There are places in the Bible that show the devil presenting himself in a way that makes him seem real. His appearance in the wilderness to tempt Jesus has him visible and talking to Jesus (Matthew 4). He once appeared with the Lord and confronted Him about Job. He accused God of building a hedge around Job, giving him everything he could desire (Job 1:6-7).
There are other instances where he is referred to as “entering the heart of someone” like Judas in John 13:2. Satan was successful in guiding Judas to betray Jesus.
There are times, however, that the devil appears in the form of a real human, lying, deceiving, and placing others in harm’s way for his own purpose.
Such was the case with Ahab, king of Israel. He was a weak king, unable to rule his people according to God’s laws. Instead, he led them into idolatry.
There is a story in First Kings 22 that shows just how wicked he was. He formed an unusual alliance with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. No alliance had existed between the kings of Israel and Judah, and this one was because Ahab’s son married Jehoshaphat’s daughter. Keeping peace between the two nations would be important because of this relationship.
King Jehoshaphat visited Ahab, and Ahab talked him into going into battle to take back a city that had actually belonged to Israel. Jehoshaphat agreed, and Ahab sought the advice of 400 prophets. These were not prophets of God, but they prophesied a victory for King Ahab.
Jehoshaphat wanted to consult a prophet of God, so Ahab summoned Macaiah from prison. Standing before the two kings, Macaiah prophesied that he could see the army scattered across the hills, like a sheep without a shepherd. This was a prediction of Ahab’s death. He even told them of the delusion that would come to them to deceive them into thinking they could win.
Ahab was angry and sent Macaiah back to prison with only bread and water. He was determined to take advantage of Jehoshaphat’s army to win back his city.
They did fight the battle. They did not win back the city, and Ahab was killed by a stray arrow from an unknown soldier.
When Jehoshaphat returned home, he was met by another prophet who named Jehu. These were the words of the prophet. “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD (Second Chronicles 19:2).
We might look at this situation and think that the Lord made too much of this matter. But here is a good king who made an alliance with a wicked king who was determined to disobey God.
Ahab wanted to be deceived, and the devil took advantage of it. He wanted the city, and he was willing to listen to 400 lying prophets for advice and support. He risked the lives of both armies, Jehoshaphat, and even his own life. He didn’t want the advice of the God in heaven he should have been serving.
Some of us do the same thing. We bargain with the devil when we seek the advice of those who do not serve God. Some go to the Scripture but take verses out of context to prove their point, or they declare the Bible as old fashioned.
Making a bargain with the devil always ends in death, unless one repents. Ahab had repented of his ways just prior to this story. He went back to his evil ways, taking the advice of lying prophets who told him what he wanted to hear.
We need to remember the devil is an adversary, prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for people to devour (First Peter 5:8).
Sandra Oliver