Lying Spirit Spit in Your Face — E.A. Johnston

The Bible is one of the most interesting and exciting books in the world, friends. It's full of tales of adventure and exploits of mighty men. There is good and evil represented in its pages. And there is a trail of blood running from cover to cover.

Ahab, Jehoshaphat, and the Alliance Condemned by God

I want us to camp out today, friends, in an exciting story from the Old Testament. For it has practical applications and serious ramifications for us in our day. It's a story about a foolish king, a lying spirit, and a god called prophet.

Turn in your Bibles now, friends, to the book of 2 Chronicles, and we will be focused in chapter 18. First, let me set the stage a little bit before we get into reading this striking passage of Scripture.

There was a despot on the throne of Israel, and his name was Ahab. But what a big baby this man was, Ahab, was like a jellyfish because he had no backbone. His life was controlled by his wicked and overbearing wife, Jezebel, and he was dependent upon the constant compliments of men.

But the best way to get close and cozy to this king was to tell him what he wanted to hear. So old Ahab surrounded himself with false prophets and sycophants who catered to his big ego, kind of like a recent president of ours we just had.

Well, Ahab is king over Israel, and Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, and these two kings became cozy with each other only because of an alliance of a family marriage. Jehoshaphat's son, Jehoram, was given in marriage to Ithalia, who was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

That was the reason for the alliance between these two kings, but it was an alliance that was condemned by God. That's the backdrop to our story here in 2 Chronicles chapter 18. Well, let's get down to business, friends.

Micaiah Against the Four Hundred False Prophets

The title of my message today is, A Lying Spirit Will Spit in Your Face. I want us to see in our story today a foolish king, a lying spirit, and a God-called prophet. Let's pick up our text in verse 5 and following.

Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets 400 men and said unto them, Shall we go to Raimoth-Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand.

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides? That we might inquire of him. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord.

But I hate him, for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil. The same is Micaiah the son of Amlah. Let me pause here, friends, to say old Ahab only surrounded himself with false prophets who spoke spooled things to him that he wanted to hear.

And these were the prophets of Asherah, the Canaanite goddess, worshipped by Ahab's wife Jezebel. And the reason he hated the prophet Micaiah was because he was God's man and he always spoke the truth.

And Ahab absolutely hated him because his sermons had short points to them. And Ahab didn't like to be prouded by pointed sermons that felt like arrows. He only wanted to hear smooth things by priests who would tell him what he wanted to hear.

Kind of like some of our pastor search committees today who are on the lookout only for a polished professional to tell their congregation only smooth things to ease their restless minds. But they don't want a Micaiah who will tell them what they need to hear.

Ahab was like that. So to make a long story short, you can read chapter 18 in its entirety, friends. When you get along later, I'm going to condense it for you. In verse 11, we read, And all the prophets prophesied, so saying, Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it unto the hand of the king.

So they summoned God's true prophet Micaiah, and he glibly tells old Ahab, Go ye up and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. And when Ahab heard this, he knew that his bunch of priests and prophets had lied to him.

Because they never, ever agreed with this man Micaiah. So Ahab gets hot under the collar, and he orders God's prophet, Like we say in the south, to give them the oil straight from the can. We see this in verse 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. So Micaiah unburdens his heart and tells the king God's truth about the matter.

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. The Bible often uses sheep and shepherd as metaphors for the people of a nation and their king.

No master is a prediction of Ahab's death. Now get this, friends. Listen to what Ahab says to Jehoshaphat in verse 17. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?

Old Ahab is nothing but a big crybaby. But here's where the story gets real interesting. Because the next words out of the mouth of God's prophet is a vivid description of a scene from heaven around God's throne.

The Lying Spirit Before God’s Throne

It induces us to a lying spirit that we've previously mentioned. Look at verse 18 and following. Again, he said, Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.

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. Then there came out a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him.

And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? 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.

False Spiritual Comfort and the Need for Repentance

Let me pause here to say, friends, this lying spirit was behind the message of comfort from the prophets of Asherah. And you'd be surprised, friends, and you'd be shocked to learn how many of our pulpits today have men standing in them who are possessed of a lying demon spirit as well.

A false prophet of a pastor will say something like, I feel the Holy Spirit here today. And that false spirit in that church sanctuary will give you a little tingle in your emotions to make you think that God is behind it.

But it's nothing but a lying spirit to deceive and damn you. A lying spirit will tell you a lie and then spit in your face. And that false shepherd will only tell you smooth things. He won't warn you about sin.

He won't warn you about a future judgment that awaits all mankind. He won't inform you of your duty of repentance and your utter necessity of regeneration. He'll just lie to you and spit in your face and tell you peace, peace when there is no peace.

And that's what happened here to old foolish King Ahab who goes off to battle in the disguise thinking he won't be recognized and he's killed. But you may fool man, but you can't fool God. And we read, a arrow smote the King of Israel between the joints of the harness.

So Ahab dies in fulfillment of the prophecy of Micaiah. But if you'll read verses 23 to 26, friends, of chapter 18, you will find out how this prophet of God was badly treated. For telling the truth, first he was slapped, then he was thrown in a prison.

The Call for God-Fearing Truth-Tellers

Well, I know how he felt. I've seen the fire in the eyes of upset Baptist deacons for being honest with them and telling them they needed to repent. I've been condemned by pastors for telling the truth in their pulpits.

I've been condemned by churches, by lost men in them who don't like pointed sermons that have the arrows of repentance and regeneration. But we need more real prophets in our pulpits today who don't fear man, but only fear God.

We need God called men who will take the book of God and preach the Son of God with the anointing of the Spirit of God. Let us pray for such men.