1 Kings 20–22
Can God's plans be frustrated? Ahab, Ben-hadad, and a deceiving spirit close out 1 Kings 20-22.
Let’s talk about it.
Key Topics & Theological Discussions:
• 1 Kings 20:11 and the “manliest statement” in Scripture: bold proverb, or a weak king’s borrowed line?
• Ben-hadad, 32 allied kings, and a drunken order to “take them alive” (20:16-18)
• Why did God give wicked Ahab victory over Aram when judgment was already promised?
• “The man whom I had devoted to destruction” (20:42): did Ahab frustrate God’s stated intention?
• Secret will, divine sovereignty, and reading a text plainly without turning it inside out
• David’s census and the three choices: can God accept more than one outcome? (2 Samuel 24)
• Elijah’s commission to anoint Hazael and Jehu (19:15-16): God is steps ahead, not scrambling
• Human responsibility, lifespan, and the habit of blaming God when life goes sideways
• Naboth’s vineyard, inheritance law, and Jezebel’s use of false witnesses (1 Kings 21)
• Ahab “sullen and vexed” (20:43; 21:4): pouting king or restrained sinner? The hosts disagree
• Ahab humbles himself (21:27-29): did God change His mind? Moses’ intercession in Exodus 33 as a parallel
• If the warning was never the real plan, is God a haggler? Why His responsiveness is part of His glory
• Jehoshaphat’s alliance, “I am as you are” (22:4): shared heritage or spiritual compromise?
• 400 prophets, Micaiah son of Imlah, and why Jehoshaphat marched anyway
• The deceiving spirit before the throne (22:19-23): righteous or wicked? Does it permit lying?
• Satan in the heavenly court (Job 1) and an arrow drawn “at random” that finds its king (22:34)
• The “sodomites” of 22:46: Sodom, or the Hebrew qadesh and male cult prostitutes?
A visual representation of the important, and often confusing, time-period of the kings of Israel and Judah.
This period of time stretches from the construction of the Temple to its destruction. Also included are the approximate ministry spans of the writing prophets.
Follow the line of the kings and prophets in the divided kingdom with this easy to read chart. Great to hang in an office or place for reference. Or, use it a quick reference while studying. Printed on thick, durable, matte paper.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%