1 Kings 20
By Pastor David Groendyk

This chapter recounts events that take place probably over a few months of time. Ahab king of Israel and Ben-hadad king of Syria are at war with each other and do battle twice, while two unnamed prophets are sent by God to go to Ahab with two very different messages. If 1 Kings 17–19 is meant to portray the amazing victories of the God of war, 1 Kings 20–22 shows us how Ahab opposes this God and fails repeatedly as king of Israel.

The war begins with Ben-hadad rallying the troops and approaching Samaria, the capital city of northern Israel. Ahab’s failure is first seen when he immediately surrenders to Ben-hadad and is willing to give up his silver, gold, women, and children. Not exactly a strong kingly defense! Moreover, months later, after the battles are over, Ahab foolishly allows Ben-hadad to live after defeating him. Ahab’s foolish and wicked actions are reminiscent of wicked King Saul when he let an enemy king live after God expressly commanded to put him to death (see 1 Sam. 15). The result with Saul was that God rejected him as king over Israel, and Ahab gets the same treatment here. Interestingly, in verses 35–42, Ahab is baited by this second unnamed prophet into pronouncing judgment upon himself, which is just like what happened to Saul’s successor King David! Remember the prophet Nathan caught David in his sin with Bathsheba by telling him the story of the rich man who stole a poor man’s lamb for dinner. Ahab is indeed in hot water! Unlike David, however, Ahab does not repent when confronted with his sin, but merely goes home pouting and confused.

What’s even more than this is that Ahab is endangering Israel. Besides the connections to Saul and David, there is a connection to the story of Jericho. In 1 Kings 20:30, the wall of the city of Aphek falls flat, leading to the death of many in the city; likewise, as many of us know well, the walls of Jericho came a-tumblin’ down, leading to the death and destruction of almost everyone in the city. But do you remember what happens after Jericho? Achan stole some items that were supposed to be devoted to destruction, and he brought ‘trouble’ upon Israel (Josh. 7:25), leading them to be defeated in their next battle. Achan’s punishment was that he and his whole household were killed. Similarly, Ahab is shown here in 1 Kings 20 to be the great ‘troubler’ of Israel (1 Kgs. 18:17–18) by letting live someone who was supposed to be devoted to destruction. The punishment for Ahab will be Ahab’s own life and his people. What an incredibly wicked and dangerous response to an awesome display of God’s power and victory in 1 Kings 17–19, and it jeopardizes the whole nation!

There is much negative warning we can take away from Ahab’s life and example, but positively-speaking there is a lot of good that we can take away from this chapter as well. First, God indeed proves himself to be the one true God. As he proved himself to be the Lord even in Syria, outside of Israel (ch. 17), and as he proved himself to be the Lord over and against Baal and all other idols (ch. 18), so he proves himself to be the one true Lord over both the hills and the plains and every other place (ch. 20). Nothing and nobody can defeat our God! Second, God is preserving his people and keeping a faithful remnant. Remember the very last thing God said to Elijah when Elijah felt like he was the only true believer left in the entire world: “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kgs. 19:18). These two unnamed prophets that appear to Ahab at different times prove that Elijah is most definitely not the only man of God left. God is at work in stubborn, rebellious, wicked Israel.

First Kings 20 impresses upon us the necessity of surrendering to God in Christ Jesus by putting away our sin and striving for obedience and holiness when we are confronted by the truth of God’s Word. It also encourages the church as a sure sign that God does not let unrighteousness and injustice win. Although the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet, and the gates of hell will never prevail against his church.