In which Ahab meets the sticky end predicted by Elijah…

And so we get to the final chapter of 1 Kings and with Helen away it is my task to conclude this book.

So Ahab is still King of Israel and Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah. There has been a time of peace but the two Kings decide that it is time to get the land at Ramoth-gilead back from the Syrians. This is good land by the River Jabbok – Zarqua River today in what is now part of Jordan.

However, the Kings are nervous about whether they will be successful in battle. So they ask their prophets who tell them that they will win. Ahab is not convinced and so seeks out one prophet who he thinks is a true believer in the LORD – doesn’t say much about his own staff prophets! Ahab says:

“There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.” 1 Kings 22:8

So he send messengers to bring Micaiah.

When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”

“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” 1 Kings 22:15

Ahab doesn’t believe him and asks him to tell the real prophesy and this time the news is not so good.

 “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”

“Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left.  And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

“‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 1 Kings 22:19-22

So Ahab and Jehoshaphat have heard God’s word via Micaiah. Basically go to war and you will die. And your prophets told you to do it because they were tricked to prophesy the wrong message. Ahab is right, Micaiah never has a good word to say about him.

So Micaiah is sent home and the Kings set off for battle. Ahab comes up with the great idea of disguising himself so that no one knows he is there and therefore he will not be killed. Not entirely I am sure I grasp his logic when he is up against the all-knowing and all-seeing God!

Things don’t go well – what else would you expect when you disobey God – and via a fluke arrow shot King Ahab is killed.

 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. They washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed), and the dogs licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord had declared. 1 Kings 22:37-38

All just as Elijah had prophesied earlier in Kings. Mess with God and the outcome is inevitable.

What intrigues me about this story is why on earth would Ahab go to battle when it was so clear things would go wrong?

I believe it is all about natural resources. One of the most valuable resources then, as it is today in Israel and Palestine, is water. Much of the country is barren and only possible for habitation and cultivation because of irrigation and so owning the water supply is key. Ahab and Jehosophat had one source of water between the kingdoms – the river Jordan – and Ramoth-gilead would give them increased water and food security. This matters so much they are willing to risk it.

Is this any different from today? Whatever the headlines, spin and political rhetoric might say, most conflicts are fundamentally about control of resources. From Iraq to Syria, from Israel to Palestine, so much has blood has been spilled with the ultimate aim of controlling resources. Oil, water, gold and diamonds have all been at the heart of modern conflicts.

Someone recently posted a link to Christian organisation that was supporting Israel. Reading through the site it gave the impression that Israel could do no wrong because it was the chosen people of God.

That is not what history tells us. Ahab was the king of Israel – the chosen people of God – who died while breaking God’s will by invading Ramoth-gilead. Even if we agree that the state of Israel represent the chosen people of God – I don’t for the record, but  will save that for anther day – surely they can be just as wrong and outside of God’s will as previous the Israeli nations chronicled through history in the bible?

So my reflection for us all today is that there are rarely absolutes rights and wrongs in international politics. Rarely are we justified to invade a country and kill and maim its people. Rarely are the reasons for war as obvious as we are led to believe. The weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the doctored government reports are just one small example of how public opinion is manipulated.

So I urge you today and all days to side with peace as often as you can. There may be a case for a just war, but few of the hundreds of wars in the last century would be classified as such. It was Jesus who said “Blessed are the peacemakers. ” not the jingoism of “My country, right or wrong”. The quote from MLK alongside this, sums it up rather nicely.