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A Sermon by Dr. Bob Griffin, Teaching Elder at Sovereign Grace Church
I. JUDGMENT IN WAR
A. COMPROMISE
>1. ALLIANCE
I Kg 22:1-6 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. In the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. Ahab, king of Israel, said to his staff, “Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
(also I Kg 20:34)
>2. ADVERSARY
I Kg 22:7-8 But Jehoshaphat added, “Inquire first for the word of YHWH.” So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for YHWH will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of YHWH of whom we may inquire?” And King Ahaz of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of YHWH, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.”
B. CONTEST
>1. APPREHENSION
I Kg 22:29-30 So the kings went into battle, and the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
>2. AGREEMENT
I Kg 22:31-33 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “That’s surely the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
(also II Chron 18:31; II Chron 19:4)
C. CONSEQUENCES
>1. ARROW
I Kg 22:34-38 But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” The battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.
And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!” So the king died, and his body taken to Samaria for burial. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of YHWH that Elijah had spoken.
(also I Kg 21:19; 20:42)
>2. ACTS
I Kg 22:39-40 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? Thus Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
II. JUDGMENT IN PEACE
A. CHALLENGE
>1. ASSESSMENT
I Kg 22:51-53 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. He did what was evil in the sight of YHWH and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked YHWH, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.
(also Ps 31:15)
>2. ACCIDENT
II Kg 1:1-2 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah [Ahab’s son] fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”
(also Jas 4:14; Ex 23:21; 20:5)
B. CONFRONTATION
>1. ANNOUNCEMENT
II Kg 1:3-4 But the angel of YHWH said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says YHWH, You shall not get up from the bed on which you’ve laid down, but you shall surely die.'” So Elijah went.
(also Is 2:6)
>2. ANSWER
II Kg 1:5-8 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” They replied, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says YHWH, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not get out of the bed to which you’ve laid down, but you shall surely die.'”
He asked them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
(also Mt 3:4; Jn 1:19-21)
C. CONFLAGRATION
>1. APPROVAL
II Kg 1:9-12 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.'” But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king’s order, ‘Come down NOW!'” But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
(also Rom 13:1-2; Acts 5:29; Num 23:20)
>2. APPROACH
II Kg 1:13-14 Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be valuable in your eyes. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be valuable in your eyes.”
D. CONDEMNATION
>1. ANGEL
II Kg 1:15-17 Then the angel of YHWH said to Elijah, “Go down with him; don’t be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king and said to him, “Thus says YHWH, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron – because you thought there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word – therefore you shall not get out of the bed in which you laid down, but you shall surely die.'”
>2. ACHIEVEMENT
II Kg 1:17 So he died according to the word of YHWH that Elijah had spoken. [His younger brother] Jehoram became king in his place because Ahaziah had no son.
(also II Kg 3:1-2)