Focus Chapters:
- 1 Kings 20:23-43
- 1 Kings 21
- 1 Kings 22:1-9
- 2 Chronicles 18:1-8
Standout Verse(s):
THE ACTION
1 Kings 20:23-25 NLT
After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains. Only this time replace the kings with field commanders! Recruit another army like the one you lost. Give us the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight against them on the plains. There’s no doubt that we will beat them.” So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested.
THE REACTION
1 Kings 20:26-28 NLT
The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek. Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside!
Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Observation (s):
- Ben-hadad’s officers placed limits on God, believing He was like their gods, designated to operate and demonstrate His power in only one sphere.
After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.
- In the face of the Arameans’ preparation for a fight in the hills, the Israelite army seemed small and inconsequential.
Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
- God utilized the Arameans’ misconceptions as a prime teaching moment for the Israelites. He proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He had no limits and that a large army could not defeat Him.
Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: The Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills and not of the plains.’ So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
Application:
Worshippers of gods tend to believe that each god has power over a specific domain. For example: Hades is the death and the underworld. Venus is the goddess of love and fertility and Neptune is the god of the seas. Greek mythology tells the story of Persephone who was stolen from her mother, Demeter, the goddess of fertility and harvest. When Demeter learns that Hades, the god of the underworld was responsible for stealing her daughter, she could do nothing beyond wrecking havoc on the domain under her control (the earth – creating various season) while relying on the decree of Zeus, her husband, as to how the matter would be resolved. She became a prime example of an earthly god who was restricted and could only impact the domain that she had dominion over.
Who do you believe God is? What do you believe that God is capable of? Are you like Ben-hadad’s officers who believe that God was like the earthly gods, restricted to one domain? Our God has no limits. He is not restricted to a particular domain, only able to come to your aide under a specific circumstance. He is fully functional in any season and within any geographic conditions. If you trusted Him to fight for you in the hills, trust Him to fight for you in the plains.
