FBC Spur

"and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free"

Jehoshaphat: The Influenced King (1 Kings 22:41-50)

By

1 Kings 22:41-50
 
We are now moving on in the book of Kings to a new era.
 
This morning we come across a King named Jehoshaphat.
He is typically regarded as one of the 8 good Kings
To sit upon the throne of Judah.
 
And for the most part that is true.
As you will see, he was a man of high character,
And he was a man with good intentions.
 
However, Jehoshaphat was easily influenced and his lack of conviction
Ultimately did more harm for Judah than good.
 
From Jehoshaphat we learn a little bit about
The importance of following your convictions,
And not giving in to the evil influences around you.
 
And obviously this is a relevant topic.
 
We live in a day of wicked and evil influence.
We as Christians must learn to recognize it and resist it.
 
Paul said:
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
 
You can be a Christian with high morals who desires Godliness,
But if you do not protect yourself through discernment
You can still find yourself in a world of hurt.
 
It is that spirit of compromise
That has so many times gotten God’s people in trouble.
 
That is why Jesus told the church at Thyatira:
Revelation 2:20 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”
• That church was too loose in their relationships,
• They found themselves actually tolerating the Jezebel of the New Testament,
• Allowing her to wreak havoc in their church as she preyed on weak believers.
 
God’s people must not only have high moral character,
But also a sense of discernment and conviction.
 
AND SO WE STUDY JEHOSHAPHAT
A man of high moral character,
Whose influences nearly destroyed him.
There are four things I want us to look at in regard to Jehoshaphat this morning.
 
#1 HIS INTEGRITY
1 Kings 22:41-43a
 
The section opens on Jehoshaphat with a reminder
Of his basic nature as a man of integrity.
 
Verse 43 states it explicitly, “He walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the LORD.”
 
Allow me to refresh your memory about Asa.
“Wholly Devoted, Under Committed”
 
Asa started well,
1 Kings 15:11-15 “Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father. He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made. He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days. He brought into the house of the LORD the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.”
 
However late in life Asa quit seeking the Lord.
When he had war with Israel, instead of seeking God,
He sought out the King of Aram, and that made God angry.
 
2 Chronicles 16:7-10 “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. “Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.”
 
That was Asa.
For the most part, he was a good King who sought God,
But he did stray away from God toward the end of his life.
 
But history does remember him as a good king,
And now Jehoshaphat is said to have been like him.
 
In his heart, Jehoshaphat only wanted to be pleasing to God.
 
Allow me to give you one of the examples
Of Jehoshaphat’s great devotion to God.
 
During Jehoshaphat’s reign, there was a 3 king coalition
That came up against him to conquer Judah.
 
Ammon, Moab, and Edom all three got together to wipe out Judah.
 
Jehoshaphat handled it like a pro.
2 Chronicles 20:6-12 “and he said, “O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. “Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? “They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, ‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’ “Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), see how they are rewarding us by coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. “O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
 
You can see in his prayer that he was a man of great personal devotion,
And one who truly trusted God.
 
He didn’t turn to other nations for help,
He put his problem in the lap of God,
And allowed God to deliver him.
 
He was a man of great integrity in his personal walk with God.
 
There is more I want you to see:
#2 HIS INTENTIONS
1 Kings 22:45-46
 
In these two verses we only get a little glimpse
Of his intentions for the nation.
 
VERSE 46, “The remnant of the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he expelled from the land.”
 
You will remember that Asa removed
All of the mail cult prostitutes (sodomites).
 
Apparently some went into hiding, and a small remnant remained,
But Jehoshaphat got rid of them.
 
He was finishing what his father started.
 
Let me show you some more of what he did.
 
In addition to the sodomites, Jehoshaphat wanted Judah
To be a pure nation that was solely devoted to God.
 
2 Chronicles 17:6 “He took great pride in the ways of the LORD and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.”
 
It is clear that he wanted God and God alone to be worshiped.
 
He also had a passion for the whole land to be taught the Word of God.
2 Chronicles 17:7-9 “Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the LORD with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.”
 
And God blessed this endeavor
2 Chronicles 17:10-12 “Now the dread of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah.”
 
The point is that when you look at Jehoshaphat
You see a man of high integrity
And a man who had the best intentions in the world.
 
• He trusted God and he wanted all of Judah to trust God.
• He loved God’s word and he wanted all of Judah to love God’s word.
 
On a personal level, he was a great man.
 
But there was one chink in Jehoshaphat’s armor.
He was too easily influenced.
 
His Integrity, His Intentions
#3 HIS INFLUENCES
1 Kings 22:43-44, 47-48
 
Let’s just take these negative incidents in order.
And let me show you some of his influences.
 
1) HE WAS INFLUENCED BY A CROWD
 
We just read in 2 Chronicles
That Jehoshaphat removed the high places.
 
But look at what it says in verse 43,
“However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.”
That can mean one of two things.
1) He removed the high places, but they came back.
2) He stopped the worship of false gods on the high places, but people still worshiped the LORD at those sites.
 
To allow either to happen was a mistake on Jehoshaphat’s part.
It showed a propensity to compromise.
It showed a willingness to give in
And not follow through on your convictions.
 
Although he personally only worshiped God,
He was one who did not take full use of his authority as king
And fully clean up the land.
 
Part of the reason is because crowds could influence him.
(Remember how Ahab used a crowd
To manipulate him into going to battle with him?)
 
That gives a pretty good explanation
As to why he allowed the high places to be rebuilt as well.
 
He was influenced by a crowd / mob,
And it led to the rebuilding of the high places.
 
As Christians we have to learn to have convictions
That reach beyond public opinion.
We can either be men pleasers or God pleasers.
 
Jehoshaphat was too easily influenced by men.
But that was not his only influence.
2) HE WAS INFLUENCED BY AHAB
 
Verse 44 says, “Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.”
 
First allow me to give you a correction to some misinformation.
Last week I said Jehoshaphat was Ahab’s son-in-law, that is wrong.
I got my facts mixed up.
 
Jehoshaphat gave his son in marriage to Ahab’s daughter.
 
2 Chronicles 18:1-3 “Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab.”
 
IT WAS THIS ALLIANCE
That got Jehoshaphat into a battle that nearly got him killed.
 
What you didn’t see last week
Is God’s response when Jehoshaphat got home.
2 Chronicles 19:1-3 “Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD and so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD? “But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”
 
God was angry with Jehoshaphat
For his willingness to walk in unity with the wicked.
 
We don’t know why he did it.
(Most likely it was to stop the fighting that had occurred between his father Asa and the kings of Israel)
 
Jehoshaphat didn’t maintain his convictions
He allowed himself to be too easily influenced by a wicked man.
 
So he was influenced by a crowd
He was influenced by Ahab
3) HE WAS INFLUENCED BY AHAZIAH
 
Ahaziah was the son of Ahab.
 
Verses 47-48 says, “Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.”
 
What you don’t see is the reason Jehoshaphat began this venture.
 
2 Chronicles 20:35-37 “After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing. So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.”
 
Again, he makes a bad decision to ally himself with an evil person,
And it brought upon him wrath from God and this time also financial ruin.
 
So despite the fact that Jehoshaphat really was a man of integrity
With good intentions, his influences cost him greatly.
 
• On one occasion it nearly got him killed…
• On another occasion it cost him financially…
• On both occasions it made the LORD angry…
 
BUT THOSE ARE NOT THE ONLY CONSEQUENCES
 
Jehoshaphat’s bad influences continued on even after his death.
 
Jehoshaphat gave his son (Jehoram)
In marriage to Ahab’s daughter.
2 Chronicles 21:1-7 “Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.”
 
All because Jehoshaphat made a covenant with the wicked.
The Kingdom actually went exactly opposite of what he had hoped.
 
He was a man of integrity…
He was a man of great intentions…
But in the end, you could say that
He actually did more harm for the nation of Judah than good.
 
• The high places he removed were rebuilt…
• The false gods he removed were restored by his son…
• The Law he taught was disregarded by the nation…
 
These influences ruined all that this man tried to accomplish.
 
Now I will say this.
Jehoshaphat did finally learn his lesson.
 
#4 HIS IMPROVEMENT
1 Kings 22:49-50
 
We read about the first time Ahaziah had this idea
And how it cost Jehoshaphat greatly.
 
Apparently, after this venture failed Ahaziah wanted to try it again.
However, Jehoshaphat had finally learned.
 
You can’t include the wicked in your plan and ask God to bless it.
And so “Jehoshaphat was not willing.”
 
He did finally learn his lesson, but the seeds had been sown.
 
 
 
 
 
 
WHAT IS THE POINT?
 
You can be a man who truly loves God,
And who truly desires to see God alone be glorified.
 
You can be a man of character.
 
But if you do not add conviction to your character,
Your character won’t last long.
 
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
 
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
 
Throughout Scripture, God’s people have been warned
Not to allow themselves to be influenced by the wicked.
 
Numbers 33:55-56 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. ‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.'”
 
Joshua 23:12-13 “For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.”
 
In the New Testament God echoes this theme.
 
He is speaking of the church, and is calling for her purity.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”
 
And we could go on.
• Look at how Lot was influenced by the people of Sodom…
• Look at how Samson was influenced by Delilah…
• Look at how Solomon was influenced by his foreign wives…
• Look at how Aaron was influenced to make a golden calf…
• Look at how the children of Israel were influenced by the grumbling rabble…
 
And throughout the course of history,
Satan has had no shortage of false prophets and false teachers
To wickedly influence God’s people to disregard His word
And walk in disobedience to Him.
 
Ephesians 5:6-14 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
 
The wicked are a stumbling block for the people of God.
And if you don’t have enough discernment to see it
And conviction to stand against it,
You will watch the curse slowly creep upon your entire world.
 
“Jehoshaphat was a good man,
But he lacked the conviction to stand against
The peer pressure, and it ruined him.”
 
Allowing yourself to be swayed by the wicked
Will only bring you to ruin.
 
Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”
 
The blessed man knows that the wicked are a dangerous influence,
And to spend too much time with them, can only lead to ruin.
 
You don’t want to be caught with the wicked
When the day of their judgment comes.
 
Proverbs 17:12 “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.”
 
This morning let me encourage you.
Seek the Lord
Trust the Lord
Love the Lord
But also stand upon your convictions,
And refuse to allow yourself to be influenced by this wicked world.
 
• For some it is their work place…
• For some it is a friend…
• For some it is a family member…
• For some it is a television…
 
Now some influences can be escaped,
But certainly you cannot escape them all.
 
And you were not intended to live with your head in the sand.
 
1 Corinthians 5:9-10 “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.”
 
A Christian does have the responsibility
To be light in the midst of darkness.
 
JUST MAKE SURE YOU RECOGNIZE THE DARKNESS
AND REFUSE TO ALLOW IT TO INFLUENCE YOU.
 
 
 
IF EVIL CAN BE AVOIDED, THEN AVOID IT.
But if cannot be, then stand against it,
And be a man or woman of conviction.
 
Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
 

The Breaking Point (1 Kings 21)

By

1 Kings 21 (17-26)
 
We have been studying the revival
Which God is brining to the nation of Israel.
 
We have learned that this would not be in the form of a “fire fall” But in the form of a “gentle blowing”,
In which God would thoroughly remove Baal from the land.
 
To illustrate this point, The writer has used the most wicked King Israel has ever known, and that man is King Ahab.
 
You will remember that God had used:
DROUGHT (3 ½ years)
DEFEAT (On Mt. Carmel)
DELIVERANCE (God defeated Ben-hadad just out of mercy)
DILEMMA (God promised Ben-hadad would return)
DEMONSTRATION (God powerfully annihilated Ben-hadad completely)
DISCIPLINE (God promised that Ahab’s life would be forfeit)
 
My dad always had a saying about wayward horses.
“Looks like he needs his attention got”
 
That is what God has been trying to do with Ahab.
 
But unfortunately, even the promise of death, failed to break Ahab.
1 Kings 20:42-43 “He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'” So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.”
 
Ahab didn’t repent, Ahab just pouted.
Ahab has proven to be a tough nut to crack.
 
THIS MORNING WE FAST-FORWARD TO HIS “BREAKING POINT”
 
And by the way, every person has a breaking point.
 
Remember King Nebuchadnezzar? (he ate grass like a cow for 7 years)
Daniel 4:34-37 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘ What have You done?’ “At that time my reason returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my counselors and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my sovereignty, and surpassing greatness was added to me. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
Every man has a breaking point,
THE QUESTION IS: Just how much judgment it will require
Before a person finally breaks.
 
For some it requires nothing short of an eternal sentence in hell.
 
Remember what Jesus told the Pharisees:
John 7:33-34 “Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
 
Jesus told the Pharisees there would be a day when they would
Call on His name and beg for salvation, but it would be too late.
 
In hell, every man will be broken.
Every knee will have bowed,
Every tongue will have confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.
 
And every person there would be just like the rich man in hades
Crying out for the mercy of one to simply dip their finger in water
And touch it to their burning tongue.
 
Every man has a breaking point.
This morning we see Ahab’s.
 
God has already promised him death, and he refused to repent,
This morning we see God at work again.
 
There are three divisions we will assign to this text.
#1 THE INCIDENT
1 Kings 21:1-16
 
(Mosaic Law forbid Naboth to give it)
Numbers 36:7 “Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.”
 
(The Prophets forbid a King to ask for it)
Ezekiel 46:18 “The prince shall not take from the people’s inheritance, thrusting them out of their possession; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own possession so that My people will not be scattered, anyone from his possession.”‘”
 
So there you have the incident.
Ahab wanted a vineyard that by law he could not have,
So he acted wickedly and took it by force.
 
Let’s examine him closer (4 sins)
1) SELFISHNESS (1-4)
 
Ahab was King of all Israel. He pretty much had anything he wanted, EXCEPT THAT VINEYARD.
 
Without a doubt, we see a breaking of the 10th commandment.
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
 
And then when Naboth stands upon his conviction to the Mosaic Law, Ahab goes home and throws another pity-party.
 
(4) “So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food.”
 
I’ve got a 3 year old daughter that does the exact same thing.
 
Certainly Ahab displays covetousness, but even more,
Ahab displays the root of covetousness, and that is selfishness.
 
It is selfishness that causes us to be discontent with what we have…
It is selfishness that causes us to covet what others have…
It is selfishness that causes us to pout when we do not get our way…
 
(Trace out the root of a pity-party or a bout of depression
And see if you do not recognize “selfishness” at its source)
 
Ahab is selfish.
AND SELFISHNESS IS A SIN
 
I know in our day we have come to promote love of self:
Self-esteem
Self-respect
Self-advancement
Self-promotion
 
Unfortunately those are all in direct conflict with Scripture.
For Scripture calls only for SELF-DENIAL.
 
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
 
In fact, for salvation to occur, self-denial is a pre-requisite.
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
 
SELFISHNESS IS A SIN!
You and I must learn to deny self.
 
John MacArthur explained what that looks like.
“I suppose death to self, is the real issue. Somewhere along your pilgrimage as a Christian, you need to learn to die to yourself regularly. It saves you from being defensive, revengeful, retaliatory, hostile, [and from] accumulating the list of things against you.
When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set aside and you sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy and you count it a privilege to suffer for Christ; that is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when [others] misunderstand you, when your desires are not interesting to [others] when your advice is disregarded and your opinions are ridiculed, and when you are abused, when you are mistreated, or misunderstood, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself; that is dying to self.
When you lovingly, patiently bear any disruption; any irregularity; any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with folly and waste and extravagance and insensitivity and endure it as Jesus endured it; that is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, any clothes, any climate, any society, any interruption, or any solitude; that is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in a conversation or to record and recite your own good works, or to pursue commendation; when you can truly love to be unrecognized for something good; that is dying to self.
When you see someone else prosper, someone else reach goals that you desire, and you can honestly rejoice with that other person in spirit; feel no envy and not question God while your needs are far greater and [you are] in desperate circumstances; that is dying to self.”
-John MacArthur, from sermon “God’s Pattern for Husbands – Part 1” quoted at: 34:00 minutes.
 
Ahab had most certainly never denied self.
 
Selfishness
2) ARROGANCE (5-7)
 
All we find Ahab doing here is pouting.
Pouting is a form of communication
In which you try to shame others into getting what you want
 
When Jezebel sees him pouting,
She responds just as he desired she would.
She justified him in taking what he wanted.
 
And notice what she appeals to, when she justifies him.
(7) “Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
 
Jezebel appealed to his arrogance.
“Do you now reign over Israel?”
 
“You are King, you have the right to do whatever you want.”
And Ahab obviously agreed.
Ahab was arrogant.
 
ARROGANCE IS A SIN
 
James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
 
Proverbs 16:18-19 “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.”
 
God even goes to great lengths
To keep His children from becoming arrogant.
 
Consider Paul…
2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!”
 
God is opposed to arrogant,
Arrogance must be removed if salvation is to be attained.
 
Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
 
God despises the arrogant and searches for the humble:
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”
 
There are two major strikes against Ahab.
He is selfish & He is arrogant
 
3) DECEPTION (8-14)
 
And what you notice from that event
Is that everything is done on the basis of deception.
 
False author – (Jezebel wrote in Ahab’s name)
False authority – (Jezebel used Ahab’s seal)
False charges
False witnesses
 
Apparently Ahab was one who had no qualms about deceiving or lying.
DECEPTION IS A SIN
 
Adrian Rogers, “You are never more like the devil than when you tell a lie.”
 
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
 
It is no wonder then that God hates deception.
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”
 
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
 
Perhaps you even remember what God did to Ananias and Saphira
For lying to the Holy Spirit about the sum of money they gave.
God struck them dead in the middle of church.
 
In fact hell is filled with liars:
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
 
Ahab is a selfish, arrogant liar
 
4) SHAMELESSNESS (15-16)
 
In other words, Ahab showed no remorse whatsoever.
He never flinched.
He simply arose and took the vineyard.
 
He was absolutely shameless.
 
SHAMELESSNESS IS A SIN!
 
It angers God to see a hard-headed, hard-hearted, sinner
Who refuses to feel ashamed of their iniquity.
 
Jeremiah 6:15 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.
 
Isaiah 3:9 “The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.”
 
God is opposed to those who have no qualms about hiding their sin,
And never show any remorse about it.
 
Remember this parable?
Matthew 21:28-32 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘ Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”
 
It is one thing to sin before God,
But to be unremorseful and proud of it is entirely another.
 
That is why the writer of Hebrews gives such a strong warning
To those who are unremorseful in sin.
 
Hebrews 3:7-12 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”
 
Ahab was a Selfish, Arrogant, Shameless, Liar
 
#2 THE INDICTMENT
1 Kings 21:17-26
 
This was the passage we read to begin our study,
And now perhaps you see why God was so angry.
 
After such a bold display of so many sins,
It is no wonder to find that God is literally irate with Ahab.
 
Here Elijah arrives once again on the scene, and his message is harsh.
 
(19) “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”‘ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”‘”
 
It is safe to say that God is livid.
 
But that is not all.
(21-22) “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.”
 
And I think you remember what God had to say about Jeroboam’s lineage.
1 Kings 14:10 “therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone.”
God compared Jeroboam to poop in his house,
And God was about to sweep him out the door.
 
Here God has the same message for Ahab.
It is more than just death, it is complete and total loss of lineage.
 
And then God reveals the exact fate of all of Ahab’s offspring.
(23-24) “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘ The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”
 
Not only will your entire lineage die, but none will be buried.
I will appoint animals to eat every single one of your offspring.
 
God has said:
• “I’ll bring evil on you”
• “I’ll sweep away your legacy and lineage”
• “I’ll feed you and your family to the dogs”
 
COULD GOD BE ANY ANGRIER?
 
Let me remind you that this is where God will eventually take
Each person who stubbornly refuses His “gentle blowing”.
 
DO NOT FORCE GOD TO TAKE IT THIS FAR!
 
On Wednesday night we have seen Isaiah give a similar warning.
Isaiah 1:5-6 “Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil.”
 
Don’t force God to beat you into a fine powder
Before you turn to Him.
 
That is exactly what Ahab had done.
Then we see God’s final appraisal of Ahab.
(25-26) “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.”
 
Scripture records Ahab as the Old Testament’s “Chief of Sinners”
 
Ahab is as wicked as they come.
• He has continually pushed his thumb in God’s eye…
• He has continually thrown God’s law behind his back…
• He has continually turned a deaf ear to God’s reproof…
• And he has forced God to fling upon him a truly horrific judgment…
 
This was one sinful and stubborn man,
Of whom the Old Testament saw no equal.
 
The Incident, The Indictment
#3 THE ILLUMINATION
1 Kings 21:27-29
 
What I mean by illumination is that for Ahab the light finally came on.
 
Like Nebuchadnezzar, apparently Ahab
Had finally reached his “breaking point”.
 
He had Selfishness, Arrogance, Deception, & Shamelessness
THEY ARE ALL GONE
 
(27) “It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes (removed arrogance) and put on sackcloth (showed remorse) and fasted (denied self), and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently (got honest).”
 
It took quite a bit of pressure for God to break him,
But Ahab was finally broken.
 
And with that let me give you some encouragement.
Nebuchadnezzar said:
Daniel 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”
 
REVIVAL IS POSSIBLE.
There is no heart too hard to prevent it…
There is no sin too great to stop it…
When God desires revival, revival will come.
 
 
And look at how God responds to Ahab.
(28-29) “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”
 
Because of his humble repentance,
God was merciful to even the chief of sinners.
 
It seems as though we have heard something like that before.
1 Timothy 1:15-16 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”
 
This morning may you take courage to know
That regardless of where you have been, or what you have done,
If you will humble yourself before God He will be merciful.
 
Only, let me encourage you NOT TO DELAY,
For both cost themselves immensely in their lives of sin.
 
Ahab had already sealed the fate of his lineage before he repented,
And Paul lived with an enormous amount of regret.
 
When you hold off from repentance,
You may not completely lose the opportunity,
But you most certainly pierce yourself with many griefs
And force upon yourself God’s hand of judgment.
 
That is why Paul wrote to never disregard repentance.
Romans 2:4-6 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
 
Today, respond to God’s call, Humble yourself before Him
HE WILL BE MERCIFUL
 
Lamentations 3:22-25 “The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.”
 
HAS GOD BEEN GENTLY BLOWING IN YOUR LIFE?
HAS GOD BEEN TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION?
 
Don’t force Him to completely crush you, turn to Him and receive mercy.
 

The Predetermined Death of Ahab (1 Kings 22:1-40)

By

1 Kings 22:1-40 (read 37-40)
 
I know it has been several weeks since we were in our study of 1 Kings,
So it is certainly good to be back in this very enlightening book
On the importance of seeking and trusting God.
 
You will remember that most recently we have been stuck on one king.
 
He is the most wicked king to ever take the throne in Israel.
1 Kings 21:25 “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.”
 
Yet 6 chapters of Scripture are devoted to him.
 
Ahab forms a good back ground for revival.
In him we see how far Israel has fallen, and how bad they need revival.
 
Ahab also becomes a good candidate for revival.
(Recap his life)
1) Built a house for Baal
2) 3 ½ year drought
3) Loss on Mt. Carmel
4) Mercifully delivered from Ben-Hadad
5) Failed to kill Ben-Hadad and suffered a judgment for it.
 
1 Kings 20:42 “He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'”
 
6) Murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard
7) Suffered judgment for that.
 
1 Kings 21:17-19 “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, ” Have you murdered and also taken possession?”‘ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”‘”
 
Ahab was stubborn and obstinate and he forced God to literally crush him before he would humble himself before God.
 
8) However, after this last judgment Ahab did humble himself
 
1 Kings 21:29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”
 
9) Because Ahab finally did humble himself before God, his judgment was postponed.
 
The tragedy was that because Ahab took so long to repent,
He had already stored up an enormous amount of judgment.
 
He was going to die…
The dogs would lick up his blood…
These were promises from God.
 
This morning, we see those promises come to a fulfillment.
 
Therefore this morning I want to remind you about
The faithfulness of God to carry out His word,
But also the sovereignty of God that can make it happen.
 
God’s judgment is not a threat that should be taken lightly.
 
2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”
 
Peter said:
• Take the sinning angels as an example…
• Take the great flood as an example…
• Take Sodom and Gomorrah as an example…
 
God know how “to keep the unrighteous under punishment”
 
When God promises judgment it occurs, there is no way to escape it.
Isaiah 30:15-17 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.”
 
People all over the world live with this silly misconception
That somehow they will be able to avoid the great judgment.
 
But that is a faulty thought.
You cannot flee from it, you cannot escape it.
 
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
 
The point is that when God decrees disaster, it is a guarantee!
So don’t force Him to go that far to get your attention.
 
This morning we close out the life of Ahab.
 
To open the service, I read to you the fulfillment of the prophecy in which the dogs actually licked up Ahab’s blood after he died.
 
Now, I want to take you back
To let you see exactly how that event came about.
 
It is a tremendous testimony to God’s sovereign power
To accomplish any purpose that He desires.
 
There are 4 main events in our text
#1 THE PETITION OF AHAB
1 Kings 22:1-4
 
“Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.”
 
It was Aram and Ben-Hadad that consumed the battles of chapter 20,
And from whom God had delivered Ahab.
 
Because Ahab humbled himself, God granted him 3 yrs. of peace.
But now it was time for Ahab’s prophetic death to come about.
 
It begins with a situation that troubles Ahab.
 
(3) “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?”
 
You may remember that when Ahab spared Ben-Hadad’s life,
Ben-Hadad made a promise:
 
1 Kings 20:34 “Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.”
 
Apparently Ben-Hadad had reneged a little on his promise,
And Ahab was going to force him to follow through.
 
And for help he wants to enlist Jehoshaphat.
 
Who responds:
(4) “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
If you are curious why Jehoshaphat would help, here is why:
2 Chronicles 18:1-3 “Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”
 
So you see there was a little manipulation worked into that decision.
(A decision that will come back to haunt Jehoshaphat)
 
But none the less, it appears that the battle is being set,
And I hope you notice that the battle is Ahab’s idea.
 
The Petition of Ahab
#2 THE PERVERSION OF THE PROPHETS
1 Kings 22:5-12
 
Jehoshaphat is willing, but would like to know the LORD’S will.
 
(5) “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
 
And it appears that Ahab is fine with that.
(6) “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
 
I hope you noticed the difference in the way
The word “Lord” is recorded.
 
In verse 5, “LORD” is all capital letters, which is a reference to the name of Yahweh. It was the covenantal name of God.
 
However in verse 6, “Lord” is not all caps which refers to any and all generic gods, masters, or Lords.
 
Jehoshaphat wants to hear from God,
They all speak from some other authority.
 
Which prompts Jehoshaphat to ask:
(7) “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?”
 
And you have to love Ahab’s response:
(8) “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
If that is not the prevailing mindset of the world, then nothing is.
 
We learn that the 400 prophets Ahab had, were hand picked
Because they would sell themselves to please Ahab.
 
They were “ear-tickling, prophets for profit”.
 
BUT NOTICE HOW THEY CHANGE THEIR SERMON
WHEN THEY REALIZE JEHOSHAPHAT IS UNHAPPY.
 
VERSES 9-12
They instantly change their tune and
Start prophesying in the name of the “LORD”.
 
These are ear-tickling, tell you what you want to hear king of guys.
 
THESE FALSE PROPHETS ARE ENCOURAGING AHAB
TO GO UP TO FIGHT AGAINST ARAM.
You will see in a moment that this was a crucial thing.
 
The Petition of Ahab The Perversion of the Prophets
#3 THE PROCLAMATION OF GOD
1 Kings 22:13-28
 
VERSES 13-16
 
It is quite humorous, how they try to intimidate Micaiah,
But he is the real deal.
 
When he gets there, he very sarcastically copies
Those spineless prophets who insist upon tickling the ears.
 
Ahab certainly picked up on the sarcasm:
(16) “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
 
Then comes the actual prophesy.
 
(17) “So he said, “I saw all Israel Scattered on the mountains, Like sheep which have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'”
 
The truth was that the leader of Israel would be killed
And his people would scatter from battle.
 
Ahab’s response:
(18) “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
Now, if the story stopped there,
We might just chalk this up as a warning to Ahab
That he should avoid the battle and save his life.
 
But remember, this is not a warning.
God is at work here to fulfill a previous prophesy
About Ahab’s death.
 
And because that is the case, Micaiah goes a little further
And reveals how God has been at work to bring this battle about.
VERSES 19-23
 
It is apparent that those false prophets were sent by God
To purposely coerce Ahab into battle.
 
(23) “Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.”
 
I know some have difficulty with that concept,
So let me help you with that verse a little.
 
God did not lie to Ahab, rather God allowed the liar (Satan) to do so
In order to accomplish His purposes.
 
DON’T BE SURPRISED AT THIS, GOD HAS SATAN ON A LEASH
Job 1:6-12 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”
 
Even Satan has to have God’s permission to move and act.
Proverbs 16:4 “The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.”
 
And it is apparent that God even uses such liars as Satan
To deceive those who are headed into destruction.
 
This happens today
Romans 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,”
 
This will happen in the end times
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”
 
It is a picture of God taking a person who wants to be deceived
And allowing them to be deceived.
 
He is doing this to Ahab with perverted prophets.
 
Now of course the prophets hated this insinuation.
VERSES 24-25
 
Ahab didn’t like it much either
VERSES 26-28
 
But we will see that God is at work.
 
The Petition of Ahab The Perversion of the Prophets The Proclamation of God
#4 THE PERFECTION OF THE PLAN
1 Kings 22:29-40
 
In find it interesting that Ahab did not believe Micaiah,
But he didn’t totally disregard him either.
 
Instead he tried to cover himself from the judgment of God.
VERSES 29-30
 
How many suppose that they can hide from God’s judgment.
 
Revelation 6:14-17 “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
 
There is no place to hide from God’s judgment.
 
YET AHAB TRIES TO HIDE FROM GOD’S JUDGMENT
 
BUT GOD IS SOVEREIGN
 
At first Ahab’s plan seems to work.
VERSES 31-33
At first Ahab’s plan seems to work.
Until, one of the most random acts in all of Scripture occurs.
 
(34) “Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint in the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded.”
 
The end result, was what I read to you earlier.
VERSES 37-40
 
• God had promised Ahab would die – he did.
• God promised his life would be given in exchange for Ben-hadad – it was.
• God promised his blood would be licked up where Naboth’s was – it was.
 
The death of Ahab was predetermined by God,
And it happened exactly as God said it would.
 
ALLOW ME TO REMIND YOU ABOUT GOD’S SOVEREIGN ABILITY
There are three kinds of sovereignty we see in this story.
 
1) SITUATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY
God has control over wars,
And even over the desires of men to fight them.
 
• Do you suppose it was mere coincidence that Ben-hadad never gave back Ramoth-gilead?
• Do you suppose it was mere coincidence that Ahab couldn’t just live without that city?
 
God has sovereignty over the situations we find ourselves in.
 
There are many other examples, I’ll give you one.
Under the reign of Hezekiah, Assyria will try to conquer Judah. But Hezekiah will pray, and watch what God will do.
 
2 Kings 19:6-7 “Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. “Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.”‘”
 
In other words, God was saying I will make the king of Assyria
Want to go home, and there he will die.
 
Was this any different than Ahab wanting to go to war with Aram?
 
God was sovereign over the whole situation.
 
2) SPIRITUAL SOVEREIGNTY
God has control over everyone and everything.
EVEN EVIL SPIRITS
 
Saul went to a spirit medium
(Ordinarily they cannot bring up the dead)
 
1 Samuel 28:8-14 “Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.” He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.”
 
Nebuchadnezzar consulted with divination to determine where to fight, and God spoke through that.
 
Ezekiel 21:18-23 “The word of the LORD came to me saying, “As for you, son of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to the city. “You shall mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the household idols, he looks at the liver. “Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to set battering rams, to open the mouth for slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. “And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.”
 
You could talk about Balaam and how God would not let him give a curse on Israel.
 
It is a spiritual sovereignty.
God is sovereign over every evil spirit, and over every cast lot.
 
If you want to listen, He can get you the truth.
If you want to be deceived, He controls the lying spirits as well.
 
But the one that is most amazing to me is:
3) SPECIFIC SOVEREIGNTY
 
Most people call this coincidence. It is not.
 
Notice what all God controlled here.
 
 
• Sovereignty over the shot of a soldier…
• Sovereignty over the flight of an arrow…
• Sovereignty over the joint of an armor…
• Sovereignty over the choice of a servant, where to wash the chariot…
• Sovereignty over the hunger of dog…
 
God gave some specifics about Ahab’s death,
And every one of them was carried out to absolute perfection.
 
MY POINT IS THIS:
GOD ACCOMPLISHES HIS PURPOSES
 
Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
 
Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,”
 
Isaiah 14:27 “”For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
 
When God promised death to Ahab, death is what he got.
EXACTLY HOW GOD PROMISED IT
 
Do not mess around with the warnings of God in Scripture.
 
When God warns of an eternal hell,
And a worm that does not die,
And a fire that is not quenched,
DO NOT BRUSH HIM OFF.
 
He can do it, and He will do it.
 
When God says repent or else, He means it.
Heed His warnings and turn to Him, before He has to crush you.
 
Isaiah 55:6-7 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
 
We have already seen that God is bringing revival to Israel.
It could happen in Ahab or in spite of him.
 
The same can be said for you and I.
GOD CAN BRING REVIVAL IN YOU, OR IN SPITE OF YOU.
 
2 Corinthians 6:2 “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
 

Loving God’s Word (Psalms 119:97-104)

By

Loving God’s Word
Psalms 119:97-104
November 6, 2011

I have to say that tonight we look at my favorite stanza of this 119th Psalm.
We certainly find value in every line, but this one just jumps to me.

For here we find our Psalmist simply giving an account
Of his great love for the word of God.

If indeed these stanzas build upon one another,
It seems that the victory he experienced last week
Has spilled over into doxology this week.

You may remember that our Psalmist
Has been dealing quite a while now with affliction.

And we have seen him with almost every conceivable emotion.
He has questioned it…
He has fought it…
He has embraced it…
He has appreciated it…
He has asked for it to leave…
He has even reached despair over it…

But last week we finally saw him conquer it.
(92-93) “If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.”

That certainly was a rejuvenated man.
That certainly was a victorious man.

Now, as we noted, his affliction wasn’t gone.
(95) “The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.”

His affliction wasn’t gone, but he had found victory in the middle of it.

And he gave sole credit for that victory to the word of God.
It was God’s law that kept him from perishing.
It was God’s precepts that revived him.

And it is apparent that he is not yet finished
Testifying to his high esteem of God’s word.

For tonight we have a stanza purely devoted to his love for God’s Word.

And certainly loving the word of God is essential in our lives.

You may remember when we talked about the Anti-Christ
While studying 2 Thessalonians.
Listen to what Paul said about people who don’t love the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

There, love of God’s word is equated with salvation.

Jesus indicated the same:
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

And you may remember that love for God’s word
Was one of the chief distinctions of the early church.

Acts 2:41-42 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

It is easy to say that a chief characteristic of the children of God
Is that they love the word of God.

And in reality, this is obvious.
How can you claim to love God if you don’t care to listen to Him speak?

And so love of God’s Word is basic.
And that is precisely what our Psalmist is.
He has a tremendous love for God’s word.

In fact he begins by saying, “O how I love Your law!”

And that phrase is very insightful.

He doesn’t just say, “I love Your law”, but “O how I love Your law!”

It is almost as if “love” isn’t a strong enough word for him.
He loves it immensely.
He loves it exceedingly.
His love for it is immeasurable.

He can’t seem to put a limit on it,
Nor can he seem to be able to express it fully.
I just love it soooo much!

And that is a refreshing statement to us.
We live in a day where God’s word may or may not be loved.
But we certainly live in a day where if you talk about God’s “law”,
It most certainly is not.

Even in the church, people have grown
To attach a negative connotation to the “law” of God.

It sounds condemning.
It sounds judgmental.
And today everyone wants to put the emphasis on grace and blessing.

So talk about precepts all you want.
Talk about Scriptures if you must.
But if you talk about “law” that is most certainly negative.

BUT THAT IS REGRETTABLE.
Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”

Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

God’s law is God’s word. It is good.
It is perfect.
It should be loved.

And that is precisely what we hear from our Psalmist.
And so tonight, let’s see what it looks like to love God’s Word.

The Psalmist will show you what it means to love the word of God.
#1 THE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:97

We already saw that the Psalmist loves the word of God,
But here he even shows us what it means to love God’s word.

HOW DO YOU EXPRESS LOVE FOR GOD’S WORD?
“It is my meditation all the day.”

This is actually one of my favorite words in regard to the word of God.

You can’t just read God’s word
And you can’t just listen to God’s Word being read.
If you want the full effect, you have to meditate on it.

Proverbs 2:1-6 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
I tend to believe that Proverbs 2:1-6 is the pinnacle passage
On how to study the Bible.

Notice all the words he uses in regard to the way we treat God’s word.
“RECEIVE my words”
“TREASURE my commandments”
“MAKE your ear attentive”
“INCLINE your heart”
“CRY for discernment”
“LIFT your voice for understanding”
“SEEK her as silver”
“SEARCH for her as for hidden treasures”

The writer of Proverbs is clear about
How the search for wisdom should be conducted.

He treats it as though it is a fine jewel.
I’ve always pictured it as a fine jewel buried beneath the earth.

If a miner is going to find it he will have devote himself to the process.
Not all nuggets just sit right out on the surface.
To find some, you have to dig for them.

It takes work, it takes diligence, but the reward is certainly worth it.

Well, reading the Bible requires the same kind of diligence.
In this book, not all the jewels just sit right out on the surface.
Some are buried deep within.

Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

And to begin to learn the things He would reveal
Requires extreme diligence.

You are all aware of the fact that the Scriptures are appraised.
1 Corinthians 2:11 “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”

And yet God gives us His Spirit that we can understand these things.
But we must work at it.

Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

And so we know Bible understanding requires work and diligence,
Just like a miner extracting a precious jewel.

BUT HOW DO WE MINE?
The answer is meditation.
We read, read, and re-read.
We contemplate.
We listen

It is Read, Contemplate, Think, Pray, Question and Apply…
You roll it all up into one and we call it meditation.

There is so much depth to the word of God
And meditation is the key to begin to unearth some of that depth.

Psalms 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.”

Furthermore, meditation is an expression of love.

Remember when you met the love of your life?
• Some facts were on the surface (name, looks, etc.)
• Some facts required a little more digging.
• Some you are still trying to dig out.

BUT YOU DO IT BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM
So it is with God’s word.
The Psalmist loves God’s word and he expresses that love by meditation.
He loves to fill his mind with what God has said.

The Expression of His Love
#2 THE EXPLANATION OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:98-100

We already know that the Psalmist has a great love for God’s Word,
A love so deep that he meditates upon it continually.

A GOOD QUESTION AT THIS POINT WOULD BE WHY?

You could say, “I love my wife”.
Someone could say, “Why?”

And you would have to give explanation as to why she is worth loving.

Well that Psalmist tells you here why he loves God’s Word.

And the simple answer is because it makes him wise.
And wisdom is of great value!

Proverbs 3:13-18 “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.”

Wisdom is vitally important in this life.
We desperately need it, and we greatly desire it.
And the Psalmist loves God’s word because that is where he finds it.

In fact he gives examples of what he means.
1) God’s Word makes me Craftier than the Enemy (98)

When we talk about being crafty or cunning,
The Scripture paints this to be the chief characteristic of the enemy.

He is slick, he is smooth, he is cunning, he is stealthy
Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

The enemy is crafty.
And yet “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies.”

It is of tremendous value to be a step ahead of the enemy.
It is extremely important to know ahead of time his plan of attack.

When I know God’s Word, I am a step ahead of the game.
I am wise, and I am ready for the enemy.

“For they are ever mine.”
In other words, I am wiser than the enemy because I own God’s word.
I have not only received it, but there is a level of ownership to it.

MAYBE YOU HAVE A VERSE LIKE THAT,
THAT YOU HAVE PROVEN AND NOW CALL IT “YOURS”.

That is what the Psalmist said.
He has believed God’s Word and it makes him craftier than the enemy.

2) God’s Word makes me more Knowledgeable than the Scholars (99)

The chief example of craftiness is the enemy.
The chief example of knowledge is the scholar.

• They have devoted their lives to studying and learning and lecturing.
• They have degrees and awards and accomplishments.
• They have solved problems and answered riddles.
• They are revered as knowledgeable.
And yet the Psalmist says, “I have more insight than all my teachers”

I may not have a great education, like they do,
But I am not ignorant nor am I slow to understand.

There is a wisdom in me that is not of man.
There is an education in me that is beyond worldly.

Remember Paul?
Galatians 1:11-12 “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Remember the Apostles?
Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

Even Jesus
John 7:15-16 “The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”

I am not knocking education,
But it does not equate with the wisdom found in God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.”

And the Psalmist understood that.

I can’t go and debate physics with a professor at Texas Tech,
But that does not mean I am not wise.

Man’s education may explain how laws of the universe affect us,
But man’s education has never answered who wrote those laws.

The best answers man has are an explosion and a monkey.

The Psalmist says God’s word gives him knowledge.

“I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.”
I get it because I meditate on it.
I don’t just sit on the surface.

And so meditation is not only an expression of love,
But is also a means of knowledge.
3) God’s Word makes me more Experienced than the Aged (100)

The Enemy is the pinnacle example of Craftiness.
The Scholars are the pinnacle example of Knowledge.

But if you want to see the pinnacle example of experience,
You go to the aged.

And there is tremendous value in talking with them.
Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”

Leviticus 19:32 ‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.”

Job 12:12 “Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.”

Certainly there is a wealth of knowledge and experience there.

But notice what the Psalmist says: “I understand more than the aged,”

That is quite a statement.
• I am more crafty than the enemy.
• I am more knowledgeable than the scholar.
• I am more experienced than the aged.

HOW?
“Because I have observed Your precepts.”

A person used to say to me all the time, “Wisdom comes with age.”
I would respond, “It comes with fear of the Lord”.

Psalms 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

The Psalmist knew that “fear of the LORD” (obedience)
Is what produces wisdom.

Certainly there is a manner of wisdom that comes from age,
Namely that which we know as experience.

But there is a wisdom even greater than that
Which only comes from God, through obedience to His word.

TURN TO: JOB 28

God has a wisdom that even experience cannot give you.
It is the wisdom of obedience.

And so now we see why he loves God’s Word so much.
It makes him wise.
His Expression of Love, His Explanation of Love
#3 THE ENDURANCE OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:101-102

I love the way he states this first phrase.
“I have restrained my feet from every evil way,”

WHY?
“That I may keep Your word.”

Notice also that he used the word “restrained”

That is to say that if given free reign
His feet would have naturally gravitated down the ways of evil.

The natural inclination of the human heart
Is to rush into sin and gravitate toward evil.

That is why Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:27 “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

That is why the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

And the Psalmist sees the need as well.
He has to restrain his feet, he has to overcome temptation
If he wants to be obedient.

And yet that is a struggle worth enduring because he loves to obey.

Furthermore we see an endurance in this struggle.
(102) “I have not turned aside from Your ordinances”

Regardless of the struggle…
Regardless of the temptation…
He has committed not to disregard God’s Word.

WHY?
“For You Yourself have taught me.”

AND THERE IS THE KEY TO IT ALL
He loves it because it is God’s Word
He endures because God said it

“You Yourself have taught me.”

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

This is what makes God’s word worth the effort.
IT IS GOD’S WORD

• We don’t follow this book because it is fun – we are not pleasure seekers
• We don’t follow this book because others do – we are not men pleasers
• We don’t follow this book because it is history – we are not historians
• We don’t follow this book because it works – we are not pragmatists
• We don’t follow this book because it is easy – it is not

WE FOLLOW THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS WHAT GOD SAID!

The God who created the world…
The God who will judge the world…
THAT God said these things, and that makes them more valuable to us
Than any other written word known to man.

And for that reason we not only love it, but we meditate on it,
We obey it, and we keep obeying it no matter what.

That was the attitude of our Psalmist.
His love of God’s word had endurance.

And it must, for “love bears all things”

We know he loved God’s word because he refused to leave it.

The Expression of His Love, The Explanation of His Love, The Endurance of His Love
#4 THE ENJOYMENT OF HIS LOVE
Psalms 119:102-104

Don’t you love the imagery?
“How sweet are Your words to my taste!”

See, he does love God’s word.
And his love is a commitment.
But it is not as though God’s word is hard to love.

It is not like those who commit to love God’s word have a difficult task.
God’s Word is easy to love.
It is sweet to the taste.

“Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Proverbs 24:13-14 “My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.”

That is good advice.
Here the Psalmist would say, God’s word is good, so read it.

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”

Point being, it is not hard to love God’s word, just read it.
If you will meditate upon it, you will understand.

Someone could say, “I don’t know if I would like so & so”.
Well, get to know them and see. You do and find that they are great to get to know.

That is even more true with God’s word.
It is a blessing.
It is sweet to the taste.

The Psalmist loves loving God’s word.

(104) “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

The point there is he loves the right way (God’s Word) so much
That he actually hates everything that opposes it.

It is a hate that is born out of his love.

• If you love life, you hate murder.
• If you love marriage, you hate divorce.
• If you love people, you hate gossip.
• If you love God, you hate idols.
• If you love truth, you hate error.

And that is what the Psalmist said.
I love God’s Word so much, it is impossible for me to love what is false.

He is in love with the truth of God’s Word.

And the point is that loving God’s word is not a burden to him.
It is not a difficult choice.
He tried it and he loves it.

• He loves it because it makes him wise.
• He shows that love through meditation and endurance.
• And if he were given the option to get out of the commitment, he would not do it.

HE LOVES IT

Let me encourage you to love God’s Word in the same way.

If you don’t know, but you would like to, the path is easy.

Do what the Psalmist did.
(97) He meditated on it
(98) He made it his
(99) He meditated some more
(100) He obeyed it

And that is what allowed him to say it tastes sweet.

Listen if you are truly a believer,
You already have an in born hunger for God’s Word,
It just may be you need to try it.

(it is like being hungry and not knowing it)

Trust me, it will satisfy you and make you love it too.
(I used to not want to read the gospels – until I did)

The same with God’s word.
Get into this book and see why the Psalmist loved it so much.

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

The Gentle Blowing of God (1 Kings 20)

By

1 Kings 20 (1-15)
 
Most recently in our study of the Kings we have talked about
The REVIVAL that God began through the prophet Elijah.
WE SAW FIRE FALL ON MT. CARMEL
 
But then Elijah made a critical miscalculation.
After the great victory,
Elijah was just certain that he knew where God was headed.
 
So much so that Elijah actually out ran God to Jezreel.
Elijah didn’t find the revival he expected, he found a death threat.
 
Then came a significant point of training for Elijah:
1 Kings 19:11-13 “So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
 
Although Elijah was looking for a literal “Fire-Fall” type of revival,
He learned that revival doesn’t commonly come that way.
 
The true revival of God is not best explained
By an explosion, or a storm, or even a “firefall”.
 
All that fire-fall produced where some Half-Hearted, Momentary Converts who departed as quickly as they converted.
 
A TRUE REVIVAL OF GOD IS MUCH MORE THOROUGH THAN THAT
 
I recently read an article by John MacArthur entitled: “Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry”
“Humble patience with people may be the most important virtue you’ll every exercise. After all, your goal as a pastor should be to bring the convictions of your congregation into line with the full message of God’s Word, and their lives to spiritually maturity. And this is a process of sanctification that takes time (decades not just months or years). It only comes from trusting the Spirit’s power in using His Word as it is faithfully proclaimed week after week, year after year.”
 
The point is that the truest revivals of God
Don’t occur as a flash in a pan, but in a slow cooking oven.
 
God works continually and thoroughly over time
To completely change hearts and build the convictions of those
Who have genuinely chosen to follow Him.
 
We are certainly learning that here in 1 Kings.
 
Elijah’s “revival” on Mt. Carmel was certainly short-lived
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN GOD IS NOT BRINGING REVIVAL
 
In fact, God promised Elijah that true revival was coming.
1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
 
God was going to completely and thoroughly remove Baal from Israel.
God was going to bring revival, but not in one afternoon.
In fact, it wouldn’t even fully occur in Elijah’s lifetime.
 
God was bringing revival, but it is a thorough process
That could not be rushed.
 
It is that process that we see unfolding in our text this morning.
God is working in the heart of Ahab.
 
You and I know that God has already begun to work in Ahab’s life.
 
GOD GAVE HIM:
1) A Drought to Suffer Under (3 ½ years)
2) A Defeat to Acknowledge (Baal lost on Mt. Carmel)
 
This morning we see four more areas
In which God will “gently blow” to get Ahab’s attention.
 
WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE:
The subtle ways that God works in our lives in order to get our attention.
 
I believe God is working revival in our midst,
But I don’t want you to miss it
Simply because you are waiting for the fire to fall.
 
Let me show you what the “gentle blowing” of God looks like in a life,
So that you will recognize it in yours and turn to God as He desires.
 
You will see this morning 4 times that God gently blows in Ahab’s life.
They are the four times that God speaks in this chapter.
 
Coupled with the previous two, here are four more ways in which God was working to Get Ahab’s attention.
 
#1 A DELIVERANCE TO ENJOY
1 Kings 20:1-15
 
Allow me to paraphrase:
• Ben-hadad is king of Aram and he is an arrogant man.
• He is now seeking to grow his kingdom by destroying Israel.
• He is purposely trying to pick a fight by asking for more than Ahab would give.
 
First he asks for Ahab’s wives
(which Ahab actually gives)
Next he asks for anything he or his servants want
 
Ahab realizes that he is only looking for trouble, and refuses.
 
This gave Ben-hadad the excuse he needed to declare war.
(10) “Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.”
 
In other words, you wouldn’t give my servants anything they want,
So I am about to give them handfuls of your dust.
 
I am about to pound Samaria into rubble.
 
Ahab responds
(11) “Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’”
 
Two soldiers may put on their armor with the intention of winning,
But only the one who is able to take off his armor
Is the one who truly was victorious.
 
BUT YOU SEE AHAB’S PREDICAMENT.
He is faced with a battle that he cannot escape…
He is faced with a danger that he cannot defeat…
 
And it is at this point that God enters the scene
With a “gentle blowing” for Ahab.
 
(13) “Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'”
DOES THAT SEEM STRANGE TO YOU?
Ahab and God are not exactly allies.
 
Yet here God, without any prompting at all,
Just turns and freely offers deliverance to Ahab.
We call it mercy, and God is using it to try and get through to Ahab.
“and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
 
Sometimes God just does something inexplicably good in our lives
Simply to reveal to us that His plans for us are good.
 
• Maybe He heals a sickness…
• Maybe He provides financially…
• Maybe He allows a success…
 
He just does something good to show us that He loves us
And would like to play a bigger part in our lives.
 
The intention is that we would perceive and turn to Him completely
 
REMEMBER THIS ACCOUNT:
Matthew 20:29-34 “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
 
It was just an act of undeserved mercy,
And it caused the recipient to follow.
 
I WONDER IF YOU WOULD NOTICE GOD DOING THIS IN YOUR LIFE?
• Can you recognize the good that God has done for you?
• Can you see His provision, or His hand of healing in your life?
• Can you see that everything you have is because of Him?
 
The INTENTION is that you will see that He is good
And would determine to follow Him.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Let the mercy of God in your life
Motivate you to serve Him whole-heartedly.
 
That is how God was working in Ahab’s life.
 
First, a deliverance to enjoy
#2 A DELIMMA TO PONDER
1 Kings 20:16-22
 
Now of course you will notice that God
Came through with the deliverance just as he promised.
 
Ahab was able to perform a great slaughter of Aram.
But there is no record of Ahab’s repentance, or worship
So God allows for another chance to get Ahab’s attention.
 
You notice in verse 20 that “Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.”
 
This prompted yet another visit from God’s messenger.
(22) “Then a prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
 
Here God allows for Ahab to see a coming dilemma
And then gives him time to sweat it out and ponder on it.
 
Certainly Ahab would have rejoiced in his victory,
But because he failed to worship God his rejoicing would be short lived.
 
GOD WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO ENJOY VICTORY FOR LONG
 
This is a “gentle blowing” from God to allow Ahab to worry
So he might turn to the God who has already delivered him once.
 
“see what you have to do”
This was a command for Ahab to recognize his need for God’s help
 
SOMETIMES GOD WORKS LIKE THIS IN OUR LIVES AS WELL.
 
He allows hardships to throw us into turmoil and anxiety
So that we will be motivated to turn to Him.
 
Last week we saw it as: “Wilderness University”
 
Elijah was a great example of one who took his dilemma to God.
Let me give you another example.
 
King Hezekiah, when Assyria sent a letter threatening to destroy them.
2 Kings 19:14-19 “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. “Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. “Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
 
He understood what to do with a dilemma, he turned back to God.
 
I WONDER IF YOU HAVE EVER RECOGNIZED THIS IN YOUR LIFE?
• God allows you to see a potential problem…
• God allows you to sweat something out a little…
 
He doesn’t do it to harm you,
He does it to cause you to depend upon Him.
 
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
 
This is certainly what God wanted from Ahab,
But as you can see, there was no such response.
 
So God continues to work.
First through a Deliverance to Enjoy
Second through a Dilemma to Ponder
#3 A DEMONSTRATION TO CONSIDER
1 Kings 20:23-30
 
You will notice that Ben-hadad is more serious this time.
This time he had exchanged his politicians for soldiers
And he has mustered an army of well over 120,000.
 
You know the odds are against Israel, for look at verse 27:
“The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.”
 
Once again, defeat for Israel looks certain.
 
And then God’s prophet shows up
With another “gentle blowing” from the LORD.
 
(28) “Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'”
 
This time God is not delivering simply to show mercy to Ahab.
 
WHY IS GOD DELIVERING?
He is avenging His name on those who think
He is only a God of the mountains.
 
And He points that out to Ahab.
You would not turn and worship Me because I am merciful,
So maybe you will turn and worship Me because I am powerful.
God puts on a powerful display,
Which is also meant to get Ahab’s attention.
“and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
 
REMEMBER WHEN JESUS DID THIS?
Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
 
Remember what Jesus said to Nathanael?
John 1:50-51 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
 
Jesus also said:
John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
 
They are all moments God uses to cause us to submit to Him
Because of His great power.
 
We are to see that He alone is God,
And that He alone is worthy of worship.
 
John 14:11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”
 
PERHAPS GOD HAS WORKED LIKE THIS IN YOUR LIFE
• A near death experience…
• A miraculous deliverance…
• Sometimes just a lightning storm, or a loud clasp of thunder…
 
Those times are meant by God to show you that He is God
And He is not to be messed with.
 
BUT AHAB STILL FAILED TO GET THE MESSAGE
 
First A Deliverance to Enjoy
Second A Dilemma to Ponder
Third A Demonstration to Consider
#4 A DISCIPLINE TO ANTICIPATE
1 Kings 20:31-43
 
Ahab obviously did not learn a thing,
For he turned loose the man God had delivered into his hand.
Verse 34 says, “he made a covenant with him and let him go.”
 
He should have been making a covenant with God,
Instead he is making it with the man who cursed God.
Ahab is not getting it.
 
This brings on a little dramatic parable,
The prophet pretends to be a man who has lost one given to his care.
 
Ahab reveals that his life should be given in exchange.
 
Then we hear the fourth time God speaks to Ahab in this chapter.
(42) “He said to him, “Thus says the LORD, Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.”
 
Here is another “gentle blowing” in Ahab’s life.
 
God is yet again trying to get Ahab’s attention,
By now promising Ahab of a coming destruction.
 
Sometimes God results to drastic measures to get a person’s attention
• It can be a promise of judgment in Scripture…
• It can actually be a hardship or tragedy…
• It can be a literal punishment with consequences…
 
God is forced to reveal to a person exactly where they are headed
So that they might turn to Him in repentance and worship.
 
Jesus did this at times:
Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
 
Jesus threatened judgment to get us to fear Him and repent.
 
Remember this parable?
Luke 13:6-9 “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'”
 
John the Baptist said:
Matthew 3:10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
 
When God threatens you with judgment (i.e. lays the axe at your root)
Then pay attention and start to please Him.
 
That is precisely what God is doing here to Ahab.
Unfortunately he still has not worked.
 
(43) “So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.”
Instead of repenting, he started pouting.
 
Now I know this was a long chapter,
But it was necessary to see it all in order to get the idea.
 
LOOK AT ALL THE WAYS GOD WAS “GENTLY BLOWING”
A Drought to Learn from
A Defeat to Acknowledge
A Deliverance to Enjoy
A Dilemma to Ponder
A Demonstration to Consider
A Discipline to Anticipate
 
And every time the King has turned a deaf ear,
And is only moving deeper into depravity.
 
BECAUSE OF HIS OBSTINANCE HE IS NOT ONLY DELAYING REVIVAL,
BUT IS HEAPING JUDGMENT UPON HIMSELF
 
HERE IS THE POINT:
I want you to open your eyes to see all the various ways
In which God has been at work in your life.
 
I want you to see the DROUGHTS He has allowed…
To cause you to RETURN to Him
I want you to see the DEFEATS He has allowed…
To cause you to TRUST only Him
I want you to see the DELIVERANCES He has performed…
To cause you to LOVE and SERVE Him
I want you to see the DILEMMAS He has brought your way…
To cause you to INQUIRE of Him
I want you to see the DEMONSTRATIONS of power He has shown you…
To cause you to BE IN AWE of Him
I want you to see the DISCIPLINES He promises for rejecting Him…
To cause you to FEAR Him
 
I want you to see the hand of God in your life.
GOD DESPERATELY WANTS FOR YOU TO TURN TO HIM
He wants from you what He wanted from Ahab,
For “you to know that I am the LORD.”
 
 
I believe with all my heart
That God is working for revival in this church.
It is not occurring as a fire flash on a mountain side.
But it is occurring as a gentle blowing through our midst.
 
Some in our midst are responding to God
Some in our midst are not
 
And all the while God is calling, God is working, God is moving…
Quietly, softly, subtly, but continually and thoroughly
 
Now if God is not working in your life,
I am not asking for a thing from you.
 
But if He is, I am asking is that you recognize it, and submit to Him.
 
Don’t be like Ahab, stubborn and obstinate,
But be willing to acknowledge God at work, and turn to Him.
 
 
Revival is on it’s way.
 
Hebrews 3:7-11 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'”
 

About Us

It is nearly impossible to give a complete run down as to who we are in one section of a website. To really get to know us you will just have to hang around us, but I can give you a few ideas as to what really makes us tick. A LOVE FOR THE WORD All of our services are planned around an exposition of the Word of God. We place high emphasis on studying God's Word through expository book by book studies of the Bible. The Word of God is active … Learn more >>

 

 

Sunday Schedule

9:30am – Sunday School
10:30am – Morning Worship
6:00pm – Evening Worship

Pastor

1 Timothy 4:13-16 "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation … learn more >>

Worship Leader

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with … learn more >>

Secretary

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Amy Harris … learn more >>