23 August 2007 Devotion for Today "Who Will Make the Battle Ready?" I Kings 20:13-15

02 August 2006   Devotion for Today   “Who Will Make the Battle Ready?”  I Kings 20:13-15

            Do you recall a time, perhaps on the play ground, when a bully tried to “pick a fight” with you?  Perhaps it’s a very uncomfortable moment in your life that you would like to forget.  I certainly had my share of encounters-and most were met with limited success.   The best I could hope for was to stay out of the way, to pass by the bully or bullies unnoticed on my way home from school.  I remember being met with a challenge during lunch when a bully threatened me for not giving up my seat to him.  He got angry and pushed me.  I did not retaliate.  By then the attention of the entire table was aroused.  I got back up and sat back down on my chair.  Frustrated, he looked around, and noticed the glaring eye of the lunch monitor.  He pretended to drop a book from the table and onto the floor so that he could bend over and whisper to me, something about kicking a certain part of my anatomy on the way home from school.  Those words tore into my heart and I fretted about them for the rest of the day.  I tried to leave the school grounds unnoticed and thought I had succeeded until I cleared the crosswalk.  The taunting words of the bully ripped my heart open again as I heard his feet running down the sidewalk.  He ran up to me, but something told me to throw down my book bag and return the challenge by running up against him.  I figured I would lose the fight anyway, but if I was going to lose, I would not lose by not defending myself.  Surprisingly, when the bully saw me coming toward him he started moving backward and fell over his own books.  I slammed down on his stomach so hard that it knocked the wind out of him.  I got up, brushed myself off, picked up my books, and went home.  My heart was racing, my hands were trembling, but my self-respect was in tact and from then on I did not have any more trouble from that kid. 

            Of course, in this world of political correctness and zero-tolerance my actions would have gotten me suspended from school today.  In our Scripture reading for today, King Ahab, confronted the bully Ben Haddad of Syria, who threatened his kingdom and besieged Ahab’s city of Samaria until the prophet of God challenged Ahab to stand and fight.

            13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 14 So Ahab said, “By whom?”And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’”Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?”And he answered, “You.”15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.”  (I Kings 20:13-15). 

            It turns out that Ahab was victorious in this battle, though Ahab was clearly shaken by the thought of going up against this bully king who had demanded tribute from him for years.  The king of  Syria is defeated and comes to Ahab begging for mercy. 

I realize that King Ahab- clearly one of the most wicked kings that Israel ever had- is little deserving of this victory.  In fact the King of Syria was probably more virtuous in character than the one who defeated him.  Ahab’s loathsome character was augmented by his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel- the one who caused Elijah to flee for his life.  Ahab was most of all a coward, who went to the prophet asking, “Who will make the battle ready?”  The prophet simply said, “You are!”  In other words, “Ahab, no one else is going to stand up for you.

            At least this once I am glad to see Ahab coming out on top.  But the counsel of this prophet was invaluable.  There are spiritual battles that rage around us all the time.  Now it may be advisable not to pick a fight with the devil.  But when the devil comes to you wanting to pick a fight, the thing to do is not to back down or to become intimidated.  Stand up to him.  Satan’s tactic is fear and if he can get you to “knuckle under” by running away from the challenge, then Satan wins without having to get his hands dirty.  However, the reason he uses fear is because he knows he is not that strong.  To have to overcome a godly man or woman of faith who will not back down is usually too much for him to deal with, and he will slink away and seek someone else to devour.

 Is Satan after you today?  Call upon the Name of Jesus!  Once he sees Jesus standing behind you, he will run.   Have a blessed day!

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com

jcrussell@liberty.edu

 

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