And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him.
Israel has just defeated Syria, and Ahab has let the captured king Ben-hadad go free. God then tells one member of a prophetic company to ask a fellow man to wound him — and the refusal that follows becomes one of Scripture's sharpest lessons on obedience.
The command and the refusal
A direct order from God sets the whole story going. The man who refused it was no outsider. He belonged to the prophetic circle.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe Lord commanded one of the sons of the prophets (Josephus says it was Micaiah; 22:8) to ask another prophet to strike him. The prophet refused the unquestioning obedience required of a prophet, and so the judgment of God overtook him. Still, God carries out His purpose of bringing the judgment message home to Ahab.
Who the "sons of the prophets" were
The phrase names a known group in Israel. Scripture says less about them than we might expect.
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe Old Testament refers to them, and at times there were many of them. Scripture speaks of them as being at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal (2 Kings 2:3, 5; 2 Kings 4:38). … We read of them only in the days of Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha, whom they held in high regard. … Where these prophets came from, and what their duties were, is not recorded.
Obeying, not understanding
Everything hangs on one clause: the order came "at the command of the LORD." The refusal looks kind, and one writer takes that defence apart.
H. L. RossierIf this man was not a prophet himself, he was at any rate the prophet's companion. God's chastening of His own is all the more severe because they are in a more privileged position. Here we have a different case from that of the prophet from Judah in 1 Kings 13. That man had a clear word from the Lord to act on, gave it up to follow another word claimed to be from God, and found a lion in his path. Here a companion of a prophet refuses to act on the word of the Lord. His intentions were good, you say; he loved his companion too much to hurt him. No doubt, but the word was a command! God had given the order. You still object that the man did not see the good of the order. But with the word of the Lord it is not a question of understanding, but of obeying. And indeed, understanding was impossible for him. He could not, and did not need to, account for what God wanted to do.
The lion in the way
This man's story becomes a mirror. The same writer asks Christians who meet trouble to check one thing first.
H. L. RossierOutright disobedience to the Word is an infinitely serious thing. How many Christian lives consist of similar acts of disobedience! Christians often ask why they meet a lion in the way without being able to answer the question. Should they not first ask whether they have been willing to submit to the word of God, when it has shown them His will in a plain way? Most people look everywhere else to find the reason for God's chastening of His children or His servants.
The man who obeyed
The story does not end with the refusal. A second man struck the blow, and that obedience changed what he became.
Leslie M. GrantAnother case was that of one of the sons of the prophets telling his neighbour to strike him (1 Kings 20:35). When he would not, a lion killed him. Then another did strike and wounded him. This man was acting alone at the Word of God, so that afterward he was called a prophet (1 Kings 20:38), and he fearlessly brought God's message to Ahab (ch. 20:39-42).
The wound becomes the message
The blow had a purpose. It gave the prophet visible proof to bring before Ahab — and Ahab had made the very same refusal.
H. L. RossierNow the prophet could appear before Ahab with sure proof of what would happen to him. God had said: Strike! He had refused to do so. Now another would strike Ahab and wound him. His fate was settled.
Summary
- Word. The order came "at the command of the LORD." That alone settled it. With God's word it is not a question of understanding, but of obeying.
- Refusal. Good intentions did not excuse him. A prophet's companion turned down a plain command, and God's chastening falls harder on those in a more privileged position.
- Lion. When a lion meets us on the road, the first question is not "why?" Ask instead whether we obeyed God's will where He made it plain.
- Obedience. The second man acted alone on God's word. He is the one who ends up called a prophet, speaking without fear to a king.
- Sign. The wound made the message visible. God said strike, Ahab spared, and now another would strike Ahab. God's purpose reached the king either way.