CROWNED | 1 Kings Chapter 20
- Jul 3
- 5 min read
Week 4 / Day 20
Written by Casey Johnson
INTRODUCTION
The story in 1 Kings 20 takes place at a time when ancient Israel was losing its moral compass and constantly fighting with its neighbors for survival. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was run by King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, who came from Phoenicia. Together, they made the worship of a pagan god named Baal the official state religion. Even though the nation had completely turned its back on God, 1 Kings 20 shows a surprising amount of divine patience. God steps in multiple times to save Israel—not because Ahab deserved it, but to vindicate His own covenant name and to bring the nation to repentance.
Historically, Israel was always looking over its shoulder at Aram-Damascus, a powerful Syrian kingdom to the northeast. Back in the day, King David had conquered the Syrians and made them pay taxes to Israel. But as Israel grew spiritually weaker and split into rival factions, Syria bounced back and became a major threat again. To make matters worse, King Asa of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) had actually bribed Syria to break a treaty with Israel, which opened the door for foreign powers to bully them. By the time Ahab took the throne, the Syrian King, Ben-Hadad II, saw Israel as an easy target and wanted to force them into becoming a puppet state.
Looking through 1 Kings chapter 20, we see a few key points to focus on today:
The Threat and Compromise: King Ben-Hadad of Syria forms a coalition of 32 city-state kings to besiege Samaria. He demands Ahab's possessions and family, and Ahab immediately caves. When Ben-Hadad arrogantly demands even more, Ahab finally takes a stand and refuses.
Divine Intervention and Grace from God: Even though King Ahab was completely wicked and allowed his wife Jezebel to bring in pagan worship, God gave him a second chance. God sent a prophet to promise a miraculous victory, demonstrating God's essential nature of being patient and merciful.
The God of the Hills and Valleys: After Israel defeated Syria, the enemy strategized a spring attack. They wrongly believed in something called henotheism, which is the idea that (g)ods were localized, assuming Yahweh, the one true God, was only a "god of the hills." As it says in verse 23
23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
Hilarious!
They decided to attack again, but this time in the valley come springtime. But once again, God delivered a massive victory to prove He is the omnipresent Lord of all.
Ahab's Tragic Disobedience: Instead of following God's command to eliminate Ben-Hadad, Ahab made a treaty with him to secure a political buffer against the rising Assyrian empire. Now, at first glance, this doesn’t really seem like a big deal; however, by letting Ben-Hadad go, Ahab broke a strict, ancient rule called herem.
In ancient times, when God declared something or someone herem, it meant they were completely "devoted to the Lord," and not in a good sense. In a war context, this meant total destruction. It wasn't just about winning a battle; it was considered a form of divine judgment meant to wipe the slate clean so the enemy's pagan practices wouldn't corrupt the community.
Instead of following through, Ahab looked at a king God had already condemned and saw an opportunity. He treated Ben-Hadad like a business partner rather than a spiritual threat, making a political deal for economic perks (like trading rights). Essentially, Ahab chose a good business deal over his obedience to God.
As a result of this disobedience, a prophet pronounced judgment on Ahab, and the king went home basically throwing himself a pity party instead of repenting.
READ
Now go ahead and read 1 Kings 20, if you haven’t done so already.
REFLECT
Now, to really break down this chapter and see how it applies to us, we come to understand that in the ancient Near East, pagan nations worshipped highly localized gods. They believed that deities had strict geographic boundaries, some ruled the oceans, others governed the crops, and some held power only over specific mountain ranges.
When the Aramean army suffered a massive defeat against Israel in the rugged hill country of Samaria, their military advisors came up with a seemingly logical strategy, as mentioned previously in verse 23.
They assumed Israel's God was a regional deity whose power simply fizzled out at sea level. But God is not a localized, small-g god. To vindicate His holy name and dismantle their false theology, God delivered a staggering, supernatural victory to Israel on the flat plains of Aphek. He proved once and for all that His sovereignty is absolute across the world and beyond.
So, my question today is: how often do we fall into the same "Aramean Trap" in our modern spiritual lives?
We can easily recognize God on our "mountaintops." When our health is thriving, our finances are stable, our relationships are peaceful, and we feel a warm, emotional closeness to God, we rejoice in His power. He is the God of our hills.
But the moment we are cast into a "valley,” a dark season of grief, a prolonged financial struggle, a painful diagnosis, or just the exhausting, repetitive routine of daily life—our faith starts to waver. We subtly begin to act as if God's presence and power have situational boundaries. We sometimes wonder if He’s abandoned us, or if our current trial is simply too messy for Him to handle.
At the core of 1 Kings 20 is a profound promise for us today: God does not lose authority when we lose altitude.
He is not a fair-weather deity who only operates on the peaks of your successes. He is just as present, just as powerful, and just as deeply loving in the low, exposed, and vulnerable plains of your life. When you feel outnumbered and overwhelmed in the valley, the one true Sovereign Lord of the hills and valleys is standing right beside you.
RESPOND
Have you ever found yourself feeling like Elijah - exhausted, discouraged, or overwhelmed? I think we all have! But today we are reminded that God met Elijah with REST before giving him direction. Are there areas of your life where you need to slow down and rest IN Him, allowing God to restore you before tackling that “next thing” FOR Him?
The Lord spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper rather than through the wind, earthquake, or fire. Are you making space in your daily life to hear God’s quiet voice, or are the noise and busyness of life drowning it out?
After a time of refreshing with the Lord, God gave Elijah a new assignment. After spending time with Him, ask yourself - What step of obedience or renewed purpose do I sense God may be calling me to take?
Is there a loss, unmet expectation, or season of grief that has caused you to withdraw like Elijah in the cave? Have you allowed grief to make you feel isolated or forgotten? If that’s you, I encourage you to trust God’s presence even when you can’t see what He is doing! There may be a sense of security and refuge in the cave, but the Lord has not called you to a life of isolation. Just as He called Elijah out of the cave, He is calling you as well. Would you be willing to take that bold step out of the cave and simply listen for God’s gentle voice today?
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