Question 1

Why did the prophet ask someone to smite and wound him?

Accepted Answer

The prophet asked to be struck because God had told him to do this as part of a acted message for the king. By being wounded, he could disguise himself as a soldier hurt in battle and get close enough to speak to Ahab without being stopped. His injured look made his story about guarding a prisoner sound real. This strange act shows how serious God’s message was and how far God’s servants sometimes went so a stubborn king would finally listen and see his own sin.

Question 2

Why was the man who refused to strike the prophet killed by a lion?

Accepted Answer

The man who refused to strike the prophet was not punished for kindness, but for disobeying a clear word from God. The prophet had spoken “in the word of the Lord,” so the command came from God, not from a private wish. By refusing, the man treated God’s word lightly. The lion’s attack may seem harsh, but it shows that God’s words are not to be taken loosely, especially when given through his prophets. It warns that knowing God’s will yet refusing it is very serious.

Question 3

What is the meaning of the soldier’s story about losing a prisoner?

Accepted Answer

The story about a servant who let a prisoner escape is a parable. The supposed soldier was told to guard a man on pain of death or a heavy fine. He admits he let the man go because he was busy with other things. Ahab agrees that the man’s own mouth has fixed his judgment. Then the prophet reveals that this picture is about Ahab himself. God had placed Ben-hadad in Ahab’s hand to be destroyed, but Ahab let him go. So Ahab has spoken his own sentence.

Question 4

What does the phrase “thy life shall go for his life” mean here?

Accepted Answer

When God says, “thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people,” he is saying that Ahab and Israel will bear the cost for sparing Ben-hadad. Ben-hadad was a man marked for judgment because of his pride and attacks on God’s people. By setting him free, Ahab set aside God’s sentence. God answers by saying that the death and loss that should have fallen on Ben-hadad will in time fall on Ahab and his nation instead. It shows that disobedience has real, painful results.

Question 5

Why was God angry that Ahab showed mercy to Ben-hadad?

Accepted Answer

At first it might look kind that Ahab called Ben-hadad his brother and spared him, but God had already marked Ben-hadad for destruction because of his proud words and his war against Israel. Ahab’s “mercy” came from pride and desire for honor, not from obeying God. He made his own deal instead of carrying out God’s just sentence. This teaches that mercy cannot cancel what God has clearly commanded, and that leaders must not let personal gain or flattery replace God’s standards.

Question 6

What does this passage show about leadership and responsibility?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that leaders answer to God for how they use their power. Ahab had been given victory and the chance to remove a dangerous enemy, but he treated that moment as a chance to gain honor and make a comfortable treaty. God holds him responsible not only for his own life, but also for what will happen to his people. It reminds anyone in authority that their choices affect others, and that they are stewards who must follow God’s way rather than their own plans.

Question 7

Why did Ahab go home heavy and displeased after hearing the prophet?

Accepted Answer

Ahab went home upset because the prophet’s words ruined his sense of triumph. He had just won a battle and made what he thought was a clever peace agreement. When the prophet unmasked and spoke God’s judgment, Ahab saw that his choice would cost him and his people dearly. Instead of turning to God in sorrow and repentance, he brooded over the loss of his comfort and success. His mood shows a heart more grieved by consequences than by the sin that brought them.

Question 8

How can this story about Ahab and the prophet speak to believers today?

Accepted Answer

This story warns against treating God’s clear word lightly, especially when it cuts across our plans or pride. Ahab liked the deal he made and did not want to hear that God saw it as disobedience. The man who refused to strike the prophet also chose his own sense of right over what God had said. Believers today can learn to test their choices by God’s word, not by what feels kind, clever, or safe, and to remember that obedience is better than keeping up appearances.

1 Kings 20:35

¶ And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

A Prophet Reproves Ahab

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1 Kings 20:35

¶ And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

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A Prophet Reproves Ahab

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