Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.'" Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declaredIn the context of 1 Kings 20, Ahab is the king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Prophets in Israel served as God's messengers, often delivering divine guidance or warnings. The identity of this particular prophet is not specified, which is not uncommon in the Old Testament. Prophets often approached kings to deliver messages from God, as seen with Nathan and David ( 2 Samuel 12:1-7). This encounter underscores the role of prophets as intermediaries between God and the people, especially the leaders. “This is what the LORD says:
The phrase "This is what the LORD says" is a common prophetic formula indicating that the message is directly from God. It emphasizes the authority and divine origin of the message. This formula is used throughout the Old Testament to introduce divine revelations, as seen in the messages of prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. ‘Do you see this entire great army?
The "great army" refers to the forces of Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Syria), who had besieged Samaria, the capital of Israel. Historically, the Arameans were a significant military power in the region. The mention of the "great army" highlights the formidable challenge facing Ahab and Israel, setting the stage for a demonstration of God's power. Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day,
This promise of deliverance is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, where God often intervenes to save Israel from seemingly insurmountable odds. The assurance of victory "this very day" underscores the immediacy and certainty of God's intervention. Similar divine deliverances are seen in the battles led by Joshua (Joshua 10:8) and Gideon (Judges 7:9). and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
The purpose of the deliverance is not only military victory but also spiritual revelation. The phrase "you will know that I am the LORD" is a key theological theme, emphasizing God's desire for His people to recognize His sovereignty and power. This echoes God's declarations in Exodus (Exodus 6:7) and is a call for Ahab and Israel to acknowledge and return to the worship of the true God, contrasting with their prevalent idolatry. Persons / Places / Events 1. AhabThe king of Israel, known for his idolatry and being influenced by his wife Jezebel. Despite his unfaithfulness, God still reaches out to him through a prophet. 2. ProphetAn unnamed prophet who delivers God's message to Ahab. Prophets were God's messengers, often bringing words of warning or encouragement. 3. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who demonstrates His sovereignty and power through the promise of victory over the enemy. 4. Vast ArmyRefers to the Syrian army led by Ben-Hadad, which was threatening Israel. This army represents a formidable challenge that Israel faces. 5. IsraelThe northern kingdom, often led astray by its kings, yet still under God's watchful eye and care. Teaching Points God's SovereigntyDespite Ahab's unfaithfulness, God remains sovereign and chooses to act for His purposes. This reminds us that God's plans are not thwarted by human failure. Divine InterventionGod intervenes in seemingly impossible situations to reveal His power and glory. We should trust in God's ability to deliver us from our own "vast armies." Recognition of GodThe purpose of God's deliverance is that Ahab and Israel would know that He is the LORD. Our experiences of God's deliverance should lead us to a deeper recognition and acknowledgment of His lordship in our lives. Prophetic VoiceGod often uses His prophets to communicate His will. We should be attentive to God's word, whether through Scripture or godly counsel, and be ready to respond in faith. Bible Study Questions 1. How does God's promise to Ahab in 1 Kings 20:13 demonstrate His grace, and how can we see God's grace in our own lives despite our shortcomings? 2. In what ways does the account of Ahab's victory over the Syrian army encourage us to trust God in our battles today? 3. How can we discern and respond to the "prophetic voices" in our lives that guide us according to God's will? 4. What are some "vast armies" or challenges you are facing, and how can you apply the truth of God's sovereignty and deliverance to these situations? 5. How does recognizing God's interventions in our lives lead us to a deeper relationship with Him, and what steps can we take to ensure we acknowledge His lordship daily? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 14:13-14Similar to God's promise to deliver Israel from the Egyptians, this passage shows God's power and faithfulness in delivering His people from overwhelming odds. Judges 7:2-7Gideon's victory over the Midianites with a small army highlights God's ability to save not by human strength but by His power. Isaiah 37:36The defeat of the Assyrian army by the angel of the Lord demonstrates God's sovereignty over nations and His protection of His people. People Ahab, Aram, Ben, Benhadad, Ben-hadad, Hadad, Israelites, SyriansPlaces Aphek, Damascus, Samaria, SyriaTopics Ahab, Announced, Approached, Army, Behold, Deliver, Drew, Giving, Hands, Hast, Multitude, Nigh, Prophet, Saying, Says, Thus, To-day, VastDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 20:13 5029 knowledge, of God
7773 prophets, role
8105 assurance, basis of 1 Kings 20:13-21 1429 prophecy, OT fulfilment Library The Lost Opportunity
TEXT: "And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it."--1 Kings 20:40. There is a very striking incident connected with this text. The great battle is raging, a certain important prisoner has been taken, and if you read between the lines you seem to know that upon him depend many of the issues of war. His skill in leading the enemy had been marvelous, his courage in the thick of the fight striking; …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas IscariotPutting on the Armour
And the king of Israel answered and said. Tell him. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.'--1 KINGS xx. 11. For the Young. Ahab, King of Israel, was but a poor creature, and, like most weak characters, he turned out a wicked one, because he found that there were more temptations to do wrong than inducements to do right. Like other weak people, too, he was torn asunder by the influence of stronger wills. On the one side he had a termagant of a wife, stirring …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Letter of the Synod to the Emperor and Empress.
(Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. VII., col. 577.) To our most religious and most serene princes, Constantine and Irene his mother. Tarasius, the unworthy bishop of your God-protected royal city, new Rome, and all the holy Council which met at the good pleasure of God and upon the command of your Christ-loving majesty in the renowned metropolis of Nice, the second council to assemble in this city. Christ our God (who is the head of the Church) was glorified, most noble princes, when your heart, …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils Nature of the Renderings
From the text we now turn to the renderings, and to the general principles that were followed, both in the Old and in the New Testament. The revision of the English text was in each case subject to the same general rule, viz. "To introduce as few alterations as possible into the Text of the Authorised Version consistently with faithfulness"; but, owing to the great difference between the two languages, the Hebrew and the Greek, the application of the rule was necessarily different, and the results …
C. J. Ellicott—Addresses on the Revised Version of Holy Scripture The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord.
As soon as thou perceivest thyself to be visited with any sickness, meditate with thyself: 1. That "misery cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth affliction spring out of the earth." Sickness comes not by hap or chance (as the Philistines supposed that their mice and emrods came, 1 Sam. vi. 9), but from man's wickedness, which, as sparkles, breaketh out. "Man suffereth," saith Jeremiah, "for his sins." "Fools," saith David, "by reason of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire from 745 to 722 B. C.
TIGLATH-PILESER III. AND THE ORGANISATION OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM 745 to 722 B.C. FAILURE OF URARTU AND RE-CONQUEST Of SYRIA--EGYPT AGAIN UNITED UNDER ETHIOPIAN AUSPICES--PIONKHI--THE DOWNFALL OF DAMASCUS, OF BABYLON, AND OF ISRAEL. Assyria and its neighbours at the accession of Tiglath-pileser III.: progress of the Aramaeans in the basin of the Middle Tigris--Urartu and its expansion into the north of Syria--Damascus and Israel--Vengeance of Israel on Damascus--Jeroboam II.--Civilisation …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7 Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 20:13 NIV1 Kings 20:13 NLT1 Kings 20:13 ESV1 Kings 20:13 NASB1 Kings 20:13 KJV
1 Kings 20:13 Commentaries
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