The Story of Elijah, chapter 8 – 09/08/2024

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord and join us today
We are full of gratitude for all the good in our lives
For our friends and family
For our good fortune and happy memories.
Still we fret and worry
We strive and scramble
We hustle and grind
To fix what isn’t working
To patch up the holes in our lives and in our hearts
Often things go well,
our crisis averted
and we are on to our next thing,
not exactly at peace,
maybe wondering when the next shoe will drop.

Other times things don’t go as planned
We don’t seem able to satisfy our needs or expectations
We are confused by it all
We become frustrated,
We become isolated
We suffer, we suffer quietly and alone
(Or not so quietly and alone)
And we put our heads down and push forward
Day after day

Sometimes the suffering of a person bubbles up and boils over
When that happens suffering multiplies and spreads.
This happened this week in Georgia when the suffering of one family, one child,
burst the seams and cut through a school, a community and a nation.

Show us our part
Show us what we can do
How we can contribute
Show us how we are currently increasing our own suffering and the suffering of others
And give us practical ways to overcome those patterns and choices
Bring us the help we need.
Give us the ways to bring peace into our own lives

And show us, in ways that are timely and tangible how we can offer peace to others
To ease their pain and loneliness
To assist in their joy and hope
So their lives,
And our lives too,
against all we may have ever known will be filled with gratitude for all you do
Your rock solid love
Your tender considerations
Your gentle presence
And lead us
another step forward
Into our surrender to you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Ben-hadad the king of Syria,
gathered all his army together.
Thirty-two kings were with him,
and horses and chariots.
And he went up and closed in on Samaria
and fought against it 1 Kings 20:1

Today’s episode requires an explanation, because my plan was to skip this chapter. For the past seven weeks we’ve been immersed in the story of Elijah, but for some reason he does not appear here; not even his name is mentioned. But that is one of the curiosities in this episode that interests me. There are still gifted seers through whom God delivers messages to King Ahab, and these three fill the void that Elijah leaves. However, not even one of the three is named, but each one is identified by a title: the first is simply “a prophet,” the second is “a man of God,” and the third is “a certain man of the sons of the prophets,”
I have two reasons for including this chapter in the story of Elijah, even though we lose sight of him. First, there is a strong connection between the end of this episode and a moment in the next episode where an unusual phrase is repeated using the exact same words. The link is strong enough to suggest a theme that deserves attention.
The second reason I’m including this chapter is because I-love-this-story! The first time I discovered a truth revealed in this chapter, it was something I desperately needed to learn. So, here we go.

Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, was a bully.
He commanded one of the most impressive armies east of the Mediterranean Sea. He increased his dominance and control by conquering smaller kingdoms in the region of Aram, and then replacing their kings with his own governors. The powerful nations in the ancient world found it easier and more profitable to force weaker nations to pay them for protection rather than increase the burden of taxation on one’s own people. In his current campaign, Ben-hadad brought thirty-two governors of his vassal kingdoms with him along with their armed troops to assist in attacking Israel. When Syria’s soldiers were on the march, nations trembled.
In his current campaign, he had his eyes on Samaria, the capital city of Israel.

The Syrian strategy was classic. The simplest way to conquer a city was to form a blockade around it. If no one was able to escape, and all supplies of food and water were cut off, then starvation and disease would eventually force the helpless city to open its gates. All a general needed was enough provisions for his own troops to be able to wait out the people in the city.
Ben-hadad’s certainty of victory was absolute. An idea entered his cruel mind, to harass the king and people of Samaria, the way a cat plays with a mouse before crushing it. That the city would fall was obvious, so why not humiliate Israel and at the same time plunder them without having to shoot an arrow or break down the gates? With that intention, he sent a delegation from his camp to King Ahab to deliver his message: “This word comes straight from the lips of King Ben-hadad. You are to hand over to me your silver and your gold. Also, your wives and their children are mine.”
Without expressing a word of complaint, Ahab told the messengers: “Give my answer to your master, ‘O king, I am yours, and so is all that I have. I accept your terms.’”
Did Israel’s king actually find his situation so hopeless that he sent this shocking reply? Was he going to hand over his wealth to Ben-hadad, as well as his royal family and harem just like that?! The Syrian king’s assessment of Samaria’s desperation was correct. They were terrified of the suffering that would follow in the wake of his invasion.
This was almost too easy. Ben-hadad decided he would press for even more.
In a very short time, the Syrian delegation was back at the gates of Samaria. They brought a new message addressed to King Ahab, that went like this, “From his royal majesty, King Ben-hadad. Previously I sent word to you, demanding that you surrender to me your silver and gold, and your wives and children. But now I am changing my terms. Besides what I set forth at first, I hereby order you to show my representatives every room in your palace and all the quarters of your servants and officials. They will watch you closely, and whenever they notice something that is precious in your eyes, they will lay hands on that, and bring it to me in my camp.”

Unlike Ben-hadad’s first demand, Ahab did not respond immediately. Instead, he summoned the chief leaders of the people, and presented to them Ben-hadad’s message. Then he said, “Please take note, and see for yourselves how this man is up to no good. When he sent me his demand for my family and my treasures, I did not resist him. But now he’s telling us he wants more. What should we do?” Among all of Ahab’s advisers, the answer was unanimous. “Don’t listen to that tyrant,” they said, “and don’t give into his ridiculous requirements!”
Ahab needed this support. When he received Ben-hadad’s first message, he could make his decision without consulting with anyone else. That was because, the extortion required him to give only what was his own to give. But now the families and belongings of others in his kingdom were at stake. Of course, as king, he could have consented to the Syrian king without the permission of his subjects. But the throne of Israel was always unsteady, and to surrender the property of his people could be his last official act. He was replaceable.
The next message that went from Ahab to Ben-hadad was simple, without any disrespect or defiance. “From King Ahab” it read, “To my lord the king, I am still willing to give you everything you required in your first message, but what your are asking now, I cannot do.” Of course, this did not go over well, and soon Ahab received Ben-hadad’s furious response. “May the gods do so to me and more also,” he swore, “if when I am finished with you, there will be enough of Samaria left for each soldier who follows me to take away even a handful of its dust!”
No doubt, Ben-hadad meant to terrify the king of Israel with that response. With a flare of brave repartee, Ahab’s answer came in a proverb, “The one who is strapping his armor on should not brag as one who is taking his armor off.” I suppose we could compare that to the more simple advice, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” The Syrian king was enraged, and told his soldiers to prepare to move out. Nevertheless, Ben-hadad remained in his bivouac with his governors, drinking wine. He was that confident that Samaria would soon fall into his hands.

Look now! A prophet approaches King Ahab and delivers a message to him from Yehovah. He said, “Listen to the word of Yehovah, ‘Have you viewed this massive army preparing to take the city? Watch carefully, because I am going to hand all of them over to you, and then you will know that I am Yehovah, Israel’s one and only God.’” Ahab asked the prophet, “Who among our troops is God going to use to win this victory?” The prophet answered, “Yehovah says that it will be by those who serve the chief leaders of the people.” Again, Ahab asked, “And who will lead the charge?” The prophet’s one-word answer, “You.”
King Ahab quickly ordered the chief leaders to fall in behind him–232 men–and after them, the army of Israel numbered, that numbered seven thousand. At noon, they set out for the Syrian camp. By then, Ben-hadad and his crew had been drinking themselves drunk. When he received word that a contingent of soldiers had come out of Samaria and was approaching their camp, Ben-hadad ordered his scouts to go out and meet them. “If they have come to make peace,” he told his scouts, “take them alive. Or, if they have come to make war with us, take them alive.” Naturally, he did not consider them a serious threat.
As Syria’s scouts reached Ahab and his soldiers, and immediately Israel’s troops attacked them. The initial onslaught was aggressive enough, and successful enough, to create a panic in the Syrian camp, and all of Ben-hadad’s army took flight. With their backs to Israel, they became easy targets, and Syria’s army suffered great losses of men, chariots and horses. With help from his commanders, Ben-hadad managed to mount a horse and flee to safety.
The same prophet who predicted this outcome showed up again, on the heels of Israel’s victory. He advised King Ahab, “Prepare yourself, strengthen your forces and give serious thought to what you need to do next, because when spring comes, so will the king of Syria, and he will launch another attack against you.”

Time passed. King Ben-hadad sobered up. Still licking his wounds from their humiliating defeat, his military advisers came to him with a new war plan. They had an explanation for Israel’s victory. “Their gods are gods of the hills, and that is why they were able to overpower us. But if we engage them on a valley’s level ground, we will have the advantage. What we must do, is get rid of the governors you placed in charge of the troops and put veteran commanders in those positions. Then build an army like we had before; soldier for soldier, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then, when we draw them onto the level plain, our forces will be so much greater than theirs, that they won’t stand a chance of defending themselves.”
The adaptations that they recommended were straight out of the strategic military thinking of that period of history. Whenever armies fought in mountainous terrain, those at a higher elevation had the advantage. Stones thrown or slung from a slingshot, arrows shot from a bow, or spears thrown at specific targets had the advantage of both gravity and vantage point. Then, when it came to having a large, level battlefield, the advantage went to the army that could deploy a greater number of chariots and horses, leaving little foot soldiers could do to protect themselves. A third tactic was to wait until spring before their next engagement. The wet, inclement weather could make guiding a chariot through a muddy fields difficult, if not impossible.

Spring arrived, and Syria, with its massive army descended on Israel. The small force that Israel was able to muster looked pitiful compared to the Syrian camp. The picture that comes to mind is that the Israelite troops looked like two small flocks of goats in a large open space, while Syrian troops filled the entire landscape.
As before the previous battle, someone approached the king of Israel, only this time he’s not described as a prophet, but as a “man of God,” which is probably another way of saying the same thing. “Listen to the word of Yehovah,” he told Ahab, “The Syrians have said that ‘Yehovah is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys,’ and for that reason I am going to hand you the victory. Then you will know that I am Yehovah, Israel’s one and only God.”
The two armies spent a week observing and spying on each other. Then, on the seventh day, the battle began. The fighting went as the prophet predicted. Israel killed thousands of Syrian soldiers while thousands more. Thousands of others took refuge in a nearby city, but were killed when a large wall collapsed on them. Again, Ben-hadad fled, but he didn’t get far. He was holed up in one of the villages of Israel. When his servants found him, they suggested a plan.
“Look, your highness. Word on the street is that the kings of Israel are known for the mercy they show their enemies. With your permission, we’ll disguise ourselves as if we were prisoners of war, present ourselves to the king of Israel, and test him to see if he is willing to negotiate. If this works, we may be able to get him to spare your life.”
Their ploy worked. When they appeared before Ahab, they told him, “We’ve come from your servant, Ben-hadad. He is begging you to spare his life.” King Ahab responded, “What’s this? Is he still alive? He’s like a brother to me.” These connivers immediately saw the opening they were hoping would come, and picked up on Ahab’s words. “Yes,” they said, “Your brother, Ben-hadad, is begging you for mercy.” Ahab commanded them to go fetch him, which they did, and when the humbled Syrian king came to Ahab, they treated each other like old friends and swore a covenant together. Then Ahab released Ben-hadad to return to Syria.

This could be considered a pleasant end of the story, except for the epilogue that follows. A certain man, who will remain anonymous though he was a member of the school of the prophets, approached a fellow soldier and, at the word of Yehovah, asked him, “Please, draw your sword and wound me.” But the soldier, for whatever reason, refused to do as he asked. So the man said to him, “You have disobeyed the word of Yehovah, and for that, look what will happen to you; when you walk away a lion will attack and wound you.” And that is exactly what happened. Then the man from the school of the prophets turned to another soldier and said, “Please, wound me.” And he did.
Next, the wounded man pulled a similar ruse on Ahab like the servants of Ben-hadad. He disguised himself by wrapping the upper part of his face with a large cloth bandage. When King Ahab passed that way, the man cried out to him, “Have mercy, O King!” He then explained that during the battle another soldier of superior rank brought him an enemy prisoner and told him, “Guard this man with your life. If you let him escape, it will be your life for his life. Otherwise you will be charged a sum of money greater than you can afford to pay.”
The man continued, “But, your majesty, I had other responsibilities and obligations, so while I was distracted, running around here and there, the prisoner escaped.”
The king answered him sternly, “You have pronounced your own sentence. You made your decision and now you will suffer the consequences.”
Quickly, the man unwrapped the bandage from around his face and Ahab recognized him as one of the prophets. The man then prophesied, “Listen to the word Yehovah has for you! Now it is you who has pronounced your own sentence, for Yehovah put a man into your hand whom Yehovah intended to punish. By releasing Ben-hadad, you have forfeited your life and jeopardized the lives of the people.”
Ahab did not return home in the triumphant mood that would normally follow a great victory. Instead, he entered his house miserable and sullen. This unhappiness is what links today’s episode with what we will encounter next week.

Ben-hadad’s advisers realized they would have an advantage over Israel if they drew their forces down into a valley where their own horses and chariots far outnumbered those of King Ahab. We identified their military strategy, however, the way they presented it to their king was as a spiritual strategy, pitting the gods of the mountains against their gods of the valleys. We need to give consideration to the spiritual aspect and advantages of warfare whether we face them on the mountains or in the valleys.

In the Scriptures, lots of wonderful experiences occurred on mountains. Moses, and much later Elijah, encountered God on Mount Horeb. God revealed to David that he was to build the temple on Mount Zion. Jesus’ most famous message is his Sermon On the Mount. He also resorted to mountains to pray in solitude. Jesus met with Moses and Elijah on a high mountain, and there he was transfigured in the presence of three of his disciples. Jesus spent his last free hours on the Mount of Olives, and was crucified on Mount Calvary.
Have you ever considered how many Christian camps and retreat sites are located on mountains? Even recently, a young man I had not seen in years, described to me the impact that retreats on Mount Palomar had on his life in Jesus. I could go on. God has done many wonderful things for people on mountains. He is definitely God of the mountains.
But in this story, it is not the mountains that grab our attention. The emphasis here is that Yahweh declares that he is the God of the valleys as well. I am sure that most Christians believe this is true “technically.” We have met God in the mountain forests, where our souls have been refreshed in his presence. But are we rejoicing in him as much when we travel through the lower levels of our life’s circumstances? Do we expect to find that the One we trust remains the one and only also God in our valleys–our poverty, our diagnoses, our visits to a graveside? Everyone’s life journey takes them through dark valleys. Have we learned that our Lord is God of those places?
If, when our circumstances turn against us, we immediately start complaining; if we ask, “Where were You, O God?” Or say, “Prayer doesn’t work,” then we’re believing the lie, that he is only God of the good times.

Like many others, I lived with depression from the time I was a teenager into my sixties. During the most intense seasons of despair, I was convinced that death was the only way that I would ever be free from negative, repetitive and self-deprecating thoughts that constantly raced through my brain. But there have also been moments–and not just a few–when Jesus met me in my deepest depression. I cannot say that God’s superiority of God over all circumstances was always clear to me. But now, after many years, I am fully confident that the Lord is God of the valleys.

After his moment of the glory of his transfiguration, when Jesus descended the mountain, he was met by a few of his disciples who had suffered defeat by an evil spirit, whom they could not drive away. Jesus, however, could not be defeated, but with a word he drove out the demon. He proved himself to be Lord of the valleys.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . . (Ps. 23:4)

Twice in today’s episode, King Ahab was told that through God’s intervention he would “know that I am the LORD” (1 Ki. 20:13 & 28). I’m certain God wants us to trust this word today.

If there were any truth I wish God would brand into our brains, it would be this: Our divine Lord is God of the valleys!