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This is a brief and non-exhaustive reflection and response to a sermon at church this morning.
The Chapter was 1 Kings 22, in particular a focus on 1 Kings 22: 22.
Apologist Matthew Slick is helpful here explaining context:
CARM
Cited:
'1 Kings 22:22 and Titus 1:2 God sends a lying spirit (1 Kings 22:22) - “And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.'"
God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) - "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago."
This is an anthropomorphized account of a spiritual reality. In other words, it is a human representation of what happened in the spiritual realm. If you take a look at the text you can see that God is asking questions. v. 20 “The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. v. 21 “Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ v. 22 “The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ v. 23 “Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you."'
Cited:
'God was carrying out the sovereign plan that he had predestined to occur; in this case, the destruction of Ahab by the use of his own false prophets.'
Cited:
'God predestined the death of Jesus at the hands of Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and the Jews. Yet God was not the one who forced them to sin. When we say that God ordains, or that he predestines something bad to happen, we're saying that he is allowing it to happen by his sovereign will. We call this his permissive will. It is his will to permit it, because it is part of his greater plan. He plans to permit it. He could alter it, but he decides not to do so.
Likewise, in 1 Kings 22:22, God was revealing to us the reality of the spiritual realm, though in human terms, of His ordained sovereign plan by which Ahab would be destroyed by the counsel of his false prophets.'
Cited:
'No, God sending a deceiving spirit does not mean that he is a deceiver. He was merely sending a demonic force, allowing it to perform what was natural to it, to do something that was part of the greater plan of God.'
End citations
The pastor this morning stated along the lines theologically that King Ahab, because he married Jezebel and participated in the worship of Baal; God was giving Ahab what he desired and in a life disobedient and separate from God.
I agree.
There was no force or coercion in the worship of a false god by the part of Ahab and related at the expense of Yahweh God.
The pastor noted that Ahab had opportunities to repent, and therefore this was why he received the warning
1 Kings 22:23 English Standard Version (ESV)
23 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the Lord has declared disaster for you.”
Charles G. Martin notes, 'The mystery of providence cannot be watered down' and 'Any attempt to exclude God from the process ends in dualism...' Martin 1986: 418).
Is the potential repentance of King Ahab central here?
I suppose that many taking an incompatibilist, libertarian free will perspective will state that God with permissible will allowed Ahab not to repent, although God with foreknowledge knew the King would not repent.
A compatibilist, soft-deterministic position could opine that as God must choose whom will follow him as in John 3, one must be born again, meaning God must make a person born-again spiritually, not something a person can choose to do by self, Titus 3: 5 mentions regeneration as does in the Greek, Matthew 19: 28 (Marshall). Then there is the concept of God predestining persons, although in Christ, still in context chosen as individuals in Ephesians 1 and Romans 8.
With this view, no person would repent unless God as sovereign willed it. In light of universal human sin from Romans 1-3, this would be impossible for persons to do with a sinful nature unless God willed it and regenerated, molded and transformed a person spiritually.
Philosophically, God as cause 1, the primary cause, would will all secondary causes, which would include Ahab repenting if it occurred.
If God as cause 1 did not will the repentance of Ahab as a secondary cause 2, then God still through allowance, would have caused Ahab not to repent. God willed as cause 1 for Ahab to willingly stay in sin, cause 2. God is infinite, omnipotent and omniscient and therefore has ultimate responsibility, although I hold to God maintaining holiness and perfect goodness. Therefore in agreement with Slick.
I am in full agreement with Mr. Slick and the pastor that this would not be forced or coerced of Ahab.
The position taken by Ahab, a reflection of his nature, not altered by God.
Therefore, the warning of 1 Kings 22, as directed may not be centrally focused on Ahab's potential repentance, but rather serves a Scriptural, Biblical history of the need for others to repent from the worship of other gods.
In other words, 1 Kings 22 as historical, Scriptural, religious history can be preached and taught and others throughout time, whom God shall choose will be regenerated, molded and transformed in-part through the message and the work of God/The Holy Spirit.
MARSHALL, ALFRED (1975)(1996) The Interlinear KJV-NIV, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
MARTIN, CHARLES, G (1986) 1 Kings, The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
SLICK, MATTHEW J. (2014) Why did God send a lying spirit if God cannot lie?, Nampa, Indiana, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.
