Thursday
Evening Bible Study
January
10, 2013
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?
After the death
of King Solomon, the
kingdom of Israel split into two nations.
The northern
kingdom would be known as “Israel”.
The southern
kingdom was known as “Judah”.
We’ve followed the events in the northern kingdom as one dynasty was replaced
by another, and we are now in the time period when Ahab and Jezebel rule the
northern kingdom. Ahab was known as the most wicked of
the northern kings.
During this time of great wickedness, God has a man that He’s been using – the prophet Elijah.
21:1-16 Naboth’s Vineyard
:1 And it came to pass after these things that Naboth
the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
:1 Naboth – “fruits”
:1 Jezreel …
Samaria –
Play Samaria
and Jezreel map clip
The location of this vineyard is near the city of Jezreel,
twenty miles north of Samaria. Even
though Ahab’s seat of government is in Samaria, Ahab apparently has a home in Jezreel, next to Naboth’s
vineyard.
:2 So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it
for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it
I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you,
I will give you its worth in money.”
:3 But Naboth said to
Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I
should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”
:3 the inheritance of my fathers
God’s design
for Israel was that the land be kept within ownership of each family. (Num.
36:7)
(Nu 36:7 NKJV) So the inheritance
of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every
one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his
fathers.
Naboth cares about the way God wants things done.
:4 So Ahab went into his
house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth
the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I
will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed,
and turned away his face, and would eat no food.
:4 sullen and displeased
Lesson
Maturity
We’ve seen this before with Ahab, when he was rebuked for not dealing with the
king of Syria:
(1 Ki 20:43 NKJV) So the
king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.
What Ahab is displaying is the adult version of …
Play “Tantrum” video clip
What Ahab did
was a little less obvious than this little boy, but it’s still the same.
What do you do
when you don’t get your way?
Maybe you can handle it when you don’t get “candy”, but what do you do when
it’s something more grown up like – a promotion, recognition for doing something
difficult, the woman/man of your dreams, the answer to a prayer you’ve been
praying (even if it’s something good like for a friend’s healing),
When life fell apart for Job, look at how he responded:
(Job 1:21 NKJV) And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord
has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
When things went from bad to even worse and his wife told him to just curse
God and die…
(Job 2:10 NKJV) But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.
Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not
accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with
his lips.
How do you handle it when things don’t go your way?
:5 But Jezebel his wife
came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no
food?”
:6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said
to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will
give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you
my vineyard.’ ”
:7 Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now
exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be
cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
:7 I will give you
Lesson
Fixing things
Some of us are
“fixers”.
We like to fix other people’s problems.
Sometimes that’s a good thing.
Sometimes we can cross the line of what is right, all in the name of our
concern for our loved ones.
Sometimes it’s not even a clear “sin” that we commit in
trying to fix things, but sometimes we keep people from experiencing the
consequences of their actions – something that would be healthier for them to
experience than when we always try to “fix” things.
:8 And she wrote
letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters
to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.
She doesn't do it in her own name, but puts her husband on the line.
Perhaps she knows that nobody would pay attention if it were in her name?
:9 She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a
fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the
people;
:10 and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to
bear witness against him, saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then
take him out, and stone him, that he may die.
Jezebel’s solution is simple, eliminate Naboth.
:11 So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of
his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the
letters which she had sent to them.
These elders think they’re doing this for the king.
:12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people.
:12 proclaimed a fast
Not a feast. It’s as if the city of Jezreel
were facing some horrible tragedy, something so horrible it required the city
to go into fasting.
:13 And two men,
scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against
him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people,
saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!”
Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he
died.
:13 two men
It takes the testimony of two people to be able to put a person to
death legally.
(Dt 19:15 NKJV) “One witness shall
not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by
the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.
Jezebel has met the requirements of the law, but by putting forth two
liars.
The consequences of giving false testimony was that you would receive
the same punishment that the other person would receive if your story was
truthful. (Dt. 19:19)
(Dt 19:19 NKJV) then you shall do to
him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil
from among you.
:13 scoundrels
Literally, “sons
of Belial”, or “sons
of Satan”
They are willing to risk their lives by giving false testimony to do what they
think the king has asked them.
:14 Then they sent to
Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is
dead.”
:15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth
had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
:16 So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
He gets what he wants. Who knows if
he even paid attention to just how Jezebel acquired it for him?
21:17-29 Ahab
Condemned
:17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,
saying,
:18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel,
who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth,
where he has gone down to take possession of it.
:19 You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the
Lord: “Have you murdered and also
taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus
says the Lord: “In the place
where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall
lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
:19 Have you murdered
Lesson
God knows
You can’t hide your sin from everybody.
God knows. Sometimes God even tells
His prophets. That can be scary if you
are living a life of deceit.
(Mk 4:22 NKJV) For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has
anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
(Nu 32:23 NKJV) … you have sinned against the Lord;
and be sure your sin will find you out.
What do I do if I’ve been hiding my sin?
Confess your
sin.
(Pr 28:13 NKJV) He who
covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever
confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
(1 Jn 1:9
NKJV) If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If you confess your sin to God, you will find His
forgiveness.
When
your sins involve breaking the law or harming others, God will forgive you, but
you may also need to face the consequence of your actions.
:19 where dogs licked the blood of Naboth
When Ahab dies, it will be tied to the death of Nahab.
(vs. 19)
This will be partially
fulfilled shortly, but not in Jezreel, but in
Samaria. But the dogs will be there to
lick up the blood. (1Ki. 22:37-38)
(1 Ki 22:37–38 NKJV) —37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they
buried the king in Samaria. 38 Then someone
washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while
the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken.
The Jezreel part will take place when Jezebel
dies.
:20 So Ahab said to Elijah,
“Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you,
because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord:
:20 sold yourself to do evil
Ahab’s actions caused him to
prosper financially, but in the process he got into worse trouble with God.
:21 ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will
take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both
bond and free.
:22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha
the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with
which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’
:21 cut off from Ahab every male in
Israel
Ahab will not have a long “dynasty”.
Every male from his family in the northern kingdom of “Israel” will
die.
This will be accomplished
in 2Kings 9-10 by Jehu, when he wipes out the descendants of Ahab.
There will be an heir that will survive in the southern kingdom of Judah.
:23 And concerning Jezebel
the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The
dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
:24 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and
dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the
field.”
:23 The dogs shall eat Jezebel
This also
happens in 2Kings 9, accomplished by Jehu (2Ki. 9:30-37).
Having your carcass eaten by a dog instead of being buried properly was a
thing of nightmares.
:25 But there was no one
like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred
him up.
:26 And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that
the Amorites had done, whom the Lord
had cast out before the children of Israel.
:27 So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and
put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about
mourning.
:28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,
saying,
:29 “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me?
Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his
days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.”
:29 Ahab has humbled himself
God displays mercy by putting the judgment off because of Ahab’s humility.
Some scholars
think that Ahab’s repentance was genuine.
Others say that the way he listens to false prophets show that his
repentance was far from genuine.
Was this genuine repentance?
Gill: Some Jewish writers think
his repentance was true and perfect, and his conversion thorough and real: they
tell us, that he was in fasting and prayer morning and evening before the Lord,
and was studying in the law all his days, and returned not to his evil works
any more, and his repentance was accepted.
Luther felt that Ahab was saved.
But it only seems outward, or at least, only temporary.
He never deals with Jezebel and her plot.
He never restores the land to Naboth's family.
He never left off his idolatry.
He will soon be consulting more false prophets (1Ki.22:6) about Ramoth
Gilead.
22:1-28 Micaiah
warns Ahab
:1 Now three years passed without war between
Syria and Israel.
:2 Then it came to pass, in the third year, that
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.
:2 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
We haven’t been formally introduced to Jehoshaphat yet (we will in vs. 41).
He is pretty
much one of the “good guys”. He is not
without flaw though.
The reason
Jehoshaphat is visiting the northern kingdom of Israel is that he has made a
treaty with the northern kingdom, and sealed the treaty by having his son Jehoram marry the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, a gal named
Athaliah.
Perhaps Jehoshaphat is just stopping by to visit the “in-laws”.
:2 went down to visit
The ancients wrote
in terms of “altitude”, not “latitude”.
Play “Jerusalem
altitude” map clip.
Jerusalem was up in the hills, and anywhere you go to from Jerusalem is
considered “going down”.
:3 And the king of Israel
said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead
is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of
Syria?”
:3 Ramoth in
Gilead
Play Ramoth Gilead map clip.
Ramoth Gilead is one of the cities that had
belonged to the tribes that settled on the eastern side of the Jordan
River. It had been one of the “Cities of
Refuge” (Deut. 4:43). During the years
it was fought over by Israel and Syria.
It is about 45 miles east of Samaria.
:3 Ramoth
in Gilead is ours
After the last
battle with Syria, Ben-Hadad promised to return all
the cities that his ancestors had taken from Israel. (1Ki.
20:34). That hasn’t happened yet.
King Ahab of Israel had been at war against Benhadad, the king of Syria
(1Kings 20). They had a couple of years
of wars, and God was gracious to wicked King Ahab to give him victory over the
Syrians. After the last victory,
Benhadad had made a promise to Ahab as part of their peace treaty.
(1 Ki 20:34 NKJV) So Ben-Hadad
said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore…
:4 So he said to Jehoshaphat,
“Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are,
my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
Jehoshaphat is committed to Ahab
because of the marriage. He has to go.
:5 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,
“Please inquire for the word of the Lord
today.”
:5 inquire for the word of the Lord
Even though Ahab is pretty mixed up when it comes to his views of God,
Jehoshaphat isn’t. Jehoshaphat wants to know
what Yahweh thinks about this proposal.
:6 Then the king of Israel
gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them,
“Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall
I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the
hand of the king.”
:6 prophets … about four hundred
men
When Elijah had
his showdown on Mount Carmel, there were two groups of prophets invited to the
challenge: 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah (1Ki. 18:19)
(1 Ki 18:19 NKJV) —19 Now therefore, send and gather
all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal,
and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
After Elijah
won the contest, he executed the 450 prophets of Baal (not Asherah)
1Ki. 18:19)
(1 Ki 18:19 NKJV) —19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on
Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred
prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Perhaps these men could be the prophets of Asherah?
:6 the Lord will deliver
Notice the absence of capital letters in “Lord”. The Hebrew word here is adonai, the word for
“lord”, not the actual name of God, Yahweh.
:7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is
there not still a prophet of the Lord
here, that we may inquire of Him?”
:7 a prophet of the Lord
Ahab has called together all of his
prophets, and they all say “go for it”.
But Jehoshaphat is smart enough to realize that these aren’t prophets of
Yahweh.
He wants to
hear from Yahweh.
:8 So the king
of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son
of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the
king say such things!”
:8 Micaiah … I hate him
Lesson
Hearing hard truths
Sometimes we don’t like it when people tell us what to do, especially when
they are telling us that we’re doing bad things…
Ahab doesn’t
like Micaiah because for some reason he keeps telling Ahab that bad things are
going to happen.
For Ahab, it seems like Micaiah simply doesn’t like Ahab.
The truth is, Ahab is a wicked man, and God naturally has some hard things
to say to Ahab.
Solomon wrote,
(Pr 29:1 NKJV) He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
There are a few folks who don’t like the things I say either.
I will confess that I have been guilty of trying to “preach” at certain
people.
I will say things that “I” think they need to hear.
But I am learning that all you have to do is let people know what God says
about things.
Sometimes it’s a bit embarrassing when someone shows up and I know that the
message I’ve prepared is going to sound like I planned to smack them.
But frankly, sometime people don’t like what God has to say.
Paul wrote to Timothy,
(2 Ti 4:2–4 NKJV) —2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they
have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves
teachers; 4 and they will turn
their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
When you hear something “difficult” from a pastor or teacher, you have to
ask yourself, “Is this coming from the fellow’s personality, or is this
something that is coming from God?”
If it is something
that is coming from God, don’t harden your neck, even if you don’t like the
taste of the medicine, or the spoon that serves it.
:9 Then the king of Israel
called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah
quickly!”
:10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their
robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate
of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
It’s a grand scene,
with lots of pomp and color. Keep this
picture in mind…
:11 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah
had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the
Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
:11 horns of iron – It wasn’t unusual for a prophet to use a prop.
Jeremiah used a wooden, then an iron yoke to signify the servitude to Babylon.
:11 Thus says the Lord
Note that this man is claiming to speak for Yahweh, yet he is one of the
false prophets. He is one of the four
hundred. Perhaps he wants to be the one that will satisfy Jehoshaphat. He’s
heard that Jehoshaphat wants to hear from Yahweh, so he “speaks” for Yahweh.
:12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying,
“Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the
king’s hand.”
:13 Then the messenger who had gone to call
Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one
accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of
them, and speak encouragement.”
The messenger just wants Micaiah to go along with the program and not rock
the boat.
:14 And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
:15 Then he came to the
king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?” And he answered him,
“Go and prosper, for the Lord
will deliver it into the hand of the king!”
:16 So the king said to him, “How many times shall
I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
Somehow Ahab can tell that Micaiah isn’t being sincere. Perhaps it was
something in the tone of voice. I kind of get the idea that is Micaiah is being
sarcastic, that he’s displayed this attitude before to Ahab.
:17 Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on
the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his
house in peace.’ ”
Micaiah shares
a vision he’s had.
Israel will lose its king. Ahab will die in this battle.
:18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,
“Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
:19 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven
standing by, on His right hand and on His left.
Ahab and Jehoshaphat aren’t the only ones sitting on a throne.
Remember the
grand picture of the actual occasion of Ahab and Jehoshaphat sitting on their
thrones, asking for counsel? The same
thing was happening in heaven. God is on
His throne.
:20 And the Lord
said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth
Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
The Lord’s intention is for Ahab to die at Ramoth
Gilead.
:21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before
the Lord, and said, ‘I will
persuade him.’
There are two kinds of angels in heaven, good angels and bad angels.
Satan himself still has access to heaven, and presents himself before God
(Job 1:6-7)
(Job 1:6–7 NKJV) —6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and
Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you
come?” So Satan answered the Lord
and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth
on it.”
He is called the “accuser of the brethren”, and works night and day against
us (Rev. 12:10)
:22 The Lord
said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in
the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord
said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’
:23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
prophets of yours, and the Lord
has declared disaster against you.”
Micaiah is saying that all the other prophets have this “lying spirit”.
:24 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and
said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord
go from me to speak to you?”
:25 And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on
that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”
There would be a day when Zedekaiah would be
looking for a place to hide, like after the battle when the king is killed
after following his advice.
:26 So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and
return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;
:27 and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow
in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until
I come in peace.” ’ ”
Put him in prison and just feed him bread and water.
:28 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in
peace, the Lord has not spoken by
me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”
:28 If you ever return in peace
Lesson
The Fulfillment Test
This is one of
the tests of a true prophet – does the thing predicted actually come to pass?
(Dt
18:21–22 NKJV)
—21
And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the
Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet
speaks in the name of the Lord,
if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which
the Lord has not spoken; the
prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
22:29-40 Ahab dies
:29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
Ahab decides to go up and fight anyway. Perhaps he figured that 400 in
favor and 1 opposed was good enough for him.
The problem is that the majority was not correct.
:30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I
will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the
king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
Perhaps Ahab is thinking that if he doesn’t dress like the King of Israel, then
the King of Israel can’t be slain.
I’m wondering why Jehoshaphat goes along with this. He’s going to be a target.
Perhaps Ahab presented it to
Jehophaphat as if he was just hungry for a little action, and rather than just
sit back in his chariot like a king, he wanted to get down into the battle.
Perhaps it seemed to Jehoshaphat
that Ahab is going to give him the honor of being the commanding king in this
battle, but he will also be the target of the enemy.
But Ahab’s disguise isn’t going to
work.
Also, how come Jehoshaphat is going
at all!
Maybe Jehoshaphat wasn’t worried
since the focus was on Ahab’s death, and not on himself.
:31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the
thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Fight with no one small or great,
but only with the king of Israel.”
:32 So it was, when the captains of the chariots
saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel!”
Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.
:33 And it happened, when the captains of the
chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back
from pursuing him.
:32 Jehoshaphat cried out
The writer of Chronicles gives us a bit more important detail:
(2 Ch 18:31 NKJV) So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that
they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to
attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord
helped him, and God diverted them from him.
Lesson
Never too far away
Here’s Jehoshaphat in an alliance he shouldn’t be in, in a battle he
shouldn’t be in, and he calls to God for help.
If I were God, I might say, “Well buddy, you made your bed, now lie in it!”
But God is much more gracious than that.
All God is waiting for is for us to call upon Him.
(Ps 34:4 NKJV) I sought the Lord,
and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
God doesn’t promise to deliver us from our bad situation
necessarily, but He promises to deliver us from our fears.
If we but learn how to seek the Lord.
:34 Now a certain man
drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his
armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of
the battle, for I am wounded.”
I think the arrow had an Ahab-seeking sensor on it. His time has come, and it’s his time to die. Ahab
gets the point. He can’t
outsmart God.
:35 The battle increased that day; and the king
was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The
blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
:36 Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went
throughout the army, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his own
country!”
It’s time for everyone to go home.
Remember the “scattered like sheep without a shepherd” prophecy?
:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria.
And they buried the king in Samaria.
:38 Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the
dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the
Lord which He had spoken.
The prophecy was:
(1 Ki 21:19 NKJV) …‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked
the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even
yours.” ’ ”
Only part of the prophecy is fulfilled.
Blood was licked up by dogs. The
location part isn’t fulfilled … yet. Not
until 2Ki. 9 when Jezebel dies.
:39 Now the
rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built
and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
:40 So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
22:41-50
Jehoshaphat’s reign in Judah
:41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa
had become king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
Jehoshaphat and Ahab were roughly contemporaries.
Ahab ruled for 22 years,
Jehoshaphat for 25 years.
:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old
when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His
mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
:43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was
right in the eyes of the Lord.
Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered
sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
:43 the high places were not taken
away
This was often the case of even the “good” kings of Judah. They might have done many things right, but
they still had trouble getting rid of the “high places”, where people
worshipped other gods.
Apparently, early on in his reign, he made an attempt to take away the
high places:
(2 Ch 17:6 NKJV) And his heart took
delight in the ways of the Lord;
moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.
But the hearts of the people weren’t in the changes, and they put the
high places back up.
(2 Ch 20:33 NKJV) —33 Nevertheless the high places were not
taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of
their fathers.
:44 Also Jehoshaphat made
peace with the king of Israel.
:44 Jehoshaphat made peace
Jehoshaphat was rebuked by a
prophet after the battle at Ramoth Gilead.
(2 Ch 19:1–4 NKJV) —1 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his
house in Jerusalem. 2 And Jehu
the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat,
“Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. 3 Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have
removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek
God.” 4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt
at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the
mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers.
I like the fact that Jehoshaphat
was able to respond in a positive way to the prophet. He didn’t kill the
prophet. He even worked extra hard from that time on to serve the Lord and
bring the nation closer to God.
:45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and
how he made war, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of
the kings of Judah?
:45 the rest of the acts of
Jehoshaphat
You can read
more about Jehoshaphat in 2Chronicles 17-20
Among his accomplishments:
He set up
traveling teachers who went through the kingdom of Judah
teaching God’s Word to the people (2Chr.17:7-9).
He became
wealthy and had a great army, due to God’s blessings on him for his obedience.
(2Chr.17:10-14)
He set up
judges to keep justice in the land (2Chr.19)
He was faced
with the armies of Moab,
Ammon, and Edom,
and instead of sending the army out, God told him that
He would take care of the battle, so Jehoshaphat sent the worship leaders out
to praise the Lord. And God routed the enemy as the people stood to praise the
Lord (2Chr.20).
:46 And the rest of the
perverted persons, who remained in the days of his father Asa,
he banished from the land.
:46 the perverted persons
Male
temple prostitutes. Men who served their “gods” in the practice of homosexuality.
God had forbidden such activity.
(Dt
23:17 NKJV) “There
shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one
of the sons of Israel.
I read in the news today that Louie Giglio had
been asked by the president to give the benediction at the upcoming
inauguration. Louie has had to now turn
down the invitation because the gay rights groups found a message he preached
15 years ago where he made a statement that homosexuality is a sin, like the
Bible says it is.
I guess I’ve just ruined my chances for future opportunities…
:47 There was then no
king in Edom, only a deputy of the king.
:48 Jehoshaphat made merchant ships to go to Ophir
for gold; but they never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.
:47 no king in Edom
Play Edom and
Ezion Geber map clip.
Edom was the nation to the south east of Israel (Ammon, Moab, Edom), and
had been conquered by king David (2Sam. 8:14)
(2 Sa 8:14 NKJV) —14 He also
put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the
Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord
preserved David wherever he went.
They remained a tributary kingdom
to Judah until the reign of Jehoshaphat’s son.
Because there wasn’t a king in place, Jehoshaphat was able to set up a
fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which was located in Edom, on the north tip of
the Gulf of Aqaba (between the Sinai and Egypt), about 155 miles south of
Jerusalem.
:48 the ships were wrecked
What happened?
We're told in 2Chr. 20:35-37 that they were destroyed because of
Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahab’s son.
(2 Ch 20:35–37 NKJV) —35 After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah
allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. 36 And he allied himself with him to make
ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. 37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of
Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied
yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord
has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not
able to go to Tarshish.
Lesson
Chastisement
Jehoshaphat is getting a spanking from the Lord.
God had already warned him about making these alliances with Ahab.
(2Chr. 19:2-3)
But here he goes again, doing the same old thing, making a bad choice
of friends.
There are times when God has to do something serious to get our
attention.
It’s called “chastisement”.
It’s not punishment in the idea of wrath, destruction,
etc.
But it's a kind of correction, a discipline from the
Lord, meant to get us back on track.
:49 Then Ahaziah
the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in
the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not.
Ahaziah wanted to keep pushing on with the joint
venture.
But Jehoshaphat had learned his lesson. He just said “no”.
:50 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and
was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
Jehoram is the guy married to Ahab and Jezebel's
daughter.
22:51-53 Ahaziah’s reign in Israel
:51 Ahaziah the son of
Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat
king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
:52 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his
father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made
Israel sin;
:53 for he served Baal and worshiped him, and
provoked the Lord God of Israel
to anger, according to all that his father had done.
:52 He did evil
Ahaziah had plenty of role models to choose from.
He followed after his father's footsteps, and his mother's, and Jeroboam,
the first king to rebel and form the northern kingdom.