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