I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 20-22.

    The first part of this passage reminds me, somewhat, of modern Israel. The Arameans (Syrians, more or less) mustered their army and an overwhelming number of allies to attack Israel. When the Israelites agreed to their initial demands, the Arameans increased their demands. When the Israelites refused their increased demands, the Arameans bosted about how they would destroy the city completely. In response the Israelites attacked and the Aramean army was routed. However, the Arameans decided that they had only lost because God was a god of the hills and that He would not be able to aid the Israelites on the plains. So, they rebuilt their army and attacked again the following year. Once again, the Israelite army routed the Arameans. But rather than execute Ben-Hadad, King Ahab ransomed him, thus leaving him to be a threat to the nation of Israel going forward. Except possibly for that last bit, this reminds me of how the Arab nations surrounding the modern nation of Israel attacked Israel and were (are?) convinced that their defeat was just a question of tactics and did not reflect the hand of God protecting His people.

    King Ahab’s actions regarding Naboth’s vineyard and his reaction to the idea of consulting Micaiah the prophet both reflect an unwillingness to take responsibility. When Naboth refused to sell his vineyard to King Ahab, Ahab threw a temper tantrum and sulked until Jezebel promised to make it better. Then when Jehoshaphat asked that they consult a true prophet of God, Ahab said that he hated the only option because he never told Ahab what he wanted to hear. These represent two different, but related failures of leadership. In the first case, Ahab was both unwilling to accept being refused but wanted to avoid responsibility by having someone else do the dirty work. Although it is worth noting that when confronted Ahab behaved repentant. The second example shows an unwillingness to listen to advice from those he knew would not just tell him what he wanted to hear.