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1 Kings 22:15-29 “The Elohim Council”

In these verses is one of the more amazing reports/prophecies found in Scripture. • The Divine Council in Heaven is addressed • Yahweh calls for volunteers from among His Divine Council residents. • A plan proceeds as a result that will end Ahab’s life and bring

destruction upon Israel. 15 Then he came to (Ahab) the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!” 16 So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD (YAHWEH)?” • Ahab apparently sensed the sarcasm in Micaiah’s voice and

demanded to know what Yahweh really has to say. • People who live in denial of the Lord’s wisdom should not expect to

receive His wisdom. James 1:5–8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting (to lack confidence in, to not trust in God’s wisdom), for he who doubts (who doesn’t trust in God’s Word) is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

17 Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ” • Master: 113 אדון [ʾadown, or (shortened), ʾadon /aw·done/] n m.

o No one sturdy, no one to lean on, to be strong on their behalf, no lord, no master. 1

1 James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).

18 Ad (Ahab) the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” • The reputation of Jesus has not been stained by Jesus – it’s been

stained by the thousands of His representatives, His Ambassadors, who have blatantly sinned to promote and serve their own causes.

19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ Get this book!

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The Elohim Council: • A Heavenly Host was with God before creation occurred:

Job 38:4–7 (LEB) 2 4 “Where were you at my laying the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding. 5 Who determined its measurement? Yes, you do know. Or who stretched the measuring line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars were singing together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

2 Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.

• In the ancient Semitic world, sons of God (Heb.: beney elohim) is a phrase used to identify divine beings with higher-level responsibilities or jurisdictions. o Divine, not human

§ No human is ever destined to become an angel or a purely divine being.

• The term angel (Heb.: mal’ak) describes an important but still lesser task: delivering messages.

• God has created a host of non-human divine beings whose domain is (to human eyes) an unseen realm. 3

Psalm 82 reveals the “council” makeup of the heavenly realm:

Psalm 82:1–2 (LEB) 4 1 God (elohim) stands in the divine assembly; he administers judgment in the midst of the gods (elohim). 2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show favoritism to the wicked? Selah • Suffix of “ – im” on a Hebrew noun typically means male, plural

o Not always though, such is the case with our word “Sheep” – it can mean plural and single.

• “Elohim” – can mean plural and singular – context makes all the sense o FIRST “elohim” is singular because of the verbage – “his

place” o SECOND “elohim” is plural because of the preposition in front

“in the midst of” requires more than one “elohim.” • A quick read of Psalm 82 tells us that God has called a meeting of the

lesser “beney elohim”/gods because of their corrupt rule over the nations.

• Verse 6 tells us: Psalm 82:6 I said, “You are gods (elohim), sons of the Most High (elyon), all of you;

• The “sons of God” are divine beings under the authority of the MOST HIGH GOD – EL ELYON.

3 Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm (Lexham Press, Bellighman, WA, 2015). 4 Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.

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• These corrupt “beney elohim”, members of the divine council of heaven, are then sentenced to die like humans at the end of time: Psalm 82:7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”

Further examples:

Job 1:6–7 (LEB) 5 6 And it happened one day that the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan also came into their midst. 7 So Yahweh said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”

Job 2:1–2 (LEB) 1 And then one day the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan also came into their midst to present himself before Yahweh. 2 So Yahweh asked Satan, “From where have you come?” And Satan answered Yahweh and said, “From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it.”

Psalm 89:5–7 (LEB) 5 And so the heavens will praise your wonderful deed, O Yahweh, even your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 For who in the sky is equal to Yahweh? Who is like Yahweh among the sons of God, 7 a God feared greatly in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all surrounding him? Psalm 29:1–2 (LEB) 1 Ascribe to Yahweh, O sons of God, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name. Worship Yahweh in holy array.

20 And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ Persuade:

5 Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.

v. A primitive root; TWOT 1853; GK 7331 and [/pathah /paw·thaw] פתה ,פתה 6601 •7332; 28 occurrences; AV translates as “entice” 10 times, “deceive” eight times, “persuade” four times, “flatter” twice, “allure” once, “enlarge” once, “silly one” once, and “silly” once. 1 to be spacious, be open, be wide. 2 to be simple, entice, deceive, persuade. 6

o The Hebrew verb rendered entice in verses 20–22 suggests the idea of misleading

someone by deception. Other renderings include “deceive” (GNT, NAB, AT) and “delude” (Mft). 7

22 The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.” • There are spirits that come before the Lord that only have an evil intent

upon them. o LISTEN: Non-Christians have NO defense against the evil spirits

that roam and walk upon this earth. (Job 1.7) o CHRISTIANS: We have three things that prevent those evil

spirits from affecting us: Revelation 12:10–11 (LEB) 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they conquered him by:

1. the blood of the Lamb and 2. by the word of their testimony, and 3. they did not love their lives until death.

6 James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995). 7 Donald Slager, “Preface,” in A Handbook on 1 & 2 Kings, ed. Paul Clarke et al., vol. 1–2, United Bible Societies’ Handbooks (New York: United Bible Societies, 2008), 665.

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24 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!” 26 So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.” ’ ” 28 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!” 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. • Micaiah did not need to argue about whose prophecy had come from the

LORD and whose had come from the lying spirit; time would tell. He was not trying to scare people when there was no real cause for fear. Zedekiah would find out who had the true word from the Lord when he fled to hide in an inner room (i.e., after Ahab had been killed the false prophets would flee in terror) 8

• The late H. Wheeler Robinson has stressed in a recent important article on the council of Yahweh that often in visions or auditions the prophet was enabled to view the proceedings in Yahweh’s heavenly court or to hear the directives which Yahweh addressed to His angelic heralds. The classical passages for the use of this imagery are the Micaiah pericope of 1 Kings, chapter 22; Jeremiah’s oracle concerning false prophets who did not “stand in the council of Yahweh” (Jeremiah 23:18, 22); and the call of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-12). In the later passage Isaiah hears Yahweh’s address to His council “Who will go for us?” and replies himself, “Send me,” subsequently receiving the oracle of God which he is to transmit to his people. Thus on occasion the prophet is permitted to become, in effect, a mal’ak or herald of Yahweh’s council and, like the supernatural herald, to mediate the divine pronouncement. 9

8 Thomas L. Constable, “1 Kings,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 534. 9 Cross, Frank M.. 1953. “The Council of Yahweh in Second Isaiah”. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 12 (4). University of Chicago Press: 274–77. http://www.jstor.org/stable/542950.