14:9 I . . . have deceived . . . I will stretch out my hand. Numerous biblical passages integrate the sovereignty of God and the moral responsibility of human beings without allowing the predeterminate will of God to be used as an excuse for moral evil (Esth. 4:13, 14; Joel 2:32; Matt. 26:24, 25; Acts 2:23). In this section, idolaters without any intention of giving up their idolatry come to seek a prophetic word. By God’s arrangement they find a prophet as false as they are, and both will come under God’s judgment. The prophet who serves them, though induced by God, must bear the responsibility for his wrongdoing. See 1 Kin. 22:19–25.