Thank you for listening to this sermon from Seven Springs Presbyterian Church. If you want to learn more about us, please find us on Facebook or visit us at sevenspringspresbyterian.com. Like I said, we'll be in 1 Kings chapter 22. We've been looking at this chapter for some time in this section for quite some time, but we're looking at Ahab's interaction with prophets. And we finished last time looking at the prophecy of Micaiah and the threat that he had told to Ahab in verse 17. And Micaiah sees that vision and he says, I saw Israel scattered on the mountains, a sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, these have no master. Let each return to his home in peace. And so we see this prophecy, Micaiah giving that now there was going to be sheep of Israel without a shepherd. And so we see this, there are these 400 other prophets amongst them who had that lion spirit placed upon them enticing Ahab to be able to go into battle to Ramoth Gilead. And Ahab thinking that he potentially could win. And so throughout all of these passages, these last three chapters in 20, 21, and 22, we've been looking at Ahab's interaction with prophets and specifically God's word. How does Ahab respond to God's word? And lastly, we finished with verse 28, where Micaiah said, if you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, hear all you peoples. So here we see the warning, Micaiah, his last word to Ahab was that the shepherd will be knocked down but the sheep will go home in peace. But he says, if Ahab comes home in peace then I am a false prophet. I've not been speaking the word of the Lord and God didn't speak through me. But also the call for people to be able to hear. Here are all you peoples, this was not merely just for Ahab's sake but all the people around them as well that they know that God speaks through His prophets calling them to be able to repent as well, to trust in Him. And so we see in this passage know Ahab's response. Does he listen? Does he hear what Micaiah had said and the prophets that have said before? The Lord had said a lot to Ahab all the way back when he first met Elijah. There was not going to be any rain or dew until Elijah spoke once more the trouble of Israel as Ahab calls him. But more specifically with this that here we see in verse 23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a lion spirit in the mouth of all your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster for you." The disaster was coming for Ahab specifically. These were Ahab's prophets, select men that were chosen by Ahab. spoke of this a little bit last time that in the ancient Near East it was very common for prophets to be able to prophesy good of their kings. It is very rare to be able to find a negative prophecy about a king. Now you think about this what happened to the prophets of Yahweh? Jezebel had them killed. enough that Obadiah needed to hide away 100 in caves. And obviously the prophets of Yahweh are speaking what God had told them, but all these other prophets are willing to be able to just speak and kind of make sure that they don't lose their heads, keep their jobs. But specifically Micaiah says that the Lord has declared disaster for you. So, what does Ahab do with this? "'Hear all ye peoples.'" In verse 28, what would you expect that response to be? In verse 29, so King Israel went to his house and palace and did not go up to Ramoth-Gilead to be able to fight. No, we actually see the exact opposite in verse 29. So, the King of Israel and Jehoshaphat the King of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. Time and time again, The false prophets, the 400 prophets had said, yes, go to Ramos Gilead, you will win this battle. But Micaiah said, no, this will be the death. The sheep will be scattered, the shepherd will die. So why would they go to battle? Obviously, we don't know the details about this. Ahab has not been the one who frequently listens to the prophets. Why does Jehoshaphat go up? We're not told. It seems that Jehoshaphat is a godly king who listens to the advice of prophets and to God, but why does he go up? We're not specifically told. But this is not a surprise for Ahab, the man who does what he wants and does his own thing. But Ahab goes into war. But again, we need to remember what Micaiah had told him before in verse 12, that all the prophets prophesied, so and said, go up to Ramoth Gilead, triumph, the Lord will give it into the hand of the king. And so here all the prophets are saying, go up. And so maybe Ahab is deciding between the 400 versus the one, but yet he still goes up. Maybe he thinks about what was told to him, to Micaiah, that the king will win in this battle. And so, again, we're not specifically told what is happening here. He takes things into his own hand, but he tries to be able to divert and avoid this destruction that was prophesied of him. The loss of the shepherd, he understands this is him. There's a prophecy about him. He's the shepherd that's going to die. The sheep are going to scatter. So Ahab comes up with a plan. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat in verse 30, I will disguise myself and go into battle but you wear your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. So Ahab thought he has a plan in this moment to disguise himself where he can avoid the wicked prophecies that have been spoken to him by Micaiah as he understood. But before we move on we need to be able to take note of something. when we think about this passage and specifically this section about here the Word of the Lord comes to the people, Ahab, What do they do when they hear it? And Ahab does something, he hears the word, there is a movement in his heart that he knows this is going to be true or else why would he not go up into battle. If he thought he was going to win the battle as the forehand prophet said then he would just merely go into battle and the victory would all be his. But obviously in his mind there is a divide or a different thought in his mind where he thinks disguising himself is the best thing. The Jehoshaphat then puts up on his robe. So he does something, he hears the word, he does something, he changes his action, but he doesn't change them in the right direction. He doesn't move to true repentance, just as when he repented after killing Naboth in chapter 21. He did something, but it wasn't the right something he did. He put on external sackcloth and ashes, but he didn't drive it to be able to repent that true sorrow of the heart. He did something, but he didn't do the right thing. And so many people, when they hear the word of the Lord, or hear what God says, they will change their actions, but not to the point where they actually move to true repentance. Think about Pharaoh. Pharaoh changed his actions. But he doesn't move to true repentance. He doesn't ultimately let the people go. He thinks he can divert God's judgment upon him to shift it. They have some response, but it's not the right response. It's not that heart response. Again, think of Cain and Abel. Cain's given the chance that your sin is knocking on your door. You only need to be able to rule over it. Cain could change that he might offer God true reverent worship, but Cain does something but it's not the right thing. He goes and murders his brother thinking this would be the thing that would help him. The problem was Abel, not himself. And so Ahab Instead of truly repenting, truly listening to God's word to be able to seek God's favor, he thinks he can avoid God's wrath by putting on a costume, by disguising himself, by hiding himself. And in the end it would often take much less effort actually for us to be able to actually pray than to be able to try and avoid any form of judgment or wrath just to be able to do what we're told and warned about. If he was to be able to turn and repent, God would forgive him. But instead he chooses to hide from God and try and change his own fate. Now we always need to be careful about this, don't we? So often we seek to be able to fix things or do everything else besides the right thing. Besides admitting we're wrong, besides seeking forgiveness, besides going to God, we do it as husbands, we do it as wives, and we'll deny it. But again, I think that proves the point. We'll rather deny it and fight rather than claiming it than moving to repentance. And so Ahab thought he had outsmarted God's providence. And so we see that he says, well, I'm gonna put on this, Jehoshaphat, you put on your robes. We're told in verse 31, now the king of Samaria had commanded the 32 captains of his chariots, fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel. Ben-Hadad had vengeance he wanted to take out and make sure Ahab knew that he had been wronged. He tells his captains that they're to carry out one mission, to assassinate the king of Israel, to kill Ahab. Out of all the people there, here is Ahab, the king of Israel. Why has Ben-Hadad got it out for Ahab? Specifically because what we looked at in chapter 20. Ben-Hadad says to Ahab, the cities that my father took from your father I will restore. And you will establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria. And Ahab said, I will let you go on these terms. So he made a covenant with him and let him go. So here they make a bond, a pact between one another, an alliance. And here Ahab is going to be able to violate that, to break it. But again, we're not surprised. This is exactly what God said He would do in chapter 20, verse 42. Thus says the Lord, because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I have devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life and your people for his people. You hear, Ahab should have listened to God's words and put to destruction Ben-Hadad, the wicked king, but instead he became his friend, his ally. Now Ben-Hadad seeks to be able to destroy him. Now we can start to see how they're not merely just a random array of stories placed towards the end, trying to fill space in the end of 1 Kings, but we see why they're placed together. The first story about Ben-Hadad was the story about this covenant that was made. with Ahab. And now Ahab is seeking to be able to break that covenant by seeking to be able to destroy the king of Assyria. The second story about Naboth and the vineyard tells us about how Ahab is going to be destroyed. What is going to happen to his family? God tells him in chapter 21 about Elijah coming to Ahab, speaking to him that he had sold himself to the evil one to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Here, disaster was going to come upon him. His house would be burned up. He would cut off every male in Ahab's house. The house of Jeroboam like Nebat, the house of Bashar like the son of Ahijah. The anger of the Lord was provoked against Ahab because of his sin that he had caused in Israel. It says in verse 23 and 24 of chapter 21, of Jezebel said the Lord the dog shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel. Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dog shall eat and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heaven shall eat." And so we find out about this destruction that is coming. Now we see how this actually comes about. Ahab thinks he has outsmarted God averted his wrath that was going to be poured out on his family, but then finally this battle comes. In verse 32 to 36 we see the height of the battle, the peak. When the captains of the chariot saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is surely the king of Israel. So he turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the captains of the chariot saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and his breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died, and the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot. And at about sunset a cry went through the army, every man to his city, and every man to his country. And so now we see the actual fulfillment of all of these prophecies that we're building up in the last chapters. Prophecy that we saw last time we were together in verse 17, and I saw Israel scattered on the mountains as a sheep that have no shepherd. The Lord said, these have no mastery. Let each return to his home in peace. And so this prophecy is fulfilled here, Ahab seeking to be able to disguise himself in the multiple men in the army, and yet one random arrow flew to him, that the command even from Ben-Hadad was not merely that destroy only the kings, but destroy specifically Ahab, the king of Israel. And yet, so they go and chase down Jehoshaphat and notice that it was not Ahab, as Ahab maybe had hoped and planned, maybe in his mind he was thinking that Jehoshaphat would be struck down, that here he would claim Judah for himself. We're not sure specifically, but here just one random arrow. It says that a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel. The Hebrew might read that he drew his bow in innocence. And so he has no understanding of what he is doing and yet this one single error is able to be able to fulfill the providence of God as he had been warning Ahab even though Ahab had tried to avoid it at all costs. I think this is so important the way that we think about how this came about. God said it would happen and it did exactly. but specifically how it came about. That it wasn't a great battle, a great fight, but one single man in his innocence, by random, a random error, striking him right, even in the very right place. Ahab thought he could hide from God. thought he could hide in this battle and at least, at the very least, be able to preserve his life at best to be able to gain Judah and maybe Assyria, seeking that maybe Jehoshaphat would have taken his place. But again, we need to note the great lengths that Ahab goes to be able to avoid actually repenting. time and time again Ahab was confronted with God's Word through his prophets. They warned him of what is to come, and instead of turning and repenting, instead of turning to God and asking his forgiveness, seeking to be able to hide from him. Again, amazing when we think about it. This is one of the reasons, I think, as I was convinced about the sovereignty of God by merely reading the Bible. that we see throughout the Bible. God speaks and his word comes to reality. It comes into being. God always is able to say what is going to happen and makes it happen. On small scales like this, of a random arrow hitting the king that God had warned would be destroyed, But even going all the way back further in the prophecy, we know that Elijah is going to be replaced with Elisha. We know Ahab is going to be replaced by Jehu. And Ben-Hadad is going to be replaced as well. We know all of these things are coming. And we see it in real time as we read through this story. See this important thing as we notice that how do we know what is going to happen through his word? I think this is why the author, Elijah most likely at this point, as he's recording his story, ends Ahab's life in this way. Not by the random arrow, but the recording of what happens. Verse 37 and 38, so the king died. was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria, and they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken." So all these things happened to Ahab exactly as God had warned them. He dies, he's brought into Samaria, this capital that he had built, this enormous city, this enormous empire, and they bury the king. And as they're washing out this chariot by the pool of Samaria, here these dogs are licking up his blood, prostitutes washing themselves in it. Why? Because according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. All of this is the fulfillment of God's prophecies that he has spoken to Ahab, the warnings that he had time and time again, and yet he did not listen. You see, the truth that the author wants us to be able to know is that it's through God's Word we know what is to come. Now, we might not have specific details as Ahab did in his life, but we still know what is going to happen in the world. when Christ returns and judges the living and the dead. We still know what is going to happen in all eternity. We still know what we're called to be able to do and even our sins that we need to repent of. We see God's works and word throughout this story. We see Ahab's life end, unrepentant, unchanged, seeking always to be able to do what is right in his own eyes. So the author finishes Ahab's fable, the foolish fable of Ahab. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of Chronicles, the kings of Israel? So Ahab slept with his fathers and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his place. So after all this reign, this kingdom that he had built, all this pursuit of a vineyard to be able to grow a vegetable garden, a city to be able to call his own, Ahab, the wickedest king that we have seen, rules and dies. Ahab, as Psalm 2 says, had a chance to be able to kiss the son, lest he be angry. And he did not kiss the son, he sought to be able to rule. He had a chance to be able to show God the glory, honor that is due his name, but Ahab chose the riches of the world. He followed his sinful heart. As we finish with Ahab's life, here's six things, not all encompassing, but at least six things that we can learn from as we think about Ahab and his life. We need to be able to see, firstly, the compromise, the dangers of compromise with evil. Right at the very beginning, when we meet Ahab, we notice that he marries Jezebel, a Phoenician princess devoted to Baal worship. and from this time it seeks to be able to go downhill from here. Jezebel is not a good influence on Ahab. We see that he listens to her advice and not that of the prophets of God. This leads Israel into deep spiritual decay. These compromises that I'm sure maybe began very small set a precedent that drew Israel even further and further into idol worship, even further and further abandoning the covenant with the Lord, no longer trying to worship the God who saved them, but create a whole new God above all. And this serves as warning against that subtle lure of aligning ourselves with influences that can erode our commitment to God. The second thing that we see is the corruption of authority. Ahab is meant to be a shepherd to his sheep, and yet he is not a shepherd you wish to have if you were a sheep. He's only cared about his own interests. Think about Naboth and his vineyard, willing to be able to wipe out one of his sheep, to be able to put him to death, all so he can claim his land. We see not only his corrupt choices, but more importantly, his corrupt heart, his bloodshed, seeking to be able to kill the prophets of the Lord, abusing his power rather than showing godly leadership, integrity, and humility before God. The third thing is that he ignores God's warnings. Ahab does not heed God's word. Time and time again, prophets confront him and yet he does what he wants. He twists and distorts it to his own pleasure. Ahab encounters many prophets and warned them to be able to turn from their ways, to be able to follow God, and yet, who are they? They're troublers of Israel. They're like Micaiah, the wicked evil ones, as he said, that do not prophesy good over him. And so time he does not listen. Confronted with Elijah on numerous occasions, but yet never listens to him. And if he does, he does it in defiance or with this false repentance, unwilling to really forsake his sinful course. Demonstrates again the listening of God's rebuke and the peril of our heart and in our hearts towards his voice. The fourth is the cost of partial or insincere repentance. We did see occasionally that Ahab was vexed and sullen from when he met with a prophet, even to the point at the end of chapter one where he seeks to be able to humble himself, putting on sackcloth and ashes. But again, what we see is shallow and complete. that as we looked at what is true repentance in all of those aspects and facets, that it seeks to be able to transform the heart, to be able to turn away from sin, to be sorry for our sin, to hate and forsake our sin, not merely just outward displays of humility. So again, Ahab's story reminds us of these appearances of hypocrisy that we can have. The fifth is we see God's sovereignty and patience. Even in amongst all of Ahab's rebellion, persistent rebellion you might say, God again demonstrates his patience towards him with opportunities for change. As first Peter says that God is not slow to fulfill his promise but does so that we might turn and repent. And so God does show favor to Ahab in his victory over Syria, but yet he doesn't listen, doesn't respond with gratitude, doesn't respond with obedience, doesn't make a covenant with God, but yet makes a covenant with the enemy. God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger. but does not mean that he does not show forth his anger when he brings forth that ultimate justice. But ultimately, in the end, his justice prevails. The last thing is choosing whom you will serve. But Ahab's life really is a man that seeks to be able to live on the line and jumping either side of the line. divided between a false allegiance to God and allegiance to his desires, to his desires and idols. But again, his failure to commit to God ultimately is what led to his downfall and his death. This is a stark reminder of the danger of that divided heart. You cannot serve two masters. The first commandment teaches us that you shall worship the Lord your God. And Jesus says alone. That we cannot serve God and our desires. A true loyalty to God requires undivided commitment. But also helps us understand something else. Something I think that is good for us to be reminded on today. Every day, but even specifically today. following an election that many of us probably are very happy that the right color won, the better candidate, you're feeling good. But even this truth remains the same even if the opposite was true. This principle is vital to our Christian walk. The principle is that throughout all of this time Ahab, the wickedest king, The reality is that there is one king who sat on a throne that Ahab could not dethrone. The one who sits on a kingdom, not on this earth, but sits on his heavenly throne. Micaiah says this in verse 19, therefore hear the word Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left. That here, even in the midst of this story, there's people like Obadiah running for their lives after Ahab is seeking to be able to destroy the prophets of Yahweh. These wicked men sitting on their golden thrones of power, not listening to God, not seeking to be able to follow His revealed will. But our comfort is that we have a God whose kingdom cannot be shaken. It was a comfort for Stephen as he shared the gospel with those who had destroyed Christ and sought to be able to destroy him. And after he had given his sermon in verse 54, they heard these things, they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of this Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, behold, I see heavens open and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Persecution was there, but yet God was still enthroned. That it's our comfort in this day that God still sits on his throne, that God shows his grace and mercy to us by sharing his word, that we might seek to be able to turn, repent, and follow his revealed will. But also, a great warning when we think about what is to come if we don't. Ahab thought he could hide from God, but he was wrong. It's our comfort in our last day as well in Revelation chapter seven. And after this, I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. And all the angels are standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying, amen, blessing and honor, glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever, amen. And one of the elders addressed me saying, who are these clothed in white robes and from where have they come? And I said to him, sir, you know. And he said to me, these are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst no more. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the lamb in the midst of the throne, they will be their shepherd. and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And so we see God still enthroned, and our hope is not merely that we know of it as we read about it in scriptures, but we will see it in that great and glorious day as we follow around him with the great creatures and all the angels in the presence, giving him glory and honor, that he is that shepherd. does not follow His own, but will lay down life for His sheep, the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Eternal Covenant. Thank you for listening to this sermon from Seven Springs Presbyterian Church. If you want to learn more about us, please find us on Facebook or visit us at sevenspringspresbyterian.com. Seven Springs Presbyterian Church began in 1874 and is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America located in Glade Spring, Virginia. Please join us for worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for His glory and His gospel.