The Master Marksman
One Year Bible (June 20)
I Kings 22:1-53
The Master Marksman
“The Shooter” is a series that has recently captured our family’s attention; it focuses on an all-American boy who became a Marine, a Marksman, and a Sniper.
This series draws attention to how much savvy goes into every single shot. The sharpshooter has to account for distance, wind, movement, and so much more to find the perfect accuracy for each intended shot. The use of a scope grid causes the man to use aim, accuracy, and assessment to reach a target that might be nearly a mile away.
The star of this show is so well trained that it has become “Second Nature” to him. The difficulty is that not everyone who appears to serve his country is really “serving his country”.
It is difficult to know just based on their words, “Who is the Good Guy”? and “Who is the Bad Guy”?
Today’s story has all of the thrills, twists, and turns that are found in a high-action drama!
Unlikely alliances will ALIGN. CIA intelligence will be FLAWED. Kings will ultimately FALL!
Just wait and see who will be caught in the SCOPE GRID today…
Our story begins with a very unlikely ALLIANCE. Perhaps you have heard of the negotiation strategy called, “Good Cop/Bad Cop”. While one uses Intimidation, the other uses Negotiation.
Today’s unlikely union is between King Ahab (Evil King of Israel) and King Jehoshaphat (Good King of Judah). The divided kingdom is united for one episode as they strive to take down King Ahab’s enemy Aram. The town is called Ramoth-Gilead. King Ahab asks King Jeshosaphat to join him in the battle against this town. They are definitely “BAD COP/GOOD COP”, but it’s not an act!
King Jehoshaphat replies to King Ahab, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” (I Kings 22: 4) Yep, he’s the negotiator!
“But first, let’s find out what the LORD says”. This king has got his SCOPE GRID out already and he wants to check for the right direction!
So, King Ahab calls in about 400 of his prophets and asks them the magic question, “Should we go to battle against this enemy?” ( I say “magic” because he uses “hocus pocus”.)
“Why yes, our Intimidating King, we should go as that is what you want to hear!”
Alright. You got me! That was a very sarcastic interpretation for sure. So, let’s jump ahead and see what the Bible actually says about the “400 Wise Guys”. Spoiler Alert: Check out I Kings 22:22 to see what is coming…
In the meantime, King Jehoshaphat asks, “Have you guys got another prophet here?”
Is anyone confused here with the storyline? Who were the 400 flunkies that they just heard from? (Hold that thought as well…)
King A. tells King J. that there is one other prophet named Micaiah, but that he “hates him”.
Yes, King A. actually said that out loud and King J. tells him, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.” (22:8)
So, they call in the prophet Micaiah and he lays it all out for the kings in tactical terms and here is the “Sharpshooting Short Story”...“King Ahab, the scope is on you and you are going down!”
Seriously, read it for yourselves to see all the gory details. The Bullseye is going to be on “Ahab’s A. (I mean “backside”) “Angry Ahab” is, Well… angry! AGAIN!
The prophet Micaiah is getting locked up, King Ahab is disguising himself, and King Jehoshaphat is being left hanging out to dry in his kingly robes. (Now, I warned you about the bad cop/good cop thing.)
King A. has a strategy to let King J. 'take the fall' should the sniper have the king in his scope grid.
Not only is this story about ALLIANCE, but it is also about ACCURACY.
King Ahab’s 400 prophets were inaccurate in their proclamation of victory. Go Figure! How in the world could 400 kingly prophets be so far off looking at their spiritual compass? How could one lonely prophet named Micaiah be so accurate and yet despised?
Micaiah gives us the inside scoop, “And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies. ‘You will succeed’, said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it’. So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.” (22: 22-23) God is so sovereign that he uses the enemy to turn on itself!
This enemy only wants to kill the King of Israel, not Judah. So, while King Jehoshaphat is left exposed to be killed in his kingly robes and the King of Israel is disguised, the scope sees through this diversion. (Amazing!)
Then the marksman fires an arrow that hits the disguised king INBETWEEN THE JOINTS OF HIS ARMOR.” (Miraculous!)
ALLIANCE. ACCURACY. ALL-POWERFUL… Our God, The Master Marksman!
