Why Did God Send A Lying Spirit?

Why Did God Send a Lying Spirit?

"Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 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.’ 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," (1 Kings 22:19-23 NASB1995).

In the passage, the Lord sends a deceiving spirit to the prophets of Baal. Ahab was in no way a good king, and he supported this sin. The Lord asks a group of spirits who is to will entice Ahab, this according to some scholars such as Dr. Heiser and Dr. Falk, is the divine council (Read "The Unseen Realm" for more information). 

The divine council has both benevolent and malevolent spirits. As Ahab has lost his way, he is using the false prophets of Baal, God asks who will confirm his choice. Who will volunteer to reap the costs of Ahab's choice for rejecting God? This deceiving spirit will tell the false prophets a false message as a punishment. God is in a sort of way hardening his choice. Ahab chose to listen to false prophets, so God made the false prophets say a message that would punish his actions, this then causes his inevitable death (1 Kings 22:37). The message of the story is do not listen to false prophets or it will lead to your destruction.

Works Cited:

Dr. Falk, David. Live Stream #139: Mr. EC Wishes You A Happy 2024 YouTube, 29 Dec. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/live/HEs8SiArRI0?si=Cri8RAGsiKf_jH3K. Accessed 2 Jan. 2024.

Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. United States, Faithlife Corporation, 2015.