Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 20:31-43  ‘For now is our Salvation Nearer than when we Believed’

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1Ki 20:31-43  ‘For now is our Salvation Nearer than when we Believed’

[Study Aired June 16, 2022]

1Ki 20:31  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. 
1Ki 20:32  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.
1Ki 20:33  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.
1Ki 20:34  And Benhadad 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.
1Ki 20:35  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. 
1Ki 20:36  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. 
1Ki 20:37  Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him. 
1Ki 20:38  So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 
1Ki 20:39  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. 
1Ki 20:40  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. 
1Ki 20:41  And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 
1Ki 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.
1Ki 20:43  And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

In order to help understand this last section of chapter twenty of Kings, we need to give some context to the story. From our study last week, we learned how a man of God came to Ahab and told him what the perception of the Syrian army was regarding the God of Israel. God promised as a result of the lies in their heavens that “therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD”; the God of the plain and the God of the hills (1Ki 20:28). This promise of victory, as we will see, was conditional upon the obedience of Israel, just as king Saul’s victory would only be validated if he fought the battle he was in with a complete obedience to God, which he did not do(1Sa 15:14, 1Sa 15:19-22). Nor did king Ahab who ended up sparing the life of king Benhadad in this story tonight, disobeying the command to utterly destroy everyone which commandment was restated in verse forty-two of this chapter (1Ki 20:42).

1Ki 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.

1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 

1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 
1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, [just as Benhadad was spared] and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 
1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 
1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1Ki 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. 

The lesson for God’s elect today is that sin, which is represented in these first few verses with servants of Benhadad coming to make some sort of peace treaty with Ahab (1Ki 20:31-34), is to be destroyed (1Jn 3:8, 1Co 15:55-56).

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

It is also a little later in the story that Ahab discovers that Benhadad the king himself was not killed in the battle, and Ahab spares him. As a result of these actions, the punishment of death fell upon Ahab and the nation of Israel for this unrighteous compromising spirit which did not follow through in obedience to God’s command to destroy everyone. Again this is written for our sakes “upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1Co 10:11) telling us that when we don’t follow through and faithfully declare the true gospel to all men (Act 20:27-28, Col 1:27-28) while living in obedience to God’s commands, the end result of that trumpet not being blown will be that their blood will be upon our own heads (Eze 33:1-20). The gospel must be understood within and if being received through God’s spirit within us, it will in time take captive and destroy every evil thought bringing it into captivity to the mind of Christ which makes it possible for us through him to blow the trumpet clearly so all others can hear the message of the kingdom of God within us (2Co 10:5-6, 1Co 14:8-9). Bringing all our thoughts into subjection to Christ is akin to destroying king Agag, the king of Amalek, and not letting any of the men go to whom God has appointed “utter destruction” within us (1Sa 15:20, 1Ki 20:42).

Eze 33:1  Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 33:2  Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 
Eze 33:3  If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 
Eze 33:4  Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 
Eze 33:5  He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
Eze 33:6  But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. 
Eze 33:7  So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 
Eze 33:8  When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 
Eze 33:9  Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 
Eze 33:10  Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? 
Eze 33:11  Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

1Ki 20:31  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.
1Ki 20:32  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. 
1Ki 20:33  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. 
1Ki 20:34  And Benhadad 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.

Ahab calling Benhadad his ‘brother’ (1Ki 20:32) when he was his enemy is just another demonstration of how Ahab once again lets down his spiritual guard, as he did at the onset by being willing to give Benhadad the treasures of the temple that Benhadad had asked for (1Ki 20:3), and now he is in type and shadow not clearly identifying this man, king Benhadad, as an enemy of the cross. The lesson for God’s elect is this is how we should see this entire world that lies in sin (1Jn 5:19) as well as our sinful flesh which wars against the spirit of God within us and must be conquered by dying daily (Gal 5:17, 1Co 15:31, Mar 10:18).

Ahab is being manipulated by Benhadad, unlike Christ who was not overcome by the devil after he was tempted by Satan to receive all the kingdoms of this world (Mat 4:8-9). Ahab is in concert with Benhadad while sitting in Ahab’s chariot, a symbol of power and the place where he struck this deal with Benhadad who he was succumbing to in all that he was telling him he was going to do now for the kingdom of Israel. This represents our caving in to our old man and not being obedient to Christ and His commandments.

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

The Ethiopian eunuch in contrast sat in his chariot and Phillip caught up to him to hear his desire to know Christ (Act 8:27-39).

Act 8:30  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 
Act 8:31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him
Act 8:32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 
Act 8:33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth
Act 8:34  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 
Act 8:35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Benhadad’s chariot experience represents a false humility. He had no change of heart but was being the opportunist that flesh always is, seeking some way to be spared. Ahab should have taken his life without question, along with all the servants that came into his presence seeking restitution, “And Benhadad 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“.

1Ki 20:35  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.
1Ki 20:36  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. 

This sub story is very much connected to the first section of this study, as we see a parable being described which has to do with our coming out of Babylon and what is required of the Lord if we are going to endure until the end in this life. There must be a death process that unfolds, of which Ahab was unwilling to execute against the enemies of Israel.

Firstly, when we enter into Babylon, the Lord, who is represented by “a certain man of the sons of the prophets“, tells us that we must die daily (1Co 15:31) and our old man must be slain, but no such thing happens in Babylon where there is no stay of bread or water (Isa 3:1), no sword of the spirit which is God’s word (Eph 6:17), to slay us, as expressed with these words, “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.” The man refusing to smite him represents Babylon who refuses to obey and can’t see the need to fill up what is ‘behind of the afflictions of Christ’ as we die daily (Col 1:24).

Because we don’t obey the voice of our Shepherd, refusing to receive correction and not dying on the cross with Christ, we are devoured by the devil who is the lion we meet in the street; “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.” (Jer 5:1-7)

Jer 5:3  O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return. 
Jer 5:4  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God

Jer 5:6  Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

1Ki 20:37   Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him. 
1Ki 20:38  So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 
1Ki 20:39  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. 
1Ki 20:40  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. 
1Ki 20:41  And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 
1Ki 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.

Now the prophet is disguised before the king with ashes on his face, which is a symbol of humility and mourning, seeing he is coming here to witness against Ahab like Nathan witnessing against King David for his indiscretions (2Sa 12:1-7). The king passes by, and the prophet begins to speak this parable to Ahab that is referring to the servants of Benhadad who tell Ahab to let him live as Ahab was heard calling Benhadad ‘his brother’: “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.

2Sa 12:1  So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, Nathan said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 
2Sa 12:2  The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 
2Sa 12:3  But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. It used to eat his food, drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. It was just like a daughter to him. 
2Sa 12:4  “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler who had come to visit him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to visit him.” 
2Sa 12:5  Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 
2Sa 12:6  Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!” 
2Sa 12:7  Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD God of Israel has said: ‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 

The prophecy continues to be told to Ahab that describes exactly what he has done with Benhadad, and that he will suffer the consequences for this as well, “If by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.” The talent of silver represents repentance that was not going to be forthcoming from Ahab, telling us that our old man does not naturally repent unless God’s goodness is granted to us represented by a talent of silver (Rom 2:4).

The prophet continues with his parable telling Ahab what happened to Benhadad at his hand: “And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” At this point, Ahab judges correctly against himself, just as David did with Nathan’s parable to him: “And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.” (2Sa 12:5)

Then comes the big reveal to Ahab that this is the prophet of God talking to him: “And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets“, and then the pronouncement of judgment is made on Ahab via the prophet: “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.

1Ki 20:43  And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria. 

All of these actions, which are caused by God, caused the king to go “to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria“. This is us when we say ‘Lord, why are you displeased if you are the one who has caused us to err’ (Isa 63:17, Rom 9:18-23). It also reveals an unrepentant heart in Ahab being ‘displeased’H2198 (From H2196 = wroth); angry: – displeased.

Ahab going to Samaria is somewhat of a hopeful way to conclude this study because Christ does not forget His creation, both the elect before they know Him and the other fold that is being discussed. King Ahab going to Samaria reminds us that the Lord knows those who are His and knows what state every single soul is at, at any given point in the process (Luk 19:41-42), whether they are a gentile in Samaria, or a first fruit on the Way to being raised in heavenly Jerusalem abiding with the Lord day by day.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 
Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory

Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 
Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

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