Heights and Highs - Part 1

Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?” [1 Kings 22:5-7]

Every year on October 31 masses of folks across America don costumes and pretend to be somebody they are not. Usually they don’t feign being a prominent contemporary figure. Most often they disguise themselves as a fictional character, say, for example, Frankenstein or Snow White. Famous historical personages receive their share of the attention too, like Napoléon or Caesar.

This annual rite of passage for the adolescent and the adolescent-at-heart goes by the name “Halloween”. The adolescents parade the streets, going from door to door with a big sack in their hands. When residents answer their doorbell, they are greeted with kiddies shouting, “Trick or treat!” If the folks living there know which side their bread is buttered on, they had best drop a copious supply of treats in the bag. Otherwise they might well discover a trick the following morning.

The adolescents-at-heart don’t practice the same routine. They prefer to gather at some party location and have an extravaganza. Each person there wants to receive special attention for his/her costume. To be the talk of the town is a prize highly coveted by adolescent hearts, it seems.

1 Kings 22 narrates a true historical account. The story revolves around six cast members, with miscellaneous supportive cast members tossed in for good measure. The six major members of the cast are these:

1. Yahweh (aka YHWH or Jehovah)

2. the Lord

3. King Ahab of Israel

4. King Jehoshaphat of Judah

5. Micaiah, the prophet of Yahweh

6. the prophets of the Lord

It seems old King Cole, er, I mean old King Ahab felt cheated by the king of Aram (Damascus). When the Israelites conquered the entire east bank lands under Moses’ leadership, the land of Gilead was included in the spoils of war. An area in the far northeastern part of Gilead known as Ramoth was a part of Israel’s domain.

Well, around three years prior, the King of Aram beat up on Israel and seized Ramoth-gilead. The name Ramoth-gilead means “the heights of Gilead” or “the high places of Gilead”. A “high place” refers to a lofty location where heathen idolatry was practiced.

Anyway, King Ahab wanted Ramoth back. He didn’t much relish the mortification of being a toady to the king of Aram. That bully came into his yard and stole something of his, and he was determined to get it back and give the bully a black eye in the process. Trouble was, the king of Aram was a bully because he was one of the big kids on the block. So giving him a black eye wasn’t going to be so easy.

We’ll find out what Ahab did about it in our next study. In the interim why not enjoy fellowship with the Lord?

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please click on the "Shop" tab at the top of this page, where you will find a complete list of my books. Each book is available in both paperback (Createspace) and eBook (Kindle).

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