Question 1

What is happening in this passage about Israel and Syria at Aphek?

Accepted Answer

This passage tells about a second battle between Israel and Syria near a place called Aphek. The Syrian king, Ben-hadad, gathers a large army and moves to fight in the valley, thinking Israel’s God is only strong in the hills. Israel’s army is very small, described as two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians fill the land. God sends a man of God to Ahab to promise victory. After seven days facing each other, Israel kills a huge number of Syrian soldiers, and a collapsing wall kills thousands more who fled into the city.

Question 2

What does it mean that the Lord is God of the hills and not of the valleys?

Accepted Answer

The Syrians thought of gods as tied to certain places, like hills or valleys. They saw that Israel had won the first battle in the hills and concluded that Israel’s God only had power there. They assumed that if they fought in the valleys, Israel’s God could not help them. God answers this wrong idea by saying He will give Israel victory in the valley. In doing this, He shows that He is not limited to one place but is Lord over every land and every battlefield.

Question 3

Why did God give tiny Israel victory over such a great Syrian army?

Accepted Answer

God did not rescue Israel because Ahab was faithful or thankful. The passage shows that God acted because the Syrians had spoken wrongly about Him, saying He was only God of the hills. To defend the honour of His name and show who He truly is, God chose to defeat a huge army with a very small one. By doing this, He made it clear that the outcome did not rest on numbers or strength, but on His power. He wanted Israel and Syria to know that He alone is the Lord everywhere.

Question 4

What is the meaning of Israel being like two little flocks of kids?

Accepted Answer

The picture of Israel as “two little flocks of kids” shows how small and weak Israel’s army looked compared to the Syrians. Kids are young goats, not strong or fearsome. Israel’s forces were divided into two small groups, with little equipment, while the Syrian army filled the countryside. This image stresses the huge difference in numbers and strength. It sets the stage so that when Israel wins, everyone can see that the victory came from God’s hand, not from Israel’s military power or skill.

Question 5

How did one hundred thousand Syrians die in a single day?

Accepted Answer

The passage says that when the battle finally began on the seventh day, the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand Syrian foot soldiers in one day. The story presents this as an act of God’s power working through a small Israelite army. The exact details of how each man fell are not described, but the focus is on the scale of the defeat and how unlikely it was from a human point of view. The huge number of deaths highlights that God was fighting for Israel and overturning the Syrians’ pride.

Question 6

What happened when the Syrians fled into the city of Aphek?

Accepted Answer

After the Syrians were badly beaten in the open field, the survivors ran into the city of Aphek, likely hoping its walls would protect them. Instead of safety, disaster met them there. A wall in the city fell and killed twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. The passage hints that God was still acting, using even the falling wall to complete the defeat. Those who trusted in stone walls and numbers could not escape God’s judgment, while their king Ben-hadad hid himself deep inside an inner room.

Question 7

Who is the man of God in this passage, and what does he say?

Accepted Answer

The man of God is an unnamed prophet who comes with a message from the Lord for King Ahab. He tells Ahab that God has heard what the Syrians said, that the Lord is God of the hills but not of the valleys. Because of that insult, God promises to hand the huge Syrian army over to Israel. The man of God also gives the reason for this promise: “and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” His role is to explain what God is about to do and why, so that the victory will be clearly seen as the Lord’s work.

Question 8

What does this passage teach about God’s character and power?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is not limited by place, numbers, or human plans. The Syrians try to box Him in as a hill god, but He proves He is Lord of both hills and valleys. He can save a tiny, unimpressive army and bring down a large one that trusts in its size and position. It also shows that God cares about His name and will answer when people speak wrongly about Him. Even when Israel’s king is not faithful, God still acts to reveal Himself so that people will know who He is.

Question 9

How can this story of God at Aphek speak to believers today?

Accepted Answer

This story reminds believers that God is the same in every place and season. Just as He was God in the valley of Aphek, He is God in both our high points and low points. When we feel small and outnumbered, like two little flocks against an army, He is still able to act. It also warns against limiting God in our minds or trusting mainly in human strength, numbers, or defenses. Instead, we are encouraged to remember that victory and help come from the Lord, who rules over every hill, valley, and city wall.

1 Kings 20:26

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Another War with Ben-hadad

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1 Kings 20:26

And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

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Another War with Ben-hadad

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