Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 20
At this time, there were groups of people in Israel called the sons of the prophets. These were holy men who were loyal to the true God. They lived, prayed, and studied God’s law together. Some of them became prophets - in other words, men who received messages from God.
God told one of these men to ask another of them to strike him, perhaps with his sword. The purpose of this act was to cause him a minor injury.
There was a proper reason for this strange instruction. The man had also received a message from God for King Ahab. However, without an injury, Ahab’s guards would not allow the man to speak to the king. Probably, Ahab did not like to give his attention to anyone who was not important. However, he considered it necessary to speak to his soldiers who had suffered injuries in his wars.
However, the other man absolutely refused to obey the instruction that God had given. He would not strike his friend. Perhaps his reason was that he considered it to be an act of cruelty. However, now his friend would have to ask someone else to do it – and that person might be much more cruel.
So, in the end, the man who received the message from God might suffer a much worse injury. He was not afraid of that, nor that Ahab might order his death. He had received a message from God; he cared only to obey God, and to declare it as God wanted.
Next part: A lion would kill the friend who refused to obey God (1 Kings 20:36)
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