Ahab and Jezebel in decline (1 Kings 20)
Benhadad, not the king
of Syria that Elijah had anointed, started to provoke Ahab.
He initially
demanded all of Ahab's wives and goods, which Ahab seemed indifferent to.
What despots these two
were. Jezebel was even worse.
Then Benhadad sent a
message to allow his emissary to come across and pick the best of everything.
Ahab wasn’t happy with that and decided to draw the line with a suitable
insult.
Ironically, for all
his evil, God was still partial to Israel, so he sent a prophet to tell him
that he would prevail against Benhadad.
Israel did rout the Syrians
and Benhdad fled, but then the prophet was back to say, “You beat them today,
but in the new year they will come at you again and then they will win”.
Well, as it happens,
God was listening to the gloating and arrogance of the Syrians as they said, “Oh
their God is the God of the hills, so let’s draw them into the plains”.
The prophet turned
back to Ahab and told him, “because they think God is only in the hills, you
will wipe them out completely. Change of plan. You will win after all.”
The battle did go in
Israel’s favor and over 100,000 Syrians died, but Benhadad humbled himself
before Ahab and pleaded for his life, which Ahab granted.
Another prophet then
came to tell him, “because you did not utterly destroy what I led into your
hands, you and your people will fall to them”.
What a muddled,
confused state the godless descend to. There are governments today that make
similar silly treaties when decisive action is called for.
Ahab and Jezebel went to the dogs (1 Kings 21)
Naboth had a beautiful
vineyard adjacent to the king’s palace and Ahab asked for it in return for a
similar vineyard or for its value in money.
Naboth refused, as it
was a family inheritance.
So Ahab went home to
sulk and Jezebel heard all about it. She then arranged for a feast and for
Naboth to be there, but she also arranged for two sons of belial to make a
false claim about blasphemy on the part of Naboth.
They had him stoned.
But God heard about that too.
Just as Ahab went off
to claim Naboth’s vineyard, Elijah arrived and said, “as the dogs licked at
Naboth’s wounds so will they do to you”. He further added that Jezebel would
also fall at the wall of Jezreel to feed the dogs again.
However, despite being
a vile person, God deferred Ahab’s own judgment to his son, because he humbled
himself and cried for mercy.
Ahab died anyway (1 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles
18-19)
Jehoshophat had common
cause against Ramothgilead, one of the cities of refuge east of the river,
which had become a Syrian stronghold.
At least they agreed
on something.
Ahab agreed to go, but
Jehoshaphat insisted on inquiring of the Lord. All the prophets of Ahab (not
exactly known to have produced the good fruits of wise counsel), advised him to
go.
But Jehoshaphat saw
through them all and asked for an honest prophet, which was found in Micaiah.
He initially told Ahab to go, but even Ahab knew he was being cynical.
Then Micaiah said, “I
saw all of Israel scattered as sheep without a shepherd”, which Jesus echoed. Then came the clincher
and it is fascinating.
“I saw the Lord seated
on his throne and all the angels about him and the Lord said, “who will entice
Ahab to go into battle so that he might fall at Ramothgilead?” Then a spirit appeared to say that he would do it,
to which God asked how. The spirit said, I will be a lying spirit in his
prophets”.
It was a double
insult. Maybe Micaiah added some creative relish, but the point was made in the
face of so much grandstanding by Ahab’s prophets”.
Ahab had him held in
ward and chose to go to war anyway. He disguised himself and looked anything
but the king he presumed to be, while Jehoshaphat rode in regal splendor.
The Syrians surrounded
Jehoshaphat but when they realized he wasn’t Ahab that pulled back. Then an archer
shot a random arrow that pierced Ahab in the back.
To his credit Ahab
carried on fighting until sunset and then he died. They buried him, but the dogs
licked his blood from his chariot.
That marked the end of
Jehoshaphat too who saw out his days as a great king. He was rebuked by the Prophet
Hanani for aligning with Ahab, but the rebuke was not severe and he survived.
He only did right,
made peace with Israel, tore down the pagan groves and removed the sodomites.
He also set up judges
in the walled cities of Judah and admonished them to judge as God judges not as
men do. He further restored the priesthood and appointed levitical teachers
through the land.
He was careful to
instruct all his people in the ways of the Lord, but after 25 years on the
throne of Judah, it was time to go and so he slept peacefully with his fathers.
Sadly, Ahab’s
miscreant son Azariah succeeded the king of Israel and he was doubly bad thanks
to the great example of an evil, but pathetic father and an evil, yet more evil
mother.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
