1 Kings 20

Posted in By Man after God's own heart 0 comments


READ 1 KINGS 20 HERE

We have quite the scene before us. King Ahab stands on one side of the ring, King of Israel, the most wicked King yet to ever govern Israel, the same king that Elijah had just straight up owned by the power of God. On the other side, stands King Ben-Hadad, King of Syria, standing next to 32 other kings, all with armies, horses, and chariots! So lets visualize this scene: We are in the hills and mountains of Israel, King Ahab (to remind you again, the most wicked king of Israel) with 232 young men and 7000 people in total, taking on hundreds of thousands of Syrians with horses and chariots. If you have ever watched the movie 300, visualize the odds of that battle when you think of this. Now I want you to visualize something else with me: still visualize the massive army of the Syrians with their chariots, and keep the 232 valiant men of Israel in the picture, but this time add in legions upon legions of angels following behind the 232 men in their chariots. That's right! God chose to protect Israel yet again, despite having the most wicked king ever that probably would never think of God for a second. Verse 13 shows a picture of God's flooding grace,

"Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it in to thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD" KJV

Like seriously? God still wants this guy!? He still has grace on him!? He still has a plan for him?! Are there any people in your life that you think are at the farthest point from God? That have denied him in everything that they do? Or maybe not even God. Lets bring this straight to home. Do you know anyone who's every act, is an act of defiance, or hate toward you? or maybe they turned their back on you. Could you ever imagine loving them like this? God still wants to have his Glory made evident to the entire kingdom of Israel despite them turning their backs on Him.

Well the Israelite army wins. That was an easy one to guess. But the Syrians aren't done. They regroup and plan a battle in the valley (because our God only lives in the mountains and hills apparently). But God is yet again on Israel's side and sends the same word to King Ahab in verse 28. My favorite verse in this entire chapter comes in verse 27!

"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." KJV

We have two little flocks of kids, against an army so vast that it covers as far as the eye can see! And this time, the battle is set in the valley where the chariots and horses are of much more use. But once again, no army is too big for our God. Israel (or should i say God) takes out 100 thousand men in the first day, and when they try to flee, God kills another 27000 people. All to show His glory and to show His grace for His people. That is astounding.

I would like to look at King Ahab though for a second. He was a worshiper of idols who forced idol worship in all the kingdom. But when the prophet of God comes to him, he listens! and he doesn't just listen, HE LISTENS! He takes the promise to heart and believes in faith that they will win by following this seemingly impossible plan. but why? I suggest it was because of Elijah.

Elijah had just mocked Ahab, his idols, and his prophets of Baal, and showed them exactly how powerful His God was! Put straight forward, Ahab was owned. Elijah may have wanted to destroy all of the idolaters in Israel, but God just wanted to use Elijah to plant a powerful seed in Ahab's heart. A seed that would began to open his heart to listening to what God had to say.

So whether you are Elijah, a man of intense faith that finds himself hiding in a cave forgetting the providence of God; or whether you are Ahab, who has at one time turned his back on God completely; or whether you are just an Israelite in the background; possibly you are one of the 7000 in 1 kings 19:18 who have followed God, or maybe you are one of the many others that have slipped up and left God behind, KNOW THIS, God is with you! And with God with you, nothing can defeat you! in the valleys; in the mountains; against an army of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions; God will always win, and he already has!