AHAB’S CONQUEST OVER BEN-HADAD In the last chapter we saw how the soul of the prophet Elijah was embittered because of the apostasy of Israel from God, and their persecution of His prophets. Seeing how his heart was full of zeal on the glory of the Lord, He revealed to him about the hidden few remnant among the people, and His plan to chastise the house of Ahab. But, God, in His longsuffering, gave Ahab another chance, hoping for his return to Him. God allowed Ben-Hadad king of Syria to demand from Ahab his silver, gold, and loveliest wives and children; and when he consented, he said that he will send his servants to search his house and the houses of his servants, to take whatever is pleasant in Ahab’s eyes. And when Ahab sought the counsel of all the elders of the land, who refused that request; God sent a prophet to Ahab to confirm to him that He is going to grant him conquest over Ben-Hadad. He actually defeated him in two battles; and when Ben-Hadad fell into his hands, contrary to God’s command, he made a treaty with him, and sent him away. Here, the divine verdict was issued to take Ahab’s life for Ben-Hadad’s life; and the people of Israel for the people of Aram. 1- Ben-Hadad seeks all what belong to Ahab 1 - 5 2- Ben-Hadad overdoes it against Ahab 6 3- Ahab prepares for the battle against Ben-Hadad 7 - 12 4- Ahab’s conquest in the first battle against Ben-Hadad 13 - 21 5- Ben-Hadad’s plan revealed 22 - 27 6- Ahab’s conquest in the second battle against Ben-Hadad 28 - 33 7- A treaty between Ahab and Ben-Hadad 34 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 8- A prophet declares the divine verdict on Ahab 35 – 43 1- BEN-HADAD SEEKS ALL WHAT BELONG TO AHAB: “Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; there were 32 kings with him with horses and chariots. And he went up, put Samaria under siege, and made war against it. Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, ‘Thus says Ben-Hadad: Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine’. And the king of Israel answered and said, ‘My Lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours’. (1-4) This Ben-Hadad is probably the son or grandson of Ben-Hadad who helped Asa against Baasha (1 kings 15: 18). He put Samaria under siege, together with 32 kings; who were actually not kings of surrounding countries who were his allies, but most probably governors of provinces affiliated to the kingdom of Aram (24), or heads of tribes. For the kingdom of Aram stretched from the Euphrates to the northern frontier of Israel. And In the Assyrian inscriptions it came that Aram included a great number of very small kingdoms. Some Phoenician and Syrian kings, each reigning on a single city, had complete independence, but joined forces in military actions for the sake of defense or offense; and the king of the major city – Damascus -- was the head of the whole pact. He intended to put Samaria under siege, either for the sake of material gains, or for political reasons. King David submitted the Aramites, and committed them to pay taxes; but the apostasy of Israel from God, turned Aram into a source of terror to https://coptic-treasures.com/ her. Asa king of Judah asked Aram to invade Israel (1 kings 15: 18-20); Now, Aram attempts to invade Israel on her own. As Samaria was a new city, not fortified as it should be, Ben-Hadad threatens to put it under siege, unless Ahab submits to him; not just to pay taxes, but to present all what he has of silver, gold, and his loveliest wives and children; Namely, that Israel would become completely under the authority of Aram; on account of that having the women of a defeated king, makes him the king in his place. It so seems that Ben-Hadad expected that Ahab would refuse to comply to his demands; and he would then put the city under siege, and take it completely over. For a king would possibly give up his treasures of silver and gold, to save his life; but he would never deliver his whole household of wives and children. By accepting all Ben-Hadad’s demands, saying that he and all what he has is his, Ahab assumed that he might manage to appease Ben-Hadad’s anger, to enter with him into a constructive debate. He was so humiliated by sin, that he lost all selfrespect and confidence, to the extent of shamefully accepting to give up all the treasures of the kingdom , beside his loveliest wives and children. By denying himself of God, the source of his power and protection, and by revolting against God, and refusing to have Him reign over his whole life and possessions, he ended up being a slave to a heathen king. The silver and gold which Ahab prepared for Baal (Hosea 2: 8), were taken over by the enemy. Although Ahab knew by experience the helplessness and vanity of Baal; Yet, to please his wife, and probably for the sake of satisfying his own covetousness, he worshipped Baal, and forced the people to do the same; denying himself the true God, who could support him and grant him the spirit of strength, conquest, and honor. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then the messengers came back and said, ‘Thus speaks Ben- Hadad, saying, Indeed I have sent to you, saying, you shall deliver to me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children” (5) The humiliation and contrition of Ahab, encouraged Ben-Hadad to become more arrogant. He was not satisfied just to get all what Ahab had of silver, gold, wives, and children, but he demanded to send him messengers to take over all what is pleasant in Ahab’s eyes. In his earlier demand he sought the king’s treasures and household; but now he intends to insult and humiliate him, through letting his servants take over all what pleases him, even if they are not intending to use them. According to some, he intended to confiscate his gods and all the tools of their worship; and according to others he intended to rob the people of all what are worthy of their possessions. 2- BEN-HADAD OVERDOES IT AGAINST AHAB: “But I will send my servants to you about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants. And it shall be that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put in their hands, and take it’” (6) 3- AHAB PREPARES FOR THE BATTLE AGAINST BEN-HADAD:: “Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, ‘Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him” (7) https://coptic-treasures.com/ He did not seek the counsel of the elders of the land, the first time, for he counted it as his personal responsibility to decide what concerns his own treasures, wives; and children; but after receiving his second message, demanding the entrance of his servants to rob the people of their possessions, he was committed to seek the counsel of the elders of the land, who, in their turn, considered Ben-Hadad’s demand an unbearable insult, and counseled the king to reject it completely. “And all the elders and all the people said to him, ‘do not listen nor consent’. Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, ‘Tell my Lord the king, ‘All that you sent for t your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do’. And the messengers departed and brought back word to him” (8, 9) Encouraged by the counsel of the elders, Ahab responded to Ben-Hadad’s threat, that, although he is committed to what he consented to do in his response to the first message, yet he cannot consent to Ben-Hadad’s demand in his second message. “Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, ‘The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left in Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me’” (10) Ben-Hadad answered Ahab by a proverb in which he proclaims that when Samaria is destroyed, each one of his army will not find a handful of its dust; which refers, beside his arrogance and haughtiness, to the multitude of his army, and to their military might. This response came to be like that of Trachinian in Thermoplae, that the arrows of the Persians would turn the sun light into darkness. “So the king of Israel answered and said, ‘tell him, not let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off’” (11) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Ahab answered by another parable that was common in the East, and sent by kings to their enemies, which is that it is not befitting of him who puts on the armor to boast like the one who actually went to the battle and returned victorious. He needs first to go to battle, win victory before having the right to boast. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverb 27: 1). Let him wait to see the outcome of the battle. “And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard the message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, ;Get ready’, and they got ready to attack the city” (12) Ben-Hadad issued his military command by lips wet with wine, which refers beforehand to his future defeat, despite his mighty possibilities, and his trust in himself and in his army; In that he was like ‘Belshazzar’, king of Babylon, who lost his whole empire while drinking wine (Daniel 5). According to Solomon the sage: “Wine is a mocker, intoxicating drink aroused brawling, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise” (Proverb 20: 1); “He who loves pleasure, will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich” (Proverbs 21: 17); “Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat” (Proverbs 23: 20); “Do not look on the wine when it is red; when it sparkles in the cup; when it swirls around smoothly” (Proverbs 23: 31); and it is also said, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; not for princes intoxicating drink” (Proverbs 31: 4). On the danger of getting drunk, commenting on what happened to Noah, who lost his composure and got naked even before his own sons, St. Jerome says: [No one should claim that drinking wine is not a sin, whenjust one hour, during which Noah drank wine, bared him naked, who for 600 years lived respectable. Spoiling the https://coptic-treasures.com/ soul will ultimately lead to falling into lust. Once the stomach is stuffed, the other members of the body will stir up]. And according to St. Ambrose: [How great is the dominion of wine; that made him, on whom the great flood could not prevail, become naked]. He issued his command for his army to move, but he himself could not, because he was drunk; assuming that it was a matter of few hours for his army to take over Samaria after destroying it completely. 4- AHAB’S CONQUEST IN THE FIRST BATTLE AGAINST BEN-HADAD:: “Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord’” (13) Although Ahab did not ask help from God, nor pray to Him, or seek the support of a propjet, yet God initiated Ahab with His love and care, and sent to him a prophet carrying a gentle message, for the following reasons: To offer those miserable people who went down to evil, the chance to repent and to renew the covenant with Him. To offer the king a new chance to repent; or else, by persisting on his disobedience, he would consummate the cup of his evil. To break down the pride and haughtiness of Ben-Hadad. To confirm to us that it is He, who searches for us, and sends to us His prophets and messengers; and ultimately, He, Himself, will come down to us. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Ahab resorted to the elders of the land, who pledged to stand by him; whereas the prophet came without an invitation, not to support him, but to confirm to him the conquest from God. We do not know the identity of that prophet sent by God to Ahab, whom the interpreter Rabbis identify as Micah, mentioned in 1 kings 22: 8. We hear nothing about Elijah, nor his disciple Elisha. Elijah probably was in the kingdom of Judah preparing Elisha for the prophetic work. By his departure from Israel, Jezebel probably calmed down, appeased her persecution against the believers; and the hundred prophets whom Obadiah sustained, got the chance to come out of their caves to resume their ministry on an individual or family level. By an exalted divine wisdom, God did not send Elijah to Ahab; He probably intended to give Ahab and Jezebel the chance to deal with another prophet, to start a new page, particularly after Ahab’s humiliation before Ben-Hadad. By drawing Ahab’s attention to the great size of Ben-Hadad’a army, which, according to some was 130,000; the prophet intended to confirm that God grants him conquest, to let him know that God is the Lord. Yet, when the words of the prophet were fulfilled, we did not hear that Ahab or his people offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving or praise to God who granted them such a great victory. “So Ahab said, ‘By whom?’ and he said, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘By the young men who serve the district governors’. Then he said, ‘Who shall begin the battle?’ and he answered, ‘You’”.(14) Ahab asked by whom will he fight; to which the answer was, ‘By the young men who serve the district governors, who, most probably had little military experience; after many of the governors fled to the capital, when the enemy got as far as https://coptic-treasures.com/ Galilee and north of Samaria. And when Ahab asked who will begin the battle, the answer was, ‘Israel’. “Then he mustered the young men who served the district governors, and there were 232, and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel, seven thousand” (15) The 232 young men at the head of the army were most probably the royal guards of the king’s palace, and following them were 7000, who, according to some Jewish interpreters, were the ones who never bowed their knees before Baal, nor kissed him with their mouths; by whom God works and grants conquest. “So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post. The young men of the provinces went out first; and Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, ‘Men are coming out of Samaria. So he said, ‘If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive’” (16-18) The battle started at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings were drinking wine despising any movement by Israel. When Ben-Hadad sent a patrol to tell him what was going on, they told him that men are coming out of Samaria; most probably the 232 constituting the first batch of warriors. With confidence, being sure in his conquest, he commanded them to take them alive, whether they came out for peace or war. “Then those young men of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them; and each one https://coptic-treasures.com/ killed his men. So the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and the chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter” (19-21) Being shocked by his great defeat, the king of Aram in his drunkard condition did not think of confronting the Israeli army coming against him, as much as of fleeing with his own life; which caused a great confusion in his army. 5- BEN-HADAD’S PLAN REVEALED: “And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, ‘Go, strengthen yourself, take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come against you”” (21) Although Ahab did not call the prophet to give thanks to God for his conquest, God, for the second time, initiated with His love, sent the prophet to reveal to him the secret plan of the king of Aram, to come against him in the spring of the year; and to ask him to get ready for him all the year long. In the first battle, although Ahab had no possibility, nor time to get prepared for the war; Yet God let him conquer by the few who were with him. But now, when he has a full year ahead, God demanded from him to get prepared, to work with the multitude. The prophet made it clear that the enemy would never give up; if he loses a battle, he plans for another. … It is befitting of God’s children to be perpetually prepared to strive against the devil, their eternal enemy. If God calls us to sonhood to Him, https://coptic-treasures.com/ the devil, on his part, unceasingly does his best to make us his own. We are in a perpetual war; yet, in it, we find our continuous conquest, by the divine grace. + The devil carries a bow and arrows against me; but I have a sword. We should learn his ways; Carrying a bow, he does not dare to come near me, but aims his arrows from afar. + The devil’s plan, to deny us the blessings we have, in an attempt to bring us over to a steep cliff; to cast us down to the pit. But God, in His love, did not fail to care for us. God showed the devil how foolish he is in his attempts; and showed man His great care for him; By death, He granted the eternal life; While the devil drove man out of paradise; God led him to heaven. + God shows the devil that, although he may plot tens of thousands of plans against mankind; he will never prevail, for God perpetually leads us to a greater honor. You have lost paradise, but God, with His compassion, opened heaven up before you. You fell under judgment for sometime; yet you will be honored by an eternal life. By God’s command, the earth grows thorns and thistles; whereas the soil of the spirit gives you fruition. Can’t you see how the benefit is greater than the loss?! + Seeing someone who has killed his son, a loving father, will not only punish the criminal, but will destroy the weapon which he used. So it is when the Lord Christ sees that the devil has killed a man, He will not only punish the devil, but will destroy his weapon as well. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. John Chrysostom) “Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him: ‘Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore, they were stronger than we. But if we fight against them in the plain; then surely we will be stronger than them. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places” (23, 24) According to the heathens, every region has its god, on which he has authority, and proclaims his power; whereas outside it, he cannot prevail. Hence the servants of the king of Syria counseled him to do it again the next year, choose the battle ground a plain or a valley, and not a hill or a mountain; and indicated to him, that the best time would be spring after the rain season, when the army can easily move (1 Samuel 11: 1). The servants of the king probably gave him this counsel for the following reasons: 1- The Jews offer their sacrifices on the high places; hence their God must be a God of mountains.. 2- In the midst of mountains, the huge size of Ben-Hadad’s army would not be apparent; whereas on the plains their great number would be intimidating to the Israelites. Hence, Ben-Hadad chose the region of ‘Aphek’ in the plains of Jezreel. 3- They probably were aware of certain psalms by which king David used to praise the Lord; like: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help” (Psalm 121: 1); “His foundations are in the holy mountains” (Psalm 87: 1 and what came in psalm 15: 1; 24: 3 about the holy hill. https://coptic-treasures.com/ They also counseled him to change the leadership, and to dismiss those who inherited it by birth, and replace them by worthy and capable men of war. “And you shall muster an army like the army you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they. And he listened to their voice and did so” (25). So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel” (26) In the spring of the new year, Ben-Hadad with his army went close to ‘Aphek’, not ‘Aphek’, in the land of Asher (Joshua 19: 30; 13: 40); nor that on the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15: 53), but a city in the plains of Jezreel (1 Samuel 29: 1). Most probably it is ‘Phek’, a large village on the present highway between Damascus, Naples and Jerusalem. Saying, “He went (up) to Aphek’ is appropriate, because it is on a higher level than Damascus. “And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside” (27) This analogy to “two little flocks of goats” refers to the little number of the Israelites compared to the huge size of the enemy forces. 6- AHAB’S CONQUEST IN THE SECOND BATTLE AGAINST BEN-HADAD:: “Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians https://coptic-treasures.com/ have said, ‘The Lord is God of the hills, and He is not God of the valleys’, therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord” (28) God sent a prophet, probably a different one than the one He sent a year ago, to proclaim the conquest of that tiny army. Because the Syrians blasphemed against the Lord, limiting Him to a certain location; God intended to show them that He dwells everywhere. “And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle began, and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day” (29). But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city. Then the wall fell on twentyseven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city to hide, into an inner chamber” (30) The two armies encamped opposite each other for seven days, probably to put their plans on the ground; or to spy on one another to reveal their possibilities. On the seventh day the battle began, and the surprise was that the Israelites killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. The rest fled to the fortified city of Aphek, but probably an earthquake happened, and the walls of the city fell and killed the twenty-seven thousand of the men who fled there; And Aphek came to be a city with no walls, where Ben-Hadad set forth to hide, into an inner chamber. And the servants of Ben-Hadad who had no place to go, counseled the king to join them in putting sackcloth around their waists, and ropes around their heads; and to go out to the king of Israel, as though to let him, if he so chooses to hang them, or https://coptic-treasures.com/ to lead them bound as captives of war; … an utter submission, and a show of remorse. “And his servants said to him, ‘Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare you life” (31). So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, ‘Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live’. And he said, ‘Is he still alive? He is my brother’” (32) In his blasphemy against the living God, Ben-Hadad was arrogant and haughty; and intended to humiliate the king of Israel; by taking, not only his silver and gold, but his loveliest wives and children. Now, All what he wished for was to let him live under any condition, even as a slave or a captive outside his country the rest of his life in shame and disgrace. After swearing and threatening, now he is crushingly pleading his enemy to spare his life; Ahab’s situation was amazing. He disobeyed the divine command addressed to him by the man of God, namely, not to let Ben-Hadad live, who beside his greed, had haughtily and arrogantly blasphemed against God. … Was he deceived by the way Ben-Hadad and his servants approached him in humiliation? … Or his intention was to gain his support against Assyria whose star started to shine politically in the region? … Or he probably, feeling self-satisfaction to see his enemy in such a condition of fear and humiliation; wished to show off some kind of generosity and nobility? … Anyway, Ahab disregarded the divine command, to act according to his own human mind. https://coptic-treasures.com/ He did not punish Ben-Hadad even by one word for his blasphemy against God; He did not let him know that his conquest on him was for the glory of God; and that his shameful defeat was because of his blasphemy against the Lord. … As a matter of fact, Ahab was never preoccupied with the Lord, nor referred to Him in any way. It was befitting of him to take a lesson of what happened to king Saul in the old, when he left Agag, his enemy, alive, contrary to God’s command (1 Samuel 15: 9). He should have called the man of God who has informed him of his conquest, and confirmed to him that it is from God, to seek from him the counsel of the Lord. He made a treaty with Ben-Hadad, and did not make a covenant with God. He made it, not out of generosity and nobility, but of weakness, foolishness, and lack of wisdom. He did not even seek a pay back for all the losses he suffered since the day Ben-Hadad started to threaten him. He was seduced by Ben-Hadad’s promise to restore to him the cities that his father took from Omri the father of Ahab; and to allow the Jews to set up marketplaces for themselves in Damascus, where they would live, practice their trade, and worship. Although Ahab presented a shining show off of amnesty, compassion, mercy, and generosity; Yet God deals with man, not according to the appearance, but to the heart, the inner intention, and the true purity. “Now the men were diligently watching to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, ‘Your brother Ben-Hadad’. So he said, ‘Go, bring him’. Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.” (33) 7- A TREATY BETWEEN AHAB AND BEN-HADAD: https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then Ben-Hadad said to him, ‘The cities which my father took from your father, I will restore; and you may set up marketplace for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria’. Then Ahab said, ‘I will send you away with this treaty’. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away” (34) Ahab was more preoccupied with the mental and material benefits; than with acquiring God Himself, the secret of conquest and riches. + Do not seek anything other than God Himself. Seek him alone, and despise anything else. Let your way be only toward Him. Do not seek riches, nor temporary honors that would eventually go away Forget anything else, and only remember Him. Leave all the other things behind, and approach Him. Let Him be your hope; He who leads you to your destiny. + Forsake all your desires; for He, who created heaven and earth is more beautiful than all, better than all; and will be for you everything you love. Learn to love the Creator in His creation; in the work He did. Never let what He did take hold of you, and make you lose Him, who created you. (St. Augustine) 8- A PROPHET DECLARES THE DIVINE VERDICT ON AHAB: “Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, ‘Strike me please’. And the man refused to strike him” (35) It so seems, after killing the prophets of God, and the escape of Elijah, that Jezebel calmed down a great deal; and the prophets started to come out of their caves. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The main training in the school of the prophets concentrated on complete obedience. Therefore, when a prophet sought from his neighbor to strike him by the word of God, and he refused to do that; Because of his disobedience of the word of God, the first prophet, ‘Micah’, according to some, (1 kings 20: 8), prophesied to him that a lion will kill him. … As a son of the prophets, he should perceive, without hesitation, that what the Lord commands during the time of prophecy, bore a symbolic meaning; hence they have to be obeyed, until the time come to know the meaning behind it. The divine command was for the prophet to appear before Ahab the king to seek his judgment, as though he was wounded in the battle for the sake of his country, the king, and the people; but he committed a mistake, of not keeping a man delivered to him, but lost him. The king uttered his judgment, not perceiving that it was he, himself, who has committed that mistake; From his own mouth he issued the verdict, that his soul would be sought for that of Ben-Hadad; and his people for his people. “Then he said to him, ‘Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you. And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him” (36) “And he found another man and said, ‘Strike me please’. So the man struck him, inflicting a wound” (37) “Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes” (38) “Now, as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, ‘Your servant went into the midst of the battle; and there a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man, if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver” (39) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone’. And the king of Israel said to him, ‘So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it” (40) “Then he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets” (41) .” And he said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people” (42) “So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria” (43) Some may wonder: Does God seek from us to kill the captives of war? No way! … Ben-Hadad here,(in the Old Covenant), represents the devil, the deceptive and blasphemer. When we have the chance to take away every trace of him from our life, or from that of our children, we would not open the door before him anew. Ben- Hadad here, refers to the importance of getting rid of the evil behaviors. “The king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria”. After his victory, he came back displeased, yet he did not think of repentance; nor listened to the voice of David, saying, ”Now, therefore, be wise, O kings; … Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2: 10, 11). + The Holy Book insists on the fact that the commandments of God are sorrowful; on account of that the soul that so finds them, has not accepted the sources of grace, which make the commandments of God sweet and rejoicing; and would then pray with longing and faithfulness for the sake of hastening to keep them. (St. Augustine) https://coptic-treasures.com/ God has no partiality + “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart” (Psalm 73: 1). … Does this mean that God is not good to everyone else? … Of course He is; He is the Savior of all mankind, of the believer in particular; Hence “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19: 10); The Lamb of God has truly come “to take away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29), and to heal our wounds. Yet, taking into consideration that, not everyone wishes for treatment, that is why He heals only those who wish to be healed, and do not reject it … Those who seek treatment may have their good health restored; whereas those who oppose the physician, would not benefit from his services….. The physician, therefore, is seen as ‘good’ to those to whom he restored their good health. And God is ‘good’ to those whose sin He has forgiven. But in case someone has a sin, for which he seeks no forgiveness, how could he say that the Physician is ‘good’; when he avoids Him? That is why, as I previously said, the apostle made it truly clear that “God desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2: 4). He is ‘good’ to all men; yet the special grace of God’s goodness, is more available to all the believers who get the help of His good will and grace. (St. Ambrose) ------------------------ AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 KINGS 20 GRANT ME CONQUEST UPON MYSELF BESIDE MY CONQUEST UPON BEN-HADAD + The wicked Ahab had conquest on Ben-Hadad the blasphemer of Your name; Yet, he did not have conquest upon himself; https://coptic-treasures.com/ + Sin humiliated Ahab, the promoter of idol-worship; He lost his honor and his possibilities; He was destroyed by the threats of Ben-Hadad king of Aram; He was ready to surrender to him his treasures, wives, and children; In Your love, You offered to him new chances to experience Your power; You granted him conquest upon Ben-Hadad in a battle on the hills; Then You granted him conquest on him in a battle on the plains; The arrogant became humble to You; He who intended to take your treasures, wives and children, became in your hands; What have you offered Your God who granted you the conquest? + Instead of thanksgiving, you broke His commandment; Instead of renewing the covenant with Him, you made a treaty with the heathen king; He granted you conquest on your worst enemy; But you, by your own free will, did not seek a conquest upon your own depths. + Grant me, O Lord, conquest upon myself; For no one, nor any power can harm me; But I, with my own free will, destroy myself.
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