Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor… and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. (1 Kings 22:34-35)
The archery reference in this passage may be obscure at first glance, and yet the background is very familiar to us. At this point we see Ahab, the king of Israel in cooperation with Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, both at war against the nation of Syria. Prior to this battle, the prophet of the Lord had warned King Ahab that if he went into battle, then he would be killed.
Now we remember Ahab as the weak and wicked husband of Queen Jezebel, the same royal family which vigorously sought to destroy the Prophet Elijah. God had promised to punish Ahab for his wickedness. Scripture tells us the pride precedes destruction (Pr. 16:18); in the case of Ahab, his pride told him that God had no authority over him, and on that same day he was killed.
Ahab had a plan; he would go into battle as a common soldier, and asked the king of Judah to be dressed in full royal apparel. The scheme was that Syria would mistake Jehoshaphat for Ahab, and the result would be that Ahab would live, while Jehoshaphat would be killed.
A brilliant plan! But a plan that makes God to be small and man to be great.
A certain man drew a bow at random. What an interesting line! From our human perspective, this was a random guy just shooting an arrow in the sky. From God’s perspective, a particular man was chosen to shoot a particular arrow in a particular direction and trajectory, so as to place the appointed arrow in precisely the right spot in the armor of the particular man whom God had promised judgment if he were to walk in disobedience.
Upon the death of the patriarch Jacob in Egypt, you might recall that Joseph had comforted his brothers with the knowledge that although they had meant evil towards Joseph, still God had used those plans in order to bless the family. We call this the doctrine of “providence.”
From the text before us, we are given a word of comfort, as well as a word of caution.
Comfort: King Jehoshaphat was placed in a position where he was expected to be killed; but that was not the Lord’s plan. We make plans for the future, but ultimately, we don’t know what the future has in store for us. There have been numerous times in my life when death or accident were very possible; and yet the Lord was pleased to sustain me. Our days are in the hands of a gracious God. We are not promised a long life, but we are promised that our days are in the hands of a loving God.
Caution: King Ahab thought that he could trick God, and thus avoid judgment. Instead, a “random” shot from an anonymous archer made a miraculous shot which took the life of King Ahab, precisely on the day which the Lord had promised that the king would die. We cannot hide from God!
Dear friends, what a great comfort we receive in the knowledge that we belong, in both body and soul, to a sovereign God, who is by his very nature a merciful, gracious, loving God. His promises are for the good of His people. We may suffer in this life, and often we do. God does not promise that life will be easy. What God does promise that that He is faithful to His decrees.
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God has fully satisfied for the sins of all those who are united to God in true faith. The same God who guides the arrow, is the God who applies the finished work of Jesus to our account. God is always faithful to His promises!
Rev. Travis Grassmid