13 And Micaiah said, By the living Lord, whatever the Lord says to me I will say.
And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with the men; but say only what I give you to say. Then Balaam went on with the chiefs of Balak.
But Balaam, in answer; said to the servants of Balak, Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, it would not be possible for me to do anything more or less than the orders of the Lord my God. So take your rest here this night, till I have knowledge what more the Lord has to say to me. And that night God came to Balaam and said to him, If these men have come for you, go with them: but do only what I say to you.
And in answer he said, Am I not ordered to say only what the Lord puts into my mouth?
But Balaam in answer said to Balak, Did I not say to you, I may only do what the Lord says?
If a prophet has a dream, let him give out his dream; and he who has my word, let him give out my word in good faith. What has the dry stem to do with the grain? says the Lord.
Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have given ear to you; see, I will make prayer to the Lord your God, as you have said; and it will be that, whatever the Lord may say in answer to you, I will give you word of it, keeping nothing back.
Let not words like these be dropped, they say: Shame and the curse will not come to the family of Jacob! Is the Lord quickly made angry? are these his doings? do not his words do good to his people Israel?
For I have not kept back from you anything of the purpose of God.
For we are not like the great number who make use of the word of God for profit: but our words are true, as from God, being said as before God in Christ.
Am I now using arguments to men, or God? or is it my desire to give men pleasure? if I was still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » John Gill's Exposition of the Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 18
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 18 John Gill's Exposition of the Bible
Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance,.... Still more and more, see 2 Chronicles 17:5, and which moved Ahab to desire friendship and affinity with him, to which Jehoshaphat agreed:
and joined affinity with Ahab; king of Israel, married his son Joram to Athaliah, a daughter of Ahab by Jezebel of Zidon; which marriage proved of bad consequence to Jehoshaphat and his family.
And after certain years,.... Two years, according to the Syriac and Arabic versions, or in the third year after the affinity was contracted, see 1 Kings 22:2,
he went down to Ahab to Samaria; to pay him a visit upon the alliance, civil and matrimonial, contracted between them:
and Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him; entertained him and his retinue in a very grand and liberal manner:
and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead; from hence, to the end of the chapter, it is the same with 1 Kings 22:4.