1 Kings 20:23-25 – Learn to appraise every setback honestly

The victory Ahab had over Ben-hadad’s army was because of their covenant God. He was the one who had given them the strategy for victory through the unnamed prophet. Though the Syrians had a hazy idea that Israel’s victory was due to supernatural undergirding, they were nonetheless ignorant of the nature of Yahweh. Israel only had one God and not many gods like the pagans. It is a fact that every Jew would recite the Shema recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4 daily. It says, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Perhaps it was Ahab’s failure to live for God that led the pagans to have misgivings about Israel’s God. This underscores for us the need to demonstrate our faith in God in such a way that others will not have any misgivings about our God. This is where Ahab, influenced by his pagan wife Jezebel, had failed God miserably.

First Kings 20:23 tells us that the servants of Ben-hadad had a wrong idea about Israel’s God. They thought that Israel, like them, relied on many gods. And because Israel’s gods were gods of the hills that’s why they were successful in the first battle. They thought that if they had fought the people of Israel in the plain, they would be able to overcome them. That’s how illogical superstition can be. Believing that their gods were stronger on the plain, they decided to change the location of the battle to the plain. But they were sorely mistaken. For the power of the Almighty God was unlimited. Whether in mountains or in valleys, He is just as powerful. So Ben-hadad listened to the silly counsel of his servants.

From the advice Ben-hadad’s counselors gave to him, we learn this: Don’t look for excuses in times of failure. The counselors seemed to provide him with lame excuses for their loss in the battle. Firstly, they blame it on their gods, implying that they were inferior in strength because of the location. If their gods were true, location and time would make no difference. The real God will always come out on top. Secondly, the counselors even indirectly blamed their defeat on the 32 coalition kings that Ben-hadad had placed to lead the different bands of men. That’s why in verse 24 they asked that those kings be replaced by the captains of his army. Thirdly, they even insinuated that having the coalition kings to lead,  the Syrian army was not like an army. The lesson: if we are looking to solve our problems in life, don’t make excuses. Learn to look at the whole situation squarely, and assess it truthfully, so that we can find the right solution to solve our problem. Be honest and truthful in seeking solutions to solve our setbacks. Excusing our failures will never improve our situation! The issue, like it or not, is about being God’s side!