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By R.A. Mathews

Yes, it was craziness waiting to happen. I have changed the details to protect the not-at-all-innocent.  

This story is like one of those road rage incidents where a driver chases down an offending driver and ultimately shoots him. Out-of-control anger.

There’s no road in my story, and no one was shot, but the police were called. And there I was, smack dab in the middle of that scene. Here’s what happened.

I had gone to dinner with a close friend. Usually a great guy — but he has a temper. Since he was training for an athletic event, he ordered a rather expensive chef salad. The waiter placed a huge platter of shredded wet lettuce in front of him topped with a few strips of meat and veggies. 

Clearly the restaurant was in the wrong. He pointed this out and the waiter offered to return with another. Great. Everything was fine until my friend said, “You can see the problem.” And the waiter rudely replied, “No, I can’t see anything wrong.”

My friend grabbed his phone. 

Huh-uh. The waiter was not about to let him take a picture and spread it across social media. The waiter quickly seized the salad, but not quickly enough — my friend also grabbed it. 

I watched in horror as these two muscle-bound men struggled with that plate, neither willing to let go. 

You know what happened. 

The platter went flying through the air, clanging across the stone floor as wet lettuce landed everywhere — on tables, diners, waiters, other plates of food.

Yes, the police showed up. We were asked to leave and banned from ever returning.

It reminded me of two friends in the Bible and the anger that led them into a rather unpleasant scene. It seems good King Jehoshaphat of Southern Israel had paid evil King Ahab of Northern Israel a friendly visit. Ahab saw an opportunity — he needed help fighting the king of Aram. 

Jehoshaphat said, “Consider me yours, my people yours, and my horses yours” (I Kings 22:4, NASB).

But Jehoshaphat had the sense to ask for a prophet so they could inquire of the Lord whether to go to battle. Ahab assembled 400 of his prophets who said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king” (I Kings 22:5-6, NASB).

Jehoshaphat knew these were Ahab’s prophets and said, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of him?” (I Kings 22:7, NASB).

Ahab and his queen had done everything to blot out the worship of God in Northern Israel, but one holy prophet remained. Micaiah.

Micaiah then prophesied, saying, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd.” Micaiah went on to say, “the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours; and the LORD has declared disaster against you” (I Kings 22:8-23, NASB).

That’s when Ahab’s anger boiled over.

One of Ahab’s men struck Micaiah, and King Ahab viciously said, “Put this man in prison, and feed him enough bread and water to survive until I return safely” (I Kings 24:27).

Listen, prophets spoke for God. They were revered. Yet Ahab threw Micaiah into prison—like lettuce flying across a restaurant. 

It’s unbelievable, but good King Jehoshaphat continued on, proceeding into battle with Ahab. Things get worse.

“And (Ahab) said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I will disguise myself…  but you put on your robes.’ So (Ahab) disguised himself and went into the battle” (I Kings 22:30, NASB).

Again, what was Jehoshaphat thinking? He had made himself a target. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

“Now the king of Aram …  (said), ‘Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.’  So when the commanders …  saw Jehoshaphat, they said, ‘Surely he is (Ahab)!’ And they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.  Then, when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not (Ahab), they turned back … ” (I Kings 22:31-33, NASB).

Jehoshaphat nearly died that day, and Ahab did succumb to a wound from a random arrow (I Kings 22:31-33).

No one died in my restaurant debacle. I comfort myself with that much, but I still pass my favorite eatery, looking at it longingly, wondering if I could get take-out — just sit quietly in my car, waiting for it to appear. Maybe with a hoodie pulled down low in this 100-degree heat. 

Think anyone would notice?

Be careful about anger and with those who anger easily. “Cease from anger and abandon wrath; Do not get upset; it leads only to evildoing” (Psalm 37:8, NASB).

The Rev. Mathews (BA, MDiv, JD) is a faith columnist and the author of the Reaching to God series and Emerald Coast: The Vendetta. Contact her at Hello@RAMathews.com. 

Copyright © 2024 R.A. Mathews. All rights reserved.