Is God a Manipulator?

Hello, again! This is the song that was running through my head right now. Since it was stuck in my head, thought I'd get it stuck in yours too!



Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
In the days of 2 Chronicles 15, was it safe to travel about in the lands?
2 Chronicles 15:4-6 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress.

And here's the question of the day:
Finish this verse: “My flesh and my heart may fail; but _______________________” (Psalm 73)

And here's the reflection of the day:
In 2 Chronicles 17, we read that "The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat" (v 10). The beginning of 2 Chronicles 18 tells us that "Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor" (v 1). He had it all--God's blessing and therefore the respect of the people.

So WHY did he align himself with Ahab through marriage???

What do we know about Ahab? WELL . . . 1 Kings 16:30 tells us that "Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri, did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him." (And that was A LOT.)

Apparently it was smooth sailing for the first couple of years. The Chronicler doesn't give us many details of the time early on in Jehoshaphat's marriage. Verse 2 tells us that "some years later he went down" to visit Ahab. And THAT'S when the trouble started!

Ahab wanted Jehoshaphat to go to war with him against Ramoth Gilead. And at first, he agrees. Then he adds, "First seek the counsel of the Lord."

This presents an interesting dilemma for Ahab. You see, 1 Kings 16 ALSO tells us that Ahab made an Asherah pole (an idol) and "did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him" (verse 33).

So, what's a king to do? Should Ahab assent to Jehoshaphat's request for a prophet of the Lord rather than the legions of other prophets? Should he blow off his son-in-law's request? Eventually he decides to assent to the request. Enter the prophet Micaiah son of Imlah.

Though the legions of other prophets advised going to war, Micaiah says no. It's a hard-knock life for a prophet. Because he said no, Micaiah was thrown in jail, given only bread and water. He was so certain that God was speaking to him and through him that he was willing to risk his life on it. And in the end, the legions were wrong and the lone dissenter was right: Ahab is killed but Jehoshaphat is spared, despite all the poor decisions he made along the way.

There's a lot of manipulation going on in this story, both human and divine. God schemes to bring about Ahab's demise using his own scheme to go to war with Jehoshaphat. Ahab's plotting against Jehoshaphat is ruined also.

Here we see God also manipulating the situation--saving Jehoshaphat from certain death and punishing the evil king Ahab.

So, what do you think about that? Is God a manipulator? Does it matter one way or another? Can human justice be achieved by manipulation? divine justice?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!
Allison