“Micaiah – Israel’s Don Quixote”
“From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *
Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210
www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date: 07.31.16
Text: I Kings 22.13 - 28
Thesis: Between fear
and faith is the Truth!
1
Introduction
A. Ahab and Ben-Hadad were adversaries in the 9th
century B.C.
B. Ahab – “father’s brother”
C. Ben-hadad – “son of Hadad”
A title of all Syrian kings
D. Ben-hadad made two demands of Ahab
1. He
agreed to give his wives, children and gold
2. Refused to
let him into his palace and take whatever he
wanted.
E. God gave
victory to Ahab “and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
F. Ben-hadad
and 32 kings were drunk and defeated
G. The next
spring Ben-hadad came back because they surmised that God was only God of the
Mountains and not of the plains.
H. God told
Ahab that “you shall know that I am the Lord, the God of both hills and
valleys.”
I. Ahab
captured Ben-hadad alive and did not kill him but rather made a treaty with him
and sent him home.
J. Since
Ahab refused to “devote to destruction” Ben-hadad and his host, God promised
that he would require of Ahab both his life and lives of his people.
K. 20.43 –
“And the kind of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to
Samaria.”
L. Chpt. 21
– Naboth
1. Elijah prophesies the doom of Ahab
and Jezebel
M. Chpt. 22
– Ahab makes an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and plots war again with the
Syrians to retake Ramoth-gilead which Ben-hadad’s father had taken from Ahab’s
father, Omri
2
Two
kings wrestle with a decision
A. Ahab – let’s get up and go
B. Jehoshaphat – let’s inquire of the Lord first
C. 400 say “yes,” yet Jehoshaphat wants another opinion
D. Ahab – I hate Micaiah
E. Jehoshaphat – Don’t say that
F. Ultimately, both are swayed by the vast majority – 400 – 1
G. BETWEEN FAITH AND FEAR IS THE TRUTH
3
The
heroism of Micaiah
A. Was told by the king’s messenger to “let your word be as
their words.”
B. Told the messenger; “what the Lord tells me that I will
speak.”
C. Sarcastically agrees in 20.15
D. Ahab demands the truth and Micaiah gives it to him
E. Tells Jehoshaphat – “Didn’t I tell you so?”
F. Micaiah relays a vision of the heavenly realm – 19 – 23
H. Micaiah is struck by Zedekiah as he demands how Micaiah
could prophesy such things.
I. Micaiah gives him a sign of the future
J. Micaiah is seized and thrown into prison on bread and
water until peace comes.
K. “IF” peace comes Micaiah says
1. The fate
of Micaiah is unknown to history
M. “Hear all you peoples!”
N. BETWEEN FAITH AND FEAR IS THE TRUTH
4
Defeat
and Death
A. Ahab disguises himself
B. Jehoshaphat battles as a king
C. Ahab is killed by a stray arrow and dies
1. His chariot is washed of blood in Samaria where the dogs
lick up his blood.
D. Jehoshaphat escapes to continuing leading Judah
E. BETWEENFEAR AND FAITH IS THE TRUTH
5
The
Meaning of the Text
A. No matter what, HEAR the Word of the Lord
B. Never submit to the demands of the majority
C. Never be swayed by the sheer number of the camp of the
wicked
D. Never be swayed by the insistence of one’s superiors to do
evil.
E. Never add to nor take away from God’s Word
F. There is a greater reward that life, safety and freedom
G. Fear surrenders, faith fights on driven by the TRUTH
H. BETWEEN FEAR AND FAITH IS THE TRUTH
6
The
Challenge of the Text
A. Hear the Word of God
B. Believe the Word of God
C. Obey the Word of God
D. BETWEEN FEAR AND FATIH IS THE TRUTH
7
“The
Gospel Call”
·
My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was
rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County
Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book
of his time; Gaston’s Collections. It
allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.” Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died
prematurely of the measles. He is buried
just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting
House Cemetery.” Uncle Hugh continues
to inspire my ministry to this very day.
You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston Ruins photo courtesy of:
ballywillanpci.org.
·
On Friday night, August 12, 2016 Russ will
dramatically portray the life and times of his 5th Great
grandfather, John “Justice” Gaston entitled; “A Patriot of the Revolution.” A
portion of the event will cover also the life and times of his brother, Hugh
Gaston. The event will take place at the
Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210 at 7
p.m. The public is invited to this free
presentation.
