1 Kings 22

22:1 three years . . . no war: During this time, the repeated westward thrusts of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC) led to the Battle of Qarqar (853 BC). Shalmaneser’s records mention that he faced both Hadadezer (Ben-hadad) and Ahab at that battle. With the Assyrian king temporarily thwarted, old enmities between Aram and Israel flared up again.

22:2-4 Jehoshaphat and Ahab were in-laws by the marriage of Ahab’s daughter Athaliah to Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram (2 Kgs 8:25-26). However cordial Jehoshaphat may have intended his visit to be, he quickly became involved in Ahab’s plan to occupy Ramoth-gilead. The Assyrian menace prevented Ahab from taking control of this key area that dominated the eastern end of the Plain of Jezreel. Now it needed to be taken by force, and Jehoshaphat placed his troops and horses at Ahab’s disposal.

22:5-9 In accordance with ancient Near Eastern custom, Jehoshaphat requested that the two kings determine the will of the Lord before going into battle. Examples of this custom are common in Aramean, Moabite, and Assyrian inscriptions as well as in the Old Testament (1 Sam 23:2-4; 2 Sam 5:19-25). Despite Ahab’s misgivings, Jehoshaphat insisted on summoning Micaiah, a genuine prophet of the Lord.

22:10 In the ancient Near East, important business was often conducted at the threshing floor near the city gate. David secured the threshing floor of Araunah and built an altar there (2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Chr 21:26); it later became the site for the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr 3:1).

22:13-14 The messenger who went to get Micaiah warned that he had better agree with the false prophets. However, Micaiah promised only that he would faithfully deliver the Lord’s word (see Num 22:38; 24:13).

22:15-16 The word sarcastically does not occur in the Hebrew text; the NLT simply makes explicit what Ahab sensed in Micaiah’s tone of voice (18:27; Job 12:1-2; 16:2).

22:17 Like God himself (Ps 23; Isa 40:10-11), Israel’s kings and leaders were charged with care of the people much as a shepherd cares for his sheep (Num 27:16-17; Ezek 34:2, 11-16). The motif of the shepherd and the sheep, applied to the coming Messiah (Ezek 34:23-24), was fulfilled in Christ the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-11). Although he laid down his life for the sheep (John 10:14-18; 1 Pet 2:24-25), he still lives (Heb 13:20) and will come again for them (1 Pet 5:4).

22:19-23 Micaiah explained that God had allowed a lying spirit of prophecy to mislead Ahab to bring about his death. In his sovereignty, God used the counsel of Ahab’s false prophets to accomplish his will.

22:24-25 An indignant Zedekiah, one of the false prophets, insisted that he and the others were telling the truth. Like Ahab, they would one day find out the real truth when the prophecy against them was fulfilled in Jehu’s purge of Baal worship (2 Kgs 10:18-28).

22:29-33 Ahab hoped to avoid direct reprisal from Ben-hadad by wearing a disguise. By urging Jehoshaphat to wear his royal robes, Ahab hoped to escape detection and thwart Micaiah’s prophecy.

22:34-36 An Aramean soldier’s random shot fulfilled Micaiah’s prophecy about Ahab’s death. Ancient armor discovered during excavations in the Near East suggests that the arrow would have found a small unprotected area between the breastplate and the metal platelets that comprised the lower armor. Although he was badly wounded, Ahab displayed courage by remaining propped up in his chariot throughout the course of the day’s battle before calling for retreat.

22:37-38 Elijah’s prophecy that dogs would lick the blood of Ahab’s fallen body (21:19) was fulfilled.

22:39-40 Excavations at Samaria have disclosed Ahab’s palace and a nearby pool. The description of the palace as ivory may arise from the ivory-covered furnishings and wall panels. Gleaming white limestone covering the outside of the building also added to the palace’s ivory-like luster.

22:41-50 This overview provides basic information about Jehoshaphat’s twenty-five-year reign as king of Judah. The Chronicler provides more details on Jehoshaphat’s good spiritual character that led to religious reforms and the Lord’s blessing (2 Chr 17:1–21:1). Including a two-year co-regency with his father, Asa, Jehoshaphat reigned from 872 to 848 BC.

22:43-44 Although Jehoshaphat is remembered as a king who did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, his record is blemished by his failure to remove all the pagan shrines (see 15:14) and by his involvement with Ahab (22:4, 29-32; 2 Chr 19:1-3) and, later, Joram (2 Kgs 3:4-27).

22:46 To Jehoshaphat’s credit, he eliminated religious prostitutes, who, although banned by his father, Asa (15:12), still existed. Religious prostitution was apparently centered at pagan shrines that his father had not removed (15:14).

22:47 The lack of a king in Edom may indicate Edom’s dependence upon Judah at this time.

22:48-49 Jehoshaphat built this fleet of trading ships in alliance with Ahaziah (see 2 Chr 20:35-37). Like Solomon, the two kings planned to send a fleet to Ophir in search of gold (1 Kgs 9:27-28; 10:11). The venture was ill-fated; to fulfill a prophetic warning (2 Chr 20:37), the Lord destroyed the fleet before it left port. Jehoshaphat wisely did not become entangled with Ahaziah a second time. • Ezion-geber was Solomon’s port city on the Gulf of Aqaba (1 Kgs 9:26).

22:51-53 The tragic story of the rule of Ahaziah in Israel continues in 2 Kgs 1:1-18. He followed in the evil ways of his parents, Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kgs 21:25-26); he worshiped Baal (2 Kgs 1:2, 16) and supported the state religion instituted by Jeroboam I (1 Kgs 12:28-32). Ahaziah’s accession and statement of character provide closure to the account of Ahab in 1 Kings and a smooth transition to the continuing story of the divided kingdom in 2 Kings.