Daily Devotional – 1 Kings 22
“Truth in the Court, the Camp, and the Heart”
A Quiet Moment before we Read
Stand still for a breath. Imagine the clamor of two royal courts—Israel
in the north, Judah in the south. Chariots clank. Trumpets call men to
war. Four hundred prophets shout “Victory!” Yet one lone voice, Micaiah
son of Imlah, dares to whisper what no one wants to hear. Today we
listen for that whisper.
The Setting in History and Soil
• Date: c. 853 BC, the final year of King Ahab.
• Place: Samaria’s ivory-inlaid palace (excavated by Harvard in the
1930s) and the fortress of Ramoth-Gilead east of the Jordan (likely Tell
er-Rumeith or Reimun).
• Politics: Aram-Damascus controls Ramoth; Ahab wants it back. He pulls
Jehoshaphat of Judah into an uneasy alliance—one of several north-south
coalitions we have traced since 1 Kings 15.
• Custom: “Horns of iron” (v. 11) waved by Zedekiah were common in
ancient war pageants; actual bronze horn-shaped tips have been found in
northern sites like Megiddo.
Scene One – Two Thrones in Contrast
Read 22:1-12 (New International Version).
Ahab sits on a makeshift throne at Samaria’s gate; beside him, godly
Jehoshaphat. Around them, a shallow chorus: “Go, for the Lord will give
it to the king!”
Key theme: Discerning voices.
• Jehoshaphat senses something is off (v. 7). Even saints can be drawn
into echo chambers.
• Cross-references: Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (tests of a prophet); 1 John 4:1
(“test the spirits”).
Word study: “Ruach sheqer” (רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר) = “spirit of falsehood.” The Bible does not hide the mystery that God may allow delusion (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11). Yet the lie is never God’s desire; it is judgment on those who resist truth.
Church voices:
• Origen (3rd cent.): “The lie enslaves only the one who loves
darkness.”
• Calvin: “God’s governance is so strong that even the errors of men
advance His righteous ends.”
Literary device: dramatic irony. The king who thought he could hide behind borrowed robes cannot hide from God.
Cross-references: 2 Corinthians 6:14; Psalm 1:1.
Christ in the Chapter
• The lone true prophet foreshadows Jesus before Caiaphas—mocked,
slapped, yet faithful (Matthew 26:67-68).
• The “lying spirit” reminds us of the Accuser, but at the cross Christ
“disarmed the powers” (Colossians 2:15).
• Ahab falls for a false peace; Jesus offers the true one: “In me you
may have peace” (John 16:33).
What Western Eyes Might Miss
• Ancient kings often fought in disguise; Herodotus reports the same for
Xerxes at Salamis. To an eastern reader, Ahab’s act shouts, “I will
outrun fate!”
• Prophets speaking before a gate was legal protocol (cf. 2 Kings 7:1);
it was not street theater but official counsel.
• Dogs in Israel were not pets but scavengers—an image of disgrace
(22:38).
Living the Word – Four Quiet Questions
Whose voices shape my decisions—popular opinion or proven
truth?
Where might I be rationalizing an alliance that dulls my
witness?
Do I trust God’s rule enough to obey when His word feels
costly?
Am I leaving “high places” in my heart—small sins I refuse to cut down?
Going Deeper
• Parallel account: 2 Chronicles 18.
• Pray Psalm 15 for integrity.
• Compare Isaiah 6 (another heavenly council) and Revelation 4-5.
• Archaeology note: Explore images of Samaria’s ivories online; the
luxury they display throws Ahab’s spiritual poverty into sharper
relief.
A Song for the Journey
“Once to Every Man and Nation” (lyrics by James Russell Lowell, tune
EBENEZER). Its refrain, “New occasions teach new duties, time makes
ancient good uncouth,” echoes Jehoshaphat’s need to discern in every
age.
Closing Prayer
Lord of every throne,
Teach us to love truth more than applause,
To choose friends who stir our faith,
To trust Your hand even in the arrows we cannot see,
And to follow the Greater Prophet, Jesus,
Who speaks life though the world may sneer.
Cut down our hidden high places,
Fill us with Your Spirit of truth,
That we may walk in courage and quiet joy.
In Christ’s name. Amen.