1 Kings 22:19-23
“God allows bad things to happen but he never orchestrates it.”
I have heard this over and over again. It sounds really nice and it can provide a sense of peace when bad things happen. But then sometimes we read certain parts of scripture that may appear to go against what this pretty quote says.
Micaiah was a prophet that King Ahab was not a fan of. Micaiah did not build up the king or say kind words that made him feel good. Somehow Micaiah only ever shared prophecy that was negative toward the king, so he did not want to hear what he had to say.
The king summoned other prophets who would speak kind words over him but eventually Jehosephat, the King of Judah, encouraged him to seek the words of Micaiah. Here is the interesting part. Micaiah did not just have a small word to share with King Ahab, he sees God orchestrating the downfall of Ahab.
“And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the Lord said ‘who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead/ And one said one thing and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said ‘ You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.” 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.”
What can we do with a passage like this that points to God not simply allowing disaster to strike, but instead it seems He orchestrated it?
We see a similar dynamic in Job chapter 1 when Satan goes before God and requests to bring disaster to Job. God provides parameters that Satan has to stay within.
In both of these instances, we can see the sovereign hand of God. Nothing happens without His hand being over all.
My logos software states “Rather than suggesting God originates falsehood, the passage shows God permitting a lying spirit to operate within established boundaries to accomplish his judgment against Ahab’s persistent rebellion.”
While the text seems to imply that God was the originator, He uses those who are rebellious, such as a fallen angel in 1 Kings 22, to complete the work He wishes to accomplish.
This can point us to the popular text in Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Some passages of scripture can be uncomfortable to sit with but we can rest in the sovereign hand of our God. That He holds all and will always make His will happen and use both good and evil to complete His divine purpose.