And the LORD said unto him,
By what means?
And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said,
You shall persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
All Commentaries on 1 Kings 22:22 Go To 1 Kings 22
Caesarius of Arles
AD 542
Perhaps someone says, “How can it happen that one who sins in his flesh by dissipation possesses the devil in his soul?” What we have said, dearly beloved, we will prove with evidence from sacred Scripture. Listen to the Scriptures saying that the proud person is filled with the devil: “Everyone who exalts his own heart is unclean in the sight of God,” and “All pride is the beginning of falling off from God.” What does it mean to fall from God, except to depart from him? Moreover, if a person is separated from God, he is necessarily united to the devil. Furthermore, Scripture says that the envious person cannot be without a devil: “By the envy of the devil, death came into the world, and they follow him that are of his side.” The canonical writings attest no less that the fornicator is also enslaved by the devil, for the prophet says, “You have been deceived by the spirit of fornication.” The fact that no liar can be without an evil spirit is evidenced by Scripture, too: “You will destroy all that speak a lie,” and again: “The mouth that belies kills the soul.” In the book of Kings we read that the evil spirit said to the Lord, “I will deceive Ahab.” And the Lord said to him, “By what means?” And he answered, “I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets.” And the Lord said, “You shall deceive him and shall prevail.” We should believe that the case is similar with all the other serious sins and offenses, because no one commits them without the devil’s prompting.
