Bible Question: 2 Chron. 18:18-23

by Doralee
(Temecula)

2Chronicles 18:18-23 talks about a "spirit" who stands in front of the Lord and volunteers to go and entice the King Ahab by being a "lying spirit" in the King's prophets' mouths. God approves of the idea, and then the verse 22 even states that "God PUT the lying spirit in their mouths."

My questions are--who is this spirit and if he is evil, how is he able to stand before God? Why is God approving sin? Why does this passage make it seem like God had to confer with his host of angels in order to figure out how to entice Ahab?

Lastly, if God can not look upon sin, then how can He be the One (as this verse reads) to be responsible for actually PUTTING the lying spirit in the prophets mouth?

It doesn't make sense to me. Thank you for your help.