The Generation Gap-WHY? - Herbert W. Armstrong

34 Th e PLAIN TRUTH November, 1968
Victory for the invaders looked as thou gh it would
be qui ck and easy. Some of Ben-h ad ad 's officers
observed that the previous loss to Syria wou ld be
avenged at the cost of moving into Israel with an
army that was several times Jarger tha n necessary.
(1 Kings 20 :26-27. )
'T il agree with that only after I know for sure
that there aren't more Israelite troops concealed in
some g ully on the edge
of this p lain," Ben -hadad
told his officers.
W hen it was evid ent
to Ahab that th e Syrians
intended to camp where
they we re at least overnigh
t, he decided to set up
camp two or thr ee miles
west of them. T hat evening
wa s an uneasy one for
Ahab, wh o expected at any
minute to receive a report
that the Syrians were coming
. W hile he was pacing
nervously in his tent, an
officer announced that a
stranger had been picked
up on the edge of the
camp. And that he claimed that he had a message
he wanted to g ive only to the king of Israel. Thinking
that the man might be a Syrian spy , Ahab asked
that he be sent to him at once so that he cou ld question
him. The king was relieved and a little surprised
wh en the stranuer made it evident that he was a
prophet wi th news from God .
"The Syrians
"But how does
God expect
such a vast army ?" Ahab asked.
God P roves Himself Again
"Camp here seven days," the prop he t said .
"T he Syrians won 't make a move until then . Don't
be afraid to stand and defy th em. God will intervene
to perform a mi racl e, just as He did when Samaria
With the ma ssive Syria n a rmy cam ping only two or three miles a way,
most of the fir st night of encam pment nervously peering out of his ten t.
hav e com e here with the belief
that the God of Israel has power ooly over the
mountainous and hilly regions," the prophet told
Ahab.
"They think that if they do battle with you
on a level p lain. God can' t help you. I have been
sent to tell you tha t H e will aga in give you victory
over the Syrian army, so that all will be shown
that G od has power in every part of every land and
over all the Earth, an d tha t gr eat numbers of
soldiers, horses and cha riots are as nothing to him."
(I Kings 20 :28.)
was previously surrounded ."
me to overcome
Knowing wh en the Syrians would attack was
a g reat advantage to Ahab. His men ha d a week of
needed rest, even th ough they couldn' t fo rget that
they were outnumbered . As the prophe t had predicted,
'seven days later the Syrian s star ted swarming
we stward across the pla in. The footmen came first.
The cava lry and chariots had been instru cted to
hold off until the Israelites were all but wip ed out,
and then to attack whomever was left so that they
could have som e part in th e defeat of the ir enem ies.
\X'hen Ben-hadad had found that the Isra elite army
was so sma ll, he decided to preserve the most formidable
pa rt of his fighting force to p roudly pa rade
uns cathed through conquered Israel and cause the
people to regard the Syrians w ith awe and fear.
Ahab's faith in God wasn't very g reat because
he had never turn ed completely to God fo r a way