1 Kings 22:34
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.”
The first thing I notice in this verse is “a certain man drew a bow at random”, not aiming to hit the king but to hit whatever man was placed in the path of the arrow. The King had been warned Verse 17-28 that he would fall. He placed himself in the line of fire. The prophesy was very clear of the outcome verse 17 Micaiah said “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd.” But Ahab refused to listen to the prophesy.
We may not have a prophet standing in front of us at every turn, but we have the Spirit of our Lord dwelling in each of us. We must be decerning with our decisions. We are quick to blame the enemy, but maybe we need to step back and see where we have placed ourselves in the line of fire.
Let’s look at the history of Ahab. He married Jezebel, and provoked the Lord to anger more than any of Israel’s kings. He surrendered to the influences of idolatry by constructing a temple for Baal (1 Kings 16:32) But also we see that he frequently consulted with God’s prophets (1 Kings 20:13-14,22,28) But the influence of Jezebel in his life overshadowed any influence the prophets of the Lord had in his life. He has become a prime example of God’s people. We stand wounded from the battle because of the decisions, because of the influences in our lives.
God’s is looking for a remnant who is ready to fight the good fight. The battle will come…and you will be wounded……but never turn around and come out of the battle. God has equipped you to persevere.
