◄ 1 Kings 20:36 ►
Then the prophet said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you." And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
Study Bible
Then the prophet said to him
This phrase introduces us to the role of the prophet, a messenger of God, who speaks with divine authority. In the Hebrew context, the word for prophet is "nabi," which signifies one who is called to speak on behalf of God. Prophets were integral in guiding Israel, often delivering messages of warning or judgment. This particular prophet's words are a direct communication from God, emphasizing the seriousness of the message.

Because you have not obeyed
Obedience to God is a central theme throughout the Bible. The Hebrew root for "obey" is "shama," which means to hear or listen with the intent to act. This phrase underscores the expectation that God's commands are to be followed without question. Disobedience, as seen here, leads to dire consequences, highlighting the importance of faithfulness and submission to God's will.

the voice of the LORD
The "voice of the LORD" represents God's direct communication and authority. In the Hebrew tradition, the "voice" (Hebrew: "qol") is often associated with power and majesty, as seen in Psalm 29. The phrase reminds us that God's voice is not just a sound but a command that demands a response. It is a call to action and a test of faith.

as soon as you leave me
This phrase indicates the immediacy of the consequence that will follow the act of disobedience. It serves as a warning that God's judgments are swift and certain. The historical context of this passage shows that God's justice is not delayed, and His words are fulfilled without hesitation.

a lion will kill you
The lion, in biblical symbolism, often represents strength, power, and sometimes judgment. In the ancient Near East, lions were feared predators, and their presence in this narrative signifies the seriousness of the prophet's warning. The use of a lion as an instrument of divine judgment illustrates the severity of disobeying God's command.

And when he had gone
This phrase marks the transition from prophecy to fulfillment. It shows the inevitability of God's word coming to pass. The historical narrative of the Bible often follows this pattern, where prophecy is followed by its realization, reinforcing the reliability and truth of God's word.

a lion found him and killed him
The fulfillment of the prophet's words is immediate and exact. The lion's attack is not a random event but a divinely orchestrated act of judgment. This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the certainty of God's word. The historical and scriptural context emphasizes that God's justice is both righteous and unavoidable.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Prophet
A man of God who delivers a message of judgment. His role is to convey God's commands and consequences for disobedience.

2. The Disobedient Man
An unnamed individual who fails to heed the prophet's command, representing a broader theme of disobedience to God's word.

3. The Lion
A literal instrument of God's judgment, symbolizing the immediate and severe consequences of disobedience.

4. The Voice of the LORD
Represents God's direct command, emphasizing the importance of obedience to divine instructions.

5. The Event of Judgment
The swift execution of divine judgment serves as a warning about the seriousness of disobeying God's commands.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Obedience
Obedience to God's word is non-negotiable. The immediate consequence faced by the disobedient man in 1 Kings 20:36 serves as a stark reminder of the seriousness with which God views His commands.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets are God's messengers, and their words carry divine authority. Ignoring their messages is equivalent to ignoring God Himself.

Consequences of Disobedience
Disobedience to God can lead to severe and immediate consequences. This passage encourages believers to reflect on their own lives and ensure they are living in accordance with God's will.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
God is sovereign and just in His judgments. The use of a lion as an instrument of judgment demonstrates God's control over creation and His ability to execute justice in unexpected ways.

The Importance of Listening to God's Voice
Believers are called to be attentive to God's voice, whether through Scripture, prayer, or the counsel of godly individuals. Ignoring God's voice can lead to spiritual and physical peril.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does this passage teach us about the nature of God's commands and the importance of obedience?

2. How can we discern the voice of God in our lives today, and what steps can we take to ensure we are obedient to His guidance?

3. In what ways does the account of the disobedient man and the lion parallel other biblical accounts of disobedience and judgment?

4. How can we apply the lessons from 1 Kings 20:36 to our daily walk with God, particularly in areas where we struggle with obedience?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced consequences for disobedience. How did that experience shape your understanding of God's expectations and your relationship with Him?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 15:22-23
This passage highlights the importance of obedience over sacrifice, reinforcing the theme that God values adherence to His commands above ritualistic offerings.

Proverbs 19:16
This verse underscores the principle that keeping God's commandments leads to life, while neglecting them results in death, paralleling the consequences seen in 1 Kings 20:36.

Jonah 1:1-17
Jonah's initial disobedience and subsequent punishment by God (being swallowed by a great fish) illustrate the broader biblical theme of divine discipline for disobedience.
Sermons
Resisted MercyJ. Urquhart 1 Kings 20:22-43
False MercyJ.A. Macdonald 1 Kings 20:30-43
People
Ahab, Aram, Ben, Benhadad, Ben-hadad, Hadad, Israelites, Syrians
Places
Aphek, Damascus, Samaria, Syria
Topics
Behold, Death, Departed, Departest, Ear, Findeth, Hast, Hearkened, Heartened, Kill, Killed, Leave, Lion, Listened, Met, Obeyed, Rushing, Slay, Slew, Smiteth, Smitten, Straight, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Kings 20:36

     4666   lion

1 Kings 20:35-36

     1429   prophecy, OT fulfilment

1 Kings 20:35-42

     5438   parables

1 Kings 20:35-43

     5837   disguise

Library
The Lost Opportunity
TEXT: "And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it."--1 Kings 20:40. There is a very striking incident connected with this text. The great battle is raging, a certain important prisoner has been taken, and if you read between the lines you seem to know that upon him depend many of the issues of war. His skill in leading the enemy had been marvelous, his courage in the thick of the fight striking; …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

Putting on the Armour
And the king of Israel answered and said. Tell him. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.'--1 KINGS xx. 11. For the Young. Ahab, King of Israel, was but a poor creature, and, like most weak characters, he turned out a wicked one, because he found that there were more temptations to do wrong than inducements to do right. Like other weak people, too, he was torn asunder by the influence of stronger wills. On the one side he had a termagant of a wife, stirring …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Letter of the Synod to the Emperor and Empress.
(Labbe and Cossart, Concilia, Tom. VII., col. 577.) To our most religious and most serene princes, Constantine and Irene his mother. Tarasius, the unworthy bishop of your God-protected royal city, new Rome, and all the holy Council which met at the good pleasure of God and upon the command of your Christ-loving majesty in the renowned metropolis of Nice, the second council to assemble in this city. Christ our God (who is the head of the Church) was glorified, most noble princes, when your heart, …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Nature of the Renderings
From the text we now turn to the renderings, and to the general principles that were followed, both in the Old and in the New Testament. The revision of the English text was in each case subject to the same general rule, viz. "To introduce as few alterations as possible into the Text of the Authorised Version consistently with faithfulness"; but, owing to the great difference between the two languages, the Hebrew and the Greek, the application of the rule was necessarily different, and the results …
C. J. Ellicott—Addresses on the Revised Version of Holy Scripture

The Practice of Piety in Glorifying God in the Time of Sickness, and when Thou Art Called to Die in the Lord.
As soon as thou perceivest thyself to be visited with any sickness, meditate with thyself: 1. That "misery cometh not forth of the dust; neither doth affliction spring out of the earth." Sickness comes not by hap or chance (as the Philistines supposed that their mice and emrods came, 1 Sam. vi. 9), but from man's wickedness, which, as sparkles, breaketh out. "Man suffereth," saith Jeremiah, "for his sins." "Fools," saith David, "by reason of their transgressions, and because of their iniquities, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire from 745 to 722 B. C.
TIGLATH-PILESER III. AND THE ORGANISATION OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM 745 to 722 B.C. FAILURE OF URARTU AND RE-CONQUEST Of SYRIA--EGYPT AGAIN UNITED UNDER ETHIOPIAN AUSPICES--PIONKHI--THE DOWNFALL OF DAMASCUS, OF BABYLON, AND OF ISRAEL. Assyria and its neighbours at the accession of Tiglath-pileser III.: progress of the Aramaeans in the basin of the Middle Tigris--Urartu and its expansion into the north of Syria--Damascus and Israel--Vengeance of Israel on Damascus--Jeroboam II.--Civilisation …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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