1 Kings 22

This is the final chapter of 1 Kings. In 1 Kings 21, Elijah pronounced judgment on Ahab over the affair of Naboth's vineyard; this chapter describes Ahab's death.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: After three years without war with Aram, the king of Israel proposes retaking Ramoth-gilead and asks King Jehoshaphat of Judah to fight alongside him. Jehoshaphat agrees but asks that they first inquire of the LORD.
• Verses 6–12: About four hundred prophets predict victory. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah makes horns of iron and delivers the same prophecy. When Jehoshaphat asks for another prophet, Micaiah the son of Imlah is summoned.
• Verses 13–23: Micaiah at first speaks as the other prophets did, but when the king demands that he swear to tell the truth, he reports a vision of Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. He then describes a vision of the LORD's throne, before which a lying spirit volunteers to enter the mouths of the prophets.
• Verses 24–28: Zedekiah strikes Micaiah on the cheek, and the king orders Micaiah imprisoned.
• Verses 29–40: Ahab goes into battle in disguise, but he is struck by an arrow shot at random and dies that evening. When his chariot is washed at the pool of Samaria, dogs lick up his blood. His son Ahaziah succeeds him.
• Verses 41–50: A summary of Jehoshaphat's reign. He became king at thirty-five and reigned twenty-five years; during his reign his ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
• Verses 51–53: Ahaziah reigns two years and serves Baal.

Key Verses

• 1 Kings 22:14: "what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak." The verse illustrates the prophet's resolve in the face of pressure from the majority.
• 1 Kings 22:17: "scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd." A figurative prediction of the king's death.
• 1 Kings 22:34: "a certain man drew a bow at a venture." Despite his disguise, Ahab is killed, and the prophecy is fulfilled.

People and Places

• Ahab: King of Israel. In this chapter he is usually called "the king of Israel." → Ahab and Jezebel
• Jehoshaphat: King of Judah and son of Asa.
• Micaiah: The son of Imlah, a prophet who foretold Ahab's defeat.
• Zedekiah: The son of Chenaanah, a prophet who foretold victory. He is not to be confused with Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.
• Ahaziah: Ahab's son, who succeeded him as king of Israel.
• Ramoth-gilead: A city east of the Jordan, contested with Aram.
• Samaria: The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, where Ahab was buried.

Points for Reflection

• The same events are recorded almost verbatim in 2 Chronicles 18. Regarding the shipbuilding, however, 2 Chronicles 20:35–37 records that Jehoshaphat built ships together with Ahaziah, whereas verse 49 states that he refused Ahaziah's proposal. Various harmonizations have been offered, such as the view that Jehoshaphat refused only after the ships were wrecked.
• The vision of the lying spirit raises the question of God's relationship to falsehood, and interpretations differ. Some see it as God's judgment on one who persists in evil; others see it as something God permitted; still others regard it as visionary language that dramatically portrays the actual outcome. It is sometimes read alongside 2 Thessalonians 2:11 in the New Testament.
• The place where, according to 21:19, dogs would lick Ahab's blood appears to differ from the place named in verse 38. Some interpreters explain this in connection with 21:29, where the calamity is deferred to the days of Ahab's son.
• The image of sheep without a shepherd also appears in the New Testament when Jesus has compassion on the multitudes (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34).

In the Korean Church

The story of Micaiah standing against four hundred prophets is frequently treated in sermons on distinguishing true prophets from false ones and on following the word of God rather than what is pleasant to hear.