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“An Enemy Who Won't Stop And A God Who Won't Lose” • 4.23.17 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- When we last studied the book of First Kings,
Elijah the prophet, having scored a significant victory over the prophets of
Baal, fled Israel at the sight of a note from Queen Jezebel.
- She promised to execute him, which proved to
be the last straw for him. He had expected to see the spiritual tide turn and
when it didn't, he marched toward the very holiest place imaginable.
- He found himself seeking to confront God in
the very same place where Moses received the Law! He has been off the scene for
some period beyond 40 days.
- God has him on a journey elsewhere at the
moment. In the meantime, the fruit of the Lord's victory is beginning to blossom.
Text
• I Kings 20:1-6 : "Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria
gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses
and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. Then
he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, 'Thus
says Ben-Hadad: ‘Your
silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ And the king of Israel answered and
said, 'My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.' Then the messengers came back and
said, 'Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, 'You
shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children'; but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this
time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it
shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their
hands and take it.'" : God's plan to unsettle Ahab
from his idolatry began at Mt. Carmel, but has continued through his aggressive
neighbor to the North.
- In the political background, Israel has
forged a treaty with Judah through the marriage of Ahab's daughter to King
Jehoshaphat. We'll learn more about that as we conclude the book.
- To the North of Syria, the Assyrian army is
beginning to exert it's strength in the region. Naturally, Ben-Hadad wants to
secure a more southern foothold for Syria.
- Ben-Hadad, united together with 32 Kings,
came up and laid siege against Samaria. Once the city was surrounded the Syrian
King laid out his terms.
- Without any resistance, Ahab quickly agrees
to hand over the silver, gold, women and children. Ben-Hadad realizes that he
has not asked for enough.
- In fact, he proposes that his army will take
a quick tour through the city and take whatever pleases them tomorrow! This is
a historical narrative, but there is a true spiritual correlation.
- The enemy of our souls will take what we are
willing to give him and then, once we are compromised, is happy to take much
more! Verse 7.
•
I Kings 20:7-12 : "So the king of Israel called all
the elders of the land, and said, 'Notice, please, and see how this man seeks
trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold;
and I did not deny him.' And all the elders and all the people said to him, 'Do not
listen or consent.' Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, 'Tell my lord
the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but
this thing I cannot do.’ And the messengers departed and brought back word to
him. Then
Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, 'The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough
dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.' So the king of Israel answered and said, 'Tell him, ‘Let not
the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he
and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, 'Get
ready.' And they got ready to attack the city." : Ben-Hadad didn't expect there to be any resistance, but Ahab wouldn't
go above his original agreement.
-
Ben-Hadad was not a man to be embarassed in front of his 32 royal friends! He
promises to level Samaria and it's people to the ground.
-
"After we're through with you, I won't be able to give my men a handful of
dust!" Ahab was not to be outdone in this little war of words. He sent
back a terse reply.
-
"Don't talk like you've already won!" That didn't sit well with
Ben-Hadad, who with his consortium of Kings, were already drinking to their
victory when the new communique arrived.
-
Ahab's words set the enemy into motion and then God sent His people into motion.
Verse 13.
•
I Kings 20:13-16a : "Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab
king of Israel, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will
deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ So Ahab said, 'By whom?' And he said, 'Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ Then he said, 'Who will set the battle in order?' And he answered, 'You.' Then
he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and
thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of
Israel—seven thousand. So they went out at
noon." : Part of Elijah's complaint stemmed
around the fact that he was the only prophet left in Israel. (I Kings 19:10,14)
-
"Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab." Isn't it funny how wrong our
"facts" can be when we are exhausted and spent!? May we be wise not
to trust in what we do not know!
-
Thiis prophet is unknown, but he has access to King Ahab! When Elijah left his
post, he didn't get to see the fruit of his victory at Mt. Carmel.
-
It seems that the Lord's victory galvanized the prophets and Elijah missed it!
This prophet gets to tell Ahab that God is about to deliver Syria into Israel's
hands!
-
Ahab is not sure of who to task with this, as if there was anyone other than
himself!
-
The prophet makes sure that he sets them in order under the leadership of the
young leaders of the various provinces.
-
When he gathered the children of Israel to fight, isn't it a tremendous coincidence
that there are 7,000!? The Lord had given this exact number to Elijah while in
Horeb!
-
I Kings 19:18 tells us that these
7,000 hands bowed their knees to Baal and their mouths had not kissed him. These
set out at noon, a very peculiar time to begin a battle. Verse 16b.
•
I Kings 20:16b-22 : "Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the
thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post. The young leaders of the provinces
went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, 'Men
are coming out of Samaria!' So he said, 'If they have come out for peace, take them alive;
and if they have come out for war, take them alive.' Then these young leaders of the
provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. And each one killed his man; so the
Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped
on a horse with the cavalry. Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and
chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came to the king of
Israel and said to him, 'Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you
should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against
you.'" : Ben-Hadad is certainly not getting
himself into battle condition. Verse 12
finds him drinking. Verse 16 finds
him getting drunk!
-
His response only makes sense when one applies a drunk man's voice to it!
-
Israel would win the day, largely because of the leadership void left by
Ben-Hadad's drunkenness!
-
Israel routed the Syrians with the King of Syria in full retreat but are warned
not to become to comfortable for the King of Syria regroup and attack again.
-
Most of us believe that the enemy permanently retreats from us when we have
scored a single victory. That is never the case!
-
Ahab, you don't have time to revel in your victory. Go now and strengthen
yourself! Do what it takes to fortify your position, to equip your servants and
to improve your defenses.
-
He would have until spring. You will remember those fateful words from II Samuel 11:1. The spring was when
Kings went to war! It offered the best weather conditions and food stores were
high.
-
Ben-Hadad would accept defeat today that He might live to attack another time!
When Jesus successfully defeated Satan in the wilderness, he also withdrew for
a strategic reason.
-
Luke 4:13 tells us that the enemy
"departed from him until an opportune time." When you experience a
victory, I'd advise you to take the Prophet's advice: "Get ready for
another attack!"
-
In the historical case of Ahab, it's unclear what he might have done
militarily. I imagine the Prophet would have instructed him along a spiritual
line.
-
Just as an aside, I'd say to you that your prayer life should be in order. Your
intake of God's Word should be at a maximum. The voices that you are heeding
should be trusted and godly.
-
You should commit to being where you should be and avoiding where you shouldn't
be! These are some of the keys to victory that I have found most helpful.
-
As we return to the passage, listen to the enemy's rationale, as they assess
their next course of action. Verse 23.
•
I KIngs 20:23-25 : "Then the servants of the king of
Syria said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were
stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be
stronger than they. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and
put captains in their places; and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost,
horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the
plain; surely we will be stronger than they.' And he listened to their voice
and did so." : Ben-Hadad formed a committe to
explain their defeat and this was their conclusion: "Their gods are gods
of the hills."
-
The Syrians assumed that Israel's gods were stronger in certain areas than they
were in others. This is called "Henotheism."
-
To make up for that contingency, Syria would have to force a conflict that
would take place in the plains, where presumably, Syrian gods and chariots
would have the advantage.
-
Additionally, Ben-Hadad needed to surround himself with experienced soldiers
and not Kings as himself. Military personnel would respond with better tactical
options.
-
Of course, they would have to replace everything that they had lost, both horse
and chariot. This seems like a solid plan to Ben-Hadad! Verse 26.
•
I Kings 20:26-30 : "So it was, in the spring of the
year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against
Israel. And the
children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against
them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of
goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside. Then a man of God came and spoke to
the king of Israel, and said, 'Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, 'The Lord is God of the hills,
but He is not God of the valleys,' therefore I will deliver all this great
multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So
it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of
Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall
fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner
chamber." : Israel looks like two small flocks
of goats out on the plains. There is hardly a better picture of vulnerability
than that! Flocks in the open are open prey.
-
When you have two flocks, that isn't better than one. They won't defend each
other. The more that they are spread out, the more likelihood there is of heavy
losses!
-
Of course, on the opposing side, there are numbers for days! The Syrians
mounted a force that could be seen in every direction, a numerous horde!
-
This is the way that it always seems to be! God has a remnant, a small group, a
normal sized human being. The enemy has combatants to spare, a large group and
giants at his disposal!
-
In this battle, God announces through yet ANOTHER man, that He has been
offended by the Syrians rationale! He will defeat them in the plain, just to
show them His superiority!
-
God is literally fighting this battle to teach the watching world that His
power extends to any arena at any time! He is zealous in this instance for the
sake of His own reputation!
-
As Christians, I pray that we might take a cue from this. Are we zealous for
the Name, the reputation, that which is believed about our God? We should be!
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When He is misrepresented, it should offend our sensibilities. This doesn't
give us the right to be offensive in His Name, but it certainly calls us to
defend His honor when opportunity arises.
-
Through the Lord's power, Israel was able to kill a hundred thousand men in a
single day! When they remaining opposition fled into the walled city of Aphek, thinking
that they were safe.
-
That is, until the wall that they hid behind fell upon 27 thousand more! God
made sure that they knew that He was directly responsible for their demise!
-
Israel had done it's part and what it could not do, He did personally! Verse 31.
•
I Kings 20:31-34 : "Then his servants said to him, 'Look
now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings.
Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and
go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.' So they wore sackcloth around their
waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and
said, 'Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ And he said, 'Is he still alive? He
is my brother.' Now the men were watching
closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly
grasped at this word and said, 'Your brother Ben-Hadad.' So he said, 'Go, bring him.' Then Ben-Hadad came out to
him; and he had him come up into the chariot. So Ben-Hadad said to him, 'The cities which my father took
from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself
in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.' Then Ahab said, 'I will send you
away with this treaty.' So he made a treaty with him and sent him away." : After Ben-Hadad's defeat, his servants proposed a posture of
surrender based upon the reputation of Israel's Kings for mercy. The first
servants went out to gauge Ahab's response.
-
Ahab says, "Is he still alive? He's my brother?" What is he thinking?
As I noted earlier, the political landscape is changing and Ahab believes that
his strength will be in numbers!
-
It's amazing to think that you could trust in an ally that was just defeated
before you!
-
The King of Syria offered him both the cities that had once been his, as well
as the ability to do business in Damascus! It means nothing to us, but this was
a lucrative deal for Ahab.
-
WIth the treaty in place, Ahab sent Ben-Hadad away. God was far from pleased
with what has transpired. Verse 35.
•
I Kings 20:35-40 : "Now a certain man of the sons of
the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, 'Strike me, please. And the man
refused to strike him. Then he said to him, 'Because you have not obeyed the voice of
the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart
from me, a lion shall kill you.' And as soon as he left him, a lion found him
and killed him. And
he found another man, and said, 'Strike me, please.' So the man struck him,
inflicting a wound. Then the
prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself
with a bandage over his eyes. Now as the king
passed by, he cried out to the king and said, 'Your servant went out into the
midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and
said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for
his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.' Then
the king of Israel said to him, 'So shall your judgment be; you yourself have
decided it.'" : The
moral of the story is, when a prophet asks you to hit, you hit him and leave a
mark! This was not a random person.
- Other translations affirm this
to be "another" signifying that that man was also a prophet, who
should have known better. The second man, perhaps seeing the first, made sure
that he didn't miss!
- The prophet is playing the part
of a man who has made an oath to watch over a man at the cost of his own life. In
the play, he had been negligent and had lost the man in question.
- The King heard the case and with
no compassion, declares his judgment. The man is guilty and his life is to be
lost! Ahab has no idea what is about to hit him! Verse 41.
• I Kings 20:41-43 : "And he hastened to take the bandage
away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the
prophets. Then he
said to him, 'Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I
appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and
your people for his people.’ So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased,
and came to Samaria." : There is no reason to believe that this isn't yet a third unknown
prophet from a group recognized by King Ahab as one of the prophets!
- This entire chapter is filled
with prophets acting on God's behalf and not one is known to us!
- Ahab learns from this unknown
servant of God that the little play that the prophet acted out was symbolic of
his own responsiblity toward Ben-Hadad!
- God had delivered the Syrian
King into his hand and he let God's prisoner go. Now, Ahab would surrender his
own life and the life of his people for the sake of his ill-advised mercy.
- Ahab believed that he was making
the politically expedient move. This would strengthen him against the
Assyrians, should they move against him.
- According to one commentator,
history does show that this union was successful in one battle, but that was going
to be short-lived.
- God will never let His people
lay their trust in anything other than Himself! He alone will be the source of
their strength, provision and power!
- The King went home "sullen
and displeased." We'll see this phrase a little more as we come to the end
of this book. "Sullen" might better be translated
"resentful," "displeased" meaning "angry.
- The YLT terms it "sulky and
wroth!" Can you see his position? "How dare God question my methods
and my decisions about my Kingdom? Who does He think He is?"
- The answer that we assign to
that question will settle most all of our dilemmas! He thinks He is God and He
is right!
Conclusion
- As we close, is this not an apt commentary on how much we miss when we abandon our posts? Elijah is walking somewhere, with Elisha in tow, completely unaware of all that God was doing.
- As we close, is this not an apt commentary on how much we miss when we abandon our posts? Elijah is walking somewhere, with Elisha in tow, completely unaware of all that God was doing.
- Our high view of ourselves, our elevated
expectations and our foolish decision to trust in our own senses will
disappoint and disillusion us every time.
- Is it not better to wait and watch, to see
what God might have around the corner, to see how other divinely inspired
events might combine with our efforts in the lives we seek to reach?
- On the other hand, can we not also see a
little bit of our enemy's resolve? He will come with overwhelming strength and
when he is defeated he will come again, and again.
- He will settle for what you are willing to
surrender and then seek everything else! And if he can't beat you, he'll seek
to find a way for you to treat him as an ally!
- No wonder Peter tells us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour!" (I Peter 5:8)
- Thankfully, our enemy is no match for our
God, who has attached His Name to us by His Son Jesus Christ! Those that run
into Jesus will find ample defense and provision that will never run dry!
- He keeps you and I for the sake of His own
reputation, to be revealed both as the God of the hills and valleys of our
lives! Let's pray.
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