Daily devotion – Not what you want to hear!
2 Chronicles 18:1–7
“Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab…” (v.1)
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a godly man, blessed with riches and honor. Yet in a moment of unwise alignment, he joined himself by marriage to Ahab—the notoriously ungodly king of Israel. After some years, Jehoshaphat went down to visit Ahab, and Ahab welcomed him with lavish hospitality. But behind the feast was persuasion: Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to join him in battle at Ramoth Gilead.
Jehoshaphat faced a major decision. He was being invited into battle by a king who did not fear God—a king surrounded by false prophets who would tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. So when Ahab gathered four hundred prophets who all cried, “Go up, for God will deliver it!” Jehoshaphat sensed something was wrong. Their unanimous flattery rang hollow.
So Jehoshaphat asked the right question: “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?” (v.6)
Ahab’s response reveals the real issue of his life:
“There is still one man… but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me…” (v.7)
Micaiah, God’s true prophet, never spoke “good” to Ahab because Ahab never wanted God’s will. The problem wasn’t the prophet. The problem was Ahab’s heart. He only wanted affirmation—never correction. He wanted his will, not God’s.
And here is the key lesson for us today:
Many people avoid God’s Word or godly counsel not because they cannot find truth, but because they already know the truth—
and they know it will confront the very thing they want to do.
Ahab did not lack guidance.
He lacked submission.
Jehoshaphat, on the other hand—even in the midst of an unwise alliance—still sought the voice of the Lord above the voices of the crowd.
Which king reflects our hearts today?
Do we surround ourselves with voices that simply confirm our desires?
Or do we ask, as Jehoshaphat did, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD…?”
Are we willing to hear the truth—even when it corrects us?
God’s Word is not given to affirm our will, but to align us with His.