezreel—as prophesied in I Kings 21:19—it happened in Samaria.


Sept 2021.

This Bible Study was written by Scott Reis and is provided in order to be used as a private Bible Study Tool. Therefore, it may be copied in whole or in part and shared for private Bible Study; however, it may not be reproduced and published as an original work.


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