I Kings 22:27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
Do You Really Want an Answer?
I Kings 22 is a chapter full of inconsistencies. It is not that the chapter is inconsistent, but it is the record of people who were inconsistent. One of the striking examples of inconsistency is the story of Ahab, who wanted to go to battle with Syria.
King Ahab asked the prophets whether or not he should war against Syria, but all he was interested in was an affirmation of what he already wanted to do. A prophet named Micaiah instead gave God’s message that Ahab was going to face defeat.
I Kings 22:27 says, “Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.” Micaiah basically replied, “If you return in peace then the Lord has not spoken by me.”
So here is a man, Ahab, who pretended to want to know God’s guidance, but was dead set against it before he even heard it. The general lesson here is that a life of strength is a life of consistency. In contrast, it is a waste of time to ask God for guidance that you are unwilling to heed.
As a kid, when I would ask my dad a question, my dad would often say, “Well, Wil, do you really want to know?” What he meant by that was, “If we are just making conversation, then let’s talk about something else, but if you really want to know, then you are making a commitment to hear what I am going to say.”
I think it would be well for us to do the same thing when we think about asking God for guidance. Do I really want the guidance God gives, or do I just want someone to reaffirm my own way? So many people want the success of a godly home, a happy marriage, and guidance from God, but they are not willing to do what it takes. They are not willing to obey the commands and guidance of God. You will not have the success God can give without taking the guidance that God offers.