Follow His Plan

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

FOLLOW HIS PLAN

1 Kings 20:31-43

31 His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life." 32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says: 'Please let me live.'" The king answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." 33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. "Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!" they said. "Go and get him," the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot. 34 "I will return the cities my father took from your father," Ben-Hadad offered. "You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." [Ahab said,] "On the basis of a treaty I will set you free." So he made a treaty with him, and let him go. 35 By the word of the LORD one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, "Strike me with your weapon," but the man refused. 36 So the prophet said, "Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.

After such heavy casualties were inflicted on the Aramean army, it was time for them to surrender. This wearing of sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, like a noose around their necks, was a sign of humility. They came pleading for their lives, and the life of Ben-Hadad, the man of arrogance. Yet, their humble state turned to boldness, as King Ahad asked if Ben-Hadad was still alive. They now call him the king's brother. Ben-Hadad is no longer the arrogant man demanding everything from Ahab, out of fear for his life, he offered what he had taken back. However, our story is about Ahad accepting a treaty rather than obeying the Lord. This prophet did something strange: he wanted a man to strike him. This was for a purpose we will see in the rest of this story later. However, the man’s refusal to strike the prophet is another example of not obeying the word of the LORD, and it did not end well for that man. This is the lesson we should keep close to our hearts. Always obey the word of the Lord. This is different from trying to be a “Good Christian” doing all the religious things, appearing as righteous as possible, nearly sin-free. This obeying the word of the Lord has to do with following his directions as to where we go, or stay, and what we are supposed to be doing under his authority. King Ahab was supposed to kill Ben-Hadad, but he allowed him to live and made a treaty with him. That was not going to end well for Ahab,We need to understand, as the Lord speaks to our hearts, what we should be doing; we need to follow the path He has laid out before us. Why King Ahab chose to do whatever he thought was right is unclear. Do we have some choices of our own that God is pleased with? Are believers just living their own lives in this world, doing what they deem the best course of action for their lives, but simply adding Jesus to their routine and some religious activity? That sounds really judgmental, but it is only a question about how we determine what being obedient to the word of the Lord means. Are we living where he has directed us, or where we want to? Are we working, or have we worked according to His plan or ours? Do we attend the church He has directed us to, or the one we want? Do we do, or serve in accordance with His plan, His purpose, or according to what we think is a good thing to do? Many questions, and the answer comes from the Lord. Ahab had a prophet to tell him the word of the LORD; we have the Spirit within. Ahab did not abide by the word of the LORD, although he heard the message loud and clear. We may not hear a loud message, but we could, but maybe only a small still voice within, but the point is the Lord speaks to us, and we should follow His plan. 

Unleashed Power

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

UNLEASHED POWER

1 Kings 20:22-30

22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again." 23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers. 25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost — horse for horse and chariot for chariot — so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they." He agreed with them and acted accordingly. 26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside. 28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.'" 29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

NIV

It was foolish of Ben-Hadad to think the God of Israel could be contained in the hills, or, for that matter, anywhere. God Almighty is the God of everywhere, both of all the earth and all the heavens. He cannot be limited to any place or power that is devised by the mind of men. The proof is in this battle between an army that filled the countryside and a small group of Israelites that looked like two small flocks of goats. However, because of the power of Almighty God, Israel, who looked like two small flocks of goats, inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day. That is almost too much to imagine how such a small army that Israel had could do that much damage in one day. But then again, we cannot put any limits on the power of God, nor can we even imagine trying to limit His power and authority over the lives of those who worship Him. Of course, Ben-Hadad was only familiar with the gods of his own making, or gods devised by the mind of men. This is our lesson; we should take special care never, ever, not even once, to try to limit the power of God in our lives. The question that is before us is whether we try to limit God’s power in our lives. Do we want some of our own power, making our own way, doing what we want, quenching the Spirit, in one sense or another? Do we think our religiosity or spirituality, or our education, wealth, position, or any other skills or training are substitutes for the power of God? If we learn anything from Jesus, it should be to be humble of heart. Forget even trying to be prideful of anything within ourselves. We are like Israel in one sense, except we are just a small flock of sheep, and He is our Great Shepherd. Our Lord has all the power; many things are impossible for us, but there is nothing impossible with the Lord God Almighty. He can do all things. Although we are told that we can do all things through Jesus, who strengthens us, as Paul said in his letter to the Philippians. However, that was in the context of him knowing what it was to have plenty and to be in want, and he had learned to be content in every situation. However, Israel saw the power of God unleashed against the Armenian army. This is how we should be living. We should learn from the Psalmist to be still and know that He is God and unleash His power in our lives. 

Arrogance or Humility

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

ARROGANCE OR HUMILITY

1 Kings 20:12-21

12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he ordered his men: "Prepare to attack." So they prepared to attack the city. 13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, "This is what the LORD says: 'Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 14 "But who will do this?" asked Ahab. The prophet replied, "This is what the LORD says: 'The young officers of the provincial commanders will do it.'" "And who will start the battle?" he asked. The prophet answered, "You will." 15 So Ahab summoned the young officers of the provincial commanders, 232 men. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all. 16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. 17 The young officers of the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, "Men are advancing from Samaria." 18 He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive." 19 The young officers of the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them 20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen. 21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

NIV

We are in the middle of this conflict between Ban-Hadad and all his allied kings, and Ahab, the king of Israel. Ben-Hadad, because he assumed he was in a position of power, demanded all the silver, gold, and the best wives and children of Ahab. However, under the direction of the prophet of God, Ahab sent that message about the one who puts his armor on should not boast, like one who takes it off. Ben-Hadad decided to attack, but, again, because of his arrogance, he spent this time with all the other kings in their tents, getting drunk. How can a drunk man fight effectively? But it is about the arrogance that will be his downfall, but the real problem is that He is not fighting against the king of Israel and his army, but against the LORD God Almighty. Whenever anyone thinks he is greater than God, it always ends in his downfall. The prophet tells Ahab that he will start the war, and that 232 men will be the only force that will send Ben-Hadad and his army packing for the hills. It is similar to the situation when Gideon was asked to fight, when God kept sending men back home until Gideon only had 300 men left, and still won the victory. Truth from this narrative is in the arrogance of Ben-Hadad and the power of the Most High God. We know boasting is not the way of a believer, a follower of Jesus, for we have learned to be gentle and humble of heart. We have also learned that love covers a multitude of sins. What do we have to boast about, other than our Lord? However, are we ever subject to even the littlest bit of arrogance? We may think we are special because we are a Christian, or that because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have the right to be called a child of God. WE may think that we have the upper hand over those who reject Jesus. We may think that being the sheep, we enter into the presence of God, and they, being the goats, are cast out into the outer darkness, and that makes us special. We might think we are better than others, even within the church, because we do more, have a better position, or are more spiritual. In some sense, that may be considered a bit arrogant, a little boastful, thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. Yes, Jesus calls us friends because a servant is not told what the master thinks or does. Yet, in some sense, we still serve our Lord and Master because He is God and we are His people. That truth alone should eliminate any boastfulness, any arrogance about who we are and what we do. He is the Sovereign God to whom we pray that His will be done on earth, that is, within us, as His will is done in heaven. We submit complete authority to our Lord, offering ourselves as living sacrifices, which is our act of spiritual worship. We can do nothing unless we are connected to Jesus, as the branch is to the vine. How can we be anything but humble and contrite before our Lord? We cannot boast or have any arrogance regarding anything about ourselves, or whatever we do,  for everything is about the power of God. However, we should not even boast or be arrogant about the power of God at work within us. Yet, we do know, as Ahab found out, that when God is for us, no one can stand against us. If anything, that should cause us to be gentle and humble of heart. 

To Boast or Not to Boast

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

TO BOAST OR NOT TO BOAST

1 Kings 20:1-11

20:1 Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 3'Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.'" 4 The king of Israel answered, "Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours." 5 The messengers came again and said, "This is what Ben-Hadad says: 'I sent to demand your silver and gold, your wives and your children. 6 But about this time tomorrow I am going to send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will seize everything you value and carry it away.'" 7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said to them, "See how this man is looking for trouble! When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him."   8 The elders and the people all answered, "Don't listen to him or agree to his demands." 9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.'" They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad. 10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful." 11 The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: 'One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.'"

NIV

The rest of this narrative is about a great war between the Armenians and the Israelites, which, of course,  ends with the victor being Israel because of the Hand of God. However, there is a truth in this first exchange that strikes a chord in our hearts. Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, thought more highly of himself than he should have. Just because he showed up with his entire army, he thought Ahab, the king of Israel, should just hand over all his silver and gold, plus the best of his wives and children. After a back-and-forth exchange with messengers, Ahab makes this important statement that bears our focus. “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’” In other words, all of us men put our pants on the same way. We are but men, or women, humans that all dress in the morning and undress at night. None of us is more important than any other. Sure, it would seem we have some who have more wealth than others, and some temporarily have a larger position of power than others. However, when it comes to the Lord, we are all His handiwork, His creation, and subject to His supreme power and divine will. What do we, mere men or women, have to boast? What real power do we own? What real wealth do we accumulate? All of it is meaningless because we all must face the Lord God Almighty and give an account of the greatest decision of our lives. No matter who we are, how much we own, how large our influence or power is in this world, we must make a life-or-death choice. Do we accept Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our Lord and Savior, submitting our will to His will, or do we reject Him, demanding our will to be accomplished in our lives? How can we boast in our armor, that is our wealth and power, when it will all come off, be taken away from us when it is all over, and we face God? Boast you fool, boast in your wealth, boast in your power, and we believers should be very careful that we do not boast in our religiousness, or righteousness, spirituality, or “Good works”, or anything other than to boast in the Lord. We can boast about the Lord’s righteousness and almighty power. All things we put on can be taken off; that is, all we gain can be taken from us. All things are temporary, but through Jesus, our lives are eternal. That is why He is the only one whom we can boast in. 

The Mantle

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

THE MANTLE

1 Kings 19:19-21

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you." "Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?" 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.

NIV

This is the call of Elisha, although the official call of Elisha came from the LORD. He told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his replacement or successor as the prophet of the LORD. Interestingly, this cloak, or mantle, was a fine garment made of fur or hair, and it was the mantle of a prophet, as directly indicated in Zechariah chapter 13. When Elijah threw it over Elisha, he would have known the significance of receiving this mantle of a prophet, this call upon his life. Although we may not recognize a prophet of the LORD by his clothes today, we must remember that a prophet is one of the gifts to the church. The church is gifted with apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers. We put emphasis on the calling to be a pastor and an evangelist, which we may see in today's missionaries. Although we would not have considered Billy Graham as a missionary, but as an evangelist who declared the good news. Yet there should also be apostles and prophets in the church today. However, unlike a pastor, who is called by God, in most evangelical denominations, the one called to be a pastor must meet denominational requirements, be invited by a church, and be voted on by the members to be accepted as their pastor; the prophet is called solely by God. Understanding that apostles are the ambassadors of the Gospel, and the prophet is either a foreteller or an inspired person. To be inspired by God to speak for God is an awesome responsibility. Elijah carried that responsibility to the extreme, especially when he challenged those four hundred and fifty so-called prophets of Baal. Again, the reason we consider them so-called prophets is that Baal is a man-made god, who has no eyes to see, ears to hear, or mouth to speak, so Baal could not inspire anyone to speak for him. However, our God can call anyone to be one of his prophets today, just as he did with Elijah and Elisha. The important issue is about all these gifts to the church. Man does not make that call, but God does. Men may establish requirements to obtain a license or to be ordained in their denomination. Still, it is God who ordains a person to be a shepherd of His people, a pastor, to preach the truth to prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ might be built up. That brings up another important truth about the works of service. These works are not the “Good works” some are accustomed to believing are needed, even for salvation, or to earn an extra jewel in their crown.  But these works of service have the expressed purpose of building up the body of Christ, the church, or others within the church. We are supposed to build each other up until we all reach the unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Jesus. Still, the point of this portion, and with Ephesians, is to know that God continues to call people to be His prophet. We should be open so that we can understand and feel the mantle if God places it on us. 

The Gentle Whisper

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

THE GENTLE WHISPER

1 Kings 19:1-18

19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." NIV

How do we divide this narrative into smaller sections without losing the point? Here we have a man of God who was so bold and zealous for the LORD that he first challenged four hundred and fifty of the so-called prophets of Baal with their false god, and just himself with his LORD God Almighty. Then he had them all killed, and now he runs for his life because he is afraid of one woman, even though she is pure evil. Elijah became so depressed that he wanted to die. We could learn a lesson here about getting down or feeling negative, despondent, or depressed because of certain situations in our lives. There may even be times when we want to give up, stop fighting, and just give in to our “self”. There is another story we need to focus our attention on. Elijah wanted to give up and just die, but the LORD had a plan for him and sent angels to encourage him and feed him. He traveled for forty days and forty nights to arrive at the mountain of God. Our story is about the gentle whisper, the still small voice of the LORD as he spoke to Elijah. When there are earthquakes, fires, powerful winds, and the storms of life that can distract us from hearing the sweet whisper of our Lord, speaking truth into our lives, giving us direction, encouragement, and courageous endurance so we can face all situations with faith and grace. The psalmist said it well, “Be still, and know I the God.” “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” “Do not fret.” Being still in our hearts is the key to hearing the voice of the Lord. When we are fretting about, worrying about this or that, getting all tied up in knots over some situation, whether that be our health, wealth, relationship, or lack of any of those things, or whatever storm our lives are in, we cannot hear that gentle whisper. When we are so loud in our complaints, even complaining to God, yelling and screaming within our hearts because we are fed up with what is happening to us, we cannot hear his answer. Being still means to be still, to just sit down, throw our cloak over our heads, in the presence of the Lord, and listen for that gentle whisper, and we will hear his voice, and we will know what our next step will be. When we are so busy doing what we think is the right thing to do, even doing church things, all those “Good deeds”, we may miss the being still part of our life with Christ. Even when we pray, if we fill our prayers with great religious words and just keep talking and talking, telling God everything that is happening, or our needs, or even if we are praising him, if we do not shut up and listen, we will not hear that gentle whisper. Let us still our hearts, our souls, learn from Jesus, being gentle and humble of heart, listening for the gentle whisper, we will not know where he wants us to be and do. We will be stuck with our thoughts instead of his thoughts, our ways instead of his ways. Be still, listen for the gentle whisper. 

Outrun

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

OUTRUN

1 Kings 18:40-46

40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

NIV

Although we spent some time rereading the slaughtering of the so-called prophets of Baal and how that relates to those who reject the one true God, the story in this portion of the narrative is all about the power of the Most High God. We recall the word of the LORD that came to Elijah that God would bring no rain to the land. It has been three years since any rain, which caused a great famine in the land, and now Elijah is to present himself before Ahab. After all was said and done, Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink, for there is a sound of heavy rain. This is the famous story of Elijah climbing Mt Carmel and bending with his face between his knees, telling his servant to go check for rain clouds. Seven times, which is not a coincidence, for seven represents God’s perfection and completeness. It was on this seventh time that the servant reported a small cloud the size of a man's fist. That was it, heavy rain was coming. A storm was on the way. That one small sign from God was all Elijah needed. How often do we want a great miracle to prove God’s power? Perhaps in our search for a great sign, we might miss that small cloud the size of a man’s fist off in the distant horizon. We know our thoughts are not His thoughts or our ways His ways, still with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, there are times, not in a big storm, with lighting and large gusts of wind, but rather in that gentle breeze, there is a small voice, an inspiring thought, His thought, His direction, His leading, His power at work within us, and thought us. The word of the LORD came to Elijah, and it can come to us if we are listening. However, the power of the LORD was displayed through Elijah. Ahab climbed aboard his chariot, pulled by what we would imagine to be the best and fastest horses in his realm. Yet here comes the power of God, greater than any power of men. Elijah tucks his cloak, a long type of garment, into his belt, giving his legs the freedom to run, and he outruns a wheeled chariot pulled by horses. It is not difficult to believe a man, filled with the power of God, can outrun horses. Sometimes we may look to solutions to the challenges we face in this life, from the minds of men, books geared to the “How to” of some formula that should help us overcome. We only need to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We should look for the power of God to be at work for us, within us, and through us. With the power of God upon Elijah, he outran horses. When we experience the power of God, we can outrun everything else. That would be called being an overcomer. As the power of the Most High God overshadows us, we can outrun anything in this world. We can be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive. Look in the church; it is the power of God causing us to outrun the world.