OVERVIEW: Syria attacks Israel twice; Ahab spares the Syrian king; Ahab’s “purchase” of Naboth’s vineyard; Israel and Judah unite against Syria; the death of Ahab.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Benhadad, the king of Syria, conspired with 32 other kings to besiege Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, and sent a message to King Ahab telling him that the conditions of his surrender would not only be all of his silver and gold, but the very best of his wives and children. Recognizing his inability against such a formidable alliance of nations, Ahab reluctantly concedes. Shortly thereafter, Benhadad sends more messengers to Ahab demanding that his servants be granted access to the city to plunder Ahab’s house, and the houses of all of his servants.
King Ahab calls an emergency meeting to seek the counsel of the elders of Israel. The elders are adamant that Ahab stand his ground against Benhadad’s second demand. When Benhadad receives Ahab’s reply, he was so infuriated that he sends back the message that by the time he was finished, there wouldn’t be enough of Samaria left for all of his servants to grab a handful of its dust! (20:10) Ahab tauntingly replies back, that a soldier “putting on” his armor shouldn’t boastfully conduct himself like someone who is “taking his armor off” after achieving a victory! When Benhadad receives the message, it was while he and all of his “kingly buddies” were together partying, and Ahab’s taunting response worked! Benhadad immediately called his soldiers to action. (20:12)
Just then, a prophet comes to Ahab and tells him that despite the incredible amount of soldiers in Benhada’s combined armies, the Lord would provide the victory using a relatively small Israeli army, leaving no doubt whatsoever that the Lord was the One who granted the victory.
Ahab rallies his troops, and it so happens that Benhadad and his posse of 32 kings were already drunk. When Benhadad’s soldiers informed him that the Israeli army had made their way out of the city walls, he foolishly tells them that whether they were approaching in peace or for war, not to kill them, but to take them as hostages. Obviously, that passive battle plan put his soldiers at a major disadvantage that resulted in many casualties. Those who weren’t killed were forced to retreat.
After Ahab’s victory, the prophet returned informing Ahab to go regroup himself and his troops, because Benhadad and his armies would be returning within the year. (20:22)
Meanwhile, in King Benhadad’s camp, his military foot soldiers let their “General-King” know that they could defeat the Israel army by doing three things:
- Not fight them in the hill country, but in the plain. (They surmised that they had suffered such great defeat at their hands because their “gods,” were “the gods of the hills.” 20:23)
- Replace the 32 kings with “real” military strategists. (20:24)
- Rebuild the combined armies, horses and chariots to the number they had before the devastating defeat. (20:25)
Benhadad complied with all of their counsel and demands.
Several months later, Benhadad had successfully regrouped his military, and leads the attack against Israel. From a distance, Israel looked like two small flocks of goats compared to Benhadad’s armies. The prophet returned, however, to let Ahab know that God was, once again, going to show Himself mighty on their behalf, especially since they had said that Israel’s God was “God of the hills, but he is not the God of the valleys.” (20:28) By the end of this “seven-day war,” the Israeli army had miraculously killed 100,000 Syrian soldiers! The Syrians who weren’t killed sought refuge within the walled city of Aphek, and when they came into the city, the wall fell killing all 27,000 of the remaining soldiers! (20:26-30) Go God!
Benhadad’s remaining servants ask for permission to approach Ahab under the guise of surrender, requesting that he spare the life of Benhadad. During the encounter, Ahab makes the mistake of saying, “Oh, is ‘MY BROTHER,’ Benhadad, still alive?” His servants pick up on the whole “my brother” thing, and milk it for all it was worth. The result was, Ahab tells them to bring Benhadad to him. When he arrives, Benhadad promises to restore the cities that had been taken from his forefathers, and to institute an urban renewal program, as it were, and rather than kill him as God had said, Ahab foolishly enters into an alliance with him. (20:31-34)
As Ahab makes his way back home, God inserts a prophet into his path with an object lesson of Ahab’s disobedience in not destroying Benhadad, and God tells Ahab that his life will be taken for Benhadad’s life. (20:35-43)
Chapter 21 is the infamous chapter regarding Naboth’s vineyard. It reveals that Ahab was nothing but a selfish, selfserving, self-seeking, spoiled brat, and that those were his “good” qualities! What an incredible epithet is recorded in 21:25: “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.”
In response to God’s sentence against Ahab and his “lovely” wife, Jezebel (21:17-24), Ahab goes through some semblance of actually humbling himself. (21:27) If you ever wanted to know just how gracious, long-suffering, merciful and forgiving our God is, listen to the words God spoke to Elijah concerning Ahab in the last verse of this chapter: “Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” (21:29)
In Chapter 22, Jehoshaphat, who was actually a relatively “good” king, enters an unholy alliance with Ahab. May it serve as an Old Testament illustration, and reminder to us of the New Testament, the truth of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, speaking whatever the Lord (Father) wants him to speak –– 1 Kings 22:14 (John 3:34; 14:10)