You Can’t Handle The Truth

The story of Ahab worries me. I don’t know if his story has ever kept you awake at night, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard a sermon on this passage — more often, we hear endlessly about his wife.

You know Ahab’s wife, right? Maybe her name rings a bell: Jezebel? Yeah, that’s the one - the latest misnomer for any woman acting like a wily woman, if YouTube content makers have anything to say about her (and they do). She was far more than just a seductress, but that’s a different post.

The footnotes of my Wiersbe Study Bible strikes at the heart of the man when it states, “…when Ahab married her, he sold himself into sin.” Ouch. And yet, I’m willing to wager that all of us have known or met at least one of these in life — that person we feel whose spouse sums up all of their troubles in life. That was Ahab; his wife was nothing but trouble.

Nonetheless, Sunday School lessons have a really unfortunate habit of flattening Bible characters. It’s not even intentional most of the time. If you’ve been in church past your diapers, toddling, and adolescent changes, you’ve no doubt heard at least one churchgoer make the common rebuttal heard around the whole of God’s green sanctuary: “Yeah, but that was [insert famous Bible character]” — like they weren’t human too. The summation typically follows that “yeah but” that character had a clear-cut, simple choice, or that character was clearly special, anointed, had much more muchness than me, or that character was clearly holier — you know, had Jesus’ personal cell phone number and shizzle? The implied defense being “yeah but” I have an excuse for my [insert personal failure here]….

This is when one can truly appreciate the messiness of some of the Old Testament stories. Characters like Ahab — complex — like a momma’s boy at the gym flexing his image and getting his ears boxed by an unexpected appearance by said-momma after ragging on her to one of his gym-rat buddies complex. Don’t believe me? Get ready for some popcorn and shizzle.

Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok — listen to this mess. Ahab wants to purchase a certain vineyard in his kingdom. Vineyard owner won’t sell, so Ahab pouts and whines to Jezebel about it, who tells him she’ll get it for him (like a good sugar-mommy). So, Jezebel comes up with a great plan to falsely accuse the vineyard owner and has him stoned to death. Viola! Nothing quite like a woman in power with a plan. She tells Ahab to go and gitteth his vineyard. But see, then there was this little snafu…

God snitches on Ahab through the prophet Elijah. (Hey, read it and weep. I don’t make the rules.)

Elijah confronts Ahab and gives him some very bad news about what he’s just done. God’s not happy, so ain’t nobody gonna be happy. And let’s remember, this is how Ahab was prior assessed in Biblical terms: “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him up…” (1 Kings 21:25). Well, that’s one heck of an epitaph —

But wait! Just when you think you know a guy…

“So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his day…” (v27-28a)

This is where we disciples insert that God can indeed save anyone — if that one repents.

But, alas, as is often a common tale, this moment of contrition did not last. Honestly, this is where things get even more interesting. This is where we learn that Ahab can perceive and acknowledge truth but can’t handle it.

Three years later, another king approaches King Ahab and wants an ally for war. Get this. They gather 400 prophets to inquire about whether they should go to war, and it’s unanimous: Go fight and the Lord is on your side! Strangely, this is not enough for the king who approached Ahab. He asked Ahab whether there was “still a prophet of the Lord here” so that they might ask him instead.

Hold up. Wait a minute. I thought we just heard from 400 prophets of the Lord? — Put a placeholder there and remember to “test the spirits”. Just because it speaks in God’s name doesn’t mean it speaks for God. You feel me?

Listen to Ahab’s reply to the other king’s request: “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8).

Bruh. Did he really just say that — aloud?!

Yup. He sho’ did.

Nothing But the Truth

Indeed, Micaiah tells Ahab not to go to war and that if he goes, it will end in the King’s death. But first, the prophet interestingly seems to mock Ahab by mimicking what the other 400 prophets have said. Ahab catches his tone and replies, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” (v16). So, then, Micaiah spills the entrails, and Ahab, hating it, has Micaiah locked in prison until his return. Except, of course, he’s already been told he won’t return, which puts everyone in a bad mood. Still, Ahab goes to his death, as forewarned.

As for the “lying spirit” in the mouth of the 400 prophets — well, let’s save that for another day! You’re more than welcome to finish the passage in 1 Kings 22 and ponder that for yourself if you’re curious.

Consider how revealing of Ahab’s character is this entire scene. Ahab knew when Micaiah was not telling him the truth. Ahab must have known some distinction between the 400 prophets and this prophet, Micaiah, as well, or why would he say that Micaiah was the one prophet left they could inquire of from the Lord? — Didn’t he just hear from 400 of them? Still, he chose to ignore Micaiah’s word out of what appears to be sheer hatred for the harsh things — “evil” things — Ahab said he prophesied about him.

In short, Ahab had already made up his mind about what to do. We might question whether he was even really inquiring of the Lord or simply humoring the other king who requested the inquiry. Regardless, I think it’s more than fair to say, based on the passage, that Ahab was able to recognize the truth, or at least flattery, when he heard it, but he could not handle the truth. He was opposed to it. In his own words, he “hated” it.

Tickle Me, Ahab

I’m gonna shoot straight with you: There’s a lot of this going around. Have you noticed how many YouTube prophets alone exist? — Probably more than 400 but at least that many. And most of them just want to encourage you, speak “good” to you, tickle your fancy. I wonder how many of them simply entertain “lying spirits” (v22) — after all, the Good Book says that “in the last days” sound doctrine will be shunned for whatever “tickles” the ears.

We can keep pretending the author is talking about some future day still off in the distance but, eh, I think we’re there, friend. I think we’ve been there for a number of years now.

Prophesy something nice about me and I’ll click that Subscribe button.

Prophesy something mean and the social powers that be will shadow-ban you.

It’s not much different in many Charismatic churches today. And God forbid you challenge the prophetic superstar in those circles! But I can tell you right now, having been in those circles past, “they know not what they do”… but so that “scripture might be fulfilled”. (Do you know how many times things happened in the Bible “so that scripture might be fulfilled”? — It’s a bit alarming. ‘Self-fulfilling prophecy’? Well, yeah — if you’re God, you can do that! Chew on that for a minute.)

What’s my point?

Check your heart.

Is it possible to recognize and acknowledge the truth and still hate it? — Yes. Yes, it is. How do we feel when someone sums us up, gives us some insight or a word from God that is less than flattering? How do we sort the 400 prophets from the 1 telling us the truth? These are all questions worth munching the midnight manna.

Underlying Themes

There is another verse that comes to mind here:

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber (2 Peter 2).

Those two words have always alarmed me — “By covetousness” (v3).

We started Ahab’s story with the account of his desire for a certain vineyard that did not belong to him. Might we say he coveted it? I think so. His desire sprung Jezebel into action, and we suddenly went from a desire to have a vineyard to a desire to kill to have in pretty swift motion.

“By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words…”

I wish I had…

Don’t you deserve?…

That should be mine…

That’s not fair…

That’s my right…

COVETOUSNESS. The desire of possessing more than we have, of any good thing whatsoever of which we have already enough for our uses, (adding house to house, and field to field). It is much connected with pride ; but more with restlessness of mind and desire of novelty ; much seen in children who tire of their toys and want new ones. The pleasure in having things 'for one's very own' is a very subtle element in it. [Ruskin, "Fors Clavigera"]

Be careful, little hearts, what you desire… and who you pout to about it.

As for the “yeah but” cowards —

If you have air in your lungs, the baton of the Gospel has been handed to you. It’s your story now. Don’t “yeah but” it away, but equip yourself to “rightly handle” the Truth, friend. That is our God-given task.

There isn’t a single character in the Bible that wasn’t also human in all of human-complexity — except the angels/demons and God, the Father. You could say “yeah but” that Micaiah guy…

That Micaiah guy defying King Ahab to say what THE King had to say was also only human. We feel the sting of his frustration in his closing words to Ahab: “If you ever return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” No doubt a test of muchness… and of much sureness in Whom he believed. He either fully believed he had heard from the Living God, or he sat in prison for no reason at all. As for motives, it’s doubtful that he prophesied against Ahab just for kicks and tickles with the cost being so high. Ahab hated him for the messages he brought. Might we say that Micaiah, however, was the only one truly showing Ahab some love by telling him the truth —

Not unlike any good parent out there with their children. Is it more loving to warn the children about the hot stove or to let them play with fire without any warning? You catch my drift.

We all need to hear the truth from time-to-time and much muchness depends upon whether we can handle it.

Happy midnight munching! — Until we meet again on the B-side of scripture.

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