The kings of Judah and Israel are considering going to war with their neighbor, Aram, but first, they want to check in with God, by asking their prophets. All the prophets give the advice to go ahead, because they will win. All, that is... except Micaiah. King Ahab wants king Jehosaphat "Look, you can ask him, but it's always doom and gloom with this guy. I never get a favorable word." Sure enough, they ask Micaiah, and he's the one dissenting voice: "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains." For his trouble, Micaiah gets thrown into prison.
We humans have such a hard time receiving honest feedback. The truth hurts. We tend to shoot the messenger. We tend to want to surround ourselves with "positive people," meaning people who won't question what we want to do. Criticism is not welcome. It's ironic to me that Micaiah, the one person unwilling to deceive these kings, is the one who bears their wrath.
There's no other way to say it: prophets can be annoying. They can be brash, sanctimonious and intentionally rude. But we ignore them at our peril. They will never substitute a pleasant lie for an unpleasant truth, even though it rarely gains them friends. They need our prayers, and our listening ears. God made them that way for a reason.
God, thank you for prophets. Empower them in their truth-telling, for the good of your kingdom. Amen.
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