1 Kings 20: 1 – 43
Professional Courtesy
20 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and made war against it. 2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’” 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.” 5 Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ” 7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” And the messengers departed and brought back word to him. 10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.” 11 So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ” 12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city. 13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” 14 So Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?” And he answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand. 16 So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post. 17 The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!” 18 So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.” 19 Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20 And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.” 23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore, they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25 and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so. 26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside. 28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” 29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So, it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand-foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousands of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber. 31 Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.” So, he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot. 34 So Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So, he made a treaty with him and sent him away. 35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him. 37 And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So, the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ” 43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased and came to Samaria.
Professional courtesy generally refers to a philosophy of professional behavior or etiquette which is extended between members of the same profession. The concept of professional courtesy is believed to have originated within the ancient practice of medicine by where physicians provided services to other physicians without charge. However, the philosophy does not necessarily involve the same courtesy across all professions. Nor is professional courtesy a mandated privilege but is freely given at the discretion of the party extending the courtesy.
Some other well-known groups who have some form of professional courtesy also include attorneys, performing arts, and law enforcement. The phrase may also be applied in a literal form, such as the required ethical behavior of lawyers towards each other.
Since 9/11 I have been serving in the Philadelphia Police Department as a chaplain. Within the police department professional courtesy has been used to refer to the practice by law enforcement officers allowing other officers to engage in traffic violations and some crimes without being reported or arrested.
The Federation of Police (FOP) provides a "family card" that can be given to friends and family to produce at, for example, a traffic stop to identify them to the officer as a family member. Where an ordinary member of the public would get a ticket this notification card will cause the officer in most cases to overlook any violations of the law the person may have made and tell them to go on their way.
In today’s message we are going to witness a professional courtesy between evil kings. One is Ahab of Israel and the other is Ben Hadad of Syria. I know you will find it quite interesting their interaction with each other and how they treat their own subjects.
There is no indication at what point in Ahab’s reign these events occurred, but a situation is indicated where the power of the Aramaeans had now grown so great that they had made Ahab into a vassal king who paid tribute to Aram (Syria). This must have been some time into the reign of Ahab. At that stage Ahab was simply suffering the consequences of his disobedience and by putting his trust in Baal.
Ben Hadad the king of Aram then sought to publicly humiliate Ahab, which resulted in determined resistance, and resulted in his own defeat. Amazingly this was important because it Was our Great God YHWH Who had fought for Israel in accordance with the word of a prophet (verse 13).
It will be noted that the main purpose in all this was so that Ahab might be brought to know that YHWH was truly the only One and True God of Israel.
20 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and made war against it.
The crisis now facing Ahab was a severe one. Ben Hadad of Aram had gathered his forces together and with thirty-two ‘kings’, and horses and chariots, was besieging Samaria. This was seemingly because Ahab had previously become Ben Hadad’s subject nation but had withheld tribute. It was Ben Hadad who now controlled the trade routes and had grown rich and powerful.
It is quite clear from this that Ben Hadad, king of Aram, reigning in Damascus, was the new power in the area. From small beginnings when Rezon had made it his base at the end of Solomon’s reign (11.23-25), Damascus had gradually begun to establish itself, and to organize the Aramaean tribes, and taking advantage of the continual squabbles between Israel and Judah, had grown ever more and more powerful, even assisting Asa against Israel in return for adequate reward (15.17-22), when the Aramaeans had raided Israel’s northern borderlands.
Seemingly by the time of this incident he had gone further and had reduced Ahab to a subject nation that had to pay tribute to them. But it would appear from what follows that Ahab had withheld tribute, and Ben Hadad now therefore called on thirty-two ‘kings’ (some local petty kings but mainly tribal chieftains) to aid him in punishing his rebellious subject, Ahab.
2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’”
With Samaria under siege Ben Hadad sent messengers to Ahab to point out that he was Benhadad’s personal subject and that all of Israel belonged to him. It was his intention to receive a large amount of silver and gold, and to take Ahab’s wives and children as hostages to Damascus, hostages for his good behavior. Ahab could get many more wives, and he would know that his children would be well treated if he kept to the terms of the treaty. Ben hHadad would probably not have wanted to offend Tyre by taking Jezebel.
4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”
Ahab, recognizing that he had little alternative, yielded to Benhadad’s demands. He was prepared to swear loyalty, pay his ransom, and hand over the hostages, in return for Ben Hadad’s withdrawal.
5 Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’”
But Benhadad was not satisfied with that. He wanted to demonstrate his complete superiority over Ahab by humiliating him and walking in and taking whatever could be found of value in Samaria, on top of what had originally been demanded. As Ahab recognized, it was a deliberate insult.
7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”
Ahab then called together his council and the leading men of the land. He pointed out the humiliating nature of the demand that was now being made, which was on top of the original demand to which he had acceded and sought their advice.
8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”
Moved to anger by the demands, and probably feeling safe in Samaria which was built to withstand a long siege, the elders and all the people urged Ahab to resist.
9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.
Ahab sent the messengers back, repeating the original terms, by which he was willing to abide, but pointing out that he could not accede to the new demands. At this the messengers returned to Benhadad.
10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
Benhadad’s reply was that he would grind Samaria into such a small pile of dust that there would hardly be enough to give a handful to all those who followed him.
11 So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’”
Ahab’s adrenalin was now flowing, sent his own reply and suggested to Ben Hadad that the time for boasting was after he had won the battle, not before.
12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.
The message reached Ben Hadad as he was drinking in his splendid tent with his loyal kings and chieftains, and infuriated he sent out immediate orders that preparations should instantly go forward for reducing the besieged city. The time for talking was at an end.
13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”
Meanwhile unknown to Ben Hadad a new power was entering the equation, for a prophet came from YHWH to Ahab and assured him that the great host that he saw before him would be delivered into his hand that very day so that Ahab would be able to appreciate that YHWH truly was YHWH, the great Deliverer of Israel. After the exhibition at Mount Carmel YHWH was giving Ahab another chance.
14 So Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?” And he answered, “You.”
Ahab had been sufficiently impressed by what had happened at Mount Carmel to listen, and he then asked the prophet by whom this deliverance was to take place. Who were those to be involved? The reply brings out YHWH’s sense of humor. Ben Hadad had demanded Ahab’s children, had he? Well, he could have them. The deliverance would by ‘the young men’ of the princes of the provinces.
Ahab then asked whether he should wait for Ben Hadad to attack, or whether he should attack first, to which the prophet replied that he should attack first.
15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.
So Ahab mustered the young men of the princes of the provinces, of which there were two hundred and thirty two, and then he mustered all the available fighting men in Samaria. These numbered ‘seven thousand’ (seven military units). The number is significant in that ‘seven thousand’ chosen servants of YHWH who were loyal to Him was told to Elijah.
16 So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post.
Benhadad, confident that Ahab was trapped in the city and could do little or nothing, was getting himself and all his accompanying kings drunk. The thought of a full-scale attack from within the city was outside his comprehension. Thus, when the initial foray of ‘Ahab’s children’ came out of the city at noon he treated it as a joke that Ahab was still trying to stick to the original promise of sending out his children, something to be dismissed out of hand. He is going to order his soldiers to take them captive.
17 The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!”
The initial foray was by the young men of the provinces, and when Ben Hadad sent out in order to discover what the commotion was about, he was informed that men had come out of Samaria.
18 So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
He probably dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. His commanders in the field could deal with that. And he was so confident that he gave the command that, regardless of whether they had come out to make terms, or whether their aim was more belligerent, the Israelites be taken alive. He did not realize that by this he was merely hampering his forces, who would seek to carry out his wishes. It is much more difficult to take men alive than dead, and his officers would know what the consequences would be for them if too many of their opponents died after they had received that command.
19 Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20 And each one killed his man; so, the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.
Meanwhile the young men came forward determined to prove their worth and to show Ahab that he had chosen wisely, and, with all eyes concentrated on them, they were followed by the seven large units who had also been gathered but were probably virtually unnoticed. It looks like the Syrians sent out one man to take a captive of each Israelite youth since the king wanted them taken alive.
But the young men of Ahab prevailed, each slaying his man. With this shocking action, and with their kings and chieftains drunk in their tent, and with seven organized units of Israelites suddenly appearing and bearing down on them the different tribal sections turned and fled.
Benhadad, now aroused from his drunken stupor, recognized the danger and, caught up in the general panic, seized a horse and fled with his cavalry.
21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.
Seeing the success of his men, Ahab went out to take advantage of the situation, smiting the horses and chariots, which would not have been anticipating a battle and would have been unprepared, and slaughtering great numbers of fleeing Aramaeans. YHWH had triumphed on behalf of Israel once again. It was a rout.
It was not likely that Ben Hadad would take this reverse lightly. While his forces had fled in panic with the result that he had forfeited all the gains and tribute that he had been expecting, and had lost a good number of men, he was still militarily strong, and now he had the further motive in that there was a humiliation to wipe out and a rebellious one time vassal to subdue. Thus, he began to prepare himself for a second attempt on Israel.
This time, however the battle was to be fought on grounds of his choosing. This was, indeed necessary, because his men had got it into their minds that in the mountains Israel’s gods were more powerful and it was therefore unwise to venture there. So, he amassed his superior numbers and once again set out to deal with Ahab, and this time he was determined to do it on the flat plain at Aphek.
Unfortunately for him, however, YHWH was not simply like other gods. He was the only God, and God of both mountain and plain, and of the whole world. Thus, He would punish Ben Hadad for his impudence, and at the same time give further indication to Ahab that Israel were His chosen people, and that Ahab should therefore look only to Him.
22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”
God was now making a determined attempt to win Ahab away from the worship of Baal to a true worship of Him, and to make him realize that his only hope lay in full submission to Him as YHWH the only God of Israel and of the world. Thus, He sent a prophet to keep Ahab in touch with events, and to remind him of His ever-present eye. This prophet advised Ahab to build up his fighting capabilities, and to be careful what he was about, because within a year he could be sure that Ben Hadad would be back. He was seeking to teach Ahab continual dependence.
23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore, they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely, we will be stronger than they.
Meanwhile, unaware that YHWH knew their every conversation and was plotting against them, Ben Hadad’s courtiers and commanders were advising him on his next course of action. As they could not see any other explanation for their previous failure they had concluded that the explanation lay in the fact that Israel’s God had been victorious because He was a ‘god of the hills’. Let them then but fight Israel in the plains and the victory would be theirs.
24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25 and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
Their solution was that the army should be reorganized under reliable military commanders who would be responsive to their general, rather than being left in the hands of chieftains who often preferred to do their own thing, especially when booty was available. An army equal in size and military strength to the previous one was then to be mustered under these commanders, and by meeting Israel’s army in the plain they would nullify the effectiveness of their God. It appeared to be a sound plan and might have worked if God had been like the gods of the nations. The snag lay in the fact that He was not.
26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
So ‘at the return of the year’ Ben Hadad again mustered his troops, and in accordance with the plan went up to the plain around Aphek in order to fight Israel on the flat there.
27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.
Learning of the threat of invasion the children of Israel were also mustered. And so massive was the army of Aram that the army of Israel appeared like ‘two little flocks of kids’ in comparison. It appeared to be ‘no contest’.
28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
But there was one difference, and that was that YHWH was with Israel, and intended to make quite clear that the foolish words of the Aramaeans about His limitations were nonsense. This is spelled out to Ahab with the assurance that the folly of their words would be made clear when Ahab gained the victory. Then he would know truly Who YHWH was, which was the whole point of the exercise.
29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So, it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand-foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day.
The outcome was inevitable. The armies encamped opposite each other for seven days and then at the end of that period (‘seven days’ - the divinely appointed time they joined battle. The result was that the Aramaeans were totally defeated, and the children of Israel were able to slaughter a hundred thousands of the enemy in that one day
30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousands of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.
The remainder of the Aramaean army fled to the city of Aphek to take shelter there. But the Israelites set about undermining the walls, with the result that the walls caved in on the crowded troops assembled within the city just inside its walls, falling on another twenty -seven thousands of the enemy. Meanwhile Ben Hadad had taken refuge in an inner chamber.
31 Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.”
His advisors then came to him and pointed out to Ben Hadad that whatever he had intended to do to Ahab, the kings of Israel had a reputation for being merciful kings. The author was especially interested in this point because it emphasized the difference between the attitude of the enemy and the distinctiveness of Yahweh. The covenant taught men to be merciful.
So they suggested that they all strip off their robes and put on sackcloth, and wind ropes on their heads, and then go to the king of Israel. Perhaps he would be merciful.
32 So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Suiting their actions to their words, but not risking taking the king with them, his servants came to the king of Israel in sackcloth and with ropes wound round their heads, and offered Ben Hadad’s plea that his life might be spared. And their hopes very much sprang to life when Ahab, instead of speaking in anger rather asked after Ben Hadad’s welfare and spoke of him as his ‘brother’. He was surprised that he had survived the fierceness of the slaughter.
Here we begin to see the evil of both kings. They were so arrogant they did not care about destroying the local citizen but for each other Ahab gives this wicked Syrian some professional courtesy and will allow him to walk away unharmed.
33 Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.” So, he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.
Catching on to his tone the courtiers watched him carefully and in the brief time that they had available tried to work out its genuineness. Then they hopefully said, ‘Yes, your brother Ben Hadad’. To their relief Ahab, in what gave the appearance of an intention to show mercy, then told them to bring Ben Hadad to him. And the result was that Ben Hadad was brought out of his hiding place, and Ahab ‘caused him to come up into his chariot’. This may have been a gesture indicating equality.
34 So Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So, he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
Benhadad then ceded back the rights that he had previously claimed over Israel, and at the same time gave Ahab trading rights in Damascus. Control of the trade routes would pass back to Ahab.
35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him.
The point behind this initial incident is the vital importance of obeying the word of YHWH even if we do not understand why it has been given, with the consequence of failure being death. We must presume that the prophet stressed that what he was being asked to do was ‘by the word of YHWH’, and the man certainly knew that he was a prophet. The man was thus flagrantly guilty of disobeying YHWH. At a time when Yahweh’s loyal people were suffering persecution it was necessary for the status of their prophets to be soundly upheld.
36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
Because the man refused to obey the word of YHWH he was deserving of death, and the prophet foresaw his death at the paws of a lion. And sure enough as he went on his way a lion killed him.
37 And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So, the man struck him, inflicting a wound.
Then the prophet moved on to a second man who this time obliged and hit him hard enough to leave marks.
38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
Satisfied with how he looked the prophet then went and waited in a place where he knew that the king would shortly pass. The fact that he did it so openly may suggest that for the time being the persecution of the prophets of YHWH had ceased. Certainly, Ahab appears to have become more amenable towards YHWH, something no doubt resulting from what he had seen on Mount Carmel, and from the encouragement that the prophets had given him during his wars.
39 Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”
As the king passed by the prophet, pretending to be an injured soldier, called on him to give him his judgment. It was quite normal for kings in those days to be called on by individuals to dispense justice, and for them to do so. While it is not mentioned the prophet clearly intended that the king should notice his injury. The injury must have been because he was wanting to see if the king would be sympathetic to his case and enquire further.
He described how a fellow soldier on the battlefield had committed to his hands a captured enemy and had charged him to keep him as a captive. If he failed in his duty it would cost him his life or for a talent, which was a lot of money could pay for his life. A talent was a huge amount of money to a common soldier, which both knew would take a lifetime and more to repay. The prophet was trying to arouse the king’s sympathy, and possibly wanting him to consider his wound and his blindness.
But the king’s judgment was callous. It meant nothing to him that this fellow Israelite blind man would be burdened by his debt for life. There was not professional courtesy shown to this peon. The man had explained his own case. Let him abide by what he had said and take the consequences.
41 And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
The prophet then took the headband from his eyes and the king immediately recognized him for a prophet. This was probably because they had met before, although it is possible that prophets in those days bore some identifying mark.
42 Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’”
Then the prophet made clear that he had been speaking about the king himself. He in his blindness had let go the very man whom YHWH had devoted to destruction. His judgment thus returned upon himself. He had failed YHWH and he and his people would have to pay the price of his failure.
43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased and came to Samaria.
The king, who had probably been very pleased with himself at the treaty that he had made now recognized that he had indeed gone against the custom of YHWH and became heavy-hearted and displeased. The fact that nothing is said confirms the fact that he was aware that he had done wrong. Ben Hadad should not have been spared.
Our Holy Lord God knows all things. As we have read repeatedly our Merciful Great God proved to Ahab that He was the only real and living God. Ahab would take all the blessings and know that Yahweh was the One Who did them, yet he would not give his allegiance to Him. Ahab was now living on borrowed time.
