So it was when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor… The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died. 2 Chronicles 18: 31-43, NKJV.
Dear God, as we enter the study of Your Word, we need You in our midst to speak to our hearts. In the name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
Today we continue with the thought that we have been developing for a few days. The thought that God sees us, and knows us, in a way that no one else does! He sees the secret areas of our lives that are off limits to others. He sees our motives. He sees our agendas. He knows our intentions. He sees our beginning and He knows our end. He sees all, and He knows all about us; good and bad!
King Ahab was not a good king. That is stating it mildly. The truth is, he was one of the worst kings in the history of the children of Israel. The mere mention of his name immediately brings to mind all manner of evil deeds. What is so outstanding about his story, is that he had a wife who was, slightly worse than he was. So together they made a very fearful twosome! They lied, killed, and plotted. They did whatever it took, to get what they wanted. They were either not aware, or did not care, that God sees everything we do!
I wonder what king Ahab’s intentions were, when he invited king Jehoshaphat to accompany him to war. The plan was, that he would disguise himself, while Jehoshaphat wore his kingly attire to the battle. The word had gone out that the king of Israel was the target. Orders were given, ” ‘Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel’ ” (30). So in the heat of the battle, when the armed soldiers looked and saw this person dressed the way kings are dressed for battle, everyone headed in that direction with bow and arrows in hand, ready for the kill! Now listen to the Word of the LORD! “Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him” (31)! Emphasis provided. Is God watching over His people? You be the judge!
What happened next is nothing less than the fulfillment of Isaiah 55: 11: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The Bible says “Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor” (33). If you read the entire chapter of 2 Chronicles 18, you will notice that Micaiah, the only prophet of the LORD that had been consulted, had warned Ahab not to go out to battle. Because of this, Ahab had him imprisoned, “until I return in peace” (26). To this Micaiah replied, ” ‘If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me…” (27)!
I do not believe that Ahab had noble intentions when he advised Jehoshaphat to wear his kingly attire to the battle, while he disguised himself. But be that as it was, all his plotting, and disguising did not keep God’s Words from being fulfilled; “For the mouth of the LORD had spoken it!”