And Ben-Hadad king of Syria assembled all his host; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it.
Chapter 20 opens with the enemy at the gates. Ben-hadad of Syria has gathered every ally he has and ringed Israel's capital with an army, and the verse leaves one question hanging: where is Ahab's God in this?
The attack did not come out of nowhere. The king at the walls was pressing a claim he had inherited from his father.
Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, once gave strong help to Asa, king of Judah, against Baasha, king of Israel. From then on he stayed Baasha's enemy. He took cities from him, and he even won by conquest certain rights over Samaria, the capital of the kingdom (v. 34). His son, also named Ben-Hadad, goes up against Ahab and besieges Samaria. Claiming his father's rights, he sends the king an insulting demand (v. 3).
Ben-hadad opens with words instead of weapons. He expects the sight of his army to do the work for him.
God's care for His people Israel still shows clearly in this chapter, despite Ahab's ungodly character. Ben Hadad, king of Syria, gathered a huge army, with 32 kings allied to him, and came to besiege the city of Samaria. He was so sure of his greater strength that he did not start the battle at once. Instead he sent messengers to tell Ahab, "Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine" (v.3). So he was calling on Ahab to submit to his authority.
Ahab had heard the whole nation shout that the Lord is God. Now, with an army outside his walls, he acts as though none of it happened.
What does Ahab do? He had watched the scenes of 1 Kings 18 unfold before his eyes. He had heard his whole people cry in his ears, "The LORD, He is God!" Yet he spares not one thought for the God who had just restored His own worship by His power — the worship Ahab had replaced with the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32)! Ahab does not ask the Lord what to do, and he does not put his cause in His hands.
He works out his chances without God, and surrenders.
He shows that God is a stranger to him. He acts as if God did not even exist, and he accepts the shame the pagan king puts on him: "My lord, O king, as you say, I am yours, and all that I have" (v. 4). After all, what could he do against Ben-Hadad, who led all his forces and had thirty-two kings with him? That is how people who do not know God work things out.
One writer looks past the politics. He reads Syria, or Aram, as a picture of man lifting himself up on what God gave him.
As a picture, we have already traced in part what Aram, or Syria, stands for. It stands for man. God has lifted man up in Christ, in His own gracious and wonderful way. But man lifts himself up, and by doing so he drags himself down to his own ruin. That second thing is what the historical Aram shows us. The world keeps showing this in different ways. "Man's day" is a day when man makes himself great with what he has robbed from God, and lifts himself up by the very things God's mercy gave him.
Judgment was already hanging over Israel. Yet God had not finished with them.
In the next chapter (1 Kings 20) we are looking mostly at Israel's national standing among their enemies. But here is the striking fact. Even when judgment was drawing near on the people, when evil was judged and the Lord was acknowledged, He still claims His people as His own. That is something people often wonder at.
- Claim. Ben-hadad presses rights his father won over Samaria — the siege is an old feud collecting an old debt.
- Confidence. Thirty-two allied kings let him talk before he fights. He expects Israel to give in at the sight of his strength.
- Calculation. Ahab weighs the odds and never once turns to God, though he had heard his whole nation confess that the Lord is God.
- Character. Syria pictures man exalting himself on what God's mercy gave him — and ruining himself by it.
- Care. Judgment was drawing near, and still God claimed His people as His own.
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben-Hadad
Ben-hadad, king of Syria, has surrounded Samaria with a huge allied army. Before a single blow is struck, he sends a message into the city claiming everything Ahab owns.
The siege does not begin with fighting. It begins with a message, and the reason is how sure Ben-hadad is of his own strength.
God's care for His people Israel is still clearly shown in this chapter, despite the wicked character of Ahab. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, gathered a huge army, with 32 kings allied to him, and came to Samaria to besiege the city. He was so sure of his greater strength that he did not start the battle at once. Instead he sent messengers to Ahab to tell him, "Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine" (v.3). So he was calling on Ahab to submit to his authority.
The claim is not invented on the spot. It reaches back into a family history of conflict between Syria and Israel.
Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, had once given firm help to Asa, king of Judah, against Baasha, king of Israel. Ever since then he had stayed the enemy of Baasha. He had taken cities from him. He had even won by conquest certain rights over Samaria, the capital of the kingdom (v. 34). His son, also named Ben-Hadad, goes up against Ahab and besieges Samaria. Claiming his father's rights, he sends the king an insolent demand.
Ben-hadad is not negotiating. When Ahab gives in, the demands grow.
Ahab was immensely wicked. Even so, God promised him victory over the army of Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, which had invaded the land. Looking for an excuse for war, Ben-Hadad first demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. When Ahab would have handed these over, the enemy king demanded more. He demanded the right to send his servants to search the houses of Ahab and his servants, and to take away everything they treasured most.
Ahab's reply to the messengers is the answer of a slave, not a king. One writer sets him beside three young men who faced a stronger king with fewer options.
Ahab's weakness is shown further by his cringing answer to the king of Syria who was besieging him… Then the messengers came back with even more insolent demands. The king would likely have accepted the humiliating terms proposed, if his bolder and more patriotic subjects had not advised otherwise, saying, "Do not listen to him, and do not agree." A wicked man is never anything but a weak man. Only "the righteous" is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." When Ahab does refuse the king of Syria his demand, unworthy of a soldier, he says half apologising, "This thing I may not do." He does not use the bold, strong "will not" of the three Hebrew young men, who were in a more helpless position and faced a more powerful king (Dan. 3:18).
Knapp is quoting an older English translation; his point rests on its softer "may not."
"Your silver and your gold are mine" is the language of an owner. One writer weighs Satan's boast that the glory of the world was his to give away.
That was false, and yet true. It was false as to legal right, but true as to fact, for Satan had gained this by man's sin. As to right, he had none at all. Satan had no right to give glory to anyone. But through his craft he led man to turn away from God. He attacked the first Adam and defeated him. He profits from this victory over man… and here he sets himself up as the usurper. "I have all this," he says, "and I give it to whomever I will."
Ahab had seen God restore His own worship in Israel and heard his whole nation confess the Lord. None of it comes to mind when the messengers arrive.
What does Ahab do? The scenes of 1 Kings 18 had unfolded before his own eyes. He had heard his whole people cry in his ears, "The LORD, He is God!" Yet he does not spare one thought for the God who had just restored His worship by His power — the worship Ahab had replaced with the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32)! Ahab does not consult the Lord or commit his cause to Him.
- The claim. Ben-hadad sends words before weapons. He is sure of his greater strength, and his message calls Ahab to submit to his authority.
- The pretext. The demand for silver, gold, wives and children is an excuse for war. When Ahab agrees, the enemy asks for more.
- The collapse. Ahab's cringing reply shows that a wicked man is never anything but a weak man. Only the righteous is bold as a lion.
- The bluff. "Mine" is the word of a usurper. Satan made the same kind of claim: false as to right, true only as to fact.
- The silence. Ahab never consults the Lord or commits his cause to Him. God's care for His people is still displayed in this chapter, despite Ahab.
Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, the goodliest, are mine.
Samaria is under siege. Before a single blow falls, the Syrian king sends a message. He claims Ahab's treasure and his family as already his own. The real question is not whether Ahab can beat such odds. It is whether a king who had heard his whole nation confess the Lord will turn to Him at all.
The demand was not random bullying. Ben-hadad was collecting on what he believed his family already owned.
Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, had once given firm help to Asa, king of Judah, against Baasha, king of Israel. Ever since then he had stayed Baasha's enemy. He had taken cities from him, and had even won by conquest certain rights over Samaria, the capital of the kingdom (v. 34). His son, also named Ben-Hadad, goes up against Ahab and besieges Samaria. He lays claim to his father's rights. He sends an insulting demand to the king: "Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine" (v. 3).
Ben-hadad opened with words, not weapons.
He was so sure of his greater strength that he did not begin the battle at once. Instead he sent messengers to Ahab to tell him, "Your silver and your gold are mine..." (v.3). So he was calling on Ahab to submit to his authority.
Giving in to the first demand did not settle anything. What looked like a price turned out to be an opening move.
Ben-Hadad was looking for an excuse for war. First he demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. When Ahab was ready to hand them over, the enemy king demanded more. He claimed the right to send his servants to search the houses of Ahab and his officials, and to carry off everything they treasured most.
Something is missing from Ahab's response. He had heard his whole nation confess the Lord, and it left no mark on him.
What does Ahab do? The scenes of 1 Kings 18 had unfolded before his own eyes. He had heard his whole people cry in his ears, "The LORD, He is God!" Yet he has not even a thought for the God who had just restored His worship by His power — the worship Ahab had replaced with the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32)! Ahab does not consult the Lord nor commit his cause to Him.
That silence shapes his reply in verse 4: "As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have."
He showed that God was a stranger to him. Acting as though God did not even exist, he accepts the humiliation the pagan king forced on him... After all, what could he do against Ben-Hadad, who led all his forces and had thirty-two kings with him? This is how people who do not know God work things out.
Ahab's surrender was not just a political move. One writer ties his weakness to his character, and sets him beside three young Hebrew men who refused a more powerful king. Ahab's own refusal is quoted below from an older translation; the ESV of verse 9 reads, "but this thing I cannot do."
Ahab's weakness shows again in his grovelling answer to the king of Syria, who was besieging the city... A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. Only "the righteous" is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." Ahab does refuse the king of Syria this demand, which no soldier should have accepted. But he says it half as an apology: "This thing I may not do." He does not use the bold, firm "will not" of the three Hebrew young men. They were in a more helpless position, and they faced a more powerful king (Dan. 3:18).
This threat opens a chapter that ends in rescue. The reason lies with God, not with the king.
How great is God's patient endurance! Despite Ahab's huge wickedness, God promised him victory over the army of Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, which had invaded the land.
- Claim. Ben-hadad pressed what he counted as his father's rights over Samaria. Before any battle, he demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives and children.
- Compromise. The demand was an excuse for war, not a deal. Ahab was ready to hand it all over, and the Syrian king at once asked for more.
- Silence. Ahab had heard Israel confess the Lord. Even so, he did not consult Him or commit his cause to Him. He reasoned like a man to whom God was a stranger.
- Weakness. A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. Ahab managed only a half-apology, while the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Grace. God's patience outlasted the king's wickedness. He still promised Ahab victory over the invading army.
And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
Ben-hadad has surrounded Samaria with thirty-two allied kings. Before a single blow is struck, he claims Ahab's silver, gold, wives and children. Ahab agrees to all of it in one short sentence. Commentators read in that sentence the whole character of the man: a king of Israel handing himself over to an enemy who worshipped idols, without once turning to God.
Ben-hadad opened the siege with a message instead of an attack.
He was so confident of his superior strength that he did not begin the battle at once. Instead he sent messengers to Ahab to tell him, "Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine" (v.3). So he was calling upon Ahab to submit to his authority.
Ahab's calculation was purely military, and on those terms it was sound.
Ahab knew his forces were no match for the formidable enemy, so he answered, in evident subservience, "My lord, O King, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours" (v.4). He would give in to the haughty demands of Ben Hadad.
One writer sees in Ahab's answer a man for whom God simply was not there.
He acted as though God did not even exist, which showed that God was a stranger to him. So he accepts the humiliation the pagan king forces on him: "As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have" (v. 4). What, indeed, could he do against Ben-hadad, who led all his forces and had thirty-two kings with him? This is how people who do not know God reason things out.
The habit of leaving God out was long-standing, not a momentary lapse.
This is the man who had watched the events of 1 Kings 18 with his own eyes. He had heard his whole people cry out in his ears, "Jehovah, He is God!" Yet he has not even a thought for the God who had just restored His own worship by His power — the worship Ahab had replaced with the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:31-32)! Ahab does not consult the Lord or commit his cause to Him. Had he ever humbled himself before Him at all?
One writer reads the tone of Ahab's answer as a sign of his character.
Ahab's weakness is further made manifest by his servile answer to the besieging king of Syria… A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. It is only "the righteous" who is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." When Ahab does at last refuse the demand, he says it half apologetically: this thing he "may not" do. He does not use the bold, strong "will not" of the three young Hebrew men who faced a more powerful king in a more helpless position (Dan. 3:18).
Giving way did not buy peace. The demands only grew.
But what does his humiliation before Israel's enemy achieve? Ben-hadad uses the chance to add outrage to his harshness: "You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children; but tomorrow about this time I will send my servants to you, and they shall search your house…" Again Ahab does not return to God. To him it matters more to call the elders of the land together and consult them.
Later in the chapter Ahab does speak boldly. One writer sets that against his tone here.
At first he was slavishly submissive to Ben-hadad. Later, with unusual spirit, he says, "Let not him who puts on his armour boast himself as he who takes it off."
Ahab never turns to God. God, though, is not finished with him.
What was the Lord's ground for speaking like this? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen how hard it was… If Ahab had not learned this already under the weight of God's judgments, this miraculous deliverance might touch his heart and bring him back. What touching patience God shows, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened! The God whom man rejects does not tire. He comes back to him as the God of grace and of deliverance!
The help that comes next is not really about Ahab at all.
God's care for His people Israel is still remarkably displayed in this chapter, in spite of the unholy character of Ahab.
- Claim: Ben-hadad demanded silver, gold, wives and children. It was a call to submit to his authority, and Ahab agreed.
- Calculation: Ahab counted thirty-two kings against his own strength. That is how people reason when they do not know God.
- Collapse: His servile answer exposed his character. A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man.
- Consequence: Surrender bought nothing. The enemy raised his demands, and still Ahab did not turn to God.
- Compassion: God did not tire of this hard heart. He came back to it as the God of grace and deliverance.
And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben-Hadad saying I sent to thee indeed, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
Ben-hadad, king of Syria, had surrounded Samaria with thirty-two allied kings. He demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives and children, and Ahab agreed to all of it. Now the messengers come back with a second demand. Why did giving in buy Ahab nothing?
The siege opened with a message rather than an attack:
He was so sure of his greater strength that he did not begin the battle at once. Instead he sent messengers to Ahab to tell him, "Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine" (v.3). So he was calling on Ahab to submit to his authority.
Ahab gave way at once.
The second message is not a softer one. Having got everything by asking, Ben-hadad now asks for more than he named:
This latter uses the occasion to add outrage to his harshness: "You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children; but tomorrow about this time I will send my servants to you, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and whatever is pleasant in your sight, they shall put in their hand and take away" (vv. 5-6).
The difference between the two messages matters. The first took what the king owned; the second sent foreign hands through every room in the city to pick out whatever they liked.
Ben-hadad was looking for an excuse for war. He first demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives and children. When Ahab was ready to hand them over, the enemy king demanded more. He demanded the right to send his servants to search the houses of Ahab and his servants, and to take away everything they treasured most. The elders of Israel advised Ahab not to give in to this outrageous demand. So the weak-willed king sent word to Ben-hadad that he could not do it.
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The striking thing is not Ben-hadad's greed but Ahab's silence toward heaven. He had watched fire fall on Carmel and heard his whole nation confess the Lord, and still:
God was a stranger to him. He acted as though God did not even exist, and he accepted the humiliation the pagan king forced on him: "My lord, O king, as you say, I am yours, and all that I have" (v. 4). What, after all, could he do against Ben-hadad, who led all his forces and had thirty-two kings with him? That is how people who do not know God reason.
Even when he finds the nerve to refuse, he turns to his elders, not to God.
Ahab's grovelling reply exposes what he was. One writer draws the moral bluntly, noting that the refusal, when it finally came, was half-hearted:
Ahab's weakness is shown further by his servile answer to the besieging king of Syria... When the messengers came back with more insolent demands, the king would probably have accepted the humiliating terms. He refused only because his braver, more patriotic subjects advised otherwise, saying, "Do not listen or consent." A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. It is only "the righteous" who is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." When Ahab does refuse the king of Syria this demand, which no soldier should accept, he says half apologetically, "This thing I cannot do." He does not use the bold, strong "will not" of the three Hebrew young men, who were in a far more helpless position and faced a more powerful king (Dan. 3:18).
Ahab's mistake is an old one. Give the first thing asked, and the next demand is bigger:
Many have agreed to go one mile with Satan who never meant to go two. So Satan leads poor people down into the depths of sin by winding stairs, which keep them from seeing the bottom they are heading for... Give no place to Satan! Not an inch in his first moves. Outside the door he is a beggar, and a modest one. Let him in, and he will rule the house.
That is the threat in verses 5 and 6. The beggar at the door now proposes to search the house.
God did not leave Samaria to fall. He promised this king a rescue Ahab never asked for:
If the weight of God's judgments had not taught him this before, perhaps this miraculous deliverance would touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience God shows, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened. The God whom man rejects does not grow tired. He comes back to him as the God of grace and of deliverance!
- Demand. Ben-hadad's first message was a call to submit. Ahab submitted, so the messengers came back for more.
- Escalation. The second demand was bigger than the first: not just the treasure, but a search of every house for whatever the enemy liked.
- Silence. Ahab never consults God. He counts thirty-two kings against his own strength and leaves God out.
- Weakness. His servile answer proves the rule: a wicked man is never anything but a weak man. Only the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Grace. God still promises this king deliverance. The God whom man rejects comes back to him as the God of deliverance.
but to-morrow about this time I will send my servants to thee, and they shall search thy house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thy sight, they shall put in their hand and take away.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this [man] seeks mischief; for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
Ben-hadad of Syria has surrounded Samaria with a huge army. He claimed Ahab's silver, gold, wives and children, and Ahab handed them over without a fight. A second, larger demand has now arrived, and Ahab calls Israel's elders together — and only now does he speak of trouble.
Ben-Hadad's first demand was never meant to settle anything. One writer names what he was after, and what happened when Ahab gave way:
Looking for an excuse for war, Ben-Hadad first demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. When Ahab was ready to hand these over, the enemy king demanded more. He demanded the right to send his servants to search the houses of Ahab and his servants and take away all their most treasured possessions.
Ahab tells the elders he refused Ben-Hadad nothing. That first yes is why a second demand came. One writer warns where a small first yes leads:
Many have agreed to go a mile with Satan who never intended to go two. This is how Satan leads poor creatures down into the depths of sin. He takes them by winding stairs, so they never see the bottom they are heading for... Give Satan no place! Not an inch, not even in his first suggestions. A beggar who is modest while he stands outside the door will command the house once he is let in.
Ahab gathers the elders. One writer points out who he left out, and then asks a wider question about this king:
Ahab does not consult the Lord nor commit his cause to Him. For that matter, had he ever humbled himself before Him?
The same writer gives the reasoning behind Ahab's surrender, and shows what it got him:
What could he do against Ben-Hadad, who came with all his forces and thirty-two kings? That is how those who do not know God reason things out. But what does he gain by humbling himself before Israel's enemy? Ben-Hadad uses the occasion to add outrage to his harshness... Here again, Ahab does not return to God. He thinks it more important to call the elders of the land together and consult them. They are in favour of resistance; he accepts the first conditions and rejects the second.
When Ahab finally does refuse, listen to how he says it. One writer sets his words beside braver words spoken under worse odds:
The messengers came back with even more insolent demands. The king would probably have given in to these humiliating terms. But his braver, more patriotic subjects advised otherwise, telling him not to listen and not to consent. A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. It is only "the righteous" who is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." When Ahab does refuse the king of Syria's demand, which no soldier should have made, he says, half apologetically, "This thing I may not do." He does not use the bold, forceful "will not" of the three Hebrew young men, who were in far more helpless circumstances and facing a more powerful king (Dan. 3:18).
God does not walk away from a king like this:
What touching patience on the part of God, even toward the most godless, the most indifferent, the most hardened. The God whom man rejects, instead of growing tired, appears to him again as the God of grace and of deliverance!
- Surrender invites — Ahab admits he refused nothing. His first yes is what brought the bigger demand. The beggar outside the door ends up commanding the house.
- Surrender blinds — Ahab calls the second demand trouble-seeking. The first one was too. He only saw it when the price went up.
- Surrender consults men — Ahab calls a council of elders. He does not consult the Lord. Those who do not know God reason from the size of the enemy army.
- Surrender exposes weakness — the man bold enough to be wicked was too weak to say a plain no. Only the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Grace outlasts surrender — God does not grow tired of the man who rejects Him. He comes back to the most hardened king as the God of grace and deliverance.
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not, nor consent.
Ben-hadad, king of Syria, had surrounded Samaria with a huge army. Ahab agreed at once to hand over his silver, gold, wives and children. So the Syrian king raised his price: his men would search every house and take whatever they liked. Now Ahab calls in the elders and the people. The striking thing is not what they tell him, but whom he asked.
Ahab's surrender did not buy peace. It brought a harsher demand — and that is the demand the nation refused:
How great is God's patient endurance! Ahab's wickedness was immense, yet God promised him victory over the army of Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, which had invaded the land. Ben-Hadad wanted an excuse for war. First he demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. When Ahab would have surrendered these to him, the enemy king demanded more... The elders of Israel advised Ahab not to give in to this outrageous demand, and the weak-willed king sent word to Ben-Hadad that he could not do so.
Ahab gathers a council. One name is missing from it:
What does Ahab do? He had watched the scenes of 1 Kings 18 unfold before his own eyes. He had heard his whole people cry in his ears, "The Lord, He is God!" Yet he has not even a thought for the God who had just restored His worship by His power... Ahab does not consult the Lord nor commit his cause to Him.
The verse shows where he took his problem instead:
There again, Ahab does not return to God. To him it is more important to call together and consult with the elders of the land. They are for resistance; he accepts the first conditions and rejects the second.
The advice in this verse has more backbone than the man who asked for it:
The king would probably have given in to the humiliating terms, if his braver and more patriotic subjects had not advised otherwise... A wicked man is never anything but a weak man. Only "the righteous" is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." And when Ahab does refuse this demand, which no soldier should accept, he says it half apologetically: "This thing I may not do" (older translation). He does not use the bold, strong "will not" of the three Hebrew men in Daniel 3:18, who were in far more helpless circumstances and faced a more powerful king.
Stiffened by the elders, Ahab swings from grovelling to swagger. Neither mood has God in it:
What a proof Ahab gives of the blinding power of sin! At first he grovels before Ben-hadad. Later, with unusual spirit, he says, "Let not him who straps on his armour boast himself as he who takes it off." Then God asserted His supremacy, in the plains as well as in the hills. For His own name's sake He gave Ahab victory over the Syrians, and so gave Israel another chance to return to His worship. And this wretched, blinded Ahab takes Ben-hadad to his heart, embraces him, and claims kinship with Israel's foe — God's enemy! ... But though judgment is near, mercy still lingers over the guilty nation.
This scene does not make asking advice wrong. It shows what happens when advice replaces dependence:
Each of us must depend upon God alone; even the most godly of men cannot replace Him... We can listen to counsel. We can ask counsel of those who are further on than we are in understanding, in wisdom, and in true godliness. This is what humble hearts do — hearts that have no confidence in themselves. But we must depend upon God alone for our decisions and for our walk.
- Surrender invites more. Ahab handed over his silver, gold, wives and children. The answer was a bigger demand: every house searched. Giving ground bought nothing but a bigger demand.
- Wrong council. Ahab called in the elders; he never turned to God. He had heard the whole nation cry, "The Lord, He is God!" — yet in the crisis that memory shaped nothing.
- Right answer, unchanged heart. The elders stood firmer than the king. But resisting Syria is not the same as returning to God. Ahab took the good advice and still never turned back.
- Weakness is moral. A wicked man is never anything but a weak man; boldness belongs to the righteous. Ahab's swing from grovelling to swagger is the same emptiness in two moods.
- Counsel, then dependence. Humble hearts do ask advice from those further on. But no godly adviser can stand in God's place; the decision must rest on Him.
And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do; but this thing I cannot do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
Ben-hadad's army has surrounded Samaria. Ahab has already agreed to hand over his silver, gold, wives and children. Then the Syrian king raised his price: his servants would also search every house and take whatever they liked. Here Ahab says no at last. Two things stand out: where that no came from, and how weak his words were.
Ahab never asks God what to do. He weighs the demand with his advisers instead, and their verdict is the answer this verse records.
Showing that God was a stranger to him, acting as though He did not even exist, he accepts the humiliation the heathen king forced on him: "As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have" (v. 4)… Once again Ahab does not return to God; to him it matters more to call together and consult the elders of the land. They are for resistance; he accepts the first conditions and rejects the second.
The refusal was not really his own.
When the messengers came back with more insulting demands, the king would probably have accepted the humiliating terms, if his bolder and more patriotic subjects had not advised otherwise, saying, "Do not listen or consent."
Notice how Ahab speaks. He calls Ben-hadad "my lord the king" and himself "your servant," and his refusal sits inside that flattery. An older translation reads "this thing I may not do." One writer sets those words beside a firmer refusal made against worse odds.
Ahab's weakness shows again in his grovelling answer to the Syrian king who was besieging him… A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. It is only "the righteous" who is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." Ahab does refuse the king of Syria this demand, which no soldier should accept. But he says it half as an apology: "This thing I may not do." He does not use the bold, forceful "will not" of the three Hebrew men. They were far more helpless, and they faced a more powerful king (Dan. 3:18).
Ahab's total surrender in verse 4 bought him nothing. Ben-hadad did not want treasure; he wanted an excuse for war, so each concession only raised the price. Behind this squalid haggling, God was acting toward Ahab in a way he had not earned.
How great is God's longsuffering patience! Despite Ahab's immense wickedness God promised him victory over the army of Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, which had invaded the land. Looking for an occasion for war, Ben-Hadad first demanded Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. When Ahab would have handed these over to him, the enemy king demanded more.
Order matters here. Ahab accepted the first demand, and that is why the second one came. One writer traces the same pattern in the way sin gains ground.
Many have agreed to go a mile with Satan who never intended to go two. So Satan leads poor creatures down into the depths of sin by winding stairs, so that they cannot see the bottom they are heading for… Give no place to Satan — not an inch, even in his first moves. He who is a beggar, and a modest one, outside your door, will command the house if you let him in.
Ahab could not say a firm "will not" here. He could not say it later either, when God handed him both the victory and the enemy king. God had given him proof of Himself three times over.
Ahab had this threefold testimony, but sadly he gained nothing from it. Ben-hadad's cunning trapped him, after God had placed Ben-hadad in his hand. He not only let him live, but said, "He is my brother." It was the beginning of his final downfall.
- Line without God. Ahab drew a line at last, but his advisers drew it for him. He never turned to God at all.
- Line spoken weakly. "I cannot" is not "I will not." A wicked man is at bottom a weak man; only the righteous is bold as a lion.
- Line drawn too late. Ahab's yes to the first demand invited the second. Surrender never satisfies an enemy who wants a war.
- Line held by an inch. Give the enemy no place at all, not even an inch at the start; the modest beggar at the door ends up commanding the house.
- Line finally erased. The man who said this thing I cannot do later spared the enemy God had put in his hand, and called him brother. That was the start of his downfall.
And 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 that follow me!
Samaria is under siege, and Ahab has just refused Ben-hadad one demand too many. Ben-hadad answers with an oath by his gods: his army is so huge that the ruins of the city will not give each man a handful of dust — and neither king has yet mentioned the God of Israel.
Ahab answered this taunt with a taunt of his own. Where Ben-hadad was when that answer arrived matters too.
Ben Hadad's reply was coarse and arrogant. It seems the arrogance of Ben Hadad gave Ahab the courage to reply, "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off." Of course these were fighting words, just as those of Ben Hadad were. Ben Hadad received the message while he and his companions were drinking in the command post — the place that called for sober, sound wisdom.
Ahab's own answers had already shown what kind of man he was. Even when he finally said no, he said it weakly.
A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. Only "the righteous" is, as the proverb says, "bold as a lion." When Ahab does refuse the demand of the king of Syria — a demand no soldier should have accepted — he says it almost as an apology: "This thing I cannot do."
Two kings trade threats. Neither of them mentions God. Ahab's bold answer in verse 11 is no better than his surrender in verse 4.
God was a stranger to him, and he acted as though He did not even exist. So he accepts the humiliation the pagan king forces on him: "My lord, O king, according to your word, I am yours, and all that I have" (v. 4). What could he do against Ben-Hadad, who led all his forces and had thirty-two kings with him? So those who do not know God reason things out... Ahab replies with spirit: "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off" (v. 11), but he still does not take God into account.
Ben-hadad's bluster is only one example of something wider.
No human being will boast in the presence of God. Human pride may boast outside that presence. It may put forward its claims, glory in its resources, and be proud of what it takes on, as long as God is not thought of. But bring Him in, and all the bragging, the boasting, the empty glory, the grand claims, the self-satisfaction and the self-conceit will wither away in a moment.
Ben-hadad measured his army by handfuls of dust. God did not answer him with matching force.
But God's time had come to humble insolent Ben-hadad: "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.'"... God would humble Ben-hadad, but not by any show of strength — not by the seven thousand soldiers Ahab had left. He would do it by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
God promised rescue to a king who deserved nothing. He had more in view than lifting the siege.
What was the Lord's reason for speaking this way? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen its callousness. But Israel in the presence of Elijah's miracle had acknowledged the true God. Would He not show His grace at the least sign of His people's returning to Himself? As for Ahab, God tells him: "You shall know that I am the LORD." If God's judgments had not taught him this already, perhaps this miraculous deliverance would touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience on the part of God, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened.
- Boast — Ben-hadad's answer was coarse and arrogant. He heard Ahab's reply while drinking, in the place that called for sober judgment.
- Weakness — Ahab refused only faintly. A wicked man is never anything but a weak man, while only the righteous is bold as a lion.
- Blindness — Both kings reasoned like people who do not know God. Ahab's bolder words still left Him out of the account.
- Humbling — Boasting lasts only while God is not thought of. When He stepped in, two hundred and thirty-two servants of the princes broke a huge army.
- Purpose — God gave the victory so that Ahab would know He is the LORD — patience toward the most hardened of men.
And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell [him], Let not him that girdeth on boast himself as he that putteth off!
Ben-Hadad of Syria had surrounded Samaria and sent Ahab his demands. Ahab had already offered him everything he owned. Then the demands grew worse, and the king of Israel answered with one proverb about armour. The words are wiser than the man who spoke them, and the chapter that follows tests whether he believed them.
Picture a soldier putting on his armour before a battle, and taking it off after it. Only the second man has anything to boast about. One writer applies the line to Ruth, who kept working in the field until the day ended:
She made a good beginning, as many do. But, unlike most, she made just as good an ending. It is fairly easy to start, but very hard to keep going. "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off." That was a very good proverb, though spoken by a very bad king (1 Kings 20:11).
Ahab's boldness arrives late. He had already surrendered in principle, and only stiffened when his own people refused to go further. A study of the kings reads his collapse and his sudden courage as two sides of the same character:
When the messengers came back with even ruder demands, the king would probably have accepted the humiliating terms. His bolder, more patriotic subjects advised against it, saying, "Do not listen or consent." A wicked man is never really anything but a weak man. Only "the righteous are bold as a lion," as the proverb says. When Ahab does refuse the Syrian king's demand — a demand no soldier should accept — he says, almost as an apology, "this thing I cannot do."
The reply is bold. But Ahab says nothing about God. One commentator follows his thinking and names what is missing:
So those who do not know God reason things out... There again, Ahab does not return to God; to him it is more important to call together and consult with the elders of the land. They are for resistance; he would accept the first terms and reject the second. At this answer Ben-Hadad's anger no longer knows any limits. Ahab replies with spirit: "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off" (v. 11), but he still does not take God into account.
The armour did come off, and Ahab won. Then he broke his own rule. Instead of thanking God for the victory, he made a friend of God's enemy.
At first he gave in to Ben-Hadad like a slave. Later, with unusual spirit, he says, "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off." Then God showed His supremacy, in the plains as well as in the hills. For His own name's sake He gave Ahab victory over the Syrians, and so gave Israel another chance to return to His worship. Yet the wretched, blinded Ahab welcomes Ben-Hadad, embraces him, and claims kinship with Israel's foe — God's enemy! There is not even the appearance of thanks to God for His wonderful mercy and deliverance.
The proverb still speaks to anyone in the middle of a fight. One writer applies it to the Christian's daily battle, and points first to Christ's own victory:
The Lord Jesus has gone through this scene before us. He has "plundered" the house of the enemy in triumph, and delivered his captives out of his hand... Whatever others may do, you must crush every movement of your own will that rises against your calling as a Christian. You do this by the power of the Spirit, as the Word teaches... The battle is not over yet, so to anyone who would boast, say, "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off."
The pattern is not rare. One writer ends the story of a king who began far better than he finished:
He began well. His beginning was very bright. Had he gone on in simplicity and in the energy of faith, what a different story would stand on record. Instead he came into port like a ship that had met a great hurricane — disabled and broken, without mast or sail. He could have come in with flags flying and all sail set.
- Armour on — the boast belongs to the man taking his armour off, not the man putting it on. Starting is easy; continuing is hard.
- Wrong mouth — a very good proverb from a very bad king. Ahab found courage only when his own people refused to surrender.
- No God in it — he answered Ben-Hadad with spirit, but he never took God into account.
- Armour off — victory came, and Ahab embraced God's enemy with no thanks to God. He broke his own rule.
- Still fighting — the battle is not over yet, so hand anyone tempted to boast Ahab's own words.
And it came to pass when he heard this word, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the tents, that he said to his servants, Set yourselves. And they set themselves against the city.
Ben-hadad is camped outside Samaria with thirty-two allied kings, and Ahab's defiant answer has just reached him. He gives his battle order from a drinking tent — so what kind of king is this, and why would God act at all for a king as bad as Ahab?
One reference work defines the word behind "booths":
A booth or tent, used poetically for a dwelling.
So the order to attack came from a shelter in the field. One writer notes what such a moment called for:
Ben Hadad's reply was coarse and arrogant. He sent word to Ahab, "The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left in Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me." The haughtiness of Ben Hadad clearly emboldened Ahab to reply to him, "Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off." These were fighting words, just like Ben Hadad's. And Ben Hadad received the message while he and his men were drinking in the command post — the place where sober, sound wisdom was called for. He gave orders to get ready to attack the city.
Ben-hadad's drinking was not a private failing; it shaped the fighting force under him. Against Israel's tiny muster, his mood was one of settled superiority:
This seemed a pathetically weak force against the formidable army of Syria, but Ben Hadad, totally self-confident, was becoming drunk together with the other 32 kings. Would a leader like that inspire his men in disciplined warfare? Certainly not! But when the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben Hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
One writer sets Ben-hadad's drinking beside an Israelite king who died the same way:
"Drinking himself drunk" was Elah's occupation at the time of his assassination. Wild, self-indulgent living does not appear to have been the special sin of the kings of Israel and Judah in general, and it has never been characteristic of the Jewish people. It was the special sin of many of their Gentile neighbours. Look at Ben-hadad with his thirty-two allied kings, "drinking himself drunk in the booths".
Elah was killed while he was drunk. Ben-hadad now gives his battle order in the same state.
One writer points out who God chose to answer that boast:
But God's time for the humiliation of insolent Ben-hadad had come. God would humiliate Ben-hadad, not by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab, but by the servants of the district governors, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
Ben-hadad's drinking is the obvious folly. The king inside the city has a quieter one:
There again, Ahab does not return to God; to him it is more important to call together and consult with the elders of the land. They favour resistance; he accepts the first conditions and rejects the second. At this answer Ben-Hadad's anger knows no more limits. Ahab answers with spirit: "Let not him who straps on his armor boast like him who takes it off," but he still leaves God out of account.
If neither king was seeking Him, the deliverance that follows must be explained another way:
As for Ahab, God tells him: "You shall know that I am the Lord." If he had not learned this before under the weight of the judgments of God, this miraculous deliverance might touch his heart so that he would be restored. What touching patience on the part of God, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened. The God whom man rejects, instead of tiring, reappears to him as the God of grace and of deliverance!
- Boast — Ben-hadad swore Samaria would not yield a handful of dust for each of his soldiers. Ahab warned him not to boast before the armour came off.
- Booth — the order to attack came out of a drinking session in a field tent. That moment called for sober, sound wisdom.
- Drink — drunkenness marked the neighbouring kings, not Israel's own. Assassins killed Elah while he was drinking himself drunk.
- Handful — God humbled the boaster with 232 servants of the district governors, not with Ahab's seven thousand soldiers.
- Knowledge — God's aim was that Ahab would know Him as Lord. He kept coming back to a hard, indifferent king as the God of grace and deliverance.
And behold, a prophet drew near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.
Samaria is under siege. Thirty-two allied kings are camped outside, and King Ahab has already offered the enemy his silver, his gold, his wives and his children. Into that scene walks an unnamed prophet with a promise of victory. The reason he gives has nothing to do with Ahab deserving it.
Nothing in the chapter suggests Ahab prayed. He had heard a whole nation shout that the Lord is God. Yet when the crisis came, he looked everywhere but up.
What does Ahab do? He had watched the scenes of 1 Kings 18 unfold before his eyes. He had heard his whole people cry in his ears, "The LORD, He is God!" Yet he has not even a thought for the God who had just restored His worship by His power — the worship Ahab had replaced with the worship of Baal. Ahab does not consult the Lord nor commit his cause to Him.
He consulted the elders of the land instead, and traded insults with Ben-hadad. God never entered his thinking. The prophet came anyway.
If Ahab's heart gave no ground for this promise, something else did.
What was the Lord's ground in speaking this way? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen how hard it was. But Israel, in the presence of Elijah's miracle, had acknowledged the true God. Would He not show His grace at the least sign of His people returning to Himself?... What touching patience on God's part, even toward the most godless, the most indifferent, the most hardened. The God whom man rejects, instead of tiring, appears to him again as the God of grace and of deliverance!
Ahab's army was small, and his regard for the God of Israel was smaller.
Despite this, God intervened. He sent a prophet to Ahab to tell him that He would deliver this great multitude of the Syrians into their hand that day. Notice, however, that God told him this with an object in view — that Ahab would know that God is indeed the Lord.
Ahab had already seen God act once, at close range.
The Lord now promised Ahab victory over the Syrian enemy. Ahab had seen God send down fire on Mount Carmel, and had seen his 850 idolatrous prophets destroyed. It was not that Israel deserved it. No, God told Ahab, "you shall know that I am the LORD." The Lord would prove Himself in this way too. Would Israel, would Ahab, repent and turn back to Him? "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance," Romans 2:4 tells us.
Ahab asks "By whom?" and the answer removes any chance of crediting the army. Israel had seven thousand men available; God names 232 junior officers instead.
God's time to humiliate Ben-hadad had come. He would not do it by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab. He would do it by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two. They "went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him."
A few hundred servants went out in broad daylight. The king besieging them was too drunk to answer.
God gave the same message again when Syria came back a second time.
The Lord again stepped in for Israel. He sent a man of God to Ahab to say that because the Syrians had claimed God is not a God of the valleys, God would hand the multitude of the Syrians over to the small army of Israel. Again the Lord declares that He has an object in doing this — that Ahab might know that God is the Lord. How often did God bear witness to His grace and power for Ahab's benefit! Yet all this had little lasting effect on Ahab's attitude toward God.
- Unasked. Ahab never consulted God during the siege. The prophet came to him. The promise started on God's side.
- Undeserved. The promise did not rest on Ahab's heart. It rested on God's readiness to answer the least sign of His people turning back to Him.
- Unmistakable. God used 232 servants, not the seven thousand soldiers. Only He could take the credit.
- Unhidden. The rescue came with a goal attached — Ahab would know who the Lord is.
- Unheeded. God gave the same lesson again when Syria returned. It had little lasting effect on Ahab.
And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah By the servants of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he said, Thou.
A Syrian army has surrounded the city of Samaria. A prophet has just told Ahab, an idol-worshipping king, that God will hand him that huge army the same day. Ahab asks two short questions: which troops, and who starts the fight? The answers are the opposite of what military sense would suggest.
God does not point Ahab to his standing army. He names the young men who served the district governors, and one writer counts them.
God would humiliate Ben-hadad, not by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab, but by the servants of the governors of the districts, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
The reply cuts against every instinct of a besieged city.
God would use the "servants of the governors of the districts" to deliver the enemy army into Ahab's hands, and they are only a handful against this multitude. Instead of waiting for the enemy to attack, Ahab is the one who must begin the battle, and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab follows the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
On paper Syria could not lose. The behaviour of its king is the detail that changes the picture.
This force looked hopeless against the powerful army of Syria. But Ben Hadad, full of self-confidence, was getting drunk with the other 32 kings (v.16). Would a leader like that inspire his men in disciplined warfare? Of course not! But when the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben Hadad gave orders to take them alive. It made no difference whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
The last word of the verse puts Ahab himself at the head of the action. What he did with that order is another matter.
You may not have noticed this about the first victory. Thirty-three kings stood against him, yet Ahab does not come at the front of the battle but at the rear. Who shall begin the battle? It is set in motion by the young men, the servants of the governors of the districts. These two hundred and thirty-two go out for the battle. Then the seven thousand go out to the battle. When Ahab sees the enemy running away, he joins them; he comes in when the victory is won.
The promise of victory was not a reward for improvement. One writer sets it against what Ahab had already seen.
Before this, on Mount Carmel God had sent down fire to burn up Elijah's sacrifice, and the people had cried out, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" Ahab had seen that scene, and he had watched his 850 idolatrous prophets destroyed. The Lord now promised to give him victory over the Syrian enemy. It was not that Israel deserved it. No, God told Ahab, "You shall know that I am the LORD." The Lord would prove Himself in this manner too. Would Israel, would Ahab, repent and turn back to Him? "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance," Romans 2:4 tells us.
Commentators read Ahab's state differently at this moment. One sees a man who "seems inclined to let God work; in any case, he has no other resource." Another calls his conduct through the chapter despicable. Both agree the outcome came from God, not from the king.
- Question. Ahab asks "By whom?" and gets an answer no general would give. God will not use his seven thousand soldiers, but two hundred and thirty-two servants of the district governors.
- Odds. The chosen force was "only a handful against this multitude." It had to attack first, not wait behind the walls. The whole plan rested on the prophet's word.
- Contrast. God's small band marched out while the enemy king sat drinking with thirty-two allied kings. He was so sure of his strength that he ordered the men taken alive either way.
- Command. The final word of the verse, "You," put Ahab at the head of the battle. In practice he came in at the rear, once the enemy was already running.
- Purpose. Israel had not earned this. God gave the victory so that Ahab, who had already seen Carmel, would know that He is the LORD — kindness meant to lead him to repentance.
And he numbered the servants of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he numbered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand.
Ben-hadad and thirty-two allied kings had Samaria under siege, and a prophet had just told Ahab that God would hand that huge army to him that very day — through the servants of the district governors. This verse counts the men: 232 attendants, with a national army of only seven thousand behind them.
God had the larger force available, and He passed over it on purpose:
God would humiliate Ben-hadad, not by a show of strength like the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab, but by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
Older translations call these servants "young men." The verse counts them apart from the army — they were attendants of the provincial officials.
Ahab had no claim on this help. The reason for the promise lay outside him:
What was the Lord's reason for speaking this way? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen how hard it is. But Israel had acknowledged the true God when they saw Elijah's miracle. Would He not show His grace at the least sign of His people's returning to Himself? As for Ahab, God tells him, "You shall know that I am the LORD." If the weight of God's judgments had not taught him this already, perhaps this miraculous deliverance would touch his heart and bring him back. What touching patience God shows, even toward the most godless, the most indifferent, the most hardened! The God whom man rejects does not grow tired; He comes back to him as the God of grace and deliverance!
The prophet tells Ahab to open the attack instead of waiting behind his walls. So Ahab counts his men, and the numbers argue against him:
At this critical moment Ahab seems inclined to let God work; in any case, he has no other resource. The prophet gives him a clear answer. The "servants of the princes of the provinces," through whom God would hand the enemy army over to Ahab, are only a handful against this multitude. Ahab must not wait for the enemy's attack; he himself must begin the battle, and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab follows the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
Ahab was to begin the battle himself. Here is where he stood when it started:
In the first victory — the victory that declared God the God of the hills — Ahab had thirty-three kings against him. He does not come at the front of the battle but at the rear. Who was to order the battle? The young men set it in motion, the servants of the prince of the provinces. These two hundred and thirty-two go out for the battle, then the seven thousand go out to the battle. When Ahab sees the enemy running, he joins them; he comes in after the victory is won. Despicable, I say.
Commentators differ over Ahab here: one credits him with following the prophet's word, another sees a king who let others fight and arrived once it was safe. They agree on the purpose behind the victory:
God gave Ahab's army victory so that he might have one more proof, besides the one already given on Mount Carmel, that He was Jehovah, the unchanging One. He stoops down in such grace! In this way He would also encourage and feed any little faith that might have sprung up in the hearts of a nation that had nearly abandoned Him, after what they saw on Mount Carmel. Trust in Him He calls "precious faith" (2 Peter 1:1) — that is how highly He values it.
- Threat. A huge army with thirty-two kings behind it surrounded a king with a hard heart. God spoke first anyway.
- Word. The plan came through a prophet, not through counting. Ahab acted on that word while the numbers still said he would lose.
- Few. God passed over the seven thousand and chose the 232 attendants. No one could credit Ben-hadad's fall to Israel's strength.
- King. The man who was to lead the battle waited at the rear. He joined in only when the enemy was already running.
- Purpose. "You shall know that I am the LORD" was the aim. Carmel had one proof; this was another, to warm the small faith left in a nation that had nearly abandoned God.
And they went out at noon; and Ben-Hadad drank himself drunk in the tents, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him.
Samaria is under siege by Ben-hadad, king of Syria. The city's answer is a march of a few hundred young men in broad daylight, while the Syrian king and his thirty-two allies sit deep in a drinking party.
The force that goes out is not the army; it is a small band named in advance by a prophet. One writer contrasts this small band with the troops Ahab could have used.
God's time to humble the insolent Ben-hadad had come. God would not humble him by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab. He would do it by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
God put the honour of the day on the men no one would have picked.
God, through the word of a prophet, sends out even the weak part of the army. The honour had to go to what was known — not the warriors, but the armour-bearers — and the Syrians are destroyed.
Israel does not wait behind its walls to be hit. The order was to start the fight. The numbers made no military sense.
The "servants of the princes of the provinces" who would hand the enemy army over to Ahab are only a handful against this huge army. Ahab is not to wait for the enemy to attack; he is the one who must begin the battle — and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab obeys the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
The verse holds two pictures side by side. A small column marches out; the enemy's war council is too drunk to notice. One commentator asks what such a leader would do to his own troops.
This seemed a pitifully weak force against the powerful army of Syria. But Ben Hadad was completely sure of himself, and he was getting drunk along with the other 32 kings (v.16). Would a leader like that inspire his men to fight with discipline? No! But when the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben Hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
The word translated "booths" does not mean a palace. It is a plain word for the place where he was sitting.
A booth or tent; used in poetry for a dwelling. 2 Sam. 22:12; 1 Kings 20:12, 16; Ps. 18:11; Ps. 27:5; Ps. 31:20.
One writer notes where this kind of drinking usually turns up in the record of the kings.
"Drinking himself drunk" was what Elah was doing at the time he was assassinated. Drunken, loose living does not seem to have been the special sin of the kings of Israel and Judah as a whole, and it has never been typical of the Jewish people. It was the sin of many of their non-Jewish neighbours — look at Ben-hadad with his thirty-two allied kings, "drinking himself drunk in the booths" (1 Kings 20:16).
Ahab's heart was not the reason for the deliverance. The promise attached to it was that he would learn who the LORD is.
Why did the Lord speak like this? Was it the condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen how hard it was. But Israel had acknowledged the true God when they saw Elijah's miracle. Would God not show His grace at the least sign that His people were turning back to Him? To Ahab He says, "you shall know that I am the LORD." If Ahab had not learned this before under the weight of God's judgments, this miraculous deliverance might perhaps touch his heart so that he would be restored. What touching patience God shows, even toward the most ungodly, the most indifferent, the most hardened! The God whom man rejects does not grow tired; He comes back to him as the God of grace and of deliverance!
- Boast. Ben-hadad came against Samaria with thirty-two allied kings. He had no doubt that Syria was far stronger. So he ordered the Israelites taken alive, whether they came out for peace or for war.
- Booths. He spent the hour of the attack drinking himself drunk in tents. The same words describe Elah of Israel at the moment of his assassination.
- Handful. God named His instrument in advance. Not the seven thousand, but two hundred and thirty-two servants of the provincial officers — the armour-bearers, not the warriors.
- Noon. They went out in broad daylight. They began the battle instead of waiting to be attacked, and Syria suffered a great defeat.
- Lesson. The day was not about Ahab's worth but about God's patience. God said, "you shall know that I am the LORD." He comes back even to the hardened as the God of grace and deliverance.
And the servants of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-Hadad sent out, and they told him saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
Ben-hadad, king of Syria, has Samaria under siege with a huge army and thirty-two allied kings, and God has promised to hand that whole army over to Ahab. In verse 17 the promise starts to move: the smallest force possible walks out of the gate, and the enemy's scouts see them coming.
God chose the men Himself, and He passed over the larger force Ahab still had.
God would humiliate Ben-hadad. He would not do it by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab. He would do it by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
Older translations call these men the servants of the princes of the provinces. This verse calls them the servants of the governors of the districts.
Notice the direction: they go out. Samaria was the city under siege, so waiting behind the walls would be the obvious move.
The "servants of the princes of the provinces" are only a handful against this multitude, and God would use them to deliver the enemy army into Ahab's hands. Ahab is not to wait for the enemy to attack. He must begin the battle himself, and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab follows the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
The scouts' report is flat and factual: men are coming out of Samaria. Ben-hadad's answer shows what he thought of the threat.
This seemed a pathetically weak force against the powerful army of Syria. But Ben-hadad was completely sure of himself, and he was getting drunk with the other thirty-two kings. When the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben-hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
That confidence was misplaced. The Syrians lost badly the same day.
God had told Ahab to order the battle himself. Where Ahab actually stood is worth noticing.
You may not have noticed something about the first victory, when God was declared to be the God of the hills. Thirty-three kings stood against Ahab. Yet Ahab does not come at the front of the battle; he comes in the rear. Who shall order the battle? The young men set it in motion — the servants of the princes of the provinces. These two hundred and thirty-two go out for the battle. Then the seven thousand go out to the battle. When Ahab sees that the enemy is routed, he joins them. He comes in when the victory is won.
Ahab's heart was hard, and God promised him victory anyway. Why?
What was the Lord's ground in speaking this way? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen its hardness. But Israel, faced with Elijah's miracle, had acknowledged the true God. Would He not show His grace at the least sign of His people's return to Himself? As for Ahab, God tells him: "you shall know that I am the LORD." If the judgments of God had not taught him this before, perhaps this miraculous deliverance would touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience on God's part, even toward the most godless, the most indifferent, the most hardened.
- Few — God picked 232 servants over the 7,000 soldiers on hand, because the point was never Israel's strength. God humiliated Ben-hadad with the weakest force available.
- First — The besieged side attacks. Obedience to the prophet's word sent the smallest force out of the gate ahead of everyone else.
- Fooled — Ben-hadad heard the report and ordered the men taken alive, peace or war. Total confidence in his own superiority left him defenceless against God.
- Followed — Ahab gave the order, then held back. He joined the fight only after the enemy broke. A man can obey God's word and still keep himself safe.
- Forbearance — God gave the victory so that a hardened king would know who the LORD is. God kept reappearing to the man who had rejected Him, as the God of grace and deliverance.
And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
Ben-hadad is drinking with thirty-two allied kings while his army surrounds Samaria, and word comes that a small group has walked out of the city. He gives one order for both possibilities — peace or war, take them alive.
The man giving this order was in no condition to give it. Wine, not military judgment, fed his certainty.
This seemed a pathetically weak force against the formidable army of Syria. But Ben-Hadad was totally self-confident, and he was getting drunk with the other thirty-two kings. Would a leader like that inspire his men in disciplined warfare? Certainly not! But when the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben-Hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
Ahab had already warned him not to boast before the fight was over. Ben-hadad drank anyway, and the hour he picked for drinking was the hour God had picked to bring him down.
Then, more nobly, poor Ahab answers: "Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off." Provoked by this reply, Ben-hadad, under the influence of drink, gave the mad order for an instant attack on the city. But God's time to humble insolent Ben-hadad had come… God would not humble him by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab. He would use the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two. "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."
Ben-hadad expected to collect whatever came out of the city. Instead he got an attack. A prophet had ordered it, and the men sent to make it were far too few for the job.
The "servants of the princes of the provinces," the men through whom God would hand the enemy army over to Ahab, are only a handful against this huge army. Ahab is not to wait for the enemy's attack. He is the one who must begin the battle, and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab follows the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
Nobody carried the order out. What Ben-hadad planned for Israel's young men fell on the soldiers he sent to take them.
But God's intervention decided everything. Those who wanted to capture the young men of Israel died themselves instead. This spread confusion into Syria's ranks and they fled from Israel. Ben-Hadad escaped on horseback, but the army of Syria became prey for Israel. Israel attacked their horses and chariots and slaughtered a great number of the enemy.
Ahab was no better than the man besieging him. The promise of victory was not a reward for his heart. It was an appeal to it.
What was the Lord's ground in speaking this way? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen its hardness. But Israel, in the presence of Elijah's miracle, had acknowledged the true God. Would He not show His grace at the least sign of His people returning to Himself? As for Ahab, God tells him: "You shall know that I am the LORD." If God's judgments had not taught him this before, this miraculous deliverance might touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience on God's part, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened.
Commentators differ over Ahab's own part in the fight. One writer points out where Ahab stood while the young men went out:
You may not have noticed, but in the first victory, with thirty-three kings against him, Ahab does not come at the front of the battle but at the rear. Who shall order the battle? The young men start it, the servants of the prince of the provinces. These two hundred and thirty-two go out to the battle, then the seven thousand, and when Ahab sees that the enemy is routed he joins them. He comes in when the victory is won.
- Boast — Ben-hadad's order covered peace and war alike, because he never imagined defeat. His certainty came from wine, not from facts.
- Hour — his moment of loudest confidence was the exact moment God had set for his humbling.
- Handful — God chose the smallest instrument, 232 servants of the provincial princes. No one could credit that win to strength.
- Reversal — the men sent to take Israel alive were the ones who died. The order fell back on the men who obeyed it.
- Purpose — the victory was not Ahab's reward but God's appeal to a hardened king, so that he would know who the LORD is.
And these servants of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army that followed them.
The siege of Samaria has just turned. A prophet has promised Ahab the whole Syrian army that day, and the force God names is a handful of young men — not the trained soldiers.
One writer sets the tiny detachment beside the troops Ahab had:
God would humiliate Ben-hadad, not by any show of strength, such as the seven thousand soldiers left to Ahab. He would do it by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
The group was small. It also came from the least likely part of the ranks:
Ben-hadad besieges Samaria. God, by the direction of a prophet, sends out even the feeble part of the army, because honour must be put on it — not the warriors, but the armour-bearers. And the Syrians are demolished.
The men go out of the city. A besieged king would sit tight behind his walls. This order reversed that and left Ahab nothing to fall back on:
At this critical moment Ahab seems inclined to let God work; in any case, he has no other resource. The prophet answers his questions plainly. God would deliver the enemy army into Ahab's hands by the "servants of the princes of the provinces" — only a handful against this multitude. Instead of waiting for the enemy's assault, Ahab is the one to begin the battle. And his army numbers only seven thousand men!
On the other side, the Syrian king saw nothing to fear:
This seemed a pathetically weak force against the formidable army of Syria. But Ben-Hadad was completely sure of himself, and he was getting drunk with the other thirty-two kings. Would a leader like that inspire his men in disciplined warfare? Certainly not! But the young men of Israel went out of the city. Ben-Hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt of Syria's total superiority.
That contempt collapsed. The men sent to capture them were killed instead, and the Syrians fled. Leslie M. Grant
The verse puts the young men first and the army after them. Ahab was told to command the battle, but he appears only later. One writer reads that order as a clue:
The words "the king of Israel went out" come after the account of the going out and victory of the young men and the small army. This seems to imply that he stayed cautiously behind until the rout of the besiegers had begun — even though, by the prophet's word, he was to order the battle. Then, when the danger was past, he comes out from his place of safety inside the city walls. There he helps to slaughter an already defeated enemy.
Ahab had done nothing to earn this. The reason lay elsewhere:
What was the Lord's ground for speaking like this? The condition of Ahab's heart? We have just seen how hard it was. But Israel, faced with Elijah's miracle, had acknowledged the true God. Would He not show His grace at the least sign that His people were returning to Him? As for Ahab, God tells him, "You shall know that I am the LORD." Perhaps he had not learned this before under the weight of God's judgments. Then this miraculous deliverance might touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience on God's part, even toward the most godless, the most indifferent, the most hardened! The God whom man rejects does not grow tired. He comes back to him as the God of grace and deliverance!
- Few, on purpose. Two hundred and thirty-two servants of the district governors led the way, not Ahab's seven thousand soldiers. God humiliated Ben-hadad without any show of strength.
- Honoured, not overlooked. God sent out the feeble part of the army — the armour-bearers, not the warriors — and put honour on it.
- Forward, not fortified. Ahab had to start the battle instead of waiting behind his walls. He had no other resource than the prophet's word.
- Despised, then victorious. A drunken Ben-Hadad ordered these men taken alive. His own soldiers died instead, and Syria fled.
- Undeserved, and still given. The king hung back until the rout began. God still gave the victory, so that even a hardened man might know that He is the LORD.
And they slew every one his man; and the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the horsemen.
Samaria is under siege, its king has already offered to surrender, and the Syrian army outside is so large that its commander expects no fight. Then a small force walks out of the gate at noon, each man cuts down his opponent, and the Syrians run — their king riding for his life.
A prophet named the men who would break the siege. On paper, the numbers made the result impossible.
The "servants of the princes of the provinces" who would deliver the enemy army into Ahab's hands are only a handful against such a huge army. Ahab is not to wait for the enemy's attack; he is to start the battle himself, and his army numbers only seven thousand men! Ahab follows the prophet's word, and that day the Syrians suffer a great defeat.
Commentators point out which force God passed over:
God would humble Ben-hadad — not by any show of strength, not by the seven thousand soldiers Ahab still had, but by the servants of the princes of the provinces, who numbered two hundred and thirty-two.
Ben-hadad's own order shows what he expected from the encounter. He gave it without putting down his drink.
This looked like a hopelessly weak force against Syria's powerful army. But Ben Hadad was completely sure of himself, and he was getting drunk with the other 32 kings (v.16). Would a leader like that inspire his men to fight with discipline? Not at all! But when the young men of Israel went out of the city, Ben Hadad gave orders to take them alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. He had no doubt that Syria was far stronger.
The phrase "each struck down his man" turns that order upside down.
But God's intervention decided everything. Those who wanted to capture the young men of Israel found that they were the ones who died instead (vs.19-20). This spread confusion into Syria's ranks and they fled from Israel.
Ben-hadad had come with horses and chariots and thirty-two allied kings. He leaves with a horse and an escort. His horse saves him, but it saves nothing else. Israel went straight after the horses and chariots he came with.
Ben Hadad escaped on horseback, but the Syrian army became easy prey for Israel. Israel attacked their horses and chariots and killed a great number of the enemy (v.21).
That escape is not a loose end. Because Ben-hadad lived, he came back — and the next war settled a claim about which god had given the victory.
This time the point is to prove to the Syrians that Israel had not won the victory by their "gods of the mountains." Ben-Hadad changes the organization of his army and the place of battle, but it does no good. The Israelites, as few in number as two little flocks of goats, strike down one hundred thousand of the enemy's men in one day. So the Syrians had to learn who the Lord was, and Israel could know Him too.
The prophet had told Ahab to lead the attack. The order of events in the chapter suggests he did not.
The words "The king of Israel went out" come after the account of how the young men and the small army went out and won. That order of events seems to imply something. Though the prophet's word said he should order (or command) the battle, he held back where it was safe until the besiegers had begun to flee. Then, when the danger is past, he comes out from his safe place inside the city walls and helps to kill an enemy that is already beaten.
The victory was not a reward. Ahab had shown no sign of turning, and the promise came with a purpose: "you shall know that I am the LORD."
If he had not learned this before under the weight of God's judgments, perhaps this miraculous deliverance would touch his heart and restore him. What touching patience God shows, even toward the most profane, the most indifferent, the most hardened! The God whom man rejects does not grow tired; He comes back to him as the God of grace and of deliverance!
- Confidence — Ben-hadad's last order before the rout was to take the Israelites alive. He expected prisoners, not a fight.
- Handful — God chose the 232 servants of the provincial officials over the 7,000 soldiers, so no one could credit the win to Israel's strength.
- Reversal — the men sent to capture were the men who died, and panic did the rest of the work.
- Horse — the king got away on a horse, while Israel destroyed the horses and chariots he had brought.
- Purpose — the whole deliverance aimed at a hard heart: God came to Ahab as his deliverer, so that he would know who the LORD is.