The Courage of Micaiah
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 22
There isn’t any other word to describe what Micaiah does here than the word “courage.” Greek philosophers described courage as the most important virtue because without it you cannot consistently practice any other virtue. It is a reasonable claim. I would add, that you can’t live an obedient life in Christ without courage.
Take Micaiah as an example. He was called to be a prophet of God. He had a ministry of speaking forth the truth of God. Speaking truth doesn’t always require courage. Often, we find ourselves in conversations with people who agree with us. A pastor typically preaches to a congregation that gathers because they have a common set of beliefs. Their theology is in alignment. It doesn’t require courage to say what everyone present believes. Micaiah faced a different scenario than what I just described.
400 prophets were saying the exact opposite of what Micaiah knew to be true. The messenger who had been sent to get Micaiah and bring him before the king specifically warned him against saying anything that wasn’t favorable to the king. Micaiah knew the king already had a predisposition of animosity toward him. He, if he spoke God’s word, would be standing alone. It wasn’t as if that was going to catch him by surprise. He went into this with his eyes wide open.
It might appear that at first Micaiah chickened out because he does start by repeating the favorable words of the 400 false prophets. It seems, though, that these positive words were dripping with sarcasm. Sarcasm is hard to convey in writing. Sarcasm isn’t seen in the words alone. It requires hearing the tone in which the words are spoken and the facial expressions that are used when speaking. Nevertheless, I believe it is a good assumption that Micaiah was being sarcastic when he promised the king he would be victorious in battle.
The reason I make that assumption is because of the king’s response. He doesn’t believe Micaiah, even though the prophet is saying exactly what he wanted to hear. He demands that the prophet “speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD.” So, something in the way Micaiah spoke conveyed the idea that what he was saying wasn’t true.
Micaiah continues and proclaims that Ahab was being enticed to battle because God intended to cause his downfall. God was using the false prophets. A lying spirit had entered them and was being used to deceive Ahab and entice him to go to battle.
In a few brief sentences, Micaiah condemned not only the king but also the 400 false prophets who were in the room with him. That is courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is the ability to do the things that make us feel fear.
A courageous person isn’t a person who has no sense of fear. The courageous person is the one who isn’t frozen in place by their fears. They aren’t cowed into silencing the truth by those who speak lies. They can move forward,
At this point, I would love to give you a three-step process to becoming a courageous person. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any magic formula like that. What I can do is point to certain truths that can help.
First, there is help in the mere recognition and understanding of the importance of courage. You don’t pursue or seek after that which you don’t deem important. Therefore, just knowing – as I hope you do – how important courage is and will be to your life will go a long way toward finding it. You only find what you look for.
Second, the relationship between faith and courage in the Christian life can’t be understated. There is something about having someone by our side and on our side in terrifying moments that helps bolster our courage and calm our fears. What about those moments when, like Micaiah, we find ourselves all alone? Faith recognizes and believes we are never alone. Jesus is with us. His Spirit lives within us. He keeps His promise to “never leave nor forsake us.”
Third, a prior spoken commitment to the truth and obedience to God keeps us from the tenuous circumstance of having to decide under the pressure of the moment. We see that principle play out with Micaiah. He states before he comes into the king's presence, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” Always decided what you will do before you have to do it. At least do so in the broad principles of the matter. You can’t always know what every situation will demand of you, but if you have already stated convictions and commitments that you will not budge from, it will help you make the right and courageous decision when that time comes.