1 Kings 20:12 says, And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city. When Benhadad received the word that Ahab was not going to allow him to come and take anything he wanted from the homes of the Israelites, he was drinking, and told the other kings and his servants to get ready to take the city. He had already been given Ahab's gold, silver, wives and children, but he still wasn't satisfied. When we begin to give in to Satan, he is never going to be satisfied until he owns our soul. Verse thirteen adds, And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. We are told a prophet came to Ahab, even though Jezebel had attempted to destroy all of them and asked him if he had seen the great multitude that was coming against Samaria, and then told him that the Lord had said He would deliver them to Ahab. God had every reason to allow Benhadad to do what he purposed, but though they had rebelled against Him, Israel was still His chosen people. If we have truly put our faith in Jesus Christ, He will never allow us to be defeated forever, even if we lose everything of importance to us in this world. We should never focus on the multitude that we may be facing when we stand for God, but we should be focusing on the God that we serve. He has already given us the victory if we are followers of Christ. Verse fourteen continues, And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. Ahab, though king, asked the prophet who was going to defeat the horde against them, and the prophet said the young men of the provinces. The city of Samaria might have been besieged, but there were other people of Israel who were not. Even if we as Christians feel that our situation is hopeless and there is no one left to help us, we need to put our faith in God and that He will provide a way. Ahab asked who was going to order the battle, and the prophet told Ahab that he was. He may not have been acting much like a king, but he still was. Sometimes, we must look only to ourselves to find the answer of who is going to stand for God, even if we have failed in the past. Verse fifteen states, Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. Ahab numbered the young princes of the province and there were two-hundred and thirty-two. He then numbered all the people, even the children, and there was only seven thousand total. This was not a large force to go against Benhadad and his forces, but the people of Israel had God on their side. We as Christians may always be outnumbered in the battle between good and evil today, but we will always have God on our side, maybe even at times when we have been less than faithful. Verse sixteen adds, And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him. When Ahab's forces went out at noon, Benhadad and the kings with him were already getting drunk. They really had little concern about Ahab and the people of Samaria. Too often. people of the world today have little concern about God's people because we have not really been seen as a threat to them. I don't believe that this means that we are to engage in a physical war with everyone that opposes God, but we are to stand as a witness against them. Verse seventeen continues, And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria. The young men and princes went out first, and Benhadad received word of their coming. We need young men and women who are willing to stand for God today, no matter how strong the opposition to God and to them might be. Verse eighteen states, And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. Benhadad told his forces to take the people alive whether they came out of peace or war. I believe his intention was to show them how hopeless they were, but he forgot about God. People of the world today may view Christians as basically powerless, but they have forgotten about our God. Verse nineteen adds, So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them. The young men and princes of Samaria came out and the rest of the people followed them. Will we be one of the ones leading people to stand for Christ, or will we at least be one of the ones following someone who does? Verse twenty continues, And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. The people of Israel defeated the Syrians, not by out numbering them nor being equipped than them but by the power of God. Benhadad fled on a horse with some horsemen. He was no longer bragging about how he was going to capture all the people of Samaria and take whatever he wanted. One day, those who feel superior to Christians are going to find out how hopeless they really are. Verse twenty-one concludes, And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter. Ahab then killed the horses, destroyed the chariots, and killed the Syrians with what was described as a great slaughter. He might have been unwilling to stand against Benhadad at first, but having been told that God was with him, he no longer was. Of course, he still had not really accepted God as the only true God, but God still worked through him. Non-Christians may be used by God to bring about victory in certain situations today, but they are still lost, so their temporary victory will ultimately end in defeat.
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