JESUS today YOU will SAVE me
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 4
1 Kings 20
1 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
3 Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
10 And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
12 And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad 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.
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
20 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.
21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22 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.
23 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.
24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
25 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.
26 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.
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.
28 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.
29 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.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 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.
34 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.
35 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.
36 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.
37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39 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.
40 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.
41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 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.
43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
36 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.
37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him so that in smiting he wounded him.
If you fail to disobey the voice of the man of God in your life, you fail to disobey the word of God that gives you life.
A.L.M.A.S.
Verses 7-8 MSG “The king of Israel called a meeting of all his tribal elders. He said, “Look at this—outrageous! He’s just looking for trouble. He means to clean me out, demanding all my women and children. And after I already agreed to pay him off handsomely!” The elders, backed by the people, said, “Don’t cave in to him. Don’t give an inch.” If you cave into the enemy, he’ll try to take a mile; so, don’t give him even an inch to work with! LIVE-GIVE JESUS²
1 Kings 20: 13 Victory of Ahab
And, behold there came a prophet unto Ahab, king of Israel, saying, This 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.
[14] And Ahab said , By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princess of the provinces .
Then he said , Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
Sometimes we question the word of God and then we get ourselves in trouble.
Prov. 3: 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart , and lean not unto thine own understanding.
His mercy and truth endures forever.
The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.”
1 Kings 20:42 NLT
Victory doesn’t come through negotiation, it comes through defeat. God doesn’t do or accept half won victories. My God reigns in victory and instructs us to claim total victory in His name! Don’t negotiate with your adversary, destroy him as the Word of God commands and you will see the victory of the Lord!!
23. 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.
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. 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 Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
They found out the hard way that God is God no matter where you go!
He’s God on the platform
He’s God back at the door
He’s God in the amen corner
He’s God all over the floor.
He’s God when the
Lightning flashes
He’s God when the
Thunder rolls
He’s God way up in heaven
He’s God down in my soul
He’s God on the mountain
He’s God on the sea
He’s God all over creation
He’s God all over me.
He’s God in the Father
He’s God in the Son
He’s God in the Holy Ghost
And all these three are One
I know God is God
And God don’t ever change
I know God is God
And JESUS is His name!
28 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.
What I absolutely love about the Bible is how relevant it is and all time frames. It may not live during the time when these events occurred but we do live in just as a corrupt society as the Israelites did. With enemies who want to even acknowledge God in some sense but deny him in another and God has still given us his favor over them. For a world that wants to adapt to all theisms except for a monotheistic view God has granted us dominion over them and charged us with reaching the lost
28 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.
29 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.
The God of the Hills is the same God of the Valleys-
The one thing that is constant in our life and that is change. The one one thing that is constant with Gid is that He never changes, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the same God that delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, the same God that made Abraham the father of many nations, the same God that walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, and He is the same God that pulled you and I out of the miry clay and placed us upon the rock to stay. No matter how much we change God is still the same. We have to remind ourselves that God has all power and his glory endures from generation to generation.
When God found us he pulled us out of some bad situations and cleansed us from our iniquity. He brought us to his presence to give us his spirit and changed us. We should never allow the enemy to cause us to doubt and fear because our God will always fight for us. He will not leave nor forsake us. If we serve him with every fiber within our being, He will be the God of the mountain tops. Let his light shine in us as we live Jesus to be the hope for the Lost and reap the harvest that he is sending us to give Jesus.
Let us daily hang on to the hand of God for direction and leading in our lives.
Let us daily hang on to the hand of God for direction and leading in our lives.
20:42 and he said unto him: you sainthood the lord
Because thou hast let go out of the hand a man
Whom I appointed to utter destruction, there fort thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
—-
I must meditate on his word every time I read it.
I must be filled with his Spirit …
That I must think ( and review any situation) before I act…
I must be sensitive to his Spirit. So that I am able to make decisions according to his guidance and not according to my feelings.
👉🏼God is a just God.
Hallelujah.
New King James, this is interesting…..20:31 the use of sackcloth and ropes indicated more than simple surrender. Disobedience is going on and then a word was given from the Lord and disobeyed in verse 35. The man that disobeyed got killed by a lion. Wow, are we not so blessed to have forgiveness on our knees, in prayer closet or wherever we decide to follow Jesus!! Live Jesus Give Jesus. I love POFW!
“He said to the king, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have released from your hand the man [Ben-hadad] whom I had devoted to destruction, your life shall be required for his life, and your people for his people.’ ” So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and sullen, and came to Samaria.”
1 Kings 20:42-43 AMP
It was not his place to judge whether Ben-Hadad lived or died. Instead of repenting for disobeying God’s will he got an attitude with God. BIG MISTAKE!!!
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Matthew 7:1-2 KJV
iLove the Kingdom of Jesus2
As I was reading today, it seemed as though there was a clearer picture of what was going on here. I guess I didn’t really realize (or put two and two together) that God fought battles for Ahab the husband of Jezebel the king of the 10 departed tribes of Israel. This is the same king who caused Israel to sin by setting up idols to Baal throughout the land. This is the same king who killed the prophets of the Lord… and yet we find God still fighting for him, sending prophets to speak to him. It didn’t mean that God approved of Ahab, it just means that God loved his people regardless of Ahab.
Let God Arise Let our Enemies Be Scattered
For The Battle belongs to God !
Everything we do ;God should receive the glory .
Without Him where would I be .
It is not but our might not power but by God’s!
1 Kings 20:28
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.
28 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.
God with us who can be against is!!!! Oh what a Mighty God we serve!! He is God of the hills and God of the valley! So it doesn’t matter if you are up or down HE REIGNS!!!! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!! The battle belongs to the Lord!!!
1 Kings 20:13,28
[13]Then a certain prophet came to see King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what the lord says: Do you see all these enemy forces? Today I will hand them all over to you. Then you will know that I am the lord.”
[28]Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the lord.”
Deuteronomy 28:7
New Living Translation
“The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven
The Lord is for us and we will have the last victory. Obedience = blessings.
Romans 8:31
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
42 He said to the king, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have released from your hand the man [Ben-hadad] whom I had devoted to destruction, your life shall be required for his life, and your people for his people.’” 43 So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and sullen, and came to Samaria.
What would have happened in Ahab would have listened? His life would have been saved for one thing. We never know the consequences of a decision we make until after the decision is made. Prayerfully consider every decision. No matter is too great or too small. Then be man/woman strong enough in God when you get your answer, stick to it, whether it pleases you or not.
Philippians 4:6-8 King James Version ( KJV ) 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
13 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.
14 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.
This chapter speaks to how God will keep intervening in the lives of his people who have stopped serving him-the backsliders. God will continue to draw them giving them a time to repent. It’s not over for them till their last breath is taken. We serve a God of great mercy and grace. Many backsliders are coming home and we must hold them up to the Lord continually.
1 Kings 20:28 (MSG)
“Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, This is God’s word: Because Aram said, God is a god of the mountains, and not a god of the valleys; I’ll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you’ll know that I am God.”
This reminded me of a song this morning called “God of the Mountain.”
The chorus says…
For the God on the mountain
Is still God in the valley
When things go wrong
He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times
Is still God in the bad times
The God of the day
Is still God in the night
God is not just a God of the mountains, BUT He is God of the valleys too.
So whether you’re up on a mountain or down in a valley, GOD IS STILL GOD. He will show Himself Mighty and Strong everywhere!
1 Kings Chapter 20
42 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.
I see Gods provision both battles were won. Yet I see the word of the Lord given and not headed. The king and Israel will be destroyed. God is not mocked. We find to much evidence that God does not speak to hear himself speak. We see Moses striking a rock instead of speaking to it per the instructions given him by God and it cost him the privilege’s of walking into the Presented Land . The nation of Israel walking for 40 years they rebelled and said we are as grass hoppers in their sight. people of the that nation walked from 21 and up until they all died except for Joshua and Caleb.
God is not mocked his voice can be heard. It is for the most part a still small voice but it also can be loud. Jesus said He was a good Sheppard. that he said In John 10 that we know the voice of the Sheppard and we are not to follow any other voice. We follow our pastor and leaders because they follow Jesus and the vision of the Pastor. Yet we must test the words of God even of a prophet if they are from God.
LIVE – GIVE JESUS2
SELF JUDGEMENT
40 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.
In our cancel culture, blame game society we are taught, led and even driven to blame someone or something else for our trial or hardship. The king of Israel spoke a great TRUTH here.
So shall thy judgment be, thyself hast decided it. You made the choice. Lets also be open about what he did or in this case what he didn’t do.
42 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.
Because the king did not judge or kill Benhadad when GOD delivered him into the hand of Ahab. GOD took it personal that Ahab ws disobedient and refused to judge him, but let him.
I encourage every Christian Leader to slowly read the “reason” Ahab offered that GOD rejected,
40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. KJV
40 But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone.” MSG
40 But while I was busy doing something else, the prisoner disappeared!” NLT
The Leader got too busy with other things to fulfill the will of GOD and the Prophet declared to him the high cost and pain of that choice. I pray as Leaders in The Kingdom of GOD that we are faithful, purposeful, and intentional with our Kingdom responsibilities. Whether cleaning the church or teaching a lesson. Lets not get too busy to serve HIS Kingdom purpose.
iRepent
iPraise
iPray
iWork
iLive
iGive
iReap
iGo
iBlessYouInTheNameOfTheLordJESUS
29 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.
Only God can give you a victory like no one else can. When we think the battle is lost, God has already won it and all we have to do is walk into it. When you serve a God like our God, you learn there is no other god that can compare to him. He is the high and exalted one. Our forever king. He reigns supreme each and every day in our life.
7Then Ahab summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “Look how this man is stirring up trouble! I already agreed with his demand that I give him my wives and children and silver and gold.”
Stirring up trouble. There those who take advantage of others. You try to do good by helping others, but some want more. They will demand more, due to your generosity. Its good to give, but doesn’t mean you will support forever. Give to what the Lord says to give, and don’t give out of fear.
42 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.
We are ordered to destroy sin in our life, and when we do not heed to that word, there will be consequences to pay.
“The king of Israel went home in a sulk. He arrived in Samaria in a very bad mood.”
1 Kings 20:43 MSG
I wonder if he would have had a repented heart instead of just sulking, if his life would have been spared.
38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39 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.
40 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.
41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 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.
When God asks us to follow his Word we must not hesitate or delay His request! When we do so, there are always repercussions. All through the Bible there are many, many, many examples of situations in which God spoke to His people, even prophets and they hesitated and there was a price for their delay in following God’s voice.
“Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not. And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.”
1 Kings 20:7-8 KJV
As we become older, for some we become wiser. We all learn how to say no. NO is NO as any momma would say to their children, and they would back off. But here you seemed to settle a deal with the enemy instead of having the full armor of GOD on and allow your nay be nay!
The Bible reminds us that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Which I’m sure we’ve all been here. But our maturity in Christ allows us to think differently as we continue to read and learn from His word. But most importantly applying it to our lives.
Never surrender the sound mind that Jesus Christ has given you. Being obedient to GOD is the key to obtaining victory in your life. ‘Not today satan!!!’
Thank you Jesus!!!
Soon Ben-hadad’s messengers returned again and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have already demanded that you give me your silver, gold, wives, and children. But about this time tomorrow I will send my officials to search your palace and the homes of your officials. They will take away everything you consider valuable!’””
1 Kings 20:5-6 NLT
If you ever yield to Satan, you will find him to be a hard taskmaster. You can never yield enough to satisfy him; and if you yield to any sin, whatever it may be, you will find it to be a cruel tyrant to you. If you allow it once to have power over you, it will push its advantage further and further, and make your yoke to be exceedingly heavy.
22 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.
The Lord is merciful and before trouble comes our way we can be assured that his Word have given us ample admonitions.
35 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.
36 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.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
42 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.
43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
Dont make a pact with the enemy. That which is after your distruction will not be your friend. That thing that is consuming your life and destroying your spiritual health must be utterly destroyed. Cut its head off. Kill it completely. Or it will come again to destroy you.
“Ahab asked, “How will he do it?” And the prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: The troops of the provincial commanders will do it.” “Should we attack first?” Ahab asked. “Yes,” the prophet answered. So Ahab mustered the troops of the 232 provincial commanders. Then he called out the rest of the army of Israel, some 7,000 men.”
1 Kings 20:14-15 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/1ki.20.14-15.nlt
We must submit to the flow and obey the man of God. Ahab ask the man of God for guidance and commands. We must submit to the man of Gidbin our life to help us learn grow and be in the flow.
42 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.
I kings 20:40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone..”And the king of Israel said to him, so shall your judgment be you yourself have decided it.”
We all have a chance of doing God’s will; he neglected to use it, and judgment descended upon him.
We must embrace opportunities in the Kingdom of God. Help us not be too busy!
42 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.
Disobedience is sin and we cannot avoid doing what God told us just because we want to “spare a life” for any reason. God wanting us to kill those things is for a reason. We cannot reason with God to get our own way.
“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.”
1 Kings 20:42 KJV
For every action there is a reaction. The reaction can either be negative or positive. The reaction depends on our action. If we choose to be disobedient to God and take the easy road out as we think then we will have a negative reaction. We can’t live in he mentality of “my way or the highway”, but we must be willing to get our out comfort zone and do as god wants us to do because we want a positive reaction not a negative one.
We must be obedient to the word of God. We just follow the instructions given in His word!!!
“The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.””
1 Kings 20:42 NLT
Ahab didn’t obey God’s instructions, Ahab was to kill all his enemies but instead he let Ben- hadad live. Because of his disobedience to God’s words Ahab will die in Ben-hadad place and so will Ahab’s people. When God tells us to do something, we must do it. If we don’t God will judge accordingly to our actions. When God tell us to put to death our flesh and worldly desires and we struggle to do it. It shows God we value more the world than His commandments. God is everlasting and will satisfied your ever needs.
36 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.
37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
Always listen to the voice of the Lord
16 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.
“After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.”
1 Kings 20:23 NLT
Be careful of who you have on your counsel because Ben-hadad’s officer’s didn’t even know that Israel worshipped one God! Don’t let just anyone advise you. Seek God and listen to the council of those who seek Him
42 The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.”
1 Kings 20:42 NLT
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Why would we want to disobey the Lord if he is the one that knows best for each of us, he has our life planned out in his hands. Obedience is one of the most important things the Lord looks for in us, when we obey the Lord we are blessed. Even when we don’t understand the Lord and his commands for us we must still obey because he knows best always. Let us obey the Lord always and stay always from that sin.
42 He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die.[a] Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’”
Whether it’s a simple thing or a difficult thing God has asked of us, we must do it, He’s the one who we will stand before and be judged by.
Reading this chapter all I can think is there are going to be things that we will never understand Gods will.
Does misunderstanding justify disobedience?
I think it would be best to choose a simple obedience regardless of understanding.
42 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 said to him, “This is what the Lord says: Because you have spared the man I said must be destroyed, now you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.”
1 Kings 20:42 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1ki.20.42.NLT
Compromise can be deadly. What are we not cutting off that needs to die in our lives?
But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.
1 Kings 21:27 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1ki.21.27.NLT
Humility and fasting can move the Lord’s hand and sway His emotions towards a situation. If my child was in trouble and I saw that he was in mourning because of what he had done and refused dinner I would reconsider the situation and judgement. It seems the Lord does the same thing. I’m grateful for a Merciful God. I praise Your Holy Name.
14 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.
29 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.
30 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.
When i first read this my thought went to thinking about all these young people the Lord has called to battle. I’m reminded that there is no age limit on a calling. Though this was war for Israel, we have to look in a sense where NOW were warring for peoples souls. God can call anyone who is willing to step up and say not my will but your will be done. If Jesus says you can do it then you better find altar and ask him how. I pray for every young person with a burden for the Lost i pray that the fire doe die and the drive and hunger doesn’t leave their bodies..
28 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.
32 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
41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 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.
It’s not often when reading a certain passage that’
There is structure and precedence in every word that the Lord instructs is with. Here we find partial obedience and lackadaisical performance of a command. This is it what God intends when he lays out a plan. God expects us to work the plan just as he lays it out, not make our own up as we go. The only way to know exactly what god wants is to be connected with him in prayer. God will lay out priorities and provisions of the plan in every prayer. It is our diligence and obedience to what comes next as to where our fate lies. Let us be diligent and on purpose to not only do his work but do it with excellence.