“When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.”
~ 1 King 20:27
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you think that God will do to you if you do not do for Him what He expects you to do? Ahab found out what God will do to a guy who did not do for Him what He had expected him to do. Ahab reigned as king for about twenty years over the Israelite people groups guys and gals – God’s specially chosen guy and gals. At the same time that Ahab reigned as king over the Israelite people group guys and gals, a Ben-Hadad reigned as king over the guys and gals who lived in the country of Aram. Abram was born about 1700 years before Ahab reigned as king over the Israelite people groups guys and gals and when a Ben-Hadad reigned as king over the guys and gals who lived in the country of Aram. Abram was born in a place called Ur. The place called Ur was located in the land area that is now the country of Iran. Abram’s dad’s name was Terah. Terah was also the dad of Nahor and Haran. Haran was Lot’s dad. After Haran died, Terah headed northwest with his kid Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai and his grandson Lot. Your grandpaa does not know when – it might have been at the same time, Nahor also headed in the same direction that his dad, bro, sister-in-law and nephew went. After Abram moved with his dad, wife and nephew to a place that they named Haran, God told Abram to move south to a land area that was called Canaan where He promised Abram that he would become the father of a great nation. Abram took Lot with him when he moved south to the land area of Canaan. Abram – who had his name changed by God to Abraham, and Sarai – who had her name changed by God to Sarah, had one kid who they named Isaac. Isaac and his wife Rebecca had twin boys who they named Esau and Jacob. Jacob between four gals had twelve boys. Jacob had his name changed by God to Israel. Jacob’s twelve boys became the patriarchs of a great nation/people group that became known as Israel. Nahor pretty much pulled an Abram. Nahor also had twelve boys. Nahor’s twelve boys became the patriarchs of a land area that is located north of the land area of Canaan – a land area that now includes the country of Syria. Kemuel – one of Nahor’s kids, had a kid who he named Aram. Aram over time had his extended family’s land area – the land area that now includes the country of Syria, named after him. The extended family of Aram – which became known as the Aramean people group guys and gals, developed over the years a really strong hatred against God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals – who were Jacob’s extended family.
It is now over 1700 years later. Guys from Nahor’s extended family are working at ridding Abram’s extended family of guys, gals and kids from planet Earth. After a Ben-Hadad mustered a very large army – that included thirty-two kings, the Ben-Hadad besieged the land area of Samaria – which was a name that had been given to the land area where the northern Israelite people group guys and gals lived. After the Ben-Hadad ‘went for the kill’ against the northern Israelite people group guys, Ben-Hadad demanded that Ahab give him all the silver and gold that he could find in the northern land area of Israel plus he demanded that Ahab give him his best wives and his kids. Even after Ahab did what the Ben-Hadad demanded him to do or . . ., the Ben-Hadad demanded Ahab to give him even more stuff. After Ahab’s elders advised him to tell the Ben-Hadad that he was not going to get anything else from him, an unidentified prophet told Ahab to attack the Ben-Hadad before the Ben-Hadad attacked him. Your grandpaa thinks that the anonymous prophet was Elijah who the Kings Book author mentions in 1 Kings 20. Elijah was a prophet spokesman for God during Ahab’s tenure as king over the guys and gals who lived in Israel’s northern kingdom’s land area. Your grandpaa thinks that it would have been just like Elijah to tell Ahab to attack an enemy army that could have easily defeated Ahab’s army. Ahab’s 7000 man army routed the Ben-Hadad’s massive army. The Ben-Hadad the next spring put together an even larger army for the purpose of defeating Ahab once and for all. After the Ben-Hadad’s army bivouacked for seven days at the town of Aphek, verse 27 says, “When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.” the undisclosed man of God – who your grandpaa thinks was Elijah, told Ahab that God was going to deliver the vast Aramean army into his hands and that every guy, gal and kid would know Who was Lord. 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers and support personnel were killed by Ahab’s army and another 27,000 Aramean soldiers were killed when the town of Aphek’s walls fell on them. The Ben-Hadad was found hiding in a room in the town of Aphek. After the Ben-Hadad told Ahab that he would give him back some Israelite people group cities that his dad had captured from Ahab’s dad and that he would make a trade agreement with Ahab, Ahab did not kill the Ben-Hadad – which God was expecting Ahab to do or . . .
Why do you think that Ahab did not kill the Ben-Hadad after Ahab’s soldiers found the Ben-Hadad hiding in a room in the town of Aphek? Ahab was killed three years later battling Aramean people group soldiers. What do you think that life in the land of Israel would be like today if Ahab had killed the Ben-Hadad? Hezbollah – which is the Shiite Islamic militia that is based in the country of Lebanon, is supported by Syrian people group guys and gals. Hezbollah’s goal is to annihilate the Israelite people group guys, gals and kids who live in the country of Israel. Hezbollah means a party of God. Why do you think that Hezbollah guys and gals think that they are a party of God? Your grandpaa thinks that Nahor’s extended family of guys and gals are still jealous that God chose Abram to bless.
1 Kings 20 (811)