The idea presented here by Micaiah, that a bona fide prophet of the Lord may declare a false inspired message, is daring in the extreme. On the one hand, we find here a very strong emphasis on the understanding of the prophet as an unresisting channel for God’s own purposes, even if this means allowing inspiration by a ‘lying spirit’. Neither Micaiah nor the four hundred prophets may express their own preferences or views, but only transmit what they are told. On the other hand, by this same obedience a prophet may be an instrument of false action, and the credibility of the prophetic vocation
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