Hello, everyone. Today we turn to 1 Kings, chapter 22. The theme of this chapter is: Retribution for Provoking God's Anger.

Ahab was an interesting man. Did he believe in God? Absolutely. Did he believe in the prophets? Absolutely. Yet he persistently did things that provoked God's anger—things that were evil in God's sight.

In the previous chapter, he had Naboth killed and seized his vineyard. The prophet Elijah pronounced God's judgement upon him. But after that pronouncement, life seemed to carry on quite well. Where was the judgement? Where was God's retribution? Where was God's anger?

People often think: Where is God? Is there really such a thing? But when retribution arrives, it is almost irreversible. Retribution does not mean that you do evil today and suffer for it tomorrow. You may do it today, and nothing happens for a long time. That can leave people confused. Today, many people believe in the Lord for a while and then stop believing. Nothing seems to happen. Their lives may even become more prosperous. But this is profoundly deceptive. God settles accounts in due course. Retribution will certainly come. Not believing in the Lord is one thing. But if a person does what is evil in God's sight, persistently pursuing apparent advantages that actually provoke the anger of the LORD God, that person will certainly face retribution.

A Lying Spirit Entices Ahab to His Death

Many among us have been deceived. A few clicks online, and they find themselves in debt. They blindly believed they had found a good opportunity, only to be cheated out of a hundred or two hundred thousand. At the time, their minds were fixed on proving that this was an opportunity. No one could stop them.

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. In the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel. The king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you not know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us? Why should we sit here doing nothing instead of taking it back from the king of Aram?” Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.” (1 Kings 22:1–4)

What a coincidence. All this happened to send Ahab to his death. At precisely that moment, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went to see him. Of all the things they could have discussed, Ahab suddenly had an idea: Does Ramoth Gilead not belong to us? Why should we not take it back?

People do not know how they will end. If Ahab had known he was going to his death, would he have gone? No. He firmly believed: This time, I will certainly recover Ramoth Gilead. Many things work this way. Before people are defrauded, they have already swallowed a lie. They insist on their own thinking: Jehoshaphat king of Judah is going with me. Our troops will join forces, our commanders will fight as one. We are only taking Ramoth Gilead. The king of Aram has already been defeated by me. Victory is certain!

So, before people are deceived, they are just like Ahab: utterly convinced. How do people become foolish? It is simple. They become utterly convinced. They do not even know why they are so certain. They simply believe it. When they invest, they are utterly convinced. You cannot pull them back. I saw a video of a woman being scammed. Her husband came, but even he could not stop her. She kept putting money in. The police came and told her, “This is a scammer.” She said, “No! Certainly not!”

Do we have people like that among us? Absolutely. In fact, if you go through life without being cheated and live steadily, you will lack nothing. But some people seem unable to live without being cheated or going into debt. Once that foolish determination takes hold, nine oxen could not stop them. They would fight their way through every obstacle just to be deceived. And they even have confirmation: I want to attack Ramoth Gilead, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah comes to see me. God must have ordained my victory. They apply the event to their own purposes: God is my God.

Many people invoke the name of the LORD as they work things out. Some say, “A prophet told me I could go into this business. I did it. Why did I lose money?” Others say, “Yesterday I had a dream. God told me to get a divorce.” “Yesterday I had a dream. God told me to marry this sister.” “Yesterday I had a dream telling me to marry that man.” It is all this sort of thing.

We go through life without understanding how powerful lies can be. This is how people go to their deaths. If God intends to send someone to his death, who can stop it? If God has ordained that you be deceived, who can stop it? You think someone else is doing it? In fact, God is doing it. God gives people over to their hardness of heart.

Chinese Mingding Doctrine does not favour talk of “This one is a prophet” and “That one is a prophet.” I honestly cannot tell either. And after going through all that, I find it pointless. I would rather urge everyone to do what is right in the LORD's sight, to know God fully in your understanding, and to have full confidence in your understanding. Not mystical mumbo-jumbo, not something mysterious that makes you feel at peace. That is of no use.

Once I visited a church that had a group of twelve- and thirteen-year-olds serving as prophets. To my mind, they were closer to being ignorant than prophetic. I said, “Is this not harming people?” So Chinese Mingding Doctrine teaches knowing God through understanding, not indulging in mystical things. Are there prophetic revelations? Yes. Are there revelations from God? Yes. But doing what is right in God's sight is far better than asking a prophet whether you can go to war. Can God not guide us? He can!

False Prophets Speak Good Tidings; the True Prophet Speaks Only Disaster

Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please inquire of the LORD.” So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Shall I go up to attack Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?” They said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver the city into the king's hand.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not another prophet of the LORD here whom we can consult?” The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD: Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him, because he never prophesies anything good about me, only disaster.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such a thing.” So the king of Israel summoned a eunuch and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, each wearing his royal robes, sat on their thrones at the threshing floor by the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made two iron horns and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’” All the prophets were prophesying the same thing: “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and be victorious, for the LORD will deliver the city into the king's hand.” (1 Kings 22:5–12)

It all looked very spiritual. Throughout history, whenever you encounter prophets who tell you pleasant things, you must be careful. True prophets tend to speak harshly. The reason is simple: people often do what is evil in God's sight and repeatedly provoke His anger. So when a prophet speaks of disaster, you must be willing to listen. Do not assume you are a model of someone who pleases God. In fact, you are a sinner.

In David's time, the prophet Nathan did not generally drop in for an idle chat. But when David killed Uriah and married Bathsheba, Nathan came and pronounced disaster. If even David was treated this way, how much more should we expect it? It is perfectly normal for us to hear warnings of disaster. We ought to hear more of them. Perhaps they will bring us to our senses.

If a prophet tells you only good things and never speaks of disaster, I would say he is probably false. It is probably a lying spirit. Why did all four hundred prophets say the same thing? Let me tell you: they really did see visions. They really did hold up two horns. They really did hear God giving them revelation. Because God intended to put Ahab to death. This was Ahab's retribution. No one could stop it!

The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “The prophets are unanimously speaking favourably to the king. Let your words agree with theirs, and speak favourably too.” But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.” When Micaiah came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go up to attack Ramoth Gilead, or shall we not?” He answered, “Go up and be victorious, for the LORD will deliver the city into the king's hand.” (1 Kings 22:13–15)

The king was bewildered: Are you lying to me? Sometimes, when I say something, a fellow worker turns and asks, “Is that true or not?” In fact, they know in their hearts that it is not.

Ahab knew that Micaiah was not telling the truth. “Micaiah, shall we go up to attack Ramoth Gilead?” “Yes.” “Can I go and do this?” “Yes.” “Teacher, can I play video games?” “Yes.” Something about the tone does not sound quite right, though it is hard to say exactly what.

The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” (1 Kings 22:16)

But you will not listen to the truth anyway. If you are told the truth, can you accept it?

Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each return home in peace.’” (1 Kings 22:17)

The meaning was clear: Ahab, you are going to your death. You will certainly die on the battlefield! Ahab was deeply displeased when he heard it.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, only disaster?” Micaiah said, “Hear the word of the LORD! I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, with all the host of heaven standing around Him, on His right and on His left.” (1 Kings 22:18–19)

What Happens in the Spiritual Realm

Many things happen in the spiritual realm. Why did that scammer target you? God sent him. It is not that God is bad. It is that, in your heart, you cannot rest until you have been cheated. You have some money and do not know how to squander it, so a scammer is sent. What happens in the spiritual realm is arranged by God. Never assume it is arranged by demons.

The LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab to go up to Ramoth Gilead and fall there?” One said one thing, and another said something else. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, “I will entice him.” The LORD asked him, “By what means?” He said, “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.” The LORD said, “You will succeed in enticing him. Go and do so.” “Now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has decreed disaster for you.” (1 Kings 22:20–23)

Let me remind you again today: when disaster is about to fall, even if a prophet stands before you and plainly tells you what has happened in the spiritual realm, you cannot take it in. You insist on going to your death. You insist on being deceived.

Why do people provoke God's anger? Why do they not do what is right in the LORD's sight? Why must they judge good and evil and bring suffering upon themselves? Why do they indulge the flesh, love the world and arouse God's wrath? You have provoked God's anger. Though you constantly claim to honour the name of the LORD, God intends to put you to death. He intends to bring you to your end!

Do not find this strange. You store up wrath until God's wrath breaks upon you. It is not the demons who have the final say. It is God. There are very few things in this world outside God's control, very few things outside His plan. Therefore, you must do what is right in the LORD's sight. You must not provoke His anger. Provoking God's anger makes for a hard life! May God have mercy on us!

Every one of us has seen many things happen, yet you may still be living in a lie. For example, there was a sister who was dying. She came among us, we prayed, and she lived. Then something did not go her way, and she left the church. After leaving, she became increasingly prosperous. Ahab, too, became increasingly prosperous. He acquired Naboth's vineyard, free of charge. Nothing happened. For three years, he ate and drank well.

But do not forget: God's judgement and retribution have already been arranged. If you do something bad today and tomorrow your leg hurts, your head hurts or your chest feels tight, you may still be receiving God's grace and mercy. God will repay each person according to His word—according to His word. You can indulge the flesh. You can indulge it for one year, two years, three years or five years. But retribution will certainly come. You can judge good and evil, then eat and drink well, with nothing happening to you. But when the fruit comes, you will have to swallow it! That is why people must fear God. What happens in the spiritual realm is still happening now.

The LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab to go up to Ramoth Gilead and fall there?” One said one thing, and another said something else. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, “I will entice him.” The LORD asked him, “By what means?” He said, “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.” The LORD said, “You will succeed in enticing him. Go and do so.” (1 Kings 22:20–22)

A lying spirit is formidable! What is most deadly in a person is stubbornness. Do not be stubborn. Keep asking yourself: Is what I am doing right? Foolish people share one characteristic: once they have made a decision, they start citing authorities to prove that their choice is right. They cite all sorts of sources, even prophets and the words of the Bible. Is that not courting death?

Sometimes people tell me, “Teacher, I am doing this because God told me to.” I say, “God told you? Are you that important? God told you this? Does God have so much time on His hands? Do you think invoking God and the name of Jesus Christ will make it work?” It could still be a lying spirit that came from the presence of the LORD. However firmly you believe, when retribution comes, you cannot escape it. Do not put your faith in prophets. Do you understand? Do not put your faith in prophets. Believe God's word!

What I detest most is using mystical things to bluff people. “Teacher, which of these three jobs should I choose?” Toss a coin! That is not how I teach. I teach this: choose by faith. Whichever of the three jobs you choose, it makes little difference to God's kingdom. These are minor matters. To you, it may be a very serious matter. But in God's kingdom, in eternity, it is a small thing. If you do not believe, and want me to give you a prophecy or see a vision for you, forget it. That is not what I do.

Was Ramoth Gilead a piece of land? Yes. From the standpoint of national duty, it had to be recovered. Reunify the motherland—just as we might recover the Far East. What a great inheritance! But in God's eyes, it is insignificant. It may be nothing more than a lie. The Far East will still be there. Sakhalin will still be there. You may not be. Let us concern ourselves with God's kingdom instead. Seek God's kingdom and His righteousness. That pleases God. Whatever you choose, blessings will follow you.

Be someone who pleases God. Do not provoke His anger. Provoking God's anger is no joke. Sooner or later, retribution comes. I remind myself of this too. I put my hand over my heart and ask myself: What do I really care about? God, we are still far from Your requirements. We fall far short. May You have mercy on us. May You save us. May You lead us as we continue running forward. May You give us strength.

Being someone who pleases God matters more than anything else. Sometimes I, too, am tempted. But when I come to my senses, I remember that I seek God's kingdom. I want to build the body of Jesus Christ, His glorious church. I want to work with God and walk with God. What God values, I must value. What God does not value is not worth a damn. I do not want to provoke God's anger and suffer His retribution.

Ahab Is Deceived into Going to His Death on the Battlefield

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up, struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He left me to speak to you?” Micaiah replied, “You will see on the day you go into an inner room to hide.” The king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah back to Amon the governor of the city and Joash the king's son. Tell them, ‘This is what the king says: Put this man in prison and give him only meagre bread and water until I return in peace.’” Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Listen, all you people!” (1 Kings 22:24–28)

Where did Ahab get such confidence? Did he not know what he had done? He had killed Naboth and seized his vineyard. Where the dogs licked Naboth's blood, they would also lick Ahab's blood. He had forgotten it all. He knew nothing anymore. All he knew was that he wanted to go to his death, yet he thought he would return in peace.

Is being a pastor difficult? You watch people being cheated. You watch them swallow lies. You watch them take an evil path and be destroyed. Eventually, I got used to it. I simply watch them carry on with their games!

Before retribution falls upon you, learn quickly to fear God and do what is right in the LORD's sight. Do not resort to petty tricks. Do not have a heart the size of a peanut and a brain the size of a walnut kernel. No brains, nothing to offer—yet when it comes to judging good and evil, you are unquestionably number one.

Being a prophet is not easy. You speak only of disaster. Today, I am not building your confidence; I am building a heart that fears God. Ahab was such a damn fool. If he did not go to his death, who would? Count it out: his time had come.

Petty Tricks and Disguises Cannot Stop God's Retribution

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. (1 Kings 22:29–30)

Although Ahab put on a soldier's clothes, he could not conceal his royal bearing. One look at his face, and he still looked like a general. He thought: If I enter battle in disguise, the king of Aram will not recognise me. The Aramean soldiers will not be able to tell that I am the king of Israel.

But God could see him. You play these little tricks. Do you not know that they are utterly useless in the spiritual realm? Even if you die and are reduced to ashes, God can distinguish which ashes are yours.

I really cannot understand how people can be so foolish. Previously, they sinned and became ill. Once they recovered, they thought everything was fine and grew bold. When did they become so bold? Lies are powerful. I have seen many Christians with tremendous confidence in themselves. They think they are unquestionably models of blessing. They think they are truly righteous. The moment something happens, they ask God, “Why?”

When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back and stopped pursuing him. (1 Kings 22:32–33)

The chariot commanders realised it was Jehoshaphat and stopped pursuing him. When Jehoshaphat spoke, his accent was not Samaritan. It was Judean. Consider Shandong speech and Guangdong speech. Both names contain the same “dong”, written with the same character, but their speech is completely different. A beautiful woman opens her mouth and speaks Shandong dialect, with that coarse, rustic accent, and the impression changes for the worse.

But someone drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the sections of his armour. The king said to his chariot driver, “Turn around and take me out of the battle. I am badly wounded!” The fighting grew fiercer that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. By evening he died, and the blood from his wound flowed into the chariot. At about sunset, a cry spread through the army: “Every man to his own city! Every man to his own land!” (1 Kings 22:34–36)

How could that arrow be so accurate? It could even turn several corners, find the gap and strike Ahab, dressed as a soldier. How could the angle be so precise? “Snap”—straight through the gap. How could there be such a coincidence? A soldier shot the arrow, but in the spiritual realm, an angel drove that arrow into Ahab's body.

When I was little, my mother told me a story. A man jumped into a well and remained there for a long time. When they pulled him out, he was alive. He had failed to die. Then one day, in a light drizzle, he drowned in a ditch where the water was only about knee-deep. It sounded like a joke. Someone thrashes about in the water shouting, “Help! Help!” Everyone says, “Stand up!” He stands, and the water reaches only his knees. What do you mean, help? Just stand up, right? My mother said, “If you are destined to die in a river, you cannot die in a well.”

The Prophet's Words Are Fulfilled

When the king died, they brought him to Samaria and buried him there. They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up his blood, just as the LORD had said. The rest of Ahab's acts—all that he did, the ivory palace he built and all the cities he constructed—are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Ahab rested with his ancestors, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king. (1 Kings 22:37–40)

The prophet's words were indeed fulfilled. This was God's retribution. We Chinese often say, “Three feet above our heads, there are divine beings.” We must do what is right in God's sight. Never imitate Ahab or Jeroboam. Keep following the example of those great men of faith. Were the prophet's words fulfilled? They were. Just as the LORD had said: where the dogs licked Naboth's blood, they would also lick Ahab's blood.

Will You Follow Those Who Provoke God's Anger, or Those Who Please Him?

If you commit a small sin and the tendons at the back of your body begin to pull; if you do something slightly wrong, judge good and evil just a little, and your head becomes muddled and your stomach tightens—thank God. God still wants to have mercy on you. But if you do something that provokes God's anger and everything goes well for three years, you may not even think, “Am I under a curse?” Yes. That is the curse!

So, brothers and sisters, always fear God. If God disciplines you, do not keep repeating the offence until He stops disciplining you. Ahab provoked God's anger, yet for three years there was no war and his life was exceedingly prosperous. The grapes he picked from Naboth's vineyard were exceptionally sweet. But the curse would develop, and retribution would come. In three years, the vineyard yielded several harvests. Some of the grapes were even made into wine, and he invited his ministers to drink it: “This is the wine I made.” If a person does what is evil in God's sight and nothing happens, that is bad news.

I could give you many examples. Some people seem exceptionally healthy, then a medical examination reveals cancer. They had never been ill before. No warning, no advance notice. They had provoked God's anger. If you have pain here and there today, thank God. God has not abandoned you. Why not follow those who please God and avoid having to undergo such discipline?

In the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the LORD's sight. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. (1 Kings 22:41–43)

Follow people of faith. If you sow blessings, they may take years to mature. If you plant a tree that bears fruit once in a thousand years, it is a celestial peach tree. If you plant a tree that bears fruit once in ten thousand years, it is a ginseng-fruit tree. So David and Joseph, through thirteen years of hardship, cultivated the fruit of faith. One became the king of Israel; the other became the prime minister of Egypt.

In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned over Israel for two years. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He served and worshipped Baal, provoking the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done. (1 Kings 22:51–53)

So today we must understand this: do not judge the outcome by a moment in time. We must continually understand God's works. Do not store up anger against yourself until God's wrath breaks upon you. In His wrath, God brought Ahab's life to a full stop. Never imagine that your petty tricks can prevent any judgement in the spiritual realm.

May God bless you all!