1 Kings 20:1-43
Q.1. For what purpose did God show grace to the wicked King Ahab? – (1 Kgs.20:1-21)
Benhadad, king of Aram was an impulsive king who first demanded Ahab’s silver and gold, plus his most beautiful wives and children (1 Kgs.20:1-1-3). After Ahab agreed to comply, Benhadad increased his demands. He threatened to send his servants to take – whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will take in their hands and carry away (1 Kgs.20:6). Benhadad was clearly a greedy and very ungodly man, who was confident in his alliance with thirty two other tribal kings (I Kgs.20:1, 12 & 16). For all Ahab’s wickedness, he was king over ten of the tribes of Israel. In grace, God appealed to the heart of Ahab and sent one of His prophets with a promise of deliverance – Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD’ (1 Kgs.20:13). God gave them a battle plan, and they routed the Aramean armies (1 Kgs.20:19-21). The Lord was still wanting Ahab and all Israel to genuinely return to Him.
Q.2. What did God want Ben-hadad to learn about the God of Israel? – (1 Kgs.20:22-30)
The Arameans and the other tribes had their own gods. They had no regard for the God of Israel. After their previous defeat they foolishly concluded – Their gods are gods of the mountains therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain and surely, we will be stronger than they (1 Kgs.20:23). Within a year they mustered a massive army in the plains (1 Kgs.20:24-25). Israel’s army were – like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country (1 Kgs.20:27). God wanted the enemy … and all Israel to know that He was the God of the universe and had no rivals. He again sent a man of God with this declaration – “Thus says the Lord,Because the Arameans have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD (1Kgs.20:28). It happened as the prophet pronounced – and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans, one hundred thousand-foot soldiers in one day. The rest fled to the city of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on the twenty-seven thousand men who were left (1 Kgs.20:29-30).
Q.3. How did God view King Ahab’s clemency to his enemies? – (1 Kgs.20:31-43)
Ahab had ignored the teaching of the Scriptures which he had been instructed to write down and follow – 18 Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel (Deut. 17:18-20). Making a covenant with the enemy was a serious breach of God’s Covenant with Israel (1 Kgs.20:34). The message was brought home to the king in a most dramatic way, by one of the sons of the prophets, who painfully acted out a parable for the king. He declared to Ahab – Thus says the Lord, `Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people’ (1 Kgs.20:42).