THE KING’S BUSINESS
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themselves drunk. A vast host filled with intoxicating liquor is no match for a hand-, ful of sober men. It is said that in some of the armies today fighting in France and elsewhere that one-quarter of the soldiers are hors-du-combat through vice. Ben- hadad had thirty and two kings on his side, but they were drunken kings and a drunken king is no match for a sober commoner. The man who drinks himself drunk courts defeat (Prov. 23:29-32; Eccles. 11:10, 16, 17; Hosea 4:11). Ahab conducted the bat tle exactly as Jehovah had directed him (v. 17 cf. v. 14). Happy is the people whose “young men” “go out first” to the battle. We see here how Ben-hadad’s pride went before destruction (cf. Prov. 16:18; 1 Sam. 2:3, 4; 14:11, 12; 17:44; 2 Kings 14:8-12; Prov. 18:12; Luke 18:14). The army of Israel was small, but they were all men of faith, at least in this instance (v. 19J “the army followed them.” The man who will go out at God’s bidding will always find a following. Every soldier did his part, they “slew every one his man.” This is the way to win a fight, every man to do his part—every man to tackle his man. If every Christian today, in all lands, would win one and those won would go forth to win others, the whole world would soon be evangelized, “The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them” : what a glor ious sight! It is always a great sight to see the countless host of God’s enemies in full flight'and a handful of God’s people in full pursuit. The defeat of the Syrians was a fulfillment, not only of God’s imme diate promise to Ahab, but also of the prom ise made long before, that when God’s peo ple were right with Him “five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall chase ten thousand and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.’ (Lev. 26:8 cf. Jer. 7:20-22; 1 Sam. 14:13-15; 2 Kings 7:6, 7; Psa. 33:16). OUTLINE In what waS Benhadad’s confidence? v. 1. Were horses and chariots a safe trust? Ex. 14:25; Judges 4:15. In whom should men trust? Ps. 20:7.
the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him." Again we see Ben-hadad stupefying his brain and weakening his body in his time of emergency by swilling drink. A man who gets into the habit of drinking must keep drinking all the time and when the hour of emergency comes, when he needs a clear brain and a strong arm, he goes off and gets drunk and is worthless. It is a great thing to have thirty and two kings On your side providing they are sober and efficient kings, but thirty and two kings are worse than useless if they are drunk. “The thirty and two kings” are spoken of as “the thirty and two kings that helped him,” but they did not help him even a little bit, for they were drunk. Unfortunate indeed is the king who has drinking men for his helpers. vs. 17-21. And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him say ing, There are men come out of (from) Samaria. And he said, Whether they he come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. So these (add, went out of the city, the ) young men of the princes of the provinces, (came out of the city,) and the army which followed them. And they slew every man his man : (;) and the Syr ians fled; (,) and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter." For the time being at least, both Ahab and the young men had faith, they went out into the burning sun (v. 16) to begin the battle against apparently overwhelming odds. Their enemies were incapacitating themselves for the conflict by drinking
LESSON
( 1 ) B enhadad’s D em and, vs. 1-6. What conditions, generally, prevailed between Israel and Syria ? 2 Kings 5 :2; 6:7, 8.
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