1 Kings – Chapter 20

And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 1 Kings 20:13 – Ahab certainly goes down in the history of Israel as one of the nation’s most wicked kings. He married an evil queen, led the nation in disgusting idolatrous practices, and forsoke the worship of the Lord. Yet, despite having no faithful pursuit of the Lord, we see the Lord seeking the heart of Ahab. On Mount Carmel God displayed His realness over the idols Ahab worshipped by sending fire down from Heaven. Now in our chapter we have the massive Syrian army coming against the much smaller nation of Israel, a battle that on paper would be a slaughter for Israel if they fought. God though steps in and says He’ll take care of this enemy for Ahab, and does this twice in our chapter. Why? So Ahab would know that the Lord is the one true God. As I write this devotion it’s Good Friday, and about the exact time of day of me writing is when Jesus was crucified. It’s a humbling day for those who believe in Jesus for we remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus paid for us. As with Ahab and these victories, so was God’s plan for Jesus’ death and resurrection. God wanted us to see through His defeat of death that He was the Lord, the one and only true God. As Ahab was able to stand after the battle, seeing the impossible-for-him-to-defeat enemy defeated before him, so are we standing here today seeing death defeated before us because of Jesus. Now the question is what will be our response? I pray it’s to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and to serve Him today as such. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3064

1 Kings 20 Daily DEVO And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” 1 Kings 20:28 – Our God is the God over the valleys. He’s also the God over the oceans, mountains, sky, forests, animal kind, and mankind. He is God over all. He has power over all. All things are held together by Him and He has authority over all things. As we move through life and step into new seasons, realize that as much as God was in control and over your previous season so will He be over the next. There is no area of life God is not Lord over. You will never walk a step in a place that God isn’t God of. Allow then this truth to help when the anxieties of moving into a new season are coming against you. With God as your Lord, you’ll never find yourself in a place He isn’t and that He isn’t Lord over. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1021

And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 1 Kings 20:23 – The king of Syria fought two battles against the King of Israel, whom God was fighting for. The first battle ended in loss for Syria, but the reason for the loss was as we see in the passage. The Syrians believed it was simply because Israel’s gods were gods of the hills and had the advantage in the first battle. Battle two though would be on the plains and Israel’s gods couldn’t win there. How sad to think your god was limited to victory because of simple things like battle on hills or plains. Thank you Jesus that in Him we have a God that can will on the hills, plains, valleys, seas, sky, and sands. Nothing creates a disadvantage for our God, He always finds victory where He sets out to find victory. Today you may find yourself in a battle on unfamiliar ground, just know Jesus is comfortable defending you and fighting for you on this ground. You are always on winning ground standing with Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2204