Disguise and Defeat

1 Kings 22:29-40
    29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
    31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel." 32 So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded."
    35 The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. 36 Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!"
    37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken.
    39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

You cannot hide from God’s decreed Sovereign will.  Disguise only brought Ahab the defeat ordained and told by prophecy to him.  The other prophets were given a lie to deceive Ahab into believing that he could recapture Ramoth Gilead from the Syrians, playing off the pride in his own strength and abilities to end the ungodly leadership and rescue the lost sheep of shepherdless Israel.  The ruse did not work for Ahab as he put on common clothing with armor and let Jehoshaphat of Judah keep his Royal robes on in battle as a decoy; the random arrow of a nondescript archer found its mark, and he died of blood loss by evening in his chariot as he faced the battle.  The soldiers all scattered to their lands and homes, and they buried the king in his town of Samaria.  There the prophecy was fulfilled (1 Kings 21:19) as the dogs locked up Ahab’s blood from the chariot while the harlots bathed nearby.  His son Ahaziah inherited the throne.  We find from this account that rejection and continued disobedience to God demands the consequences according to His word.  Here it was freshly spoken by a mouthpiece of the LORD, but now the word is in written scripture for our admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11) to warn and exhort us that we do not let sin harden us (Hebrews 3:13) and we face similar consequences.  God is not mocked as Galatians 6:7 warns us that we might take heed to these examples of God’s unchanging working and character.  If it were not for grace and repentance to faith and forgiveness, we would all face a similar end.  Our hearts and lives should therefore be devoted in the holiness of a willingly obedient and living worship (Hebrews 12:1-2, James 1:21). The admonition of such examples of the scriptures gives us both warning and hope.  We do not prosper with disguise, but with sincerity and truth with humility as we live in the outline of God’s word of grace in Christ.  Amen!