What lessons on obedience can we learn from the king's actions in 1 Kings 20:25? Setting the Scene • After a humiliating defeat, Ben-hadad of Aram listens to his advisers, who claim Israel’s God is a “God of the hills.” • They prescribe a precise military rebuild: “You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain and surely overcome them.” (1 Kings 20:25) • The king promptly carries out their plan (20:26). The King’s Obedience—What Did He Do? • He obeyed fully and quickly, duplicating the former army “horse for horse and chariot for chariot.” • His obedience was outwardly impressive—methodical, strategic, thorough. • Yet it was obedience to human counsel that ignored the true God. Lessons on Obedience from a Negative Example • Obedience is only as good as the authority we submit to. Ben-hadad’s flawless compliance to bad counsel guaranteed failure (20:29–30). • Human strategy, even when executed flawlessly, cannot overturn God’s declared will (cf. 1 Kings 20:13–14, 28). • Partial knowledge of God leads to misplaced obedience. The Arameans misread God’s character; the king trusted their theology instead of seeking truth (Proverbs 14:12). • Obedience that springs from pride is still rebellion. The king’s rebuild was fueled by a desire to “surely overcome” rather than to humble himself (James 4:6). Positive Applications for Us Today • Measure every directive against God’s Word before obeying (Acts 5:29; Deuteronomy 13:4). • Seek counsel from people who fear the Lord; wrong voices lead to wrong obedience (Proverbs 13:20). • Obedience must be directed toward God, not merely toward plans, systems, or experts (1 Samuel 15:22). • True obedience springs from humility—recognizing God’s sovereignty in every “hill” and every “plain” (Psalm 24:1). • When defeated, our first response should be repentance and inquiry of the Lord, not self-reliant regrouping (Psalm 51:17). Other Scriptures that Echo the Principle • Proverbs 3:5-6—trusting the Lord vs. leaning on our own understanding. • Isaiah 31:1—warning against relying on horses and chariots instead of the Holy One of Israel. • 2 Chronicles 20:12—Jehoshaphat’s opposite response: admitting powerlessness and seeking God. • Matthew 7:24-27—building on the rock by hearing and doing Christ’s words. |
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