King Ahab ruled the northern tribes of Israel from the hilltop town of Samaria, which King Omri had built and turned into a royal city. Samaria eventually became so prominent that the entire region was named for it.

The Samaritan people had a dark and difficult history and there was a lot of prejudice against them from the rest of the Israelites. The darkness started with King Jeroboam and continued through King Ahab, in today’s reading.

By the time Jesus was born the land of Israel was divided into three major areas: Judea, where Jerusalem stood; Galilee where Jesus lived most of his life; and Samaria, the region between Galilee and Judea. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews on both sides.

Israel’s Enemies From the North, 1 Kings 20:1-22

Yesterday we read how Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and prophesied the end of three years of drought in Israel. King Ahab now had to rebuild a nation that was weakened by the drought and whose religious life had been deeply impacted.

Up in Damascus King Ben-Hadad of Aram saw opportunity in Israel’s turmoil. He created a coalition of thirty-two kings, marched on Samaria, and demanded immediate surrender from King Ahab. Ahab felt he had no choice but to comply so he sent word that he would meet Ben-Hadad’s demands.

However, when Ben-Hadad announced that he was actually coming to raid Ahab’s palace and carry off his family, Ahab decided to resist. After conferring with elders he told Ben-Hadad he would fight back. Ben-Hadad said he would reduce Samaria to dust, and Ahab bravely told him not to boast about his victory until it was over.

As Ben-Hadad prepared to attack Samaria, God sent a prophet to tell Ahab that he was going to defeat Ben-Hadad, using 232 junior army officers. Encouraged by this news, King Ahab organized his army behind the 232 young officers and when they attacked Ben-Hadad’s forces they successfully drove them back.

The prophet returned to Ahab to tell him to get ready for another attack the following year. Ben-Hadad wasn’t ready to give up.

Ben-Hadad Attacks Again

Ben-Hadad and his allies in Aram spent the winter analyzing what went wrong when they attacked Samaria. They came to the conclusion that Israel’s gods were the gods of the hills and that if they drew Israel onto the plains the Aramean allies would win. This logic may have had something to do with how much easier chariot warfare would be on flat land, rather than fighting their way uphill.

The Israelites heard that the Aramean forces had gathered for attack and they went out to meet them. The Arameans filled the countryside while Israel’s army camped opposite them like two little flocks of goats.

God sent his prophet again, this time to tell Ahab that God himself would defeat the Arameans to show them that he was the God of the valleys as well as the hills.  After a seven day standoff the two armies began to fight and, with God’s help, Israel soundly defeated the Arameans.

A Foolish Treaty

Ben-Hadad escaped from the battle and hid in a nearby city. His officials offered to go and plead with King Ahab to spare his life, since the Israelite kings had a reputation for being merciful.

King Ahab was actually in a receptive mood when Ben-Hadad’s officials humbly came and pleaded for their lives. He sent them to bring Ben-Hadad and the two kings made a new trade agreement with each other, standing together in Ahab’s chariot.

“Ahab said, ‘On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.’ So he made a treaty with him and let him go.” 1 Kings 20:34

A Prophetic Story

The life of a prophet was somewhat unpredictable. Prophets waited for a word from the Lord and then, when it came, they had to do whatever God said.

“By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, ‘Strike me with your weapon,’ but he refused. So the prophet said, ‘Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.’ And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.” 1 Kings 20:35-36

The prophet found a different friend who was willing to wound him; then he disguised himself and waited by the road for the king to pass by. When Ahab came into view the prophet stopped him and told him a story about being a soldier who failed to guard a prisoner entrusted to him during a battle. Now he was supposed to pay with his life, or pay a talent of silver.

King Ahab didn’t see anything wrong with this punishment for letting a prisoner get away.

“‘That is your sentence,’ the king of Israel said. ‘You have pronounced it yourself.’” 1 Kings 20:40

The prophet removed his disguise and Ahab saw that he was one of the prophets.

“He said to the king, ‘This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’ Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.” 1 Kings 20:42-43

God gave Ahab a great victory, but Ahab didn’t listen to what God wanted. He used the win to get more wealth for himself and take advantage of Ben-Hadad instead of getting rid of the enemy God had helped him defeat.

Naboth’s Vineyard

Ahab remained sullen and angry when he went home. He couldn’t make the purchase of a piece of land near him so he sulked and refused to eat. Queen Jezebel heard about the problem and solved it by arranging the murder of Naboth, the obstinate property owner. As soon as Ahab learned Naboth was dead he went and took possession of the property.

God called upon Elijah to deliver the next prophecy to Ahab.

“Say this to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood – yes, yours!’” 1 Kings 21:19

The prophecy went on to include Jezebel and Ahab’s descendants. The whole family was going to be wiped out. Ahab was shaken by the prophecy and seemed to repent of his ways. God noticed him fasting, wearing sackcloth, and walking around meekly, so he decided not to bring disaster directly upon Ahab. Instead the prophecy would be fulfilled when his son took the throne.

But God’s judgment would surely come because, “There never was anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.” 1 Kings 21:25

Jehoshaphat and Ahab

While all of this was going on in Israel, King Jehoshaphat, a good king who taught his people to live by God’s law, was leading Judah. Jehoshaphat married a woman from Ahab’s family and remained on friendly terms with King Ahab.

One day he went to visit Ahab and discovered he was plotting a war against Ramoth Gilead, to win back some land he believed belonged to him. Ahab invited Jehoshaphat to join him and Jehoshaphat agreed, as long as they consulted the Lord first.

King Ahab produced 400 prophets who agreed with his plan to attack Gilead. “ ‘Go,’ they answered, ‘for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.’” 1 Kings 22:6

But Jehoshaphat didn’t believe any of these prophets and asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” 1 Kings 22:7

There was one prophet named Micaiah son of Imlah, but Ahab told Jehoshaphat that he hated to consult Micaiah because he always prophesied against him. He sent for Micaiah anyway when Jehoshaphat rebuked him by saying, “The king should not say such a thing.” 1 Kings 22:8

Hearing God’s Voice

People often wish God would just speak to them and make things clear. They think that if they knew exactly what God wanted them to do they would do it.

But these stories in the Bible show us that even when people hear God’s voice and receive messages directly from him, they find it hard to obey. People want to control their own lives and they would rather listen to whoever endorses their plans. Even when they are told disaster lies ahead, people want to go their own way.

Our prayer as we read the Bible through can be that we will learn from other people’s mistakes and do better at obeying God in our own lives.