1 Kings 20

Bible Passage:  1 Kings 20

I often wondered why was it that events in the life of king Ahab, the rotten king of Israel, occupied so many chapters in the book of Kings.  I mean, surely one does not want to read too much about an evil man.  But here we are today, with yet another eventful chapter in the life of Ahab.  What did I learn?

How Do I Deal With Conflicts?

Just last week alone, my contented life in the office was suddenly threatened.  I have a very nice job that I am proud of doing and know that I am doing quite well.  My bosses are happy with me and in general, I deliver what is required most of the time while still having the freedom and time to do my church work and attend services regularly.

However, I was suddenly asked to be part of a project that had nothing to do with my current position.  And although it was an area that I had also special interest in, I was aware that by being in the project, I was potentially stepping on the toes of the incumbents who had been long involved in the project for the last few years.

And attending the slew of meetings that ‘disrupted’ my week only confirmed my worst fears.  The incumbents did not exactly welcome me but they had no choice as I was there because some higher authority had decided so.  But it was clear that they were also at odds at how things should be done.

Reading through the initial confrontation between Ahab and Ben-Hadad made me crack a smile because it did sound like one of the meetings I attended.  Although both will not admit it, the way the two parties  challenged each other and sought compromises etc sounded very much like the saber-rattling diplomacy showed by the two kings here… they were arrogant, impulsive and seemingly spoiling for a fight.

Sometimes like me, we find ourselves at the mercy of the whims and ambitions of power hungry heads of departments or bosses.  Even though we work in a good company, we find that we have only a limited voice in how things are run. And we get drawn into the midst of the conflict.

I am now wondering how will I respond when I am drawn into this situation where the conflicts are less than God honouring?  Ahab’s way of dealing with the conflict was not exactly the best way but it is one of the more common responses of most people.  We compromise first but when we find we cannot take it anymore, we swing to the other extreme and act with false bravado.

Neither ways are right.  Lord… help me to know what is right and to do it.

Do I Behave Consistently According to His Word?

Though Ahab had not sought God’s help in the crisis confronting the city, the Lord had graciously chose to reveal Himself yet again to the king and people (1 Kings 20:13; cf 18:36-37).  This time it was through military victory… not once but twice!

Following the devastating defeat at Aphek (1 Kings 20:29-30), Ben-Hadad had no alternative but to beg for mercy.

Without consulting God, Ahad gave much more than Ben-Hadad could have hoped for.  Just read what Ahab did … he readily agreed to all of Ben-Hadad’s political and trade proposals.

In times of crisis – and only then! – did Ahab find it convenient to comply with and depend with and depend on the prophetic word of God (vv. 13-14, 22, 28).

Do you see a similar tendency in your life to follow Christian values most consistently in times of need?

Many of the teachings on the Sermon on the Mount reflect on God’s desire on how as Christians should lead our lives.  For example His teachings about treasures on earth and serving money (Matt 6:19-24).  Our use of the things that God has given us and our obedience to His words are matters of deepest importance.

The question is… do I behave consistently to His Word or only choose to do so when I am in extreme need?

How Do I Serve God?

I just had a brief but interesting discussion with a brother about whether we should continue doing what we are doing or try to find ways and means to do more and improve things.  This brother’s view was that many things had been tried in the past.  Lots of effort and heart had been put into it but the results were not encouraging at all.  So now, we just do what we can and no longer try and do a whole lot more.

Frankly… I am still struggling with this… and I am not sure where I stand on this because while I understand the brother’s point of view, I am also conflicted because this does seem to me that I will then not be really doing my best for the Lord.

Reading what God said in verse 42 certainly causes me to pause and consider further.  God had called for Ben-Hadad’s utter destruction.  It is not clear if Ahab had violated a previous revelation or erred by simply neglecting to inquire of the Lord before releasing Ben-Hadad.

The battles against Ben-Hadad were not recorded to show Israelite superiority over the Arameans.  They were another example of the covenant between the people of God and God.

The people of Israel were dependent on God.  The land in which they lived was His gift and they lived there by His grace.

Ahab was interested instead in alliances; even when God granted him victory, Ahab ignored Him.  The message from the prophet, delivered through an enacted parable, established God’s divine verdict against the rebellous king and his kingdom.

It seemed incredible that a king could have so much benefitd from divine providence and yet have had such scorn for God as Ahab did (see 1 Kings 16:30-33).

Yet one of the hardest lessons for us to learn is the absolute nature of serving God.

In the life of Jesus, we see how He encountered – and countered – that same spirit of independence and self-reliance.

The characteristics of our culture is the lack of loyalty and obedience to God.  Instead, there is a growing importance placed on self-reliance and independence.

We have been blessed with lots of graces from God.  And we have been doing lots of things in serving God.

But the question I have for myself today is this….

When I serve God… do I inquire of the Lord enough? Or do I rely on my own thoughts, ideas and self-wisdom to do what I think is best for the church? (Pretty much like what Ahab did in setting up the alliance with Ben-Hadad and sparing his life).

I think I need to go and pray now… cause I have been doing too much talking and not enough praying.

May God have mercy on me and teach me His ways.