1 Kings 20-22 - In the Days of Wicked King Ahab

first Kings 20 tonight Lord be willing we're gonna finish first Kings there's only three chapters only 125 verses we can do that because you sure you've all read ahead haven't you that was really our deal the thing about narrative books and that's the way the Old Testament history is written not the prophets necessarily but the Old Testament historical books it's the way the Gospels are written for the most part bar the parables and all it is certainly the way the book of Acts is written narrative just means you are sitting and reading the story about the things that happen and and the way that you learn from narrative narratives as you put yourself in the in the midst of the equation stand next to the King to the Prophet to the people to the situation facing down the enemy being at war you know what would the Lord teach us and what we the Lord teach you so tonight we are going to finish like I said these last three chapters it is all about the wicked days of King Ahab do all of you have these now outlines how many of you not have an outline of the kings and the Chronicles Doug can you grab a few or somebody Jason who else does not have them did I just see more of the hit when you and you all right you if you leave your hand up Doug we'll get to you okay just keep your hand up we want to be sure you have these Mike come down this way you two guys in the middle right somebody in the middle there you go anybody else anybody want extras when Solomon died in his son Raya boom came to the throne it was eight at 931 BC and and Israel had had three kings in succession Saul who was not really God's choice with the people's David who brought Israel to the zenith of their of their place if you will in the world and then Solomon who came to build the temple and and early on did very well later in his life did not do very well we've been studying Ecclesiastes on Sundays he wrote that towards the end of his life he finally got his act together and I'm sure that we will see him in heaven one day but in 931 the the the division was so strong that a fellow named Jeroboam who the Lord had offered to allow to be king and had he had early on showed some interest in the things of God had left really the area when it was told others that he was being spoken to by the Lord came back later rebellious against God and he took what amounted to ten and a half tribes and he went north and he'd established during this time after Solomon's death a place called Israel and for the next 209 years and through all of the kings that are on that list of the kings of Israel in your handout they live there antagonistic to God not one good King not one good practice not one godly behavior they changed the rules for the feast days change the dates changed the core requirement so the priests lowered the bar terribly led folks in the worship of idols into and 722 BC the Assyrians were sent in by the Lord and they overthrew the north never to become the north again during that same period in the south rheya booms Solomon's Sun began to be the king over Israel you can look at your list of kings of Judah there there had some good Kings eight of them to be exact they did well in many ways for many years that they they stayed where the Lord had put his name there in Jerusalem they didn't forsake his law eventually the people would fall to the same issues idolatry disobedience and all but they lasted until 606 BC when the Lord sent the Babylonians to take them captive in over 20 years the captivity kind of took place 20 years in they destroyed the city but the people were kept for 70 years in Babylon and then we're given promises by the prophets that God sent them in captivity that one day they would be restored to the land again so the South continued with the promises of God during that time though from 7a 931 to 722 the fall of the North there was this division of the kingdoms and there were and the 1st and 2nd Kings and first and second chronicles covered those time's the reason you have these outlines is it's hard to remember all those names sometimes if you make comparison for the length of years that we people ruling in the north and the south to different guys with the same name we don't want you to read the Bible and get confused you know we want to read the narrative and stand there and say Lord what could we learn what would you want us to learn and certainly I think when it gets to the reign of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel they they reign for 22 years as your notes will tell you they were by far the most wicked overseers that those in the north would would would see now understand those in the North were Jews God loved his people he had chosen that he wanted to reach them but they were totally misled by by many many years of false kind of leaders wicked folks the thing for King Ahaz that was the worst was he took the bail worship the worship of you know the Canaanite gods if you will the the place that they offered their children to this God and he introduced Israel to the bail worship and it was during his reign that Hezekiah then was sent by the Lord Hezekiah nope Elijah was sent by the Lord as a prophet to call the people back to himself so the Lord cared for the people but their leaders were horrible and I think there's something to be said today for that as well we we don't oftentimes cheer our leaders and maybe we don't see them so often lately but God is still at work God still loves the people God still wants to reach them God is still very merciful even though we can be very wicked God is still very good to the nation's and you will find his treatment of Ahab in one sense you kind of go oh why did you just wipe that guy out and and why did the Lord hold you to his hand back at all so up to now from last week Isaiah oh sorry Elijah had been sent by the Lord to proclaim it a drought to this King Ahab this wicked man because God wanted King Ahab to know that God existed the god of the Jews he has had to answer to him Elijah was kept by the Lord by a brook fed by The Rave eventually that that brook dried up and as the three and a half years of no rain was was coming to an end the Lord sent Elijah to a woman who was broke she had suffered under this family she was down to her last meal or her and her silent the Prophet that was sent to her said to her why don't you feed me first then you can have whatever's left which sounds quite a challenge if you're down to your last meal in a family but she recognized him as a prophet of God she fed him in response God multiplied her for provisions and it lasted through the entire durations of the family it was a miracle in the life of a Gentile woman but God again puts himself on display in the midst of very rough times wicked people to say I'm still God I'm still in charge look around you see nothing but you can look up it was that same woman who at the later on that the Lord miraculously used to to raise her son from the dead he died and she Elijah said man I didn't even know about it usually the Lord seemed to show Elijah a lot of things but he was perplexed that he didn't know but God miraculously raised this this woman's son to life the same son that he had years earlier ate in his last or eaten part of his last meal so God has a way of just making himself known during that that famine and the rain that was not coming towards the end of that remember that Elijah went to King Ahab and reproved him for his wickedness and and then he asked him to gather together his prophets on Mount Carmel and and you remember the story about the confrontation between these prophets of bale and and and Elijah the prophet of God and the altars that were built we went over it in detailed last week by the time it was over the people who the Lord loved in the North swore that they were going to follow Elijah's God unfortunately you know fear of the of the king quickly set in and it didn't last very long at all though he had called them to choose whom they would serve it ended last week with Elijah the flaring into the drought warning King Ahab you better go home before the roads would become impassable waiting for the Lord to bring the rain God then transported Elijah ahead of the king all the way to Jezreel where he lived he met him at the gate and he again delivered to him that that visual kind of you know God is working here come on a hab get it together you're ruling God's people you're dealing with God when Ahab got home and told Jezebel what had happened she sent a note out to Elijah you'll be dead by morning for what you've done in killing my prophets and Elijah ran off in fear rather than you know that hi that wood comes from victory he ran away 70 miles he ran into the wilderness prayed to die he thought you know it's amazing how you can be up one minute and down the next but that sounds like us too doesn't it and he said Lord just kill me and the Lord had an angel come and feed him some angel food cake is what I think it is and any ate of it and and for 40 days he didn't eat he was sent away out to the middle of nowhere down by Egypt to Mount Orab of Mount Sinai and there God made himself known to to Elijah you're not the only one that's alive I had 7,000 more people just like you and what are you doing out here crying in the wilderness anyway what are you doing out here I'm the only one left I've been faithful you're not the only one left and in his depression the Lord because his solution was get to work he gave him an order to go anointed king of Syria to go anoint a king that would eventually take a Habs place to go anoint a prophet that would take his place Elisha and off to work he went so tonight we pick up the story there as Elijah had had been called by Elisha to follow kind of just started that story we'll pick that up again in the second Kings but tonight wicked King Ahab and Jezebel that which will set the stage for next week of the ministry of Elijah and the far greater detail then he's going to heaven in a chariot and you don't read ahead too far chapter 20 and like I said narrative so these last couple of chapters are just focused on three campaigns there are campaigns with the the Syrians the Syrians were in the north of Israel Israel was in the north not Judah in the South Israel in the north but even further north II Syrians they were ruled by a guy there his name was Ben Hadad the second you can find him in history then Haddad the first reign during the time of King ASA he was one of the kings on your good list of kings of Judah if you will King Ben had that the second is here then had that there's a third one in second Kings 13 who Royals during the the rule of a guy named Joe Hoya has who I think was a fire that followed Jay Hugh to the throne see this is why you have this thing she can follow my name's in any event mmm a hab was a terrific administrator wicked as he was but he never strengthened his defenses he lived in Samaria the capital he wasn't prepared to fight and he was terribly removed from the Lord though God had given him all of these things you know all of these proofs of through the the Prophet about who he was and who he was fighting against so his first effort to deal with the enemy is found here in chapter 20 and we'll start in verse 1 now Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered all of his forces together and 32 Kings were with him hoisted horses and chariots and he went up to besieged Samaria and he made war against it and he sent messengers into the city to King Ahab the the king of Israel and said thus say I've been had that your silver and your gold are mine and the loveliest of your wife and children are mine and Ahab the king answered and said Oh Lord my king just as you say I and all that I have are yours so here comes the enemy a hab who was in a rebellion against God but he's overseeing God's people it shows how far Israel had stunk i stunk to a thunk as well imagine trying this was King David I'm gonna come take your money and your wives and AI goes alright you can have whatever I I have he just kind of surrenders but this is how far you fall when the Lord is refused in your life seeing that he was on a roll been had him thought well let me ask for a little bit more so in verse five he sends his messengers back and he says well that's they have been had that again indeed I have sent to you saying you shall deliver to me your gold and silver your wives and your children but I'm also gonna send my servants to you tomorrow about this time and they're gonna search through your houses and through the houses of your servants and whatever is pleasing in their eyes they're gonna take that - it's gonna be a garage sale without a garage so the king of Israel a hab called the elders together and said notice please see how this man seeks trouble he has sent for my wives and children gold and silver and I didn't deny him and the elders and all of the people says well don't listen to them or consent though therefore he sent back to the messengers of a ben-hadad tell my lord the king all that you sent for for your servant the first time I will do but this I cannot do and the messengers departed and they took back word to the king so believing he had greater power remember this fella been had daddy was a Syrian asked for what seems like the moon but now he runs into a hab who has a council of war and he said I can't do this and they said well we're just gonna have to fight but they were ill-equipped to fight they were certainly gonna lose it was save face kind of time for Ahab they didn't have much of an army and they certainly didn't have much of a chance to win Ben had dad wrote back when he heard this in verse 10 and he said the gods do to me and more also if if there's enough dust left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me and the king of Israel answered and said tell him do not let the one who puts on his armor boast as if he is the one who is taking it off or if you will don't count your chickens before they hatched you know it's a great threat but you haven't been able to deliver so here's kid had that powerful Syrian King would be four years here's our guy King Ahab a horrible man there's horrible he's horrible and just about everything he does he's led the people down the road to nowhere to worship bail and it just God hated it and now he is in a dilemma he's pridefully standing up for what he believes but he really doesn't have much of a leg to stand on so we could just imagine how he's feeling and then we read in verse 12 and it happened when ben-hadad heard this message as he and his kings they were drinking at the command post he said to his servants let's go he wasn't gonna prepare a plan and they got ready to attack the city but suddenly suddenly here's the Lord working a prophet approaches King Ahab of Israel in the north and he says thus saith the Lord not thus they have been had that bears the Lord's word to you have you seen all of this great multitude yeah Betty has behold I will deliver it into your hands to me today so that you might know that I'm the Lord and am said how's that gonna work by whom and he said the prophet thus saith the Lord by the young leaders in the provinces and he said who will direct or set the battle in order who's gonna lead this thing and the Prophet said you are so on the one hand there's Ben Hadad he's he's a man of war he's drinking it up with his king friends he's got you know Nations with him he's he's as powerful as could be on the other hand there's God who loves his people they are being reigned by a very wicked King and yet God wants to protect them and he wants this wicked King to know him until the lengths that he will go the pinch the patience that he will show the mercy that he sets before us is amazing I think if you read all of these passages about Ahab and you said if I was God you would have come to the and halfway through I'm gonna kill this guy he is worthless the best thing we can do is wipe his name off the plan not the way God works God is very patient I know you look around today as a Christian go Lord where are you the Lord is very much aware of what's going on he's a very patient God he's much more patient than you are than I am in fact collectively than we are there's no way to describe God's patience but you can read it in the narrative and so the Lord for the sake of his people says I'm gonna deliver them from the powerful ben-hadad and I'm gonna use a hab he's gonna lead the people in fact I mean usually young people the guys have no experience who have no ability to fight agarn they're not men of war they're just almost vessels through whom God would say see how good I am how see how great I am and so he is given by the Prophet the assuredness that God was going to fight for them a small group of men led by a very inexperienced bunch of guys who are looking up to a wicked king who really is not very good at war at all as when the rains came though as when the pot of false prophets were overthrown I hope that in a Habs mind there's this starts to file away God is constantly moving around me and yet I don't recognize him though sin abounded in Israel I mean they're worshiping calves and and Catalan and bowing their knees to all kinds of crazy stuff God is still loving his people and he doesn't just write them off if there's if there's anything you learn tonight here's three very good lessons number one God will always use the weak to confound the wise just like he does in this battle so that no one gets credit but him second of all he's always going to make it very hard for you to stay away from him right in other words I remember I forget who was that maybe it was Billy Graham said of the first time that to go to hell you're gonna have to step over the body of Jesus again and again because God is going to continue to try to stop you and he certainly does that here with the nation in a big way I mean I know you read these and they seem like you know those are a long ago battles and you know it's 930 BC or what do I care well you should care because here's how God is making himself known to his people and then through the people to us and thirdly God gives every opportunity for people to repent and sometimes God will intervene not because we deserve it or somehow he's doing it for us sometimes he just does it for himself so when you read for example in Ezekiel I think it's chapter 36 where the Lord says I'm not doing this for you I'm doing this for my glory that I suspected in all of the land other than a couple of prophets and and schools of prophets there weren't too many godly people in the north at this time it was pretty much a reprobate kind of town and yet because God had a name and he had a people he had a reputation he goes to their rescue though no one is looking for him except for Elijah the prophet so what a great picture right there facing an overwhelming enemy I don't know what am thinking I'm gonna die tomorrow I don't know if his life flashed before his eyes and his wicked wife as well I don't know but God without invitation shows up to say I'm going to deliver them I'm gonna use you and the young people that are leading the provinces and I'm gonna get the credit pretty interesting picture verse 15 then he mustered the young men of the provinces there were 232 of all you know and after them he mustered all of the people of Israel that he could gather for fighting all of 7,000 this was a small little puny army and they went out at noon well meanwhile ben-hadad and 32 kings that would be 32 nations helping him we're still getting drunk at the command post these guys did not see this as a threat 7,000 guys and a bunch of kids this is easy well shall we go now no we'll have one more round and then we'll go so cocky and so shelf assured we read in verse 17 17 that the young leaders of the provinces they went out in the lead then had that had sent out a patrol and they they came and they said there's some men coming towards Samaria and he said well if they've come out for peace take him alive if they've come out for war take them alive been drinking a little bit too much it sounds like that doesn't seem right one or the other and these young leaders of the prophecies went out of the city with the armies behind them and each one of them killed a man so the Syrians they fled Israel pursued them ben-hadad the king of syria he escaped on a horse with a cavalry so he barely got away and the king of Israel went out and he attacked the horses the chariots killed the Syrians with a very great slaughter there was a a victory that no one expected this was one for the record books and it was because God had decided that he would resolve this conflict in favor his people they slew the every month Liu a man everyone who was involved the strategy I guess overwhelmed the Syrians who were just taking it pretty easy and they retreated and the King barely got away and if nothing else I would hope that a have went home with his buddies and went man God's pretty good maybe we should reconsider serving him that we have gotten to this point but verse 22 the Prophet came to the man of Israel - to Ahab and he said to him now go and strengthen yourself take note see what you should do for in the spring of the year of this year the king of Syria is going to come back so it ends with a warning from the Prophet this isn't over this is the winter time remember so when it gets to be summertime or springtime they're gonna come back they're gonna come fight they're going to be ready and you're gonna have to do some preparing because this time you didn't and God was the one who bailed you out and and and saw you through this whole thing meanwhile verse 23 the servants of Ben Hadad the king of Syria gathered with him and had you know their God speaking of the of Israel are the gods of the hills there that's why we they were stronger than we are and we we couldn't fight them but if we fight them in the plains we'll be stronger than they so do this thing dismiss the kings yeah each one from his position and replace them with the captains in their places muster an army like the army that you've lost horse for horse chariot for chariot and we will fight them in the plain certainly we will be the stronger than them and and Ben had a said well that makes a lot of sense of course we'll do that so the Syrians concluded the God of Israel was just the god of the mountains but if we can get them lured down into the valleys then their God will be weak and our God will be stronger on the other side king of Israel not a godly man hears from the Lord himself and says get yourself ready the invasion is coming next you're not going to have it so easy this next time this is going to depend upon you making some plans and and God had done miracles for them when they weren't able to plan but now they they had arrived opportunity now here's what doesn't happen you don't find a hab repenting what you do find a hab doing is preparing he wants to win the war but he's not so interested in his relationship with God but yet God is faithful to his people despite the man that sits if he will at the top so verse 26 in the spring of that year ben-hadad he got his Syrian army's together he attacked the Jew of the Jews Israel at effect to fight against the north the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions and they went up against them and the children of Israel encamped before them they look like two little flocks of goats while the Syrians just filled the countryside and the man of God came and he spoke again to Ahab he says thus saith the Lord because the Syrians have said the Lord is just the God of the hills he's not a God of the valley therefore I will deliver all of this great multitude in your hands and you'll know again you'll know that I'm the Lord he said that three times now you're gonna know that I'm the Lord this time they're saying I can't fight in there I just want to show them I can do this stuff in the valley as well for his namesake for his glory say and so they encamped opposite one another for a week and on the seventh day the battle was enjoined and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day the rest of them fled to effect into the city as they went in there was a wall that fell on them twenty-seven thousand of them were killed ben-hadad hid somewhere in the city and an inner chamber so second campaign they fought Israel greatly outnumbered again two flocks of goats against an army that covered the countryside but God wanted to show is Syria that he was God but he also wanted to reach King Ahab remember this guy you would have written off by now but not the Lord I'm the Lord I want you to see it and so when they fall you King Ahab will will have another proof of who you're serving for a week they they they faced off nothing happened a hundred thousand died in the day as the Lord was with what could have been seven thousand troops are a little bit more twenty seven thousand died in a wall falling on them another act of the Lord the king of Syria the powerful King can't be found he's hiding somewhere and so much for the theory that there was a living a limited power of God with God's people well you would think okay great now you can wipe out your enemy the Syrians they are they are going to destroy you we read in verse 31 that the servants of ben-hadad then came to Ahaz and said look we have heard that the kings of the house of israel are merciful well you'll not read that in my Bible but this is the buttering up of the negotiation please can we just put on sackcloth around our waist and put ropes around our necks and we can come to the king of Israel maybe he'll spare our lives so they went with sack cloth around their head and waste ropes around their heads came to the king of Israel and said your servant Ben had a says please let me live and he said is he still alive well he's my brother says a hat now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy could be found with him and they quickly grasped onto those words he's my brother and so they he said to them now go get him and bad had that came out of his hiding came up to him in his chariots and and bad had said the the cities which my father took from your father I'll restore and may you is that you may set your marketplace up for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria and AM set off I'll send you away with that treaty and so he made a treaty with him and he literally let him walk away so Ahab the peacemaker rather than Ahab the the king who would represent the the Lord and wipe out God's the enemy to God's people he makes a deal with this guy because a hub doesn't isn't interested in God isn't inserting the things of God are the people of God and so he lets this guy walk a foul that wants to destroy him and and he may very well have known how much it meant to the Lord seeing what God had done but he leaves it be so God blesses and yet this guy continues to go out and bargain in the world tries to make peace with the world it's a horrible decision you again you'd write a mob say well that's it but God doesn't he is so faithful well after reading the next few verses I'm glad I'm not to call to be a prophet verse 35 says now a certain man a man of one of the sons of the Prophet said to the neighbor by the word of the Lord hey hit me punch me in the eyeball that's not the original Hebrew and the man refused to strike him he said because you haven't we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord surely as soon as you depart from me a line will kill you and he left and a lion found him and killed him see don't mess with the prophets and so he found another guy who said hit me he goes no problem at least he's a smart guy he learned his lesson and he inflicted him hitting with him and the part of the prophet then departed and he waited for the king by the side of the road disguising himself with a bandage over his eye so that he didn't look and he couldn't be recognized as one of God's prophets as the King was passing by the Prophet prided the king he said your servant went out into the midst of the battle and there a man came and brought a man to me and said guard this man if by any man means he's missing your life will be for his life or else you'll pay a talent of silver well while your servant was busy doing this and that he was gone and so the man of Israel now believing this guy was looking for some judgment said to him your life is social your judgement be you yourself have decided it and as he has he was going to carry out this judgments against him the Prophet hastened to take off his bandage and the king of Israel recognized him to be one of the prophets and hit the Prophet said to him thus saith the Lord because you have let slip out of your hand a man who I appointed to utterly be destroyed therefore your life shall go for his life and your for your your people for his people and so the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased and then he came to Samaria so Ahab got the bad news he should have obeyed the Lord's voice wiped this guy out and not let him see the light of day now he would die for not representing the Lord and and that was God's judgment but again it didn't happen that day and he would get yet another chance to repent so glorious intervention by the Lord glorious victory and and here's how king ahab goes home wearied sullen and defeated because the life of a wicked person is hard not good well with peace at the border now syria is out of the problem out of the picture a hab and his wife now returned two more domestic affairs and here's one story that the lord gives us specifically just to kind of get an insight into what this man and his wife were made of we read in verse one that came to pass after these things that nay both who was a fellow who lived in Jezreel had a vineyard there and he lived next door to the palace of ahab the king of samaria a Ahab came over to his neighbor Nayef and said could you give me your vineyard I want to plant a vegetable garden because it's near next to my house and I'll give you another vineyard that's better than the one you have or if you'd rather I just give you some money whatever it's worth nay Baath answered a habits that the Lord forbid I can't give you the inheritance of my father and so Ahab went home sullen and displeased because this is the guy said no I will not give you my inheritance he lay down in his bed he turned his face he wouldn't eat when his really wonderful wife Jezebel came in and she said why are you so sullen and aren't you why aren't you eating he said because I spoke to our neighbor there asked him to give me his vineyard for money or if he wants another vineyard and he said he wouldn't give it to me and Jezebel said you're the one that can exercise authority over all of Israel now you eat and drink eat some food get up let your heart be cheerful I'll give you the vineyard of our neighbor neighbor that just realises so three years I should say whenever that pressure from without went away a hab now goes home and this is kind of more of a insight into what kind of character he has he has a neighbor who has a farm and he wants to build an herb garden so he asks his neighbor for cash or trade but he says I can't do that now according to Leviticus 25 other places you know when God gives you land in Israel you were never to get rid of it it couldn't be sold supposed to stay in the family was supposed to be a heritage from the Lord and unless there were some very special circumstances you couldn't do that at all so this guy was just serving God in the midst a very wicked place this man seemed to have a heart for the things of God and he lives right next door to the king but but notice his heart for the Lord was also having him suffer tremendously at his hand a hab is angry over the restrictions that God placed upon him goes home counted pouting whining in his bed depressed he won't eat and enter the picture you know this horrible woman his wife and no doubt I think a hab realized that his wife could probably work out what he couldn't he'd leave he left all of the dirty work to his wife so Josephus says I'll take care of this you're the boss we read in verse 7 that then our sorry verse 8 that she then wrote a letter and put a Habs name at the bottom sealing him with his seal sent it to all the elders and nobles who were dwelling in that city they were the city leaders in the letter she wrote proclaim a fast and set neighbor our neighbor in a place of higher honor among the people put them between two men who are scoundrels however who will bear witness against him who will accuse them of having blaspheme God and the king and then take him out and stone nice woman congresswoman I believe no not in every one verse 11 so the men of the city the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants did exactly what Jezebel had written to them follows her letter to the letter proclaim the past set him down and in an honourable place put him between two scoundrels who who did you know in verse 13 said he look he's a blasphemer of God in the King and they took him outside they stoned him until he was dead and then they sent back a letter to Jezebel that said nebith has been stoned and she's and he's dead so Jezebel's letter got the work done he was in a bath by the way godly man as far as we know was set up falsely accused quickly executed and and tried how corrupt this government that he lived under this Northern Kingdom shows man without God at its worst but there were the godly suffering under the under the hands of men we read in verse 15 that Jezebel didn't went home and said to Ahab you can get it go up and take possession of the vineyard next door which he wouldn't sell to you he's now dead and so when they have heard that he just went next door and took it and made his little earth garment in the house of a man who had been murdered murdered for an herb garden thank God that though this life doesn't always see total judge to this the next one will because this guy is amazing and his wife wasn't that very much better well then the word of the lord came to elijah our our hero of the this time the tishbite and the lord said i want you to go and meet with king ahab of israel he lives in samaria and there he is in the vineyards of nebith which he has gone down to take possession of speak to him and tell him they'll say at the lord have you murdered and then taken possession speak to him and say thus saith the Lord in the place your dogs licked the blood of Madoff dogs will lick your blood even yours and so imagine for the prophet and King Ahab said to Elijah Oh have you found me my enemy he said I found you because you've sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord in other words you know what you're doing and you've decided not to do the right thing behold I'm gonna bring calamity upon you cut away your prosperity well cut off from a hab every male in Israel both bond and free I'm gonna make your house like the house of Jeroboam that's that's the fellow who who led the the revolt he's number one on your list of the king of Israel led the revolt the son of nabad in the house of Basha the son of a Hodja because of the provocation which you have provoked me to anger and you made Israel to sin and concerning Jezebel the Lord's also said the dogs are going to eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel and they're gonna eat whoever belongs to Ahab and whoever dies in the city while the birds in the air will take care of those who have died in the fields there was no one like a hat was sold himself to do wicked in the sight of the Lord because Jezebel his wife had stirred him up notice that there was no one this wicked in that whole generation of the kings if you will in the northern kingdom he was behaved himself abominably in following idols according all that the amorite had done and whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel so it was when a have heard these word from Elijah he tore his clothes he put on clothes of repentance or sackcloth anyway he fasted he lay in South loss he went about mourning and the Lord spoke to Elijah again and he said see how a hab has humbled himself before me and because he's done that I will not bring the calamity in his days but I'll bring it in the days of his son now you read that anything no just wife am outlaw he's probably faking everybody's sorry when they get caught but yet though God's word of destruction for all of the house of Ahab was delivered to him the judgment of God was deferred from his generation simply because the prophets word had an effect upon his heart and at least for that moment that time whatever it is it moved the heart of God to say we'll wait what is waiting do well it removes the suffering that Ahab may have faced at least for a time but the ultimate wiping out of his family will move we've moved a generation forward which is why you see quite a bit of people there in between Ahab and Jay he who would eventually take him out so it was delayed delayed judgment why because God is merciful he responds to every little bit of willingness on our parts to turn to the Lord does a hab repent does he make himself right with God the Bible would say no will he make it to heaven I don't think we'll ever meet him don't think the Bible makes that promise to us at all but how merciful is the Lord a hab was weak his wife ruled the roost Elijah's words were powerful in fact when you get to 2nd Kings chapter 9 these words will be brought forth again the Lord said about a habit his descendants and you'll read about Azariah who has a Habs son he's listed in your in your list they're under Ahab that the Lord will deal with them and wipeout really this whole family just in in in that short period of time because of the sin but in reality a hab you know says to Elijah are you my enemy and in verse 20 and I guess we would say they have know he's your friend he's telling you what God wants to do you better listen but he doesn't so his true heart is made clear but look how patient the Lord is he said did you see how a has humbled himself yes Lord but did you see what else he did yes but he's humbled himself before me I'm not gonna bring kelana be in his days God was merciful even to this wicked man well we get to the last chapter of first kings and we get an account of the third campaign of Syria against Israel during this time and it also leads us to the judgment of God wicked King Ahab as the Lord had said to him so we read in verse 1 now three years pass there was no war between Syria and Israel during that time Israel the the Northern Kingdom but in the third year when it came to pass in the third year Jehoshaphat now you'll you'll find his name and the kings of Judah Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit a hab the king of Israel and the king of Israel said to him did you know that ramoth and Gilead belongs to us but we hesitate to try to take it out of the hands of the king of Syria and then he said to Josh fat would you go with me to fight to try to get him off a Rhema Gilead back in jar Josh effete said to Ahab as you are my people are as your people my horses are your horses sure I'll help you now we did a study a couple of months ago we were looking at some Bible characters and how they develop our characters and we did a study out of second chronicles chapter 21 about this fella Jehoshaphat and in first King chapter 22 we also spent a week looking in this chapter looking at the the Prophet Micaiah so if you want all of the information the background for all these two guys go look at 2nd chronicles 21 study or the one on out of first Kings chapter 22 but needless to say this good king from the south aces son as you will see on your chart came down for a visit actually went up but it's down from Jerusalem in every direction and he was asked by wicked King Ahab after three years would you join me in trying to get some of my property back which had been taken by this wicked Syrian King years before and he's given immediate reassurance that he would help him now it seems us like a strange iliza alliance right there's a wicked guy here there's a good king in fact not only is he a good king but he comes from a whole line of good Kings in fact if you look at ASA look at Josh effect you know that was 66 years of godly leadership in the south these were men that knew the Lord had seen had bowed their knees to the Lord this guy should have known better than anyone and yet he finds himself infatuated with it always drawn to the kind of wickedness that you find in the north a perversion the the lack of morality and discipline so he comes for visits and he seems to do that a lot this time he comes and because they're friends wicked King Ahaz is you know if he joined me maybe we could beat this guy what he might have said to him every time we fight the Assyrians God has given us victory doesn't say that he just says hey buddy would you bring your army and help us it's a strange Alliance one that Jehoshaphat will pay dearly for timing again but it is one of those pictures of being unequally yoked together with an unbeliever it really drags you down you know fellowship with those who are out in the world is a bad idea I mean I think the world is a place for ministries where you you take the gospel and you go present it you love people but you pass along the gospel you want good friendship find it in the church hang around with believers you know that's why the Lord says just get married in the Lord I think that you're better off in business relationship to be in business with those that are equally minded if you will to the things of God because else you you could suffer a lot there's that scripture in Revelation 18 which comes late on in the the report but there's a voice from heaven that says to the people upon the earth get away from her lest you suffer with her for her sins and you received the plagues that she will in other words get away from from the world unfortunately Jehoshaphat is a guy that seemed to love kind of hanging out with the world and especially with Ahab in fact he will name one of his sons after Ahab sons and they'll actually be both ruling at the same time when the same name so it's one of those confusing things so here's the guy that just seemed to he likes to come he's a spiritual guy he's a godly guy but he's got this blind spot and it's always like the flirting with the world he he likes hanging out there so he goes to the north he runs into this guy be careful is the lily I think is the lesson but in verse 5 Jehoshaphat says to the king after he said I'll fight with you could we ask the Lord what wants us to do because that was what he was used to from his dad as well as his life and the King said well you know here's 400 men that I asked them should I go up to fight and and they all said yes the Lord is with you is gonna deliver it into your hands and and Jascha fat being a discerning guy in verse 7 says you have a prophet here anywhere a guy that speaks for the Lord he recognized these 400 men as yes men not spiritual men but men that would have said whatever the King wanted to hear do you even have a a faithful guy here and and the King Ahab said to Josh if at verse 8 yeah there's one guy micaiah by whom weak and in fire of the Lord but I hate him he never says anything good about me it's always evil and Josephus says no don't say that that's just you know let's just ask him and so the king of Israel sent one of his officers over to get this prophet micaiah says bring him quickly and and the king of Israel a hab and Josh fat they put on their robes they sat on the throne near the entrance of the city and the prophets the four hundred you know did their little whatever it is that they did kind of performance in front of him while they waited for this prophet of God to show up Zedekiah one of the fake prophets had made horns of iron for himself and he he walked out and from these two kings and says thus saith the Lord with these you'll be able to Gore the Syrians until they're destroyed and the all of the other prophets said yeah go up to ramoth-gilead prosper the Lord will deliver it into your hands well it meanwhile the messenger shows up at the prophet's house and and and says to him now listen the words of the prophet the one Accord are encouraging the king so please let your word be like the words of one of them being encouragement and mikail is what as the lord lives whatever the lord says that's what i'm going to say and so he came to the king and the king said to him Akaya shall we go to war with ground with Gilead or shall we refrain and he said go prosper the Lord will deliver it into the hands of the king I suspect he said it very sarcastically the king said to him how many times have I asked you to swear to tell me nothing but the truth and then I suspect that's probably none but because he has Jehoshaphat the godly king sitting by him I think that was something he probably asked for the sake of his friends so mkhaya prophet of God hey come on man say stuff that makes people happy don't be bummed out don't bring us down don't bring you know just just be a team player you know we're the team colors run with the crowd and he said I can't do that and serve the Lord I can't run with a crowd I got a I got to be faithful so Micaiah mocked the mouths of the false prophet a hab notices and and he says how often like I said I think he did it for the sake of Jehoshaphat and so verse 17 the Prophet said all right I'll tell you the truth I saw the mountains I saw all of Israel scattered on the mountains as sheep that don't have a shepherd and the Lord said they have no shepherd that everyone turned returned home in peace and so the king of Israel said to Joshua is you see nothing but evil from this guy and mcian verse 19 says wait I'm not done let's just say at the word of the Lord I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the hosts of heaven standing by on his right hand and I was left and the Lord said to those hosts who's going to persuade a hab to go up that he can fall at Gary mouth Gilead and once said listening and one said another and then one by the spirit came forward and said I will persuade him and the Lord said how he said I'll go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets oh man and the Lord said you shall persuade him that also prevailed go and do so therefore look the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all of these prophets of years and the Lord has declared disaster against you and as he was speaking this fella Zedekiah from verse 11 with the horns came near and and slapped him on the face which way did the spirit from the Lord go from you to speak to me this way and and macaé said indeed you shall see on the day when you go into your inner chamber to hide and the king of Israel a hab said take him take him back to Amman the king of the city and joash the king's son and telling that the Kings has put this man in prison just feed him wha breads of a confliction waters of affliction until I come in peace and mkhaya said if you come back at all the Lord hasn't spoken to me and he said take him all of you people and he he got rid of him so he delivered it not very good commentary on a ahab lays out what is coming speaks of the provinces you're a bunch of liars and that's how the Lord is gonna accomplish his will against this wicked king he's gonna believe the liars not the truth and God's Word is gonna stand first in a moment a Habs gonna be gone God's words gonna stand and so will the Prophet so the king of Israel and the King Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went off to battle and the king of Israel said to his friend Jehoshaphat I'm gonna hide myself disguise myself in a battle you put on my robes or your robes and so the king of Israel he went disguised into battle while the king of Judah went out in his royal robes a couple of questions why would Jehoshaphat go after he just heard from the property you're gonna get killed either he didn't believe him or maybe he thought well it's you not me and then they have does something really weird he goes I don't want them to see me I'll go undercover you sit out there like you're the King thanks buddy yeah you take the arrows and I'll just kind of hide suggesting nice guy right well as it would be verse 31 the king of Syria had commanded been had dead that the 20:32 captains of his chariots said don't fight with anybody smaller great just go after the king figuring that was the battle strategy kill the king cut off the head you know the body will fall and so it was when the king when the captains of the cherry saw Josh a fat whoops the wrong guy they said there he is the king of Israel no that was the king of Judah they went after him and Josh if that cried out it's not me of course and it happened when they saw them that that it wasn't him they they said it's not the king of Israel they turned back from pursuing him well in the meantime there was just a guy who had a bow in his hand they were fighting and he he just shot it off randomly and it ended up striking the king of Israel they had between the joints of his armor just got in between the the plates he said to his driver just turn around and get me out of the battle I'm wounded but the battle became more fierce tanned that day the King had to prop himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians all day and and he died that night the blood ran out from his wound under the floor of the chariot and so as the Sun was going down a shout went through the army saying every man to his city every man to his own country the fight ended abruptly the King died was brought back to Samaria where they buried him and as someone who was washing this chariots out at a pool in Samaria the dogs came and licked up the blood while the harlots bathed according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken so it's an interesting verse isn't it a certain man drew a bow at random because when you're done with God God's done with you and you really can't really do anything about it right this wasn't luck this isn't chance God had given this man every every word that he could every promise that he could every every proof that he could have given him and now he has this imprinted prison prophet faithful macaé and a.ab said I'll be back well no you won't you won't be back so Ahab seeks to run for safety hides by he puts his friend out there to get killed the battle gets heavy he just gets hit by by a random shot and bleeds out and the dogs lick his blood and boy how the Lord knows exactly what he's talking about so Ahab's son a has ayah will come to the throne but as you get to verse where are we at verse 41 we read this Jehoshaphat the son of ASA had become king over Judah in the 54th year of gayab king of Israel Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king he ran for 25 years we have his mother's name there he walked in all the ways of his father he did that turn from aside for them not to the right he did was right in the sight of the Lord nevertheless the high places weren't taken away the people offered sacrifices and burn incense still in those highest places those were typical pagan practices and then verse 42 4 and Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel that was his problem he made peace with the world he was a godly man God use it for great things he didn't bring all of the you know the the you know the changes if you will to the culture from a governmental standpoint but he was pretty faithful to the Lord God said so but he had this one big glaring problem and it was a problem you know he would try to make deals with a Ahab's son try to start a a navy with him the Lord with would come after him for that not one good decision but but I love that God's reported this man after after what we just read me well what are you doing going to battle you almost got yourself killed what are you doing hanging around with this guy and you get to verse 31 the Lord says hey he's a good guy and and again if I'm right in the battle I go this guy is kind of an idiot but he's a good guy in the Lord's eyes isn't he that's how God's grace works when we failed God's good when we make foolish decisions look the Lord follows up this story with a had the prophets going to be released and jaja fats gets home by the skin of his teeth and the Lord said to him he walked in the ways of the Lord but he's an idiot what's he doing over there I just want you to know this is God's heart towards him I'd love the way that this is written it really should drive home I think to our hearts that God was it was a you know he is a good God and He loves us so and like I said his dad had reigned for 41 years had been a godly man Josh fat grains for a quarter of a century in his dad's steps and he'd you know there was a lot going on with Jehoshaphat even though these were some glaring problems but there covered at least here in one verse he made peace with the king of Israel that's that's not something the Lord would have had him to do certainly but he did so interesting picture verse 45 now the rest of Josh affects actions the might that he showed how he had made war they're written in the book of The Chronicles of the kings of Judea and like I said if you look at your your king of Judah outline you there you should see that if you go to 2nd chronicles 17 you get more information about his his life the rest of the perverted persons who remained in the days of his father ASA he banned from the land there was no king and eat him only a deputy Jehoshaphat made merchants ships to go down to Ophir for gold but they never sailed for the ships were wrecked that Abyan geezer and Isaiah who was a Habs son said to Jehoshaphat let my servants go with your servants to the ships and he wanted to continue this relationship this is towards the end of Joshua Fouts life and josaphat had learned his lesson they said no I can't have a relationship with you or with your family in fact they were scheduled for judgment so I Joshua as he dies buried in in in Jerusalem his sons Ahura comes to follow in his footsteps if you will you you can read that he is only gonna read for eight years not very good kid the a has ayah the son of Ahab comes to be the king over Israel in Samaria in the 17th year about Joshua faith in the north he would only reign for two day years did evil in the sight of the Lord walk in the ways of his father the ways of his mother in the ways of Johor amou founded the northern kingdom he served bail he worshiped him provoked the Lord anger according to all that his father had done the the wickedness kind of just continues to flow forward so Jehoshaphat does the right thing but Eli he leaves a lot of weird stuff in his life which causes his son to not turn out very well and I think that as we read we're gonna find out that his son whom Ares one of a Hubbs daughters is kind of sucked into a life in the north Josh vectored walks with with kind of detachment with you know from afar he he liked being there but he could step away from it and Lord he's a good guy his son was was more taken by it and because he wasn't really you know as strong as his dad was when it came to looking at Cine he finds himself taken out by it and and he gets kind of taken out with it so we end with a his I he's on your on your list under Ahab that wicked son who only rains for a year he's gonna fall through a lattice and die but in any event God will bring judgment upon them and then Elijah will show up and we will read of his ministry and and his ascension into heaven next week as we go down the list so keep your list with you okay keep them with you until we get to the end of second chronicles and then when we end second Chronicles we'll probably go to the Book of Revelation for a little while yeah we'll be all right it seems like a good time to talk about it anyway father thank you for your word to us tonight it is good to to place ourselves in the midst of the stories you set before us we want to know more we realize this is what you want us to know we we pray that we wouldn't be able to read through these things without learning the lessons and keeping them in the context so we don't just go down some rabbit trail and come to conclusions that or determinations that aren't in your word but may we continue to apply ourselves to just for example see how merciful you were to a wicked King and how gracious you were to a man who who destroyed and and was wicked and yet even just an inkling of sorrow and you rewarded him with delayed judgment and Lord how you love your people and how you want to just wing them and wing the wing them back to you bring them back so may that be the case today for those that are astray or just kind of far from you may you bring them back and even for us living in this country and and living in this time where where upheaval is the the order of the day were politics and personal interests and and all are just running men's lives that we cannot forget that we serve a God who loves us who is very aware of what's going on and who can take care of us and use us in the midst of of a storm that is the world while we have peace and joy as we worship you and as we preach your message may may your word get out may we like mkhaya the prophets speak clearly and lovingly but forcefully to a world that doesn't know Jesus may we not be ashamed of him but proud to be his children and may you bless your word as it goes out so lord thank you that you are in the midst of the government's you know exactly what's going on you're not and you have not lost control you love us you know what our needs are you will meet every need so may we continue to look to you tonight with the assurance of your word that you never forsake your people even when they are being abused and and misused by the most wicked of Kings that Lord you will step up and step in for the sake of your own tonight if you're away from the Lord look the way back is real simple they have was walking down that path what stopped but you can go to the Lord and repent Lord forgive me take me back fill my heart help me to live for you and do the things that are pleasing in your siding and God will do that he is very merciful he is very kind he he wants so much to give you life to bless your life but he looks for that commitment from you and that desire that that in your heart you want to be close to him you call on his name today and watch what he'll do for you and what he'll do through you and with you and for you you can do that if you're home if you're over in the fellowship hall did not come out and pray with one of the pastor's here in the main sanctuary God will have his way so good to know the door is open all the way open and he invites you to come so come and find the joy the peace that he has for you

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Length: 64min 30sec (3870 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 09 2020