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PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE

Introduction

We continue our series on “People of the Bible” and the series within the series of “The Old Testament Prophets Of God”.

We have been looking at some well-known Bible personalities (such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha) and some not so well known Bible personalities (Such as Nathan and Ahijah) at other times.

There are some Bible characters who might be unknown or little known to us, but their stories are significant in God’s plan and purpose in history. Tonight, we will look at one such individual, the Prophet Micaiah, who stood alone and spoke the truth when the majority of the king’s advisors were presenting what we now call “SPIN”.

I heard a story about a major company who was looking for a new Marketing Director. After much advertising and many applications, three candidates entered the final selection process.

The first one in for the final interview was asked him a simple question: “What is 2+2?”

He was surprised, thought about it for a bit, wondered if it might be a trick question and then simply answered 4. The Managing Director looked at the Board, shook his head and thanked him for coming, but he wasn’t the candidate they were looking for.

The next one in was again asked this simple question: “What is 2+2?” He paused, thought about it for a bit and then replied that statistically it was a number between 3 and 5. The Managing Director smiled and Board was quite impressed. The candidate was thanked and ushered out.

The last candidate was also asked the simple question: What is 2+2. Without batting an eyelid he replied: “What do you want it to be?” And he was hired on the spot.

There is a lot of that going on today. When I worked in the accounting industry I saw many people who wanted to put a good “SPIN” on their financial statements.

“SPIN” is the present day word for “fudging the truth.” We could call it the inclination to make truth what you want it to be.

"SPIN" was originally an acronym that stood for, "Significant Progress In the News."

“SPIN” now refers to the tactics used to sway audiences away from a true presentation of the facts.

Bill O’Reilly has a program called “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News Network. He boasts that when you watch his program that you are entering a “NO-SPIN ZONE.”

The techniques of SPIN include:

--Selectively presenting only the evidence that supports one’s position.

--Non-denial denials OR non-affirming affirmations.

--Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths.

--Euphemisms to disguise one’s real agenda.

--Disguising bad news by placing it on the back of more important or more favorable news.

Skilled practitioners of SPIN are sometimes called "spin doctors". Many of them have another name–they are called “politicians.”

The danger of SPIN is that it can serve to make the audience quite content with the illusion of truth rather than the reality of truth. Unfortunately, in our culture, many seem to be content to live with illusions and SPIN rather than with the truth.

David Wells in his book, “Losing Our Virtues” said this, "This is the first time a civilization has existed that, to a significant extent, does not believe in objective right or wrong."

In other words, when we lose any objective measure of what is right or wrong, true or false, we are far more vulnerable to give and receive “SPIN” rather than truth. We are far more likely to make truth “what you want it to be” rather than what it is.

SPIN is nothing new. In 1 Kings 22, we see a King named King Ahab whom we have seen before. He was undeniably the most wicked of the Kings of Israel. He is described in 1 Kings 16:30 as doing more “evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.”

Notice how the story begins in vs. 1- 3.

Israel had a period of peace with Syria for 3 years. They were not being attacked; they were not being provoked into battle. But, rather than rejoicing over the abundance of the land that the Lord had given to the people of Israel, King Ahab became discontent that there was a little corner of land, Ramoth-Gilead, that he did not have. This tract of land was a thorn in his side.

Ahab was not called upon by God to possess this land; but rather, it was his own idea, prompted by his own selfishness.

Notice vs. 4. Ahab met with the king of Judah, King Jehoshaphat. He asked him to join him in this campaign.

Notice Jehoshaphat’s reply in vs. 5. Jehoshaphat wanted to first seek the counsel of the Lord.

Vs. 6 is where the “SPIN” comes in. At this time there was a great struggle between King Ahab and the prophet, Micaiah.

God’s truth was available to the king and to the people of Israel. God’s truth was presented to the king and to the people. And, God’s truth was presented to protect the king and the people of Israel. But, they were not ready to receive it. Ahab only wanted to hear what he wanted hear.

The same thing happens to us sometimes. God’s truth is available to us, it is presented to us, and it is sent to protect us, but we are not always ready to receive it.

So, what do we do? We SPIN God’s truth rather than receive it.

In 1 Kings 22, we see at least 4 ways that people “SPIN” God’s truth rather than receive it:

I.         WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH BY ACCEPTING FALSE ASSURANCES REGARDING OUR PLANS OR PURPOSES RATHER THAN GOD’S WARNINGS.

In Vs. 5-6- King Ahab had already decided what he wanted to do. His mind was made up. He was going to enter into battle with Ben-Hadad, the King of Syria, whether God wanted him to do it or not.

The only reason that he called upon the prophets was because his important military ally, Jehoshaphat, wanted him to do it.

So, the king found 400 prophets that were his “SPIN-doctors.” These were 400 “Yes-men” who would confirm his plans. It didn’t matter if they spoke the truth or not. You see Ahab had not only made up his mind regarding his plans, but also about what he wanted the Word of God to be regarding his plans.

Have you ever met people like that? Have you ever done that yourself? Some folks have figured out exactly what they think God ought to say about something, and they won’t hear anything else. If the word of God agrees with their ideas, if it agrees with their plans, if it agrees with their practices, then they’ll listen to it. But if not, they don’t want to hear it!

            But, the Word of God must be taken in its entirety, not just selectively.

            We can’t just pick and choose what we want to hear from God’s Word.

            Notice a few things about these prophets- vs. 6.

They are 400 in number, all who agree in their testimony (as if by sheer numbers, they will make a lie to be the truth.) Listen, Truth is not majority rule!

Notice that these prophets came in the name of Jehovah as their God. The most seductive enemy we face is not the one who comes to us bearing the name of another god; it is the one who comes to us falsely in the name of our LORD!

They may look and sound similar to us, they may even bear the same name that we do and use our terminology; but, they are not of us because they don’t speak for God.

            Notice also that these prophets are what I call very “charismatic dramatic.”

Vs. 11- Zedekiah even acted out some of his prophecy.

But, notice something else about their prophecy- it is actually quite vague in certain respects- vs. 6 & 12- “Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the King”

Deliver what into the hand of the king? The battle? The city? The army? Your life?

            What king? Ben-Hadad? Or King Ahab?

Now, I ask you—what kind of prophecy is that? It has a deliberate “double meaning”—a prophecy that can go both ways, so that even if the king loses, the prophey doesn’t lose his credibility. The prophets could say, “We weren’t wrong; we were just misunderstood.”

There are many today who give vague words said to be representing the Word of the Lord. They say them with conviction, and it sounds so certain; but, when you check it out against what God really says, you find out it is not the Word of God.

Then, there is God’s true Word, spoken by the minority who are mocked and opposed and scorned by the majority for being so narrow minded. Nevertheless, it is a clear Word.

It is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is piercing. It is discerning. It is the living Word of God and it will be fulfilled in spite of the SPIN doctors!

WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH BY ACCEPTING FALSE ASSURANCES REGARDING OUR PLANS OR PURPOSES RATHER THAN GOD’S WARNINGS.

II.       WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH WHEN WE CHOOSE TO CLOSE OUR EARS TO GOD’S TRUTH RATHER THAN OPENING OUR HEARTS TO HEAR AND DO WHAT HE SAYS.

In Vs. 7-8- Jehoshaphat recognized that he had not yet heard the Word of the Lord; and so, he asked if there were any others of whom they might inquire.

             “One”, says Ahab, “His name is Micaiah- but I hate him…” Why?

                        Because he has been proven false? No.

                        Because he comes in the name of a false god? No.

                        “…because he never prophesies anything good concerning me.”

            Jehoshaphat responded, “Let not the king say so” or “The king should not say that.”

In other words, he was saying. . . “Don’t prejudice yourself. Maybe your desire to hear only something good about you has prevented you from hearing the truth about you.”

Vs. 13-18- We see that Micaiah is brought to Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Notice the warning of the messenger to Micaiah in verse 13.

That is, he was saying “Micaiah, in this city, truth is majority rule. Truth is according to the vote of those who say what the king wants to hear. So, don’t blow it by your lonely, puny, solitary voice upsetting the way things are being done. You should say what the others say.”

How many times have you heard somebody appeal to the same authority- “Everybody’s doing it. We have the votes. The majority wants it that way, so that’s the way it is. Why don’t you just conform?”

            When that happens, we need the courage to speak as Micaiah did- vs. 14-

            “What the Lord saith unto me, that I will speak.”

Martin Luther was asked at one time if he knew that the whole world was against him because of his uncompromising commitment to God’s Word. His answer?

            “Then, I am against the whole world!”

            May our testimony agree with God’s Word rather than the statistical majority.

Vs. 15- Micaiah stood before the king; and Ahab asked him, “Shall we go against Ramoth-Gilead to battle?”

Micaiah could read him like a book. He knew that Ahab’s question was insincere. He knew that this whole scene was a charade; so, he answered sarcastically and mockingly of the other prophets.

Vs. 16- Ahab’s response was an interesting one.

Notice, he did not say, “speak your mind” or “speak your opinion of what God’s Word says.” He knew deep down that the response he had just heard was not the truth of God. So, he said, “speak the truth.”

Vs. 17- Now we see where Micaiah’s tone changed. He said that Israel would lose their king (and become like sheep without a shepherd) and the people of Israel would be scattered and would retreat.

Vs. 18- Ahab responded- “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” Can you beat that response? You can’t ever win with a fellow like that! Here he is, caught between truth and its consequences. He knows that the assuring word from Micaiah was not a true Word from God; but, he cannot accept the truth either because he knew that it disagreed with his plans, it disagreed with his lifestyle, and it was not a good Word toward him. No response would be satisfactory for him.

Have you ever had that happen to you? Sometimes we hear the Word of the Lord, but it disagrees with us and our plans and our attitudes and our sins. We recognize that the knowledge of God’s truth puts a claim on our lives.

The Word of God requires not just our affirmation, but our obedience. So, we are caught between the truth and its consequences, and of course we don’t want to accept those consequences. So what do we do next? We try to rationalize it away.

I heard an excellent definition of rationalization- rationalization is “finding reasons in your mind to justify what you know is wrong in your heart.” We know in our heart what God wills; we know in our heart what is right- but it costs us too much. So, we come up with very rational sounding arguments to justify our behavior:

                        “It feels right, so it must be right.”

                        “But, my friend does it, and he is a Christian.”

                        “I’m not really hurting anybody.”

                        “What I’m doing is not technically illegal.”

Maybe today, you are caught between truth and its cost. Know this for certain: it costs much more to walk any way other than the Lord’s way. It cost King Ahab his life, for a battle that didn’t matter much anyway.

WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH BY ACCEPTING FALSE ASSURANCES REGARDING OUR PLANS OR PURPOSES RATHER THAN GOD’S WARNINGS.

WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH WHEN WE CHOOSE TO CLOSE OUR EARS TO GOD’S TRUTH RATHER THAN OPENING OUR HEARTS TO HEAR AND DO WHAT HE SAYS.

III.      WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH WHEN WE SEEK TO CONTAIN AND CONFINE IT RATHER THAN SETTING IT FREE TO DO ITS WORK IN OUR LIVES.

Vs. 27- Ahab had Micaiah put into prison until he returned in safety- as if by putting him in prison, he could contain and confine the Word of God.

Ahab’s anger was directed upon God’s messenger, Micaiah. It is as if he thought Micaiah wished this defeat upon Ahab.

He may have even thought that the prophet was not just a mouthpiece for God, but an influence upon Him. If he spoke about Ahab’s victory or his defeat, that would make it happen.

Ahab may have thought that the prophet was just being judgmental and not very loving toward him. But, the fact that he spoke God’s Truth without compromise was the most loving thing he could do. He warned him about the decree of death that would result from his foolish course of action–a decree that came not from him, but from the sovereign, all-powerful God!

Sometimes people vent their anger upon us. Sometimes, when we try to warn people about disaster that will certainly follow their foolish course of action, they may say to us, “You are being judgmental and unloving”, when in fact, nothing can be further from the truth. If we speak the Word of God and folks get mad at us their anger is directed in the wrong place because we are just repeating what God said! They may respond in anger toward us but, their anger is really directed toward God!

IV.      WE SPIN GOD’S TRUTH WHEN WE ATTEMPT TO DISGUISE OURSELVES TO TRY TO HIDE FROM IT, RATHER THAN FACING IT AS WE ARE.

Vs. 30- It is interesting to note that 400 prophets said, “Go ahead, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king”, and only 1 prophet said, “You will be utterly destroyed”—yet, the words from Micaiah, the lone prophet haunted the king, and prompted him to take action. He disguised himself as one of his soldiers.

It was a foolish action. I don’t think that he was doing this so much to hide from the Syrians, as he was to try to hide from God, and from His Word.

How many people respond to God like that! The Word of God haunts them and they can’t escape from it. Even though it may be a “still small voice” from a small minority of people, they are still troubled by it.

So, if one is not ready to change his life, what other option does he have? Disguise himself- disguise his behavior- try to take the sting out of sin, and perhaps even call it a virtue.

So, homosexuality is not called sin, but “gay or an alternative lifestyle”.

            Adultery is not called sin, but “an affair of the heart”.

            Greed is not called sin, but “profiteering”or “ambition.”

            When we gloss over our sin, we are attempting to disguise ourselves from God’s truth.

But, be assured, no disguise can hide us from the penetrating Word of God. Jesus said, Luke 12:2-3–“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”

But, now, notice vs. 31-34- That is a great illustration of what the Word of God does.

God’s Word penetrates deep, and penetrates the “armor” that we put up to try to hide ourselves from it:

            A.        God Will Use The Arrow Of Conviction To Penetrate Our Armor.

vs. 7-8- both Jehoshaphat and Ahab agreed that the words spoken by the 400 prophets were not the Word of the Lord. There was an inner conviction as to the truth of God, whether or not they chose to act on that truth.

How about Us? We know that when we hear the Word of God, there is an inner voice and conviction about God’s truth– the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26- “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The question is- are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate our armor, and guide us in God’s truth? Are we willing to obey what we already know in our hearts to be true?

            B.        God Will Use The Arrow (or Sword) Of His Word To Penetrate Our Armor.

Micaiah’s message was a true and faithful Word from God that penetrated deep into the king’s soul. God’s Word is always true.

Romans 3:4- “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” It penetrates all the armor, all the defense mechanisms that we use to “SPIN” truth.

            C.        God Will Use The Arrow Of Judgment To Penetrate Our Armor.

Despite Ahab’s false hopes, false assurances, despite his attempts to close his ears to God’s truth and his attempts to imprison God’s truth, and despite his efforts to disguise himself to hide from God’s truth, God’s truth did prevail.

                        Ahab’s armor was penetrated, and he died according to God’s word.

And, in the end, only one prophet was vindicated. One man among the 400 stood out and passed the test of being a prophet of God. Deuteronomy 18:21-22

Conclusion

Do we “pass the test?” Do we speak God’s truth without SPIN, despite being in the minority, despite being mocked, scorned and even rejected because of it?

May we speak it because of our love for God and our love for those who don’t know Him.

Whether we succeed or fail in bringing that person around isn’t the primary issue; the primary issue is, were we faithful to do what God wanted us to do? Were we faithful to say what God wanted us to say?”

SPIN-doctors will come and go, but God’s truth will remain forever.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!