GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER OUR LIFESPAN

The events in 1 Kings 22 demonstrate God’s sovereignty despite man’s attempts to circumvent it. The chapter recounts the death of King Ahab of Israel, which occurred during a battle to recapture one of Israel’s towns that had previously been captured by the king of Aram (modern-day Syria). King Ahab had asked King Jehoshaphat of the neighboring land of Judah to join forces with him in this endeavor, and Jehoshaphat had agreed to do so.

Prior to the battle, Ahab and Jehoshaphat had asked Micaiah, a prophet of the Lord, whether the combined armies would be victorious in the battle. Micaiah’s reply indicated that their armies would be defeated, and Ahab would be killed. Not surprisingly, Ahab didn’t like that answer! He ordered that Micaiah be imprisoned, to be freed after Ahab returned safely from the battle. Micaiah, a faithful prophet of God, didn’t back down from his prediction despite the threat of imprisonment.

King Ahab disguised himself so the enemy army wouldn’t recognize him, but he asked King Jehoshaphat to wear his royal robes. (Obviously Ahab hoped the enemy would target Jehoshaphat and leave him alone. What a treacherous way to treat your ally!)

The king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders to attack only the king of Israel, and leave everyone else alone. So when the Aramean commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. But when he called out, the commanders realized he wasn’t the king of Israel, and stopped chasing him. An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops, and hit King Ahab between the joints of his armor. He bled to death during the course of the battle.

In summary, God predicted through His prophet Micaiah that Israel would lose the battle, and Ahab would be killed. Ahab tried to protect himself, even betraying his ally Jehoshaphat. But his efforts couldn’t prevent God’s will from being accomplished by a “random” arrow shot by one of the Aramean shoulders.

Now, you and I probably aren’t leading an army into battle, and it’s not likely our death has been predicted by a prophet of God. So the details of this series of events may not seem relevant to us. But may I suggest that the underlying principles are.

God is sovereign. As part of His sovereignty, He numbers our days. Psalm 139:16 says, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (NLT) God had already determined the length of Ahab’s life, and Ahab’s attempt to protect himself couldn’t prevent God’s plan from being fulfilled. He chose to use the battle with the Arameans as the means by which Ahab’s life would end.

While God has decided our lifespans ahead of time, none of us know how long it will be, of course. But how we spend our lives is largely up to us. (Sadly, Ahab lived a very wicked life—not a good example to us!) We need to ask God, in accordance with Psalm 90:12, to “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (NLT) And what is wisdom? It starts with knowing God. The book of Proverbs teaches us repeatedly that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

A worthwhile life involves knowing God and living for Him throughout the days He has allotted for us. As C.T. Studd wrote, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”