1 Kings 20. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on January 21, 2018.
There are times in our lives when we need something so badly, and yet we feel like we don’t deserve it. The world often counters this with the trite saying, “Yes, you do deserve this.” In fact Christians can also fall into this trap of thinking that we deserve things from God. The truth is that much of life has nothing to do with whether we deserve it or not, and whether for good or for bad. Today, our passage highlights the grace of God to help Israel in a time that they and their king do not “deserve it,” and yet He gives it.
I pray that you are not guilty of the depths of rebellion that King Ahab and Israel were in the passage today. However, I know how the enemy operates. He gets into our head and uses our failures, of any size, as fodder for talking us out of trusting God (e.g. “You don’t deserve it.”). Don’t tell yourself that God no longer cares, regardless of how hopeless the situation or our level of “deserving” something. Instead trust the God who is not seeking to make you pay, but rather is seeking to help you draw nearer to Him. In our passage today, God is trying to draw the hearts of the people of Israel and King Ahab. Ahab is an especially bad model of how to respond to God’s grace. Yet, if you will turn to Him in faith and repentance then you will find Him already at your side, regardless of what you are facing.
In the previous chapter (1 Kings 19) we saw how God had graciously ended the drought that Israel experienced for 3 years. We also saw that Ahab and Jezebel had not responded in repentance, but rather in doubling down on their sin of Baal worship. We would expect this chapter to be full of rebukes from God and disaster. Instead, chapter 20 is filled with the grace of God, grace that they did not deserve.
In the first 6 verses we see that Ben Hadad, the king of Damascus, has surrounded Ahab’s capital city of Samaria. He is joined by 32 other kings and their armies. These are vassal kings who rule over walled cities around Damascus. As was typical in siege campaigns, Ben Hadad gives Ahab the terms of surrender that he will accept, which are “your silver and gold are mine. Your loveliest wives and children are mine.” Now Ben Hadad and the armies that are with him represent a very capable and serious threat. Ahab knows that he is in a bad situation. So how does he respond?
Ahab very quickly agrees to the terms of surrender. Why lose everything when he can purchase the lives of his city with his wealth and family? We could say that Ahab deserves some commendation because of his willingness to sacrifice his things for those of his people, but that might be overly naïve. Yet, we should also notice that there is no sense of seeking God or Baal for wisdom on what to do. Ahab only sees the natural element and thus only seeks natural answers. It is important to recognize that though our life is filled with the natural, there is more to life than the natural. There is a whole spiritual side to the things that are happening in our lives and the world around us. A person who understands this will be a person who seeks God and His direction. When Ben Hadad receives the quick answer from Ahab, he ups the ante by sending back “new and improved terms of surrender.” Basically he will send his soldiers into Samaria the next day and take everything that is valuable. They will be pillaged and the city will be left with nothing, while the most skilled will be carted as slaves. Ahab balks at this and talks to the elders of the city. Backed into an impossible corner, they decide to fight (which may have been Ben Hadad’s true purpose). Again, at the human level we can say that this is commendable. It is better to die free and fighting than to die enslaved and submitting. And yet, there is still no thought of seeking God’s help.
In verses 11-14 we have a tense exchange between Ahab and Ben Hadad. In the middle of it, God sends one of His prophets to Ahab. There is irony in the fact that Ahab has spent years having the prophets of the Lord hunted down and killed. Here in his own moment of being hunted, God sends one of His prophets to promise him victory. There is a lesson to be learned here. When we abandon the ways of god, we often destroy the very things that God wants to use to bless us. With our own hands we tear apart the very things that we will need down the road. Yet, God is still gracious to Ahab even though he doesn’t deserve it.
Ahab quickly pounces on the words of the prophet because he is desperate. Thus he quizzes the prophet as to how this victory will come about. The prophet tells Ahab that he is to have the young leaders of the provinces lead the attack (as opposed to his seasoned veterans). This would not be normal military advice. But another sign of Ahab’s desperation is the fact that he follows through with the prophet’s instructions. Throughout Israel’s history God would many times instruct them to do things that didn’t make sense in the natural. In one battle they were told to put the Levites in the front of the army with musical instruments and praising God. This is always done in cases when God wants to demonstrate that the battle is not being won by natural means, but by supernatural help from Him. In life we can get so used to seeing the natural that it becomes the only thing we see. We can lose sight of God’s supernatural grace all around us every day. From time to time, God removes those natural barriers so that we can see His grace. These are always times that are distressing to our natural selves.
In verses 16-22 Israel comes out of Samaria and win a huge victory. As is common in warfare, soldiers are fickle creatures. Even though they have superior numbers, the quick success of Israel’s initial attack causes the armies of Ben Hadad to flee. They all flee back to Damascus with their tails between their legs and being attacked by Israel all the way back. On the heels of such a great victory, the prophet of the Lord speaks to Ahab again. Though there is victory, he warns Ahab that Ben Hadad will attack next spring. It was common for armies to avoid the winter months because cold and mud would hamper the movement of troops and engines of war. There is a spiritual lesson here for us to remember. When we stand upon the Word of the Lord and trust His instructions, we can put our spiritual enemy to flight. The Bible says in James 4:6-7, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When we stand our ground and continue doing what God has told us to do it puts the devil to flight. We resist him by trusting God and obeying His word. Yet, we must realize that even though the devil may flee, he will also regroup and figure out another way to attack us. Thus victory is no time to get arrogant and cocky. It is a time to praise God and prepare for future attacks. We must use the time between spiritual attacks, whether temptations, trials, or doubts, to prepare ourselves for the next wave. So draw near to God in a relationship of trust and love. Learn His Word and what He is calling you to do, and be faithful to do it. Too often we coast in times of ease, and thus set ourselves up for spiritual failure in the future.
In verses 23-28, we see that Ben Hadad returns the next spring (as prophesied). Only this time his forces take up position near the city of Aphek, which was on a plain across the Jordan. Several things stick out in this passage. First, Israel’s army looks like two, little flocks of goats before the Syrians. In the natural they are in trouble.
Second, we should notice the foolish counsel of the Syrians to Ben Hadad. They believe they lost because the God of Israel is stronger in the mountains. If we can only fight them in the plains, then surely our gods will win. This blasphemy against God (saying untrue things about God) is not well received by God. He intends to teach everyone a lesson. You see the God of Israel is not just God of the mountains, but also God of the valleys. It is one thing for God’s enemies to underestimate Him, but God forbid that His own people should underestimate Him. In our day and age, it appears that all the earth is turning against God and His Anointed One, Jesus. We may look like two little flocks of goats before their sheer numbers and power. However, God is the one who gives the victory. We must not lose heart, but rather stand in faithfulness to the mission that God has given us. This chapter goes on to see a great victory given to Israel and prophesied by a prophet of the Lord. In fact, over 20,000 Syrian soldiers perished when the wall of Aphek collapsed on them.
At the end of such a string of victories that were foretold by the prophets of God, what would you think Ahab would do? The chapter ends with Ahab still playing up to Ben Hadad, who had been captured. Ahab makes an alliance with Ben Hadad and sends him back to Damascus. Ahab does not trust the Lord. Instead he trusts military alliances, or natural things. Thus God sends another prophet to rebuke Ahab for his refusal to do what God had decreed: put Ahab to death.
This whole chapter begs the question, just where is Elijah and Elisha? Several possibilities have been conjectured through the years. Perhaps God has put Elijah on the bench so that he can get his attitude adjusted. Perhaps God is giving Elijah time to train Elisha before sending him back into the fray. However, the most likely idea is that God is proving His point to Elijah that He still had 7,000 who hadn’t worshipped Baal.
This chapter emphasizes that God always has others who can serve, and there is a rhyme and reason for why He chooses certain ones to do certain things. We see at least three different prophets at work in this chapter, and they are all unnamed. Now God uses each of us differently. If you are discouraged because you feel like you are the only one and are all alone, then wake up and start leaning on God. He has others who are working as well. Everything is not up to you. We can lose sight of this and forget. May God help us to learn to listen to Him, to do the work He gives us, and to trust that He can work through others also. Instead of letting the enemy get inside your head and pillage all that God has given you, choose to stand your ground through repentance, and faithfulness to our Lord, Jesus, alongside other faithful believers.