I Kings 20
From a Prophet's Journal
Apparently, king Ahab spared the life of king Ben-Hadad. Unbelievable.
I am to convey the message to him in a way that will let Ahab know how serious his disobedience was.
As I walked along a road, the Lord told me to command the man walking with me, "Strike me with your weapon." I did as the Lord said. The man looked at me as if I had asked for a bag of gold.
"No, I cannot do this," he said.
When God gives a command, no matter how odd it may seem, we are to obey. I turned to him and said, "Since you did not obey the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you."
After the man walked away, I heard the lion's roar.
The Lord told me to find another man and give the same message. Farther up the road I saw a man. I hurried to catch up to him. "Strike me, please." The man obeyed, wounding me.
I stumbled to the side of the road and waited for king Ahab to come. I disguised myself with a headband pulled down over my eyes. After a while, I heard the foot soldiers calling out, "Make way for the king."
When his chariot rolled past I called out to him, "Your servant went into the thick of the battle. Someone came to me and said, 'Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life or you can pay a talent of silver.' While I hurried here and there doing my work, the man disappeared."
King Ahab called back, "Then you know what will happen. You will either lose your life or have to pay a talent of silver."
I pulled off the headband from my eyes and looked at the king.
His eyes grew wide. "You are a prophet!"
"Yes. I have a message for you from the Lord. 'You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore you will lose your life, and your people will lose their lives instead of his people."
Ahab closed his eyes. His face reddened and he tightened his hand into a fist. He didn't say a word other than to command his soldiers to move on. He returned to his palace in Samaria.
For three years Ahab and king Ben-Hadad kept peace. And then...
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photo courtesy of visualbiblealive.com
1. How did the prophet know Ahab spared king Ben-Hadad's life?
2. What did God tell the prophet to say to the man walking with him?
3. What punishment did the man receive for not obeying?
4. What did God tell the prophet to do next?
5. What did that man do?
6. What disguise did the prophet wear?
7. What message did the prophet give king Ahab?
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