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Ben-Hadad
The Drunken Syrian King
Now
we can only assume that the rest of Ben-Hadad men, were getting drunk
right along with him, and his commanders. If this was the case, this
would render them useless, when it came to having to do combat, at that
particular moment.
Bible Study Article Covers : 1 Kings 20:13-43
Short Recap
In the last article, we'd learned that the Syrian king Ben-Hadad, had decided to wage war against Ahab the Israel king. Understand that Ben-hadad wasn't alone, when it came to his war campaign; the Syrian king would also bring along with him, thirty-two different kings and their kingdoms as well. Remember that these thirty-two kings, were made vassals when they, themselves, ended up surrendering, when at one point in time, Ben-Hadad had confronted their kingdoms. Now personally, when it comes to these kings, I like to call them Ben-Hadad's "Thirty-Two Kings of Mass Destruction." Needless-to-say, once Ahab had seen the tremendous military force that Ben-Hadad had brought along with him, he quickly realized that the odds of him being able to overcome the Syrian king, and his allies, were next to none.
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Make no mistake, Ahab's fear was evident, from the very first day, Ahab hand encountered Ben-hadad and his massive army.
I personally believe, Ahab was giving up way too easy, when it
came to Ben-hadad's first set of demands.
I like to think, Ahab had agreed to Ben-Hadad's first set of demands, believing that he too, would become a vassal that
would serve under Ben-Hadad's administration.
Nevertheless, in spite of the military power that Ben-Hadad had, it would seem that Ahab was only willing to go so far.
For the Sacred Record reveals, Ben-Hadad wanted a lot more from Ahab, than he had initially demanded.
And it was for this reason, the Syrian king ended up sending out another set of demands, for Ahab to submit to.
For you see, the Syrian king wanted to strip Ahab of all that he had. And even with Ahab believing that he couldn't defeat Ben-Hadad, and his very powerful army, the Israel king was willing to go only so far, when it came to the cost of surrendering. And it's for this reason, Ahab refused Ben-Hadad's demands altogether. Now after Ben-Hadad had heard Ahab's refusal, he makes a vow to annihilate the city of Samaria, and all that it holds dear; therefore, immediately declaring war against Ahab.
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The Mysterious Prophet
Nonetheless, we now learn that God had sent a prophet, to come and help aid the Israel king, when it came to the threatening situation, that was now taking place, between he and Ben-Hadad.
Now when it comes to the prophet that God had sent to aid Ahab, its
not made clear, on who he actually was. But we do know, it wasn't the prophet
Elijah, or his newly acquired prophet apprentice Elisha. So basically,
this prophet was a servant, that God had dispatched from nearby, in order
to help Ahab, when it came to his fight against Ben-Hadad and his
"Thirty-Two Kings of Mass Destruction."
Be that as it may, as we move
forward, we find that when the unnamed prophet had came before Ahab, he foretold this prophecy:
"This is what the Lord says: 'Do you see this vast army? I will give it
into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the Lord.'" Now
after Ahab had heard this, he'd asked the prophet: "Who will do this?"
Then the unnamed prophet replied: "The young officers of the provincial
commanders, will do it." Then Ahab asked: "Who will start the battle?"
The unnamed prophet responded by saying: "You will."
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Ahab Assembles His Army
Now after Ahab had heard all that the unnamed prophet had to say, he
then proceeded to assemble all his provincial commanders. Know that Ahab had 232 provincial commanders,
in his administration. Next we find, Ahab going out and assembling the
rest of the Israelites, and their number came to be 7000. And with the
provincial commanders leading the way, the Israelites began advancing
upon Ben-Hadad, and his mighty thirty-two kings of mass destruction. Now
personally, I believe that this was a very bold, and crucial move, when
it came to Ahab's part.
Now the reason why I find this move on
Ahab's part, to be bold, deals with the mere fact, Ben-Hadad didn't
think that the Israel king had it in him, when it came to attacking a
force, that was as large, and powerful, as his army was. Now the reason why I
also find this move by Ahab to be crucial, deals simply, with the timing of
the attack.
For you see, Ben-Hadad was sitting there, along with his thirty-two kings, while they were all getting drunk, from within their pavilions, when Ahab had decided to attack. And it's very well possible, Ben-Hadad's men, were also getting drunk, right along with their king and their commanders. And if this was the case, then Ahab was attacking a very powerful army, while that army's drunkenness, were rendering them useless, when it came to them having to do combat.
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Ahab's Perfect Timing
Now when the Syrian king had received word that Ahab's men were
advancing from Samaria, he responded from his drunken state of mind
(while making no sense at all) and gave the orders: "If they have come
out for peace, take them alive. If they have come out for war, take them
alive." Nonetheless, we now have both sides engaging one another in
warfare. And it would also be at this time, the Sacred Record
reveals that the provincial commanders, ending up striking down, every drunken
Syrian that they had came in contact with that day.
This resulted in very heavy casualties, for Ben-Hadad's powerful army,
therefore causing the Syrians to immediately retreat. And in spite of
this, the Israelites would continue to pursue the Syrians, and because
of their aggression, this had caused more heavy losses for the Syrian
king. Now in the meantime, while all of this was going on, we find that
during this whole ordeal, Ben-Hadad was able to escape Ahab's trackers, on
horseback.
Nonetheless, the unnamed prophet eventually catches up with Ahab. And it would be at this time, the prophet tells Ahab to immediately review his current situation, and then regroup. The prophet also warned Ahab that Ben-Hadad will indeed regroup his men, and try attacking the Israel kingdom again, come next spring.
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The God of Israel :
Simply Too Powerful for Those Who Opposes Him
However, in the meantime, we find Ben-Hadad having a meeting with his officials. And it would be during this time, they told their king: "Their gods, are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. You must also raise an army like the one you lost; horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Do this so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they."
Now after Ben-Hadad had heard his officials advice, he was found to be in total
agreement with them. And when spring returned, the Arameanian (Syrian) king had indeed, had a
new army, with new leaders readying to attack the Israel kingdom, just like the unnamed prophet had foretold. Now when it came to these new leaders, know that they weren't like the
thirty-two kings that had come before them. For the rank that they held,
was not simply by birthright, but by merit. So Ben-Hadad takes his new army over to
encamp in Aphek. Now this was a place, that was located from within the tribe of Asher.
Understand
that this
area was not in the hills, but it was found to be level and flat, just
like
Ben-Hadad's officials had advise him to use, when it came to his next
war campaign against Israel. However, the Sacred Record reveals
that once again, Ben-Hadad's army was vast in size, for it covered the whole
countryside. But when it came to the Israelites, we find that they were camped
over, towards the opposite side, of where Ben-Hadad and his men were located. Now when it came to how the two armies measured up against
each other, the Scriptures tells us, the Israelites looked like two
small flocks of goats, when
compared to Ben-Hadad's army.
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Ahab's Seven Day Wait
Nevertheless, we now find the unnamed
prophet going to Ahab, in order to tell him this: "Because the Arameans
simply think the Lord is just a God of the hills, and not a God of the
valleys too, I will again, deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will
know that I am the Lord."
So for seven days, they camped
opposite of each other, and on the seventh day, they finally fought. And
the Sacred Record reveals that this time around, the Israelites had
inflicted 100,000 casualties on Ben-Hadad's army, when they'd clashed on
the very first day.
And because of the major damage, the
Israelites had inflicted upon them, the rest of the Arameanians, had
retreated back to the fortified city of Aphek. And it was at that city,
where the Syrians would try to reinforce a wall, in order to keep the attacking
Israelites at bay. But the Syrians efforts wouldn't be enough to hold
the Israelites back, for the Sacred Record reveals, the Israelites
would end up pushing the wall over, unto the Arameanian army, therefore
killing another 27,000 of them.
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Victory Is Near
Now in the meantime, we find Ben-Hadad fleeing again, and this time
around, the Syrian king had hidden himself in an inner room, while his
top war officials were looking to surrender to Ahab, and the Israelites.
Ben-Hadad's officials, would arrange their surrender, by dressing
themselves in sackcloth, and with ropes around their heads. After
doing this, they would then approach Ahab, as they'd begged
for mercy. Crying out: "Please let me live?"
Now after hearing
their pleas, Ahab responded by saying: "Is he still alive? He is my
brother." Now after hearing how Ahab responded, Ben-Hadad's officials
took this, as a good sign, and answered: "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad is
still alive!" Then Ahab said: "Go and get him."
So they did as they were told,
and when Ben-Hadad had came out of hiding, Ahab ordered him to come up
to the chariot. And upon doing so, Ben-Hadad quickly made a proposition
to Ahab, by saying: "I will return the cities my father took from your
father. You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father
did in Samaria." And after hearing this, Ahab responded to this proposal,
by saying: "On the basis of a treaty, I will set you free." So the king
of Israel, made a treaty with him, and had indeed, set him free.
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Ahab Gets Unwelcoming News
Now after Ahab had released Ben-Hadad, based on the treaty they had just made, the Lord had the unnamed prophet,
to deliver another message to the Israel king. But this time around,
when the unnamed prophet gave him the message, he had disguised himself. And when he came before Ahab, he said: "Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and
someone came to me with a captive and said, 'Guard this man. If he is
missing, it will be your life, for his life, or you must pay a talent of
silver.' However, while your servant was busy, here and there, the man
disappeared."
Now after hearing this, Ahab responded by saying:
"Then that is your sentence, you have pronounced it yourself." And after
the unnamed prophet had heard this, he reveals his true identity to
the king. And after doing so, Ahab quickly recognized him to be one of
the Lord's prophets. Then the unnamed prophet told the king: "You have
set free a man, I had determined should die. Therefore, it is your life ,
for his life, your people for his people." And after hearing this
judgment, that had been placed against him, Ahab went home sullen and
angry.
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In The Next Upcoming Article :
Now as we just learnt, after Ahab had received his unwelcoming news, he was found to be unhappy, and angry, when it came to the judgment that had just been passed against him, for disobeying God. But will this be the end, when it comes to Ahab being disappointed? Or is this the beginning, of disappointing events, that are coming in the very near future, for the king?
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