The majority is always right! Right? Wrong! We see it over and over in the scriptures. The vast majority of those in Noah’s day were wrong. The whole population of Sodom except for four was wrong. Ten of the twelve spies who were sent out from Kadesh Barnea were wrong. In this passage in 1st Kings, we find one prophet standing out against 400. The majority told Ahab and Jehoshaphat to go ahead and go to war against their enemies because God will give them the victory. Micaiah was the lone dissenting voice.
It’s hard to stand against the crowds. Micaiah found it also had consequences because he was placed in prison when he spoke his mind which contradicted the 400 “Yes Men” of Ahab.
I once read of a test conducted in a university where 10 students were placed in a room. Three lines of varying length were drawn on the board. The students were told to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the longest line. But 9 of the students had been instructed beforehand to raise their hands when the instructor pointed to the second longest line. One student was the stooge. The usual reaction of the stooge was to put his hand up when the instructor pointed at the longest line, look around, and realizing he was all alone, pull it back down. When the instructor pointed to the second longest line, the stooge would watch the other nine raise their hands and slowly follow suit. This happened 75% of the time, with students from grade school through high school.
Most of us would rather be accepted than be right. It takes real courage to stand alone against the crowds. Micaiah did it.
Athanasius did it. He was an early bishop of Alexandria. He firmly opposed the teachings of Arius, (The first Jehovah witness) who declared that Christ was not the eternal Son of God, but a subordinate being. Hounded through five exiles, he was finally summoned before emperor Theodosius, who demanded he cease his opposition to Arius. The emperor reproved him and asked, “ Do you not realize that all the world is against you” Athanasius quickly answered, “Then I am against all the world.”
I wonder if it hadn’t been for Athanasius, we might all be Jehovah witnesses today!
Chuck
“But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9