1-12 Joint Campaign with Judah against Aram
- Aram (King Ben-hadad) and Israel go 3 years without fighting.
- Jehoshaphat has made a marriage alliance with Ahab. (2 Chron. 21:6 -- Jehoshaphat's son Jeroham marries Ahab's daughter and turns out to be one of the evil kings of Judah.)
- In the 3rd year, Jehoshaphat visits Ahab, and Ahab invites him to do battle against Aram to re-claim Ramoth-gilead
- Jehoshaphat agrees, with one condition: Ahab should inquire of God first.
- Ahab gathers 400 prophets, and asks them if he should go up against Ramoth-gilead, and they all tell him he should, for God will give it to him.
- Jehoshaphat asks if there are any other prophets.
- Ahab tells him "there is still one other" (KJV: "Yet one man" - One of Bill's favorite sermons) -- Micaiah son of Imlah. But "I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable about me."Still, he summons him.
- And here's the picture: The kings are sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them, and Zedekiah, one of them, with horns of iron, acting out how Ahab is going to "gore" the Arameans.
- The messenger who goes to get Micaiah warns him that he should give the king good news, because everyone else has.
- Micaiah's answer: "As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak."
- When he comes before the king, he tells Ahab God will give him victory.
- Something in his manner makes the king think he's not telling the truth, and he demands it.
- The real version: Micaiah sees Israel scattered on a mountain, like sheep without a shepherd.
- Ahab: See? I told you so!
- Micaiah accuses the other prophets of being deceitful. Zechariah slaps him for his impudence, and Ahab returns Micaiah to the governor of the city with instructions to throw him into prison, feed him reduced rations, and not release him until Ahab returns from the battle.
- Micaiah: "If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken to me."
- Ahab and Jehoshaphat go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, and Ahab decides to disguise himself but tells Jehoshaphat to wear his robes.
- The king of Aram has told his 32 captains to fight only the king of Israel.
- When they see Jehoshaphat, they think it's Ahab, but he quickly identifies himself.
- One of them shoots a random arrow, and it strikes Ahab between the armor and the breastplate. He leaves the field of battle, mortally wounded, bleeding to death by evening. The armies scatter, and they take Ahab's body back to Samaria.
- He is succeeded by his son Ahaziah.
- Son of Asa and Azubah, daughter of Shilhi, begins his reign in Ahab's 4th year at 35 years old, reigning 25 years in Jerusalem.
- After Ahab's death, he returns to Jerusalem. Jehu son of Hanani the seer comes to tell him that God is not pleased with his alliance with Ahab, but finds good in him because he has destroyed sacred poles and sought God.
- He makes an alliance with Ahaziah, Ahab's son, to build ships to send to Ophir for gold, but God disapproves, and the ships are wrecked.
- Begins to reign in Jehoshaphat's 17th year, reigns 2 years, and is evil, just like his father and mother and Jeroboam.
- Serves Baal and worships him, provoking the LORD to anger.
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