Read 1 Kings 21 – 22
And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. 1 Kings 22:13 KJV
The kings of Judah and Israel were talking about combining their forces to attack a mutual enemy, but before doing so the king of Judah wanted confirmation from the Lord. To appease him, the king of Israel brought in 400 prophets, all of which agreed that the battle would be victorious. The king of Judah suspected their prophecy was false and requested to hear one more prophet. An officer was sent for Micaiah, already in prison because he often opposed the wicked ways of the king of Israel. The officer instructed him to agree with the message already given by the 400. That is the pressure to compromise; to agree by surrendering the truth. Quite often, standing for the truth means standing alone. Micaiah’s response was the only appropriate one for a child of God; he would only agree with the Word of the Lord. For his unwillingness to compromise he was struck in the face, thrown back in prison, and placed on minimal rations. Standing for the truth often has consequences, but because he stood before men, he would also stand before God, making his short-lived consequences worthwhile. This is the only place in the Bible this man’s name is used, but for the child of God there is no better testimonial.
Lord, help me, against the pressures of my time, to stand for the truth regardless of the consequences, even when it means standing against authority and the majority.
