We explored the last half of chapter 20. This records for us the second battle Ban-hadad had with the children of Israel. This battle was in the spring and it was staged in a valley with the idea that the God of Israel could not help them in the valley because they believed He was a God of the hills. For this very reason God promised to deliver the Syrians and the armies of their allies into the hands of the king of Israel. But it was a victory declared to be given specifically so that Ahab will know that Yahweh is the God of Israel. Ahab wins a great victory over an immense multitude with a very small army by comparison. There is even a Jericho moment when 27,000 soldiers are killed by a wall collapsing on them. This is clearly a victory given to Ahab by God. God had commanded them to destroy the Syrians. But in the end Ahab strikes a deal with Ben-hadad in exchange for some cities and trade, Ahab gives Ben-hadad his life. God’s prophet then goes and gets beat up and stages a Nathan the prophet kind of story where he tells Ahab he was guarding a key man of the enemy and was informed his life would be forfeit if he allowed him to escape. Somehow the man escaped. Ahab then declares his life is forfeit. The prophet then removes his disguise and tells Ahab this declaration he has made will be his judgement. Ahab’s response is to return home sullen and angry. Unrepentant as he always is, no matter how much God has done to reveal Himself to Him. Ahab is a truly amazing profile of the hardness of a man’s heart against God. Yet today we will continue to explore this amazing profile in being unrepentant. This had to be a really shocking profile for the people in captivity to consider. A king who saw the direct intervention of the hand of God again and again. Yet there was never any indication of repentance. Ahab simply saw God as an impediment to doing what he wanted, because of this he had no time for God. This had to be a huge warning to the people in captivity and it still carries that same message for all of us today.
