October 19, 2023

Does your sin grieve you?

1 Kings 20

Catherine Cotton
Thursday's Devo

October 19, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 19, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 19, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 19, 2023

Big Idea

Wise leaders walk closely with God.

Key Verse | 1 Kings 20:42

And he said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.'"

1 Kings 20

Ahab's Wars with Syria

1 Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. 2 And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’” 4 And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.” 5 The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.” 6 Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.’”

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11 And the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’” 12 When Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, “Take your positions.” And they took their positions against the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad

13 And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” He said, “Thus says the LORD, By the servants of the governors of the districts.” Then he said, “Who shall begin the battle?” He answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.

16 And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 The servants of the governors of the districts went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, “Men are coming out from Samaria.” 18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

19 So these went out of the city, the servants of the governors of the districts and the army that followed them. 20 And each struck down his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow.

22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you.”

23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so 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: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places, 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad Again

26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. 28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 29 And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left.

Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city. 31 And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they tied sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please, let me live.’” And he said, “Does he still live? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men were watching for a sign, and they quickly took it up from him and said, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” And Ahab said, “I will let you go on these terms.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

A Prophet Condemns Ben-hadad's Release

35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down.” And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” And the man struck him—struck him and wounded him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent 1 20:39 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms of silver.’ 40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” The king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then he hurried to take the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, 2 20:42 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’” 43 And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria.

Footnotes

[1] 20:39 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
[2] 20:42 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)

1 Kings 20:35-36 - "'Strike me, please?' What are we to make of this?"

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 1 Kings 20

What does it mean to grieve our sins? In Scripture, we see examples of godly grief.  David grieved when he cut off the corner of King Saul's robe (1 Samuel 24:4-5) and Peter wept after denying Jesus (Matthew 26:75). These men had an authentic relationship with God, and their hearts were pierced when they disregarded Him. When we grieve our sin, we are convicted and saddened by our disregard of God and His instructions. In 1 Kings 20, we see the sad consequences of men who did not fear God and did not grieve their own sin.

 First, we see Ben-Hadad disregard God's power. He boasts of his victory before the battle has even begun (1 Kings 20:10). Yet God proclaims victory for Israel through His prophet (1 Kings 20:13). God is the God of power, and He deserves our worship.

 Second, we see the enemy army disregard God as the creator of all things. After losing the first battle, the Syrians think their loss was attributed to fighting in the mountains rather than the plains. God again proclaims victory for Israel and shows them that he is indeed God over both the hills and the plains and everything else (1 Kings 20:28-29).

Third, we see King Ahab and another man disregard God as the righteous judge, and this leads to their death. Ahab disregards God's command to devote Ben-Hadad to destruction (1 Kings 20:42), and later we see a man who refuses to obey God by not striking the prophet. The man is eaten by a lion (1 Kings 20:35-36), and Ahab's death comes in chapter 22. God is the righteous judge, and He deserves our respect and complete obedience.

Thankfully, God had a plan to rescue us from this broken state of disregard for Him and His holiness. When we put our faith in Jesus, His Spirit convicts us of our sins and transforms us to look more like Christ (Romans 8). This is good news! God is our only hope, and we can turn to Him in faith, confess our sins, and look to Jesus who paid our debt.

This month's memory verse

5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6  In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
 

– Proverbs 3:5-6

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever regretted a bad decision because you saw how deeply it hurt someone?

2. Do you grieve your sin?

3. Is there an area of your life in which you are disregarding God and His instructions? How can you pursue complete obedience in that area?

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HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Catherine! Love this close out of your devo- “Thankfully, God had a plan to rescue us from this broken state of disregard for Him and His holiness. When we put our faith in Jesus, His Spirit convicts us of our sins and transforms us to look more like Christ (Romans 8). This is good news! God is our only hope, and we can turn to Him in faith, confess our sins, and look to Jesus who paid our debt.” What great summary and conclusion of this passage! Q1. Regrets of bad decisions? OMG. I love these questions. I wish I had 10,000 words to answer them. B.C. - there were so many bad decisions that I think my mind has blocked them out to protect me. Among them, these two- -as a teenager putting opinions of others as primary. But it wasn’t even opinions of others; it was what I THOUGHT their opinions were. That’s really sad. It is only in recent years that I have moved through most of that. This book from Keller was a huge help- https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+freedom+of+self-forgetfulness&i=stripbooks&hvadid=604546233118&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026339&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9032558391224122031&hvtargid=kwd-316981369913&hydadcr=22594_13493210&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_thft9x1hh_e -In my imbedded fear and anxiety I went straight to coping devices. Porn and alcohol owned me. I get sad looking back at how futile it all was. The day-to-day burden of a 65-year-old business owner dwarfs that of a 12-year-old kid. But the depth of my prayer life and the intimacy with Jesus I have learned from teachers via the Holy Spirit comforts me now in ways that would been transformative 40 years ago. Q2. Grieve my sin? So many years of great and faithful mentors guiding me has brought me to the point that any sin sticks in my gut until I address it. The release when I do so is amazing. It builds intimacy in that broken and now healed relationship. Q3. Disregarding God? This is a tough question. The main issue for me is when or if to retire. It has been an issue for years. He has not called me to do so. There are days when the mental and physical fatigue is nearly unbearable. Through his strength I go on.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Thinking about… -the plans of man & the plans of God - -the sins of man and the mercy of God… On Plans- “In 1987, during the leadup to a fight against Tyrell Biggs, Mike Tyson was asked by a reporter if he was worried about his opponents fight plan. His response has become legend.” “Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the face.” Ahab had a plan. Ben-Hadad had a plan. And God had a plan. Take God. Even though he’s heavily favored…Give the points. “But the theological reasoning that underlies their military strategy is faulty. The Lord is the only real God there is, and he is active both in the hills (1 Kings 18) and anywhere else he chooses (ch. 17).” "The promise of God's deliverance in this situation was not based upon Ahab's fidelity but on God's love for His people. God gave this man an opportunity to change. We hear a great deal today about lost opportunities and about opportunity knocking only once at the door of every man. I think opportunity stands at the door and keeps knocking." "It is important to recognize that all of Israel's military victories were won by obeying the Lord. Of no other nation can such a statement be made."[422]
HS

Hugh Stephenson

On Sin -God speaks to Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7 -Moses speaks to the people, “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23 I see the essence of these verses as the truth I learned in a recent class- “Ideas have consequences and bad ideas have victims.” This preamble from the ESV SB is helpful- 1 Kings 17:1–22:40 Elijah and Ahab. Before this time no prophet addressed the house of Omri as Israel’s earlier royal houses had been addressed (cf. 14:7–13; 16:1–4), but now Elijah is introduced. His announcement of doom on the house of Omri will be delayed, however, until 21:21–24. His first task is to tackle the problem of the Baal worship that Ahab has introduced into Israel in 16:31–32, and to demonstrate beyond all doubt that Baal is no more a god in any real sense than are Jeroboam’s bull calves. “Ahab's plan was contrary to God's Law, which called for the deaths of Israel's enemies (Deut. 20:10-15). Compare Saul's refusal to execute Agag.” "Pity which produces disobedience to the divine command is sin." What the passages shows me is that God’s timeline is going to prevail over mine. What He says will happen is exactly what will happen. I’m taught that all prophecy is fulfilled. It may be part by part over a long time. But it will be fulfilled. I have embraced this truth, “I am in charge of my inputs. God is in charge of all outcomes.” https://www.gotquestions.org/Ben-Hadad-in-the-Bible.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Hazael-in-the-Bible.html
GJ

Greg Jones

Hello Catherine great chapter summary. Q3 Is there an area of your life in which you are disregarding God and His instructions? How can you pursue complete obedience in that area? I get where that question comes from when you read a chapter of the Bible like 1 Kings 20. But I don’t think the Bible is instructing on how to live here in Kings. I see it as telling us what was considered to be instructions and obedience in the days of these kings and prophets. In a few chapters Jehu will be instructed to wipe out the whole house of Ahab and his surviving wife Jezebel. He will not disregard the instructions. He will be completely obedient. In a few generations the biblical view of Jehu’s acts will be judged differently. If Hosea the prophet is reading the accounts of Kings and questioning instructions and obedience who am I to argue? Love this “When we put our faith in Jesus, His Spirit convicts us of our sins and transforms us to look more like Christ”. Teacher what is the greatest command? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 1Kgs 20:23-25,28 1 Kings 20:23-25 (NASB) Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, >>>“Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.<<< Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. >>>Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.”<<< And he listened to their voice and did so. 1Kgs 20:28 (NASB) Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, >>>‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,”<<< therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” Oh the folly of believing one can circumscribe the bounds of G-d’s power and dominion! It’s a lesson which cost Ben-hadad and the Arameans dearly. While the incidents are not directly related, we see “the Circumcision Party” (Gal 2:12) taught a very similar lesson at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:1-31. At the Jerusalem Council, a group of Pharisees who had placed their faith in Yeshua (the Circumcision Party) was insisting gentile followers of Yeshua (Jesus) must be circumcised and become fully Torah observant TO BE SAVED. (Acts 15:1,5) Requiring this would, in essence, amount to requiring gentile believers to convert to Judaism TO BE SAVED. Just as the Arameans had wrongly asserted G-d was only the god of the mountains, so the Circumcision Party was unwittingly and incorrectly asserting G-d is only the god of the Jews and not also the G-d of the gentiles. They were failing to acknowledge the G-d of both Jews and gentiles is One and the same. In his seminal book THE MYSTERY OF ROMANS, Mark Nanos argues this was the foundation of Paul’s opposition to the Circumcision Party at the Jerusalem Council; Paul believed the Circumcision Party’s position violated the Shema. (Dt 6:4) Nanos posits the whole of Paul’s argument is included in Rom 3:28-31.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks, Catherine! When I read this: "This is what Ben Hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” . . . I thought, "This is exactly the same as the schoolyard bully, just shifted forward a few years." Things just don't change much. Human nature is fallen and self-centered and crazy sinful. We all need a Savior. Thank You, Jesus!
MS

Michael Scaman

Ironic that there were 7,000 people who would fight with Ahab and win. This is shortly after the 7,000 people God spoke of that He kept for Himself. A modest, if not, humble number. Ironic, the prophet even said please. "strike me, please". Please did not make it optional. The lion made that point clear. Sometimes please is a command not a request. Ahab going home depressed is not the same as repentance. Did he worship God after his victory? Did he turn? There is a repentance that leads to life and a repentance that leads to death.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Yes, but my friends were very gracious we could pray through things and find resolution using God’s ways. 2. When I don’t listen to God or something goes wrong, I return to God to correct it. 3. No, there’s lots going on for me right now and God’s guidance is helpful in getting things done. Being intentional to use God’s guidance because I have learned about Him through listening to sermons and through reading the Bible helps me with being obedient.
CC

Cynthia Costa

When my sin did grieve me I experienced a lot of shame and guilt but the Lord didn't leave me there. An emotional affair that almost destroyed my marriage, God used to save my husband, my marriage, and bring a prodigal daughter (me) back to my Father's home. "Grace not only cancels guilt and shame; grace redefines you. You are a beloved family member of God, and because of that you are given a seat at the table with Almighty God." Louie Giglio