The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 227

most of all when he knew or suspected that his words could not be acceptable to the kingly auditors on whoRe ears they were about to fall. Yet Micaiah flinched not. Composed as if he sf,ood before peasants, he told out the message Jehovah put into bis lips. Compare the attitudes of Hanani before Asa (eh. xvi. 7), of Elijah before Ahab (1 Kings xviii. 18; xxi. 20), of Daniel before Belsbazzar (Dan. v. 13), of John the Baptist before Herod (Matt. xiv. 4), of Pan! before Felix and Agrippa (Acts xxiv. 25; xxvi. 28), of Polycarp before Antoninus, of Luther before the Diet of Worms, of John Knox before the court of -Mary. 2. In the presence of f01J,r hundred false prophets whom that message opposed. Bad numbers been a test of truth, then was Micaiah wrong. since he stood a.lone against the united body of the lsraelitish prophets. Their answe; to Ahab's question was unanimous. Without one dissenting voice they had assured him Jehovah would reward his efforts with victory. Ramoth-Gilead would be delivered into his hand, and the power of Syria crushed. Zedekiah, one of these prophets, play- ing the clown on the occasion, putting iron horns on his head and butting like an ox, added, "Thus saith the Lord, With these horns thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed;" while all his brother-prophets, applauding his performance, urged the king to "go up to Ra.moth-Gilead, and prosper." Micaiah, however, knew that all that was false, and in spite or appearing singular, non-complaisant, obstinate, perverse, would not cry, "Amen I" would not shape his words either to please the king or accord with the fashion of the hour. It mattered nothing to Micaiah that he stood alone-his feet were planted on the rock of truth; or that men might regard him as "odd," "punctilious," "over-scrupulous," provided he was right. Compare Elijah on Mount Carmel before the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, with the four hundred prophets of the grove (1 Kings xviii. 19). 3. Though he knew that message would not improve his own pros- pects. On the way from prison to the king's presence he had obtained a hint from his conductor what kind of" oracle" would best suit-would most gratify the king and recompense himself. All the state-prophets had observed in what quarter the wind sat, and had prophesied accordingly. They discerned what their royal master wanted, and why should they who ate his bread decline to gratify his whims? With one consent had they declared" good" to Ahab. If he, Micaiah, consulted for "good" to himself he would act upon that hint; taking his cue from the "prophets," he would let his word be as theirs. But Micaiah was too honest to play the knave. Micaiah under- stood not the art of studying self. Micaiah knew his duty was to speak the word given him by God, without regarding consequences to any, least of all to himself. And he did it! II. THE ORACLE HE DELIVERED. (Vers. 14-22.) 1 . .A seeming permission. Micaiah answered Ahab in the words of the false prophets (ver. 14), in irony (Keil, Bertheau), or in reproof of Ahab's hypocrisy (Bahr). Either Micaiah meant the opposite of what he said-that the advice· Ahab had received was worthless; or he intended to be under- stood as declining to give other oracle than that already spoken by the prophets, which was the one Ahab wanted. But in any case Ahab suspected Micaiah's sincerity. 2. .A symbolic warning. Adjured to speak the truth, he related to the king a vision he had seen-" all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd;" and a voice he had heard-" These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace." Whether the words of Moses (Numb. xxvii. 17) were in Micaiah's mind when he described his vision or not, the import of the vision and the voice was as patent to Ahab as to him. Ahab was to fall at Ramoth-Gilead; Israel to become like a flock without a shepherd; the campaign to end in failure and shame. 3. .LI. serious explanation. Accused by Ahab of speaking from a spirit of malignant hatred towards him, Micaiah depicted another vision, which let the king see the real deceivers were his own prophets, not he, Micaiah. 'l'he vision, most likely received some time before and not then only for the first time, consisted of a dramatic representation of the Divine government, in which were set forth the followino truths: (1) That God works by means of secondary agent~. 'fhe prophet saw Jehovah, as Isaiah (vi. 1) afterwards behold him, seated upon his throne, with all the host of heaven, standing on his right hand and on bis left. The host of heaven was the innumerable company of angels of which David sang (Ps. Ix viii. 17), two battalions of which ~et Jacob ~t Mahanaim (Gen. xxxii. 2), and many regiments of which protected Ehsha and his servant at :Dothan (2 Kings vi. 17). Their designation "host" indicated their number and  228 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [oH. xvm. 1-34.