Today's Daily Bread

LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD

Date : Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Passage : 2Chronicles 18:1~11
Keyverse : 7  
1
Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
2
Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead.
3
Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war."
4
But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD."
5
So the king of Israel brought together the prophets - four hundred men - and asked them, "Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?" "Go," they answered, "for God will give it into the king’s hand."
6
But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?"
7
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say such a thing," Jehoshaphat replied.
8
So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once."
9
Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
10
Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: ’With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’"
11
All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the LORD will give it into the king’s hand."
God blessed Jehoshaphat with wealth and honor. But he allied with Ahab by marriage. This shows that he did not depend on God fully. He rather depended on human wisdom and tactics by arranging a marriage with Israel’s royal family.

Then one day, Ahab requested Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth Gilead with him. Jehoshaphat at least remembered to seek God’s counsel. So, Ahab brought in 400 prophets to ask if they should go to war or not. Those who were left in Ahab’s presence were not real prophets. They were only eager to please Ahab. Jehoshaphat was able to see the flattery of the prophets and asked for a real prophet so that they could inquire God’s will.

They sent for Micaiah, son of Imlah, who really spoke God’s word. Ahab hated Micaiah because Micaiah always prophesied something bad about Ahab. Micaiah was God’s voice to Ahab. Ahab refused to hear God’s word through many prophets. If Ahab humbly listened to God’s voice, it was his life, but when he did not listen to the words of God, he was running toward his death. Prayer: Lord, help us to humbly come to your words every day, even when it challenges our own ideas.
One Word: Listen to the word of God and live