Meditations on 1. Kings 20

This chapter doesn’t include anything about Elijah, nor does Chapter 22. The focus is entirely on Ahab and his relation with the King of Syria, Benhadad.

Benhadad had besieged Samaria and demanded all of Ahab’s gold and silver, as well as his wives and children. Ahab agreed. Then Benhadad said he’d send someone in and they would take whatever was pleasing to Ahab. At this point , the goal became humiliation. Ahab balked and received this response from:

And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

Ahab showed he knew how trash-talk right back with this response:

And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

This got the men of Syria in array against Israel and then something remarkable happened:

And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. (vs. 13, 14)

So Ahab took these 232 princes out into battle and defeated the Syrian Army. What was extraordinary is that Ahab was not a godly king. Why did God do this? Ahab was a wicked, rebellious king. He slaughtered the prophets of God. Why would God give Ahab victory?

Because the Lord is gracious and full of mercy. He wanted to reveal who He was to King Ahab. As he mounted his horse, the King had to know there was no way in his own power that he was going to come back alive. He was leading a group of 232 men vs. thousands of enemy soldiers. But, he had no choice, no retreat left but in utter disgrace and dishonor. He’d tried to run from the problem, but it wouldn’t go away. He had to face his enemy. How could he mount his horse, without knowing God was with him.

You’ll meet those men through life who’ve experienced the power of God, who make all types of prayer and supplication and then God grants their cry and God is forgotten when times are good. Yet, why does reveal himself to such men? Because our God is a just and perfect God who sends his rain on the just and on the unjust and is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The prophet warned Ahab to prepare because the king would be back next year. The Syrians made a boast that demanded God’s action:

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. v. 23

When the Syrians assembled themselves again in the valley, once again a messenger came:

And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. v.28

God is not some local deity. He is the One, True God and the Earth is the Lord’s and all that dwell therein. God had to give an answer. But, still notice how he was once again reaching out to Ahab, that you may know.

Outnumbered, once again Israel won a victory over the Syrians, and Benhadad found himself at the mercy of King Ahab. He offered Ahab, a return of cities that Benhadad’s father and to give Ahab marketplaces as Ahab’s father had given to Benhadad.

This makes sense, but it was truly God’s Will?

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the LORD, “Smite me, I pray thee.” And the man refused to smite him.
Then said he unto him, “Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him and slew him.
Then he found another man and said, “Smite me, I pray thee.” And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.

So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, “Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle. And behold, a man turned aside and brought a man unto me, and said, `Keep this man. If by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.’

And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said unto him, “So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.”

And he hastened and took the ashes away from his face, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was of the prophets. And he said unto the king, “Thus saith the LORD: `Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.’”

And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria. (v.35-43)
The lessons of v. 35 and 36 are that when God tells you to do something, you do it, no matter how strange it sounds. Though, it does certainly make one thankful to live under Grace.

The more I think about it, the prophets of the old testament days were truly artists with a message from God. You have the story tellers, you have performance artists (ex. Ezekiel), and you have poets. They used their creative arts to deliver God’s message. In this case, Ahab had an actor on his hands.

The prophet’s point was clear. Ahab had chosen not to follow the Will of God. My wife asked me an interesting question, “Where had God said to kill Benhadad?”

At first, I thought perhaps it just hadn’t been mentioned. But, something far more obvious occurred to me. Ahab simply never asked. As he did with his whole life, Ahab did whatever he wanted to. Yet, that the Lord had given him a great victory, and delivery against an overwhelming foe, all was forgotten when Ben-hadad offered him a few marketplaces in Damascus.

When we fall into “great fortune” such as a new position or a sum of money, we should recognize the source of our success and ask God what He would have us do with it. Let us never be like that long ago foolish king who to his own harm forgot the Lord was the One who’d brought him success.

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