Understanding

I have read 2 Chronicles 18 a lot because I love the plot on it. So going in to the chapter I prayed that I would get out of the chapter what God wanted me to get. Since I read it a lot, how much more would there be to get? But seriously, the Bible is kind of a living organism. You keep poking and you'll discover something you haven't seen before!

So the summary is that Ahab and Jehoshaphat (A and J for the rest of this post!) are planning on going out to war together and J says that they had better ask God first. So A brings out 400 guys who say that everything is going to go well. Then J asks for a prophet of the Lord. Apparently, J could see that the spirit of the Lord was not with these people. That they just wanted to make A happy and say what he wanted to hear, not necessarily what the Lord wanted to say. Then A says there is one, but he hates him because he always prophesies bad stuff. They bring him and at first he says it will all go well. But we don't really know with what tone he said that. Was it mocking? Because they say to him, he needs to tell the truth. And so he does.

16 Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.' "

17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?"

18 Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD : I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'
"One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'
" 'By what means?' the LORD asked.

21 " 'I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said.
" 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'

22 "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you."

Now I hadn't paid a lot of mind to this part before, because it probably didn't seem to fit in with my God is good and knows no move but good in your direction theology. It seemed a little odd that God wanted A to die. But did he really? Did he really hope that A would listen to the prophet and turn back to Him? Was it really a way for reconciliation?

What are the enticing spirits of today? Drugs, alcohol, video games? There are many things that pull us away from God. But I think he's always hoping that we will turn from the enticing spirits and run to Him.