“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5

God is faithful even when we are not. God loves us even we do not feel love or feel lovable.  God’s compassionate kindness—not condemnation—leads us to repentance.  But it occurs to me that it is not our human repentance that secures our salvation; it is by His grace alone that we are forgiven completely and set free from the punishment we deserve for our sin.  “So, no one can boast”, says Paul.  We are, by nature an arrogant people who sometimes think that a quick “I’m sorry” will fix our mess that we created.  Christ alone redeems us; not we ourselves. True repentance means turning our backs on the sins that created the mess and turning to Jesus who gives us a new life to live!  Will we fall back? Yes, but each time we are quicker to run to the One who, by His power living in us, helps us rise up again. Our pastor has a phrase that touches my heart each time he prays it out loud; “Holy Spirit do in us what you do best. Convict, correct, comfort, and compel us to live in Truth.”

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me

… Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99
And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

(Artist: Bethel Music & Cory Asbury)

God’s salvation from sin that lead to death, is a great gift of unmerited grace all because of His merciful, relentless love for us.  It is not God’s desire for anyone to perish but to have Life eternal with Him.  So God sent His Son.  The greater we grow to realize the depth, width, and breadth of His relentless love for us; the more we appreciate the gift by loving Him back with all that is in us; by loving others like He loves us; and by trusting in His will that leads to His best for us in all circumstances of life here.

As we grow our relationship with Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit guides our behaviors. His ways become more our ways the more time we spend with Him. His language of love, his gracious ways, and His compassion for others becomes a part of our being. After a while, we revel in the difference of how we responded to life then with how we respond to life now—all because of God working in us!  We look back and might say; “Wow, all I know is, now I am different.  I am not who I was but know that I’m not completely who God wants me to be.”  We are all a “work in progress” until we see Jesus face to face!

Those who don’t stand for something fall for anything!  In opposing Ben-Hadad, Ahab assumed he had nothing to stand on, but God in His grace sent him a message of hope: The Lord would give Ahab the victory. The Lord wasn’t doing this because Ahab deserved it but because God wanted to honor His own name before the wavering king of Israel and His people.  It’s not about you.  It’s not about me. It’s always about God!  When troubles come; look to God first and watch what He does—all for our good and for His glory.

1 Kings 20

Ben-Hadad Attacks Samaria

Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. ² He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ³ ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’”

⁴ The king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.”

⁵ The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: ‘I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. ⁶ But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.’”

⁷ The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, “See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”

⁸ The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.”

⁹ So he replied to Ben-Hadad’s messengers, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.’” They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.

¹⁰ Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’”

¹² Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men: “Prepare to attack.” So they prepared to attack the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad

¹³ Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

¹⁴ “But who will do this?” asked Ahab.

The prophet replied, “This is what the Lord says: ‘The junior officers under the provincial commanders will do it.’”

“And who will start the battle?” he asked.

The prophet answered, “You will.”

¹⁵ So Ahab summoned the 232 junior officers under the provincial commanders. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all. ¹⁶ They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. ¹⁷ The junior officers under the provincial commanders went out first.

Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.”

¹⁸ He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them ²⁰ and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

²² Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”

²³ Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. ²⁵ You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

²⁶ The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

²⁸ The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

²⁹ For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

³¹ His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³² Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’”

The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³ The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said.

“Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴ “I will return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad offered. “You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

Ahab said, “On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

³⁵ By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.

³⁶ So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷ The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him. ³⁸ Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”

“That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”

⁴¹ Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. ⁴² He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’” ⁴³ Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went to his palace in Samaria.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

If God is not sought before going to battle against evil; then we fight without strength, wisdom and power.  As we read this morning, Ahab, King of Israel, could not have won the war against Ben-Hadad and the 32 other kings who gathered a great army with horses and chariots without God’s intervention.  Trust God. Completely obey what He says! Just as King Saul held back doing all that God said to do to rid Israel of her enemies; King Ahab let the enemy king go free.  This will cause problems later.

Not only was the enemy challenging God’s people, he was challenging God Himself! This was the Mount Carmel contest all over again, and the Lord wouldn’t let it go unchallenged.  This battle belonged to the Lord, once again!  King Ahab was merely a participant who must trust and obey God. God’s endgame was for EVERYONE to know that He alone was indeed the Lord, God of all! 

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

At the end of God’s story, the man that Ahab judged now became Ahab’s judge and announced that one day the Arameans would slay Ahab because of his disobedience to God in not slaying the warring King Ben-Hadad. Instead of repenting and seeking the Lord’s forgiveness, however, Ahab went home and pouted like a child!   (Sigh.)

Oh Lord,

Cleanse my heart, remove all that does not belong.  Renew my mind, refresh my soul with your new mercies for today.  Restore the joy of you in me and me in you. I trust you with all my life for you are Life!  Help me to obey all that you tell me to be and do.

In Jesus Name, Amen