Start Time:	05:59 AM
End Time:	06:45 AM
Date:	June 22, 2014

 

TITLE: Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

Scripture: 1 Kings 20:1 – 43

God’s Message / God’s Commands / God’s Promises:

→ Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says:  ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’” The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.” The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’” The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”  The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.”  So he replied to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.’” They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.  Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”  The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”  Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents,^[a] and he ordered his men: “Prepare to attack.” So they prepared to attack the city.

NOTES:

Ø  A king without God is a man who breaks his promises and changes his mind constantly.  King Ahab was an example of such man, a man without God by his side as he did more evil than his ancestors did.  He initially agreed to Ben-Hadad’s agreement then changed his mind after speaking with his elders.  He made decision without consulting anyone or getting the facts necessary to come up with the right decision.  That’s why the decision made will create division or war against his friends, alliance, or family.  In the scripture above, we can see that Ben-Hadad told his people to prepare for war when Ahab changed his mind after already agreeing to what he said initially.  Double mindedness causes doubts, broken trusts, division, etc.

→ Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lordsays: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will knowthat I am the Lord.’” “But who will do this?” asked Ahab. The prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The junior officers under the provincial commanders will do it.’” “And who will start the battle?” he asked. The prophet answered, “You will.” So Ahab summoned the 232 junior officers under the provincial commanders. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.  They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. The junior officers under the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.” He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.” The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.  Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.” Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly. The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.  When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.  The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’” For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.  His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.” Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’” The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said. “Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot. “I will return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad offered. “You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said, “On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

NOTES:

Ø  God will not allow others to take advantage of His people no matter how abusive and hurtful His people do to Him! King Ahab of Israel did evil in the eyes of God, Ben-Hadad on the other hand, made an alliance to King Asa from Judah.  Yet Ben-Hadad decided to get the silver and gold, women and children of the nation Israel – this is not an action of support or help just as what ally nations do to each other.  So despite of what Ben-Hadad planned to do against Israel, God was faithful in His words to His people despite the fact that they are against Him too. 

Ø  God gives us opportunities to reconcile with Him over and over again no matter how big or small we did against Him! God spoke to King Ahab and gave him a chance to obey and reconcile with the Lord despite of what he did in the influence of Jezebel.  God still used King Ahab to defeat Ben-Hadad.  This clearly shows God’s unconditional love.  He could have just allowed Ben-Hadad to overcome King Ahab as a punishment, but God didn’t for He knew that Ahab was a puppet and was greatly influenced by evil.  And to prove others wrong perceptions of who God is, the Lord used Ahab to defeat Ben-Hadad in two different locations where the war took place so that the Arameans’ limited thinking of God’s power and authority would be broken.  And so God gave Ben-Hadad and his army to King Ahab to show His power and glory both to Ahab and Ben-Hadad.

Ø  God is not happy with half-hearted obedience! When God told Ahab that he will defeat Ben-Hadad, it was implied that Ben-Hadad will die in this war for Ahab to receive complete victory but then Ahab makes decisions without consulting anyone.  He is impulsive and let out promises or agrees to a commitment without remembering God or making God part of the decision.  Ahab decided to let Ben-Hadad free for the sake of the treaty their fathers had.  Looking back at the story, we know that Israel when it was still one nation, their previous kings had an alliance with the Arameans, Ben-Hadad’s ancestors.  But then when Israel split into two, it was only king Asa, king of Judah who made a treaty with Ben-Hadad, but then Ahab decided to have a treaty with the Arameans as well by setting Ben-Hadad free, which is not what God wanted.  So this half-hearted obedience is not pleasing to God.

→ By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.  So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.  The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him. Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent^[b] of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”  Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die.^[c] Therefore it is your life for his life,your people for his people.’” Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.

NOTES:

Ø  God has a definite plan and when He asked us to do His will, He expects us to fulfill it completely!  King Ahab recklessly made a wrong decision and it was not an honest mistake, so when He did so, his life was the exchange of his wrong action.  God expected Ben-hadad’s life as God was determined for him to die, yet Ahab decided to go over God’s decision and plans and set Ben-Hadad free thinking that their alliance will be useful someday, but he didn’t think thru about it much that his alliance with God is more important than his alliance with men. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for You never give up on us.  You always give us 2^nd chances, opportunity after opportunity to reconcile back with You.  Thank You that no matter what we did evil against You or anything to hurt You, You never allow others to harm or take advantage of us.  You find a way to show Your love and protection to remain true to Your word despite of what we do against You.  Lord help me to obey full-heartedly and not half-hearted.  I want to follow every detail of Your instructions and not add or remove any from it.  I want to help carry on Your will and plans for the world.  Use me Lord as I want to follow Your definite plan.  In cases when I am diverting away from Your will, Lord pull me back that I may always find my way back to You.  Help me Lord not to waste the opportunities You give me to reconcile with You.  Help me Lord to take Your word of value and obey it to its every detail.  Give me the strength to neglect my own passion, or selfish desires to focus on Your will and plan, knowing that Your plan is the greatest plan there is for all mankind, including me.  I love You Lord.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!