1 Kings 20:26 – 43 “In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.
The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.
The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’ ”
And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”
“Go and get him!” said the king.
Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.
Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
“By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”
But the man refused to strike him.
Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”
And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”
So the man struck him and wounded him, and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver. But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”
And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”
Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”
Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.”
Well, the Syrians are at it again! Believing that the God of Israel must be a God of the hills, the Syrians have chosen to attack on the plains. Bad move! God empowers the Israelites, and they slaughter 100,000 Syrian soldiers. When the Syrians retreat to the city of Aphek, a wall collapses, killing another 27,000 men. At this point, Ben – hadad is desperate, and approaches Ahab wearing sackcloth around his waist with ropes on his head rather than a crown. Puffed up by a victory in which he has had only a small part and blinded by his own sense of importance, Ahab magnanimously makes a treaty with Ben – hadad, calling him his brother. Ben – hadad makes promises to Ahab and then returns to Damascus a free man.
Ahab has really blown it this time! God wanted Ahab’s forces to destroy Ben – hadad; however, Ahab has allowed his ego to overshadow common sense and has released Ben – hadad, even making a treaty with him. God cannot allow this tragic mistake to pass without notice.
One of the prophets orders a man to wound him. When that man refuses, the prophet predicts that the man will be killed by a lion and this promptly happens. The prophet orders another man to wound him, and that man obeys – obviously, he doesn’t want to become lion bait. The prophet covers his face with a bandage and then approaches Ahab with a story about being charged to watch a prisoner. The prophet claims that the man who gave the prisoner into his care threatened that if the prisoner escaped, the prophet would pay with his life. Now the prophet is complaining that “as your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”
From the height of his chariot, Ahab grandly proclaims that the prophet has pronounced judgement on himself and that he should die for failing to guard the prisoner carefully. At this point, the prophet whips the bandage off his head and turns on Ahab, telling Ahab that Ahab has made a tragic mistake. God wanted Ahab and his forces to completely annihilate Ben – hadad and all of his men; instead, Ahab has entered into a short – sighted treaty that leaves Israel open to attack from Syria in the future. After all, it was Ben – hadad who demanded that Ahab hand over all the gold, silver, and even his favorite wives and children. Why in the name of common sense would anybody be foolish enough to trust such a man? Ahab’s failure to eliminate Ben – hadad will eventually result in the death of Ahab and his people. “‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”
What might Ahab do at this point? If Ahab were to repent before the Lord, things might be different. Ahab should immediately beg the prophet of the Lord for advice to see if there is anything he can do to save the situation. If ever there were a time when Ahab needs to humble himself and ask for God’s help, this is it. But Ahab does nothing of the sort; instead, Ahab becomes offended, sticks out his lower lip and pouts all the way back to Samaria.
APPLICATION: Viewed from the vantage point of nearly three thousand years, we can readily see how foolish Ahab has been. Ahab is the king of a relatively small country with a few thousand troops while Syria has massed at least one hundred twenty – seven thousand or more men. Only divine intervention has protected Ahab and his people from being completely wiped out. Ahab should recognize that God is the One who has saved Israel and he should ask the prophet for guidance when Ben – hadad and his men appear in sack cloth. But Ahab is a creature of passion; logic and faith play little or no part in his thinking.
One key statement that echoes down through the centuries is the excuse. “And as your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” Totally unaware of God’s purpose for this battle, Ahab has been busy “here and there” and has allowed Ben – hadad to escape. Ahab has failed to ask God for guidance, and the results are disastrous. But how many of us occupy ourselves with things that don’t really matter, failing to realize that God has called us to some particular work? When God has called us to preach the Gospel, are we settling for light shows? Are we offering God our good works and our plans in the hopes that He will rubber stamp them and overlook our failure to fulfill His perfect Will for our lives? May God send His Holy Spirit to convict us, so that we don’t respond like Ahab and go off and pout.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to truly seek Your Will for our lives and not to become distracted or to try to offer You something less or something else. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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