1 Kings 22:10

1 Kings 22:10 says, And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.  Both the king of Israel and the king of Judah sat on their thrones before the people of Israel and the prophets joined them.  All those in positions of power were gathered together there.  We, as followers of Christ, if not physically should at least spiritually be united in doing God's work.  Verse eleven adds,  And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.  Zedekiah, a false prophet, made a set of horns and said that they represented the people of Israel pushing the Syrians out of the way.  We may not have visual representations of God bringing victory today, but He has already claimed the everlasting victory by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to bring forgiveness of sin for all time and His resurrection to defeat the power of death.  Still, we must be careful that those claiming to speak for God actually do.  Verse twelve adds, And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand.  All the false prophets agreed with Zedekiah, but that still didn't make them right.  The number of people claiming to speak united for God does not make them right today either.  If what is being said is not God's truth, the number of people saying it will never make it true.  Verse thirteen continues, And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.  The person sent to get Micaiah told him that all the prophets had prophesied good for the king, and asked him to do the same.  Of course a true prophet can never just decide what they are going to prophesy, and neither should they agree to do so if asked.  Verse fourteen states, And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.  At least Micaiah said he would only speak what God told him to speak.  This needs to be the same for Christians today.  Verse fifteen adds, So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.  Still, when he got to Ahab and was asked, he told him to go and prosper.  He didn't say this was what God had said though.  I believe that he was just acknowledging that Ahab really didn't want to hear what God had to say and was likely going to do what he wanted to do anyway.  Sometimes, it does no good to proclaim God's word, because people aren't going to listen anyway.  That does not relieve us of the responsibility of doing so though.  Verse sixteen continues, And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?  Ahab must have known that Micaiah was just telling him what he wanted to hear and asked him how many times had he told him to tell him nothing but what God said.  If people ask us to help them determine what God has to say today, we need to always speak God's truth, even if it isn't what they want to hear.  Verse seventeen declares, And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.  Micaiah then told Ahab what God really said.  Israel was going to be scattered and not have a shepherd or king.  Micaiah told Ahab that God to then have the people return home in peace in retreat, but not totally destroyed. This was not what Ahab wanted to hear.  Whether it is what they want to hear or not, all we can do is tell people what God says.  People are still wanting to have God tell them only what they want to hear, but preachers and teachers, or even individual Christians, cannot afford to do that.  Verse eighteen adds, And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?  Ahab told Jehoshaphat that he had said that Micaiah would only tell him what he didn't want to hear, because he didn't want to hear the truth of God.  People still too often only want to hear things that agree with what they want and do not want to hear God's truth.

1 Kings 22:1

1 Kings 22:1 says, And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.  There was a three-year period of peace between Syria and Israel.  It is always nice if we can live at peace with the world without sacrificing our obedience to God, but it may never happen and if it does, it may be but for a brief period of time.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.  After three years, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came to the king of Israel.  Matthew Henry says Jehoshaphat came to discuss the state of the entire kingdom of God with Ahab, who was at least pretending to be following God.  He adds that it is hard to understand why a great king like Jehosophat would be interested in Ahab, but we need to be concerned about the unity of all of God's people as we reach out to the lost people of the world.  Verse three continues, And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? Ahab pointed out that Ramoth in Gilead belonged to Israel but was still in the possession of Syria.  Matthew Henry points out that we don't know if other cities were still in the possession of Syria, but that the fact that Ramoth Gilead was occurred because of Ahab's making a pact with Benhadad instead of destroying him.  If we attempt to make a pact with sin as Christians, it is ultimately going to cause us problems.  Verse four states, And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.  Ahab asked Jehosaphat if he would join him in reclaiming Ramoth Gilead, and Jehosaphat said that he and all that was his was at Ahab's disposal.  Once more, we are not told that Jehoshaphat asked God for guidance in this situation.  Before we as followers of Christ make an agreement with anyone, we must first ask God what we should do.  Verse five adds, And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day.  Jehoshaphat did then ask Ahab to inquire of God about what they were about to do.  Still, I have to wonder why he didn't just ask God himself.  If we have questions about what God wants us to do today, we need to first just ask Him.  Verse six continues, Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. Ahab gathered about four hundred prophets, the prophets of the grove referred to earlier most likely, though we are not told they were prophets of God, and asked if he should go to war with Syria and they told him to go because God was with him.  We need to be careful about relying on others to tell us what God wants us to do, because there are still people who profess to be Christians today who are Christians in name only.  Some are willing to say that whatever someone in power wants is God's will, whether it is or not.  Verse seven declares, And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him?  At least Jehoshaphat didn't just accept the word of these four hundred prophets, but asked if there was not a prophet of God whom they could inquire of.  We need to make certain that those who profess to reveal God's will to us are true Christians.  Verse eight adds, And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.  Ahab told Jehoshaphat that there was one named Micaiah, but that Ahab hated him because he never prophesied good things for Ahab, probably because he was actually prophesying God's word.  We may not always want to hear what God has to say to us as a nation today, but we also must be careful that those who profess to tells us what God wants are truly Christians who are following God's guidance in what they tell us.  Verse nine continues, Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.  Jehoshaphat told Ahab to call Micaiah.  The fact that Micaiah did not tell Ahab what he wanted to hear was reason enough to call for him.  We need the people of God to tell us the truth today and not just what we may want to hear. 

1 Kings 21:15

1 Kings 21:15 says, And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. When she heard that Naboth was dead, Jezebel went to Ahab and told him to get up and go take possession of Naboth's vineyard because he was dead.  She didn't tell Ahab about her part in his death nor that she had him killed in his name.  People who get what we want for us today may not always be honest about how they got it, and we should never just accept things blindly without question.  Sometimes, we may be offered something that God doesn't even want us to have.  Verse sixteen adds, And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.  When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he quit lying in bed in self-pity and got up and took possession of the vineyard.  Nothing motivates people more at times than getting something they want and thought they couldn't have, but we as followers of Christ must first make sure that what we are getting is in accordance with God's will and was gotten legally.  Just getting our way should never be our prime motivator.  Verse seventeen continues, And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,  About the time Jezebel was speaking to Ahab, God was speaking to Elijah.  God is always aware of what is going on in the world, and as Christians, He may call on us to address the problem.  Verse eighteen states, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.  Just as Jezebel told Ahab to arise and go to Naboth's vineyard, God told Elijah to arise and go there as well.  Of course, they were going for different reasons.  God may send us to a place where something evil is being done, but before He can, we must arise spiritually.  We cannot be effective in doing God's work if we are spiritually asleep.  Even if we are awake spiritually, we still must obey God's call if we are to be effective Christians.  Verse nineteen adds, And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.  Elijah was to ask Ahab if he had killed Naboth.  Even though Ahab was not directly responsible for Naboth's death, he was morally responsible since it was his greed or selfishness that had resulted in Naboth's death.  We cannot escape the responsibility of things being done for us because of our desires by saying that someone else actually carried out the plan for us to get what we want.  Elijah was also to tell Ahab that one day the dogs would lick his blood in the place where Naboth had died.  Unless we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, one day we will be held accountable for our sins and sent away into everlasting punishment.  Verse twenty continues, And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.  Ahab asked Elijah if he had found him and called Elijah his enemy, but Ahab was actually an enemy of God, and God had sent Elijah to him.  God will always know where those who are doing evil in the world are.  Elijah told Ahab that he had found Ahab because of the evil that he had sold himself to in order to do evil in the sight of the LORD.  Elijah did not say that he was an enemy of Ahab himself, but that God had sent him to Ahab because of Ahab's wickedness. We are sent to witness to people today not because we are their enemy, but because of the sin in their life and we have the gospel to share with them.  Verse twenty-one declares, Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,  Elijah told Ahab that God was going to destroy all of his family.  Though our descendants will never be spiritually destroyed for our sins, if we are worshipping other gods, it may lead to their never accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior.  What we can be sure of is that those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will meet a fate much worse than physical death.  They will be forever separated from God and never be a part of His kingdom.  Verse twenty-two adds. And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.  Elijah told Ahab that God was going to do to him the same thing that He had done to Jeroboam and Baasha because of their sins, and that was to remove their families from ruling over Israel.  Today, individually we either become a part of God's kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ, or we are forever cut off from His kingdom.  Of course, we will never rule there, but will always worship God and do His will for us.  Verse twenty-three continues, And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.  God also pronounced judgment on Jezebel, saying that she would be eaten by the dogs by the wall of Jezreel.  As horrible as this may seem, it wasn't as bad as the fact that she was going to go away to everlasting punishment.  Even if we die a horrible death, it won't compare at all to the everlasting destruction that is to come spiritually if we refuse to accept salvation that God has so graciously made available.  Verse twenty-four says, Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.  Ahab was told that his descendants wouldn't even be buried when they died, either being eaten by the dogs in the city or the birds in the field.  Again, this may sound horrible, but what happens to our body when we die is of little importance.   It is what happens to our soul that is going to affect us forever.  Verse twenty-five adds, 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.  God through Elijah said that there was no one as bad as Ahab, who was guilty of participating in sin that Jezebel stirred up.  Ahab's greed led to Jezebel's actions on his behalf.  We cannot avoid being held responsible for sins that we encourage others to do for our benefit.  Verse twenty-six continues, And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.  Elijah said God had judged Ahab not only for the actions of Jezebel on his behalf, but also because Ahab, the king of Israel, had given in to the worship of false gods.  This is ultimately going to be what everyone is judged for.  We either accept God as the only God or we worship idols and will be forever separated from Him.  Verse twenty-seven states, And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.  When Ahab heard this, he believed it and at least went through the motions of repenting.  Matthew Henry says Ahab was still a hardened sinner, but he was afraid of God, even if he didn't accept Him as the true God.  Just going through the motions of repentance is never going to save us.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,  Verse twenty-nine continues, 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.  God told Elijah because Ahab humbled before Him, that He would not bring evil on Ahab but on his sons.  Still, this did not make Ahab a part of God's kingdom, and one day he would die and go away to an everlasting punishment.  We should always be more concerned with the soul than the body.

1 Kings 21:1

1 Kings 21:1 says, And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.  Naboth had a vineyard close to the palace of Ahab.  This would make it be a convenient location for use by Ahab.  Still, even as king, he could not just take the property.  Verse two adds, And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.  Ahab told Naboth to either trade his vineyard to Ahab for a different property or to sell it to him since it was near Ahab's property.  This might seem like a fair proposition if Naboth was really interested in moving or selling.  Some proposals made to us today may seem fair in the eyes of the world, but they may not be what we need or want in following God's will.  Verse three continues, And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.  Ahab may have been king, but Naboth deferred to God.  He said that the LORD forbid him from giving the inheritance of hi fathers to Ahab.  No matter how good or fair a proposal may sound to us today, we need to look to God for how we respond, and we should never give away or trade the spiritual things that God has given to us, and I believe that this was a spiritual thing to Naboth.  The land given to the different families of Israel was to remain in their possession forever, with even a provision for it to be restored if they did lose it.  We have inherited everlasting life from our relationship with Jesus Christ, and we should never let anyone tempt us to trade it away.  Of course, I believe that once we do accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we can never lose our salvation, because it is sealed by God.  Verse four concludes, And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.  Ahab went home and pouted.  To his credit, he did not exert his power as king and say that it didn't matter what Naboth wanted.  Today, those in authority do not always exert their power over Christians if they want something that they have, but this is not always the case throughout the world.  In some countries, they do take everything belonging to Christians and don't just pout about not being able to.  Verse five states, But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?  While Ahab was pouting, Jezebel came to him and asked him why he wasn't eating.  This was a reasonable question for a concerned wife to ask.  I believe that if we see our spouse troubled by something that we should attempt to find out what is wrong with them.  Verse six adds, And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.  Ahab said he was upset because he had asked Naboth to give or trade him his vineyard and he refused.   At least he was truthful about the reason for his being upset.  People today too often allow not getting what they want to cause them to be despondent.  Verse seven continues, And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.  Jezebel asked Ahab if he wasn't the ruler of Israel, told him to get up and eat, and said that she would get the vineyard of Naboth for him.  She basically said that as king he should be able to do whatever he wanted to do, and that if he wouldn't, then as his wife she would.  Sometimes, the spouses of those in power feel even more impowered than the one who is actually in power.  Verse eight declares, So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.  Jezebel wrote letters to the elders and nobles around Naboth in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal.  Of course, Ahab had to know what she had done or was just willingly unknowledgeable about it.  Either way, he had allowed Jezebel to take control.  Verse nine adds, And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:  Jezebel told these elders and nobles to proclaim a feast and set Naboth on high among the people.  She was using religion to condemn Naboth, and the elders and nobles were going along with her.  We need to be careful that we never use Christianity to attempt to get what we want when it is not what God wants.  Verse ten continues, And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.  These elders and nobles were told to set two false witnesses, called sons of Belial, against Naboth and accuse him of blasphemy.  This was not a case of these men not knowing what was happening but of their willingly participating in the lie.  Some people are more than willing to participate in the lies of those who are in power or who have been in power today.  We as followers of Christ should never do this though. Verse eleven states, And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.  The elders and nobles did as Jezebel asked them to do.  These were the leaders of Israel, God's chosen people, and they were willing to participate in Jezebel's lies.  We as Christians should never be guilty of doing the same thing.  Verse twelve adds, They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.  They proclaimed the feast as Jezebel had instructed them to do and set Naboth up for judgment.  Verse thirteen continues, And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.  They proclaimed a feast, had the two witnesses lie about Naboth, and took him out and stoned him.  A lot of people were involved in Jezebel's plot, some willingly and some maybe not so much so, and they were all guilty of unjustly killing Naboth.  We should always look to God for guidance and not just go along with what may be happening around us, and we certainly should never participate in unjust plots against others. Verse fourteen concludes, Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.  The nobles and elders then sent word to Jezebel that Naboth was dead.  We have to assume that they were more interested in what Jezabel wanted than they were in what God wanted.  We can never afford to be that way, being more interested in what people in power want more than we are in what God wants.

1 Kings 20:35

1 Kings 20:35 says, And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.  A certain son of the prophets, though it doesn't really say that he was a prophet but his actions imply that he was, asked his neighbor to hit him. It seems he did this under the direction of God.  This was a fellow prophet that he asked.  We need to be open to the leadership of God even if it may bring us physical harm, and we must also be open to the requests of our fellow Christians when they ask us to do something under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, even if it doesn't make sense to us at the time.  Of course, we do need to pray for God's guidance in the situation.  Verse thirty-six adds, Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.  The prophet told the one who would not obey God that as soon as he left that he was going to be devoured by a lion, and when he left, he was.  This would imply that he really didn't believe that the prophet who told him this was really acting under God's guidance, because I think if he had that he would have stayed in the house.  We can warn people today of the danger of not accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, and they too often refuse to believe us and die without salvation and go away to everlasting punishment, which is worse than physical death will ever be.  We might view the man's punishment as harsh, but he was supposedly as prophet of God who refused to obey God's directions, and we are speaking only of physical death and not spiritual death.  Verse thirty-seven continues, Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.  This prophet found another man, whether another prophet or not, and asked him to hit him, and the man did and wounded the prophet.  If the second man saw and heard what happened with the first one who refused to do what the prophet had asked, that could have motivated him to do so.  If we could see the everlasting results of not accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should be motivated to do so, but it is always better to come to God because of His love for us than out of fear of Him.  Verse thirty-eight adds, So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.  After this, the prophet disguised himself and went to wait for Ahab.  We may need to wait for those we are to witness to come to us, but we are even more so to go to them.  We have to believe that the prophet was acting under God's guidance, and no matter what we do today, we must also act under God's guidance.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And as the king passed by he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.  The prophet told Ahab that in the battle that he had been charged with keeping another man safe and that if he didn't, he would be killed or pay a certain sum of silver.  We are not going to be killed for not witnessing to others to keep them spiritually safe, but we may one day have to answer to God as to why we didn't.  Verse forty continues, And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.  The prophet told Ahab that he got busy and wasn't paying attention to the man that he was supposed to protect and that when he did look, the man was gone.  Since the prophet had not protected the man, Ahab said he had pronounced his own sentence.   When people today refuse to accept Jesus Christ and follow Him, they pronounce their own sentence.  God does not send people to hell, but He allows them to choose to go there.  Matthew Henry said this was done so that Ahab might recognize his failure to obey God in keeping the people of Israel safe. Verse forty-one declares, And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.  The prophet removed the ashes from his face and Ahab recognized him as one of the prophets.  We don't need to attempt to hide the fact that we are Christians, but need to always allow people to recognize us as one.  Verse forty-two adds, And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.  The prophet told Ahab that God said that since Ahab had allowed Benhadad to live when God had appointed him to be utterly destroyed that his life would be lost to replace Benhadad's.  I believe we can say that for us, if we allow Satan and the forces of evil to live and maybe even delight in them, then we cannot really be a follower of Christ.  Jesus Christ died for us, and if we do not accept His gift of salvation, one day we will die for Satan.  These are the only two choices.  Verse forty-three continues, And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased and came to Samaria.  Ahab did not repent and ask forgiveness but went away to his house heavy-hearted and displeased.  Too many people are going to have the same reaction to the gospel today, and it will affect them not only in this life, but in the everlasting life to come. 

1 Kings 20:22

1 Kings 20:22 says, And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.  God's prophet went to Ahab again and told him to prepare for the king of Syrian to return to battle him again.  Ahab was evidently feeling secure and not looking ahead.  When we are victorious over sin and evil in the world today, we cannot afford to start feeling that the war is over.  We must always be diligent in our commitment to seeking God's guidance and relying on His power at all times.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.  The servants of the king of Syria said to him that the God of Israel was the God of the hills, so they would fight them on the plains.  They thought gods were localized, and some people today believe in gods of different areas or things, like the god of the trees or fire and wind.  There is but one God, and He is not confined by time or space.  They said the king should fight them on the plains instead and that they would be stronger than the people of Israel and their God.  We never have to worry about where we are at when we are standing for God, because He will always be with us and stronger than any evil we face.  Verse twenty-four continues, And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:  They told the king to take away all the other kings and put captains in their place.  The kings were rulers by birth and the captains were rulers by merit.  Benhadad was basically told to let those who were best qualified lead the fight.  What we as followers of Christ can be certain about is that there will never be anyone powerful enough by birth or merit to defeat us as long as we continue to be faithful to God, because through Jesus Christ, we have the everlasting victory.  Verse twenty-five concludes, And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.  Benhadad was told to rebuild his army, including horses and chariots, and then they would fight the Israelites on the plains, and surely, they would be stronger than them.  Numbers of people and strength of equipment are never going to defeat God's people spiritually, even if we do suffer defeat in battles today, as long as we never give up.  The everlasting victory is already assured, and Satan and his forces have already lost.  Verse twenty-six states, And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.  After a year, Benhadad was ready to fight the people of Israel again.  We are never going to permanently defeat those who oppose God in this lifetime, even if we have defeated them before.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.  The people of Israel stood before the Syrians and looked like little flocks against the great number in the army of the Syrians.  We as Christians are likely to be outnumbered when we stand for God today.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.  The prophet of God told Ahab that since the Syrians believed that He was only the God of the hills that He was going to give them a great victory over them in the plains.  God is not limited to one place, but He is the God of the universe and all that there is.  Verse twenty-nine says, And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.  For seven days, the two armies just faced off against each other, but on the seventh day the battle started.  I wonder how the people of Israel felt seeing the great host arrayed against them for a week.  Still, they stood firm.  If we look around and feel overpowered today, we just need to remember Who our God is and put our faith in Him.  The people of Israel remained true to God, or at least He remained true to them, and they killed a hundred thousand Syrians on the plain the first day.  As long as we remain faithful to God, our victory is already assured, and once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, God we are a part of God's kingdom forever.  Verse thirty adds, But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.  Benhadad once again fled from the Israelites and went to Aphek, where a wall fell on the twenty-seven remaining soldiers of Syria.  God is not only the God of the high places and plains, but He is the God of walled cities as well.  There is no place that anyone can run to or hide that is a safe place to avoid God's judgment.  Benhadad was hiding in an inner chamber, but God still knew where he was.  Verse thirty-one continues, And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.  Those left around Benhadad told him that they had heard that the people of Israel were a merciful people and said that they should humble themselves and go and ask them to spare their lives.  What people need to realize is that God is a God of mercy, and He expects us to be merciful to others, even those that might be our enemies, and we also need to acknowledge that God will show mercy on anyone who humbles themself and comes to Him for forgiveness by putting their faith in Jesus Christ, even those who have been His greatest enemies.  Verse thirty-two states, So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.  The people humbled themselves and came to the people of Israel asking that their lives be spared.  Ahab asked if Benhadad was still alive and called him his brother, even though Benhadad had done his best to humiliate and even kill Ahab.  Matthew Henry says Ahab was thrilled to courted by someone who had been so powerful.  Ahab was still putting more importance on himself than on God.  If we are in a battle against evil today, we cannot start to be friends with it once the battle is going our way.  Verse thirty-three adds, Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.  The people of Syria were looking to see if they had gained acceptance from Ahab, and when they saw that they had, they quickly took advantage of Ahab's acceptance of them and pronounced Benhadad to be Ahab's brother.  We cannot be brothers and sisters spiritually with people of the world as Christians.  Verse thirty-four continues, And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.  Benhadad told Ahab that he would restore the cities that his father had taken away from Israel and make it safe for Ahab in Damascus.  Of course, Benhadad wasn't really in any position of power, but Ahab made a covenant with him anyway.  We do not find any evidence that Ahab had started worshipping God alone and sought His guidance in this decision.  We must always look to God before we attempt to make people of the world our brothers and sisters, because until they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they never will be.  

1 Kings 20:12

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.