Character Needed - Bible Sketches 4

CHARACTER NEEDED – BIBLE SKETCHES

Character Needed, by Robert Allen, published by Regular Baptist Press, includes 33 skits illustrating the truths of each of the verses in Proverbs 15.  These Character Needed – Bible Sketches are designed to accompany those contemporary plays, illustrating the same character traits by use of a Bible story.  

CHARACTER NEEDED

THE TRUTHFUL PROPHET

Proverbs 15:4

II Chronicles 18:4-34

Character Trait:  Kindness

Cast of Characters

                        Narrator

                        King Ahab

                        First Prophet

                        Second Prophet

                        Michaiah

                       

NARRATOR:                         In the days when Ahab was the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah, a strange thing happened.  Usually these two nations had nothing to do with each other, because Judah still worshipped God and Israel worshipped Baal.  But on this particular occasion they decided to work together against their common enemy the king of Syria.  King Ahab was very glad for the help, and in honor of the occasion he gathered four hundred of his false prophets together to tell them how wonderful the victory would be.

KING AHAB:                        Don’t all speak at once.  Shall we go up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight the king of Syria, or shall we not go up?

FIRST PROPHET:                 Go up!  For God will deliver them into your hand.

NARRATOR:                         Well, that satisfied King Ahab, because that was what he wanted to hear.  But King Jehoshaphat asked if there wasn’t a prophet of God who could be consulted along with all the prophets of Baal.

KING AHAB:                        There is one, a man by the name of Micaiah.  But I hate him.  He never prophesies anything good about me.  He always prophesies evil.  I can’t stand him.  But if you insist, I will send for him.  You’ll see.  He never says anything good.

NARRATOR:                         When Micaiah came, all of the four hundred prophets were standing around the throne prophesying.

FIRST PROPHET:                 Go up!  For the Lord will deliver them into your hand.

NARRATOR:                         When the group gathered around the throne saw Micaiah coming, one of them decided to give him a warning.

SECOND PROPHET:            All of the other prophets have been saying good things to King Ahab.  They have been telling him to go up to Ramoth-Gilead because the Lord is going to deliver them into his hand.  You had better say good things too if you know what is good for you.

MICHAIAH:                          I will say whatever God tells me to say.

NARRATOR:                         When the prophet Micaiah came up to the throne, King Ahab asked him the same question  he had asked all the other prophets.

KING AHAB:                        Shall we to up to Ramoth-Gilead to fight with the people of Syria, or shall we stay here?

MICHAIAH:                          (Sarcastically)  Oh, by all means go up.  For they will be delivered into your hand.

NARRATOR:                         Now, that was what the king wanted to hear.  But the answer made him mad.  He knew that Micaiah was just mocking the four hundred men who had already prophesied.

KING AHAB:                        How many times have I told you that you should speak nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord.

MICHAIAH:                          All right!  I see all of the men of Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep not having a shepherd.  And I hear the Lord saying, “These men have no master, let them return every man to his house in peace.”

KING AHAB:                        See what I told you, Jehoshaphat?  Didn’t I tell you that he would prophesy evil to me and not good?

NARRATOR:                         But the prophet of God was not yet finished.  He went right on with his prophecy.

MICHAIAH:                          Therefore hear the word of the Lord.  I saw the Lord sitting on His throne and one came before him and said, “I will entice the king of Israel into battle.  I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets.”  And the Lord sent him forth to cause thy prophets to speak evil against thee.  You will not prosper, but will die in battle.

NARRATOR:                         Well, that didn’t make the king or his prophets very happy.  But they weren’t about to listen to a prophet of God, so they went out into battle anyway.  But before the king went, he suggested a plan of action to King Jehoshaphat.

KING AHAB:                        When we go into battle, I’ll disguise myself as a common soldier.  But you wear your kingly robes.  Then they won’t know that I’m the king and Micaiah’s prophecy can’t come true.

NARRATOR:                         That was real brave, wasn’t it?  But that’s what they did.  In the meantime, God caused the king of Syria to give instructions to his army to kill only one person, the king of Israel.  And of course they couldn’t find him.  So finally, one of the Syrian soldiers just let an arrow fly into the air, and God directed that arrow right to the place where Ahab was trying to hide.  He was hit.

KING AHAB:                        Turn this chariot around.  I’ve been wounded.  Take me back to my castle.

NARRATOR:                         But before they could get back to his castle, King Ahab was dead.  The words of the truthful prophet Micaiah were indeed from God.  But King Ahab chose to ignore them and it cost him his life.