Misinterpretations often claim this passage proves God authors lies or tempts people to sin, ignoring the context of judicial judgment on Ahab's willful rebellion after repeated warnings, or suggest demons routinely serve God directly, whereas here it's a specific permission for deception against one who loved lies over truth, aligning with biblical principles that God allows consequences for hardened hearts but never tempts to evil as per James 1:13.
II Chronicles 18:20
King James Version (1769)
20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith?
II Chronicles 18:20 depicts God's sovereign control over the spiritual realm, where a lying spirit volunteers to deceive King Ahab through his prophets, receiving divine permission to entice him into a doomed battle as judgment for his idolatry and rejection of true prophecy. This underscores that God orchestrates events, even using adversarial forces, to fulfill His righteous purposes without compromising His holiness.