Then the prophet found another man and said, "Strike me, please!" So the man struck him and wounded him, Then the prophet found another manIn the context of 1 Kings 20, the prophet is acting under divine instruction. Prophets often delivered messages through symbolic actions. This reflects the seriousness of the message and the need for obedience to God's commands. Prophets in Israel were known to perform unusual acts to convey God's word, similar to how Isaiah walked naked and barefoot ( Isaiah 20:2-3) or how Ezekiel lay on his side for 390 days ( Ezekiel 4:4-6). and said, “Strike me, please!”
The request to be struck is unusual but serves a prophetic purpose. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, physical actions often accompanied prophetic messages to illustrate a point or to symbolize a future event. The prophet's request is a test of obedience, both for himself and for the man he addresses. This act foreshadows the judgment that will come upon King Ahab for his disobedience in sparing Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram. So the man struck him
The man’s compliance with the prophet’s request demonstrates obedience to God's command, even when it seems irrational. This obedience contrasts with King Ahab's disobedience earlier in the chapter. The act of striking the prophet is a necessary step in the unfolding of God's message to Ahab. It highlights the importance of following divine instructions, no matter how strange they may appear. and wounded him
The wounding of the prophet is significant as it sets the stage for the prophet's disguise and subsequent confrontation with King Ahab. The wound serves as a physical manifestation of the impending judgment on Ahab for his failure to execute God’s command regarding Ben-Hadad. This act of wounding can also be seen as a type of Christ, who was wounded for the transgressions of humanity (Isaiah 53:5). The prophet's wound symbolizes the consequences of disobedience and the seriousness of God's commands. Persons / Places / Events 1. The ProphetA man of God who is delivering a message through a symbolic act. His identity is not specified in this verse, but he plays a crucial role in conveying God's message to King Ahab. 2. Another ManAn unnamed individual who obeys the prophet's unusual request to strike him. His compliance contrasts with the previous man's refusal, highlighting obedience to God's messengers. 3. King AhabAlthough not directly mentioned in this verse, he is the central figure in the surrounding account. The prophet's actions are part of a larger message intended for Ahab, the king of Israel. 4. IsraelThe northern kingdom over which Ahab reigns. The events in this chapter are set against the backdrop of Israel's conflicts with neighboring nations. 5. Symbolic ActThe act of striking the prophet is symbolic, serving as a visual and physical representation of a prophetic message intended for King Ahab. Teaching Points Obedience to God's CommandsThe account underscores the importance of obeying God's instructions, even when they seem unusual or difficult. Obedience is a key theme throughout Scripture and is essential for fulfilling God's purposes. The Role of ProphetsProphets often used symbolic acts to convey God's messages. Understanding these acts requires discernment and a willingness to see beyond the physical to the spiritual truths they represent. Consequences of DisobedienceThe contrast between the man who refused to strike the prophet and the one who obeyed highlights the consequences of disobedience. It serves as a reminder that God's commands are not to be taken lightly. Courage in Following God's WillThe man who struck the prophet demonstrated courage and faith in following a difficult command. Believers are called to act with similar courage when God directs them. God's Sovereignty in Unusual CircumstancesGod's ways are often beyond human understanding, and He may use unexpected means to accomplish His purposes. Trusting in His sovereignty is crucial for believers. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the prophet's request to be struck reveal about the nature of prophetic ministry in the Old Testament? 2. How does the obedience of the second man contrast with the disobedience of the first, and what can we learn from this about our own responses to God's commands? 3. In what ways does this passage challenge our understanding of obedience and faith, especially when God's instructions seem unusual or difficult? 4. How can we apply the lesson of courage in following God's will to our own lives, particularly in situations where obedience may be challenging? 5. Reflect on a time when you faced an unusual or difficult command from God. How did you respond, and what was the outcome? How does this passage encourage you to trust in God's sovereignty? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Kings 20:35-36These verses provide context for the prophet's actions, showing the consequences of disobedience to God's commands. 1 Samuel 15:22-23This passage emphasizes the importance of obedience over sacrifice, paralleling the theme of obedience in 1 Kings 20:37. Isaiah 6:8The willingness to serve and obey God's call is echoed in the prophet's actions, similar to Isaiah's response to God's call. People Ahab, Aram, Ben, Benhadad, Ben-hadad, Hadad, Israelites, SyriansPlaces Aphek, Damascus, Samaria, SyriaTopics Across, Blow, Findeth, Please, Smite, Smiteth, Smiting, Smote, Strike, Struck, Violently, Wound, Wounded, WoundingDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 20:35-42 5438 parables 1 Kings 20:35-43 5837 disguise 1 Kings 20:37-42 4938 fate, final destiny 1 Kings 20:37-43 5920 pretence 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 20:37 NIV1 Kings 20:37 NLT1 Kings 20:37 ESV1 Kings 20:37 NASB1 Kings 20:37 KJV
1 Kings 20:37 Commentaries
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