There are plenty of deeply troubling stories in the Old Testament.  The most problematic are those which portray the military battles of Israel as ‘holy wars,’ supposedly sanctioned by God and often demanding that all of the defeated enemy be killed and none be allowed to surrender.  The idea that war is holy seriously at odds with Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to say the very least.

1 Kings 20, tells the story of a battle between Aram (Syria) and Israel.  The King of Aram feels pretty cocky before the battle.  Since Israel’s God was revealed on a mountain top (Mt. Sinai), the king of Aram figured that Israel’s God won’t be able to help them if the battle takes place in a valley.  According to the story, God resented this pre-game trash talk, so much so that God guaranteed Israel’s victory and declared that the army of Aram was to be destroyed entirely.

The battle went well for Israel and disastrously for Aram.  The King of Aram was cornered.  Instead of fighting, he put on sackcloth, hung a rope around his neck, and surrendered.  He was submitting like a puppy showing its belly before a more dominant dog.

Ahab had compassion and spared the life of the Aramean king.  Happy ending, right?  No way.  According to the Lord’s prophets, this act of mercy was actually an act of disobedience.  Letting the Aramean king live indicated that Ahab was joining with him in disrespecting God.  For this and for lots of other reasons, things did not end well for Ahab.

What to do with this story?  How can we make use of a story that portrays God like a petty egotistical tyrant who responds to insults with slaughter? 

Here’s how I have found it speaking to me.  Sometimes there are spiritual enemies in our lives:  attitudes and habits that would destroy us if we allowed them to continue to hold sway over us.  Think about the enemies arrayed against our spiritual flourishing:  jealousy, hatred, fear, cruelty and selfishness.  These enemies have to be destroyed.  We can’t make a separate peace with them.

Prayer:  God of might, grant us victory over all the powers that would wound our spirits and crush our souls.  Amen.