SERIES M --- PROPHESIES AND MIRACLES --- LESSON 4

ISRAEL AT WAR

KING AHAB FIGHTS BEN-HADAD

From 1 Kings 20

Ben-hadad, king of Syria, gathered his army and joined forces with thirty-two other kings to march against Samaria. When he arrived with his horses and chariots and laid siege to the capital of Israel, he sent this message to King Ahab. [I claim your silver and gold, your most beautiful wives and your children,] he said. Thinking he could not defeat this large army, Ahab gave in. [Whatever I have is yours,] he said. When he saw how easily he could get these things, Ben-hadad wanted more. Soon he sent his messengers back to Ahab with another message. [I claim not only your wives, children, silver and gold, but also about this time tomorrow I will send my messengers to search your palace and your houses to claim anything that they wish,] he said in this message. King Ahab called his advisers to see what they would say. [See how he is stirring up trouble,] said the king. [I have already told him I would give up my wives, children, silver and gold, but he is not satisfied.] [Do not give in any further,] his advisers told him. King Ahab sent Ben-hadad’s messengers back with this message, [I offered to give you what you asked for at first, but I will not let you do what you now ask.] Ben-hadad sent yet another message to Ahab. [May the gods punish me worse than I will punish you if I do not so utterly destroy Samaria that each of my men may have a handful of its dust.] King Ahab replied with this message, [When you put on your armour to go into battle, you must never boast like a man who is taking off his armour after a great victory.] This message reached Ben-hadad while he was drinking with the other kings in their tents. [Prepare to go to battle!] Ben-hadad ordered his combined armies and they did so. In the meanwhile, a prophet went to see King Ahab in Israel. [Adonai asks if you have seen that great army. Today Adonai will give you victory over them and thus you will be reminded again that He is Adonai.] [By whom will He do this?] Ahab asked. [By the young men under the leadership of the provincial chiefs,] said the prophet. [Who shall begin the battle?] asked Ahab. [You,] the prophet replied. Ahab assembled the young men under the leadership of the provincial chiefs. There were two hundred and thirty-two of them, in addition to his regular army of seven thousand. The young men from the provinces marched first from the city, about noon, while Ben-hadad was getting almost drunk with the other thirty-two kings. As these young men came near Ben-hadad’s camp, his scouts reported their movements to him. [Men are coming from Samaria,] they told Ben-hadad. [Capture them alive,] Ben-hadad ordered, [whether they are coming for peace or for war.] Ahab’s army was right behind them however and suddenly they attacked the Syrians. When each Israelite had killed a Syrian, the Syrians turned and ran. With the Israelites in pursuit, King Ben-hadad and a few horsemen escaped on horses. But Ahab captured the remaining horses and chariots and killed most of the Syrian army. The prophet returned to King Ahab. [Prepare for another battle with Ben-hadad next spring, for he will come against you again,] he warned. What the prophet said was true, for even at that time Ben-hadad’s men were advising him to do this. [The YHVH of Israel is a hill YHVH,] they said. [If we fight them in the plains we will surely win. This time, let’s place generals rather than kings over the men. Assemble as large an army as we had before, with as many horses and chariots and we will defeat them in the plains, for we are mightier than they. Ben-hadad accepted the advice of his men and did what they suggested. The next spring, he assembled a great army of Syrians and set up camp at Aphek. But the army of Israel was already gathered, with provisions and was ready for battle. When the army of Israel came near the army of Syria, the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats compared to the Syrians. The Syrian army was so vast that it seemed to fill the countryside. A prophet of Adonai went to see King Ahab with this message from Adonai, [Since the Syrians have said that Adonai is a hill YHVH and therefore cannot lead His people to victory in the plains, He will lead you to victory over this great army. Then you will surely know that He is Adonai.] For seven days the two armies camped opposite each other. On the seventh day the battle began and on that day the Israelites killed one hundred thousand Syrians. The rest of the Syrians escaped into Aphek, where a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand, killing them all. Then Ben-hadad escaped into an inner room of a house in the city. [We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful,] his officers told him. [Perhaps if we put on sackcloth and ropes around our heads, King Ahab will spare your life when we go out and ask for mercy.] Ben-hadad’s officers put on sackcloth with ropes around their heads and went out to King Ahab to beg for mercy. [Your servant Ben-hadad begs for his life,] they said. [Is he still alive?] asked Ahab. [He is my brother.] When the officers heard this, they quickly tried to play upon Ahab’s sympathies. [Yes, your brother Ben-hadad!] they responded. [Bring him here,] said Ahab. When they brought Ben-hadad, Ahab took him into his chariot. [I will give back the cities which my father took from your father,] Ben-hadad promised. [You may also set up trading posts in Damascus.] [I will spare your life on those terms,] Ahab promised. Then the two kings made a covenant and Ahab released Ben-hadad. Along the road Ahab was to travel, a prophet of YHVH was preparing to speak to the king. As part of his plan, he commanded a man to strike him, but the man refused. [Since you have refused Adonai’s Command, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me,] the prophet told the man. It happened exactly as the prophet said, for as soon as the man left him a lion pounced on him and killed him. The prophet commanded another man to hurt him. [Strike me, I command you,] he said. The man struck him and wounded him. The prophet then waited for Ahab by the road, disguised with a bandage over his eyes. When King Ahab came by, the prophet called out to him, pretending to be a soldier. [While I was fighting in the thick of battle, a man brought a prisoner to me to guard,] he said. [He told me that if this man escaped I would have to pay two thousand dollars in silver. But while I was doing the things I had to do, the man escaped.] [You have judged yourself,] said the king. [You must pay!] [And you have judged yourself,] the prophet answered, pulling the bandage from his eyes so that Ahab would recognize him. [You let a man go free when Adonai had told you to execute him. Now you will die instead of him and your people instead of his people.] When Ahab heard this, he returned home to Samaria, bitter and resentful.

COMMENTARY

AHAB’S WARS AGAINST THE SYRIANS

The Syrians or Arameans were the people who lived north of Palestine. For many years they did not have a common ruler, but organized themselves into small states or kingdoms. King David brought much of this region under Israelite control. Later, during Solomon’s reign, the Syrians broke away and again became independent of Israel. The hostility that began in this power struggle continued for decades and came to a head during the reign of Ahab. King Ahab of Israel went to war against Syria three times. His opponent was Ben-hadad, the king of Damascus. Ben-hadad gained control of the other Syrian kingdoms, and replaced their kings with his own governors. This formed a strong and united kingdom with Damascus as its capital. Ben-hadad began the series of wars by marching his armies through Israel and laying siege to Samaria, Ahab’s capital. At this time in history, siege warfare was becoming increasingly popular. With the town walls surrounded, villagers could not escape, and quickly ran out of food and water. The enemy had only to wait till they weakened and could no longer defend the walls. Ahab did not wait for the situation to become this desperate. He allowed the large Syrian army to advance toward Samaria through an empty riverbed. The way was steep and unfamiliar to the Syrians. But the Israelites, who knew the hills of Samaria, laid an ambush and defeated Ben-hadad. The following summer Ben-hadad made a second attempt. The battle took place in the Valley of Jarmuth, near Aphek, where the Syrians believed the Israelite YHVH had no power. Ahab again defeated the Syrians, and captured Ben-hadad as well. In return for his life, Ben-hadad agreed to return some Israelite cities that his father had captured from the Israelites years before. He also agreed to allow Israelite merchants to trade in Damascus. The last point was particularly important, for trade had always been a source of conflict between Syrians and Israelites. The Israelites controlled almost all trade routes with the rich countries of Egypt and Arabia. Damascus, on the other hand, was the gateway to the wealthy countries of Mesopotamia. Business in Damascus gave Israel access to vast new markets. Ahab and Ben-hadad kept the peace treaty for the next three years. During this time, they even joined forces against a common enemy; the Assyrians. But the peace did not last. Ahab grew angry at the Syrian occupation of Ramoth-Gilead, an important military post on the north-eastern edge of Israel. He formed an alliance with Judah, and the two armies went against Ben-hadad. Although Ahab entered the battle in disguise, he did not survive. A Syrian arrow pierced his armour and he died before sunset.