King Ahab answered, “Yes, there is another prophet. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him. He never says anything good about me when he speaks for the Lord. He always says things that I don’t like.”

How often do we find ourselves in Ahab’s shoes? We know exactly what we want to do. And we find all kinds of justification for it. And yet there’s that one voice of dissent that we cannot not hear.

For King Ahab – who was perhaps the most wicked king in all of Israel’s history – that voice belonged to the prophet Micaiah. Ahab surrounded himself with yes-men. The 400 “prophets” he consulted always told him what he wanted to hear. Ahab loved their affirmation, even as it led to his destruction.

He should have been thankful for the presence of Judah’s king, Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat followed the Lord, and he could tell instinctively that the words of the 400 did not carry the voice of God. He asked Ahab, “Doesn’t the Lord have another prophet here? Let’s ask him what God says.”

Ahab knew that Micaiah would speak only the words God had given him. And Ahab hated Micaiah for that. Ahab sought his own pleasures, his own power, and his own glory. He did not want the things God wanted. And he certainly did not want to be condemned publicly for his many misdeeds.

Alas, our culture today conditions us to follow Ahab’s example. We hold rigorously to our own opinions and view anyone who disagrees to be our enemy. The sense of “us versus them” grows stronger and stronger, even as our tribes grow smaller and smaller.

But how will we hear God’s still, small voice if we’ve taught ourselves not to listen? How will we ever accept correction if we shut out all dissent?

Ahab ultimately heard Micaiah’s prophecy – and immediately rejected it. He had Micaiah locked up and punished, while he marched off confidently to the battle Micaiah had prophesied would destroy him. He followed the voices he wanted to hear – and it led to his total destruction.

God gives us ways to test what we hear. We can test it against His Word. Does the message fit with the Bible’s teachings or run contrary to them? We can test it with our pastor and other trusted advisors – people we know to be close to the Lord. We can pray deeply for God’s wisdom and guidance, testing the messages we hear through prayer.

He will speak to us. He may not always tell us what we want to hear. But His Word will always be what we NEED to hear.

By Rob Bullock, Bible League International staff, Indiana, US