1 Kings 20:11

Boasting

Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off. 1 Kings 20:11.

Benhadad, king of Syria, was a big bully. He had invaded Israel with an army of one hundred and thirty thousand men commanded by thirty-two petty princes. Ahab, king of Israel, had only a small following of seven thousand men and he had shut himself up in the city of Samaria. Benhadad laid siege to the city and when he thought it must be in dire straits, he sent bullying messages to Ahab demanding his wives and his children, his silver and his gold.

At first Ahab was so terrified that he consented. “My lord, O king,” he replied, “according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.” But when Benhadad, pleased with this success, demanded more and more, Ahab's spirit was roused and he refused to comply.

The king of Syria was angry and he began to threaten and boast. He sent to Ahab saying that he would pound Samaria to dust and that he had so many men with him that if he gave merely a handful of that dust to each of them there would not be enough to go round.

It was then that Ahab replied in the words of our text “Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off.” The time to boast, he meant, is when you have won the victory.

Well, we know how the story ended. The little army of the Israelites fell upon the Syrians at noon when they were not expecting them. A panic ensued, the Syrians fled pell-mell, and Benhadad took hasty flight upon the first horse he could seize. Like most bullies he was only a coward at heart.

Ahab's words have come down to us as a sort of proverb, and although they were spoken by a very foolish king, they are very wise words. “Let not him that girdeth on his armor boast himself as he that putteth it off.” That just means “if you are going to boast wait till you have something to boast about.” And the odd thing is that if you wait till then the chances are you will never boast at all. For it isn't the people who have done big things who brag, but the people who haven't begun to try to do them.

Now I want to give you two reasons why it is well not to boast, and the first is that boasting, like pride, generally goes before a fall. The boasting people don't see their own weakness, so of course they don't guard against it and when they are attacked down they come at the first blow. It was like that with Benhadad. He was so very sure of victory that he took his ease and sat down to feast and drink at noon. He never dreamt that the enemy would attack him in the heat of the day. And that was just when the enemy came.

And the second reason is that boasting is very often a sign of weakness. The boys and girls who are always talking about what they can do are generally the ones who accomplish nothing.

Did you ever hear of the rich harper of Tarentum? Tarentum was a city in ancient Greece, and in that city there dwelt a harper who thought very highly of himself. Now a big competition for harpers was going to take place at a town called Delphos, and a laurel crown was to be given to the competitor who played best and sang most sweetly.

The rich harper of Tarentum made up his mind that he would enter the competition. But he thought a laurel crown was a very poor reward for skill in harping, so he resolved that he would go to Delphos crowned already and make a display of his splendor.

Over his shoulders he threw a cape of cloth of gold, and on his head he placed a golden crown set with emeralds. He took a harp inlaid with jewels. He rode in a fine chariot. And all the people admired him.

At last he reached the theatre where the competition was to take place, and the time came when the competitors were called upon to play. When the rich man stepped forward all eyes were turned upon him and the people waited breathlessly till he should begin. But when his fingers smote the harp they brought forth nothing but discord, and when he raised his voice to sing it produced the most hideous sound. The people roared with laughter, the judges drove him from the theatre, and he returned to Tarentum with his gold crown all on one side of his head.

You may have noticed that the boys and girls who boast how brave they would be if they met a wild beast are generally the ones who run away if they meet a barking dog. The really brave people always think they have accomplished nothing. It is always the other fellow who has done it.

We have been talking about foolish boasting, but there is a kind of boasting that is not foolish. You know we all have a battle to fight in this life a battle against our worst selves, a battle against sin and temptation. And if we go into this fight in our own strength we are sure to be beaten. But if we wear the armor that Christ gives us and put our confidence in Him then we are sure to win.

Do you remember how Goliath came to meet David blustering and boasting about how he was going to give his flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field? That was one kind of boasting. And David came boasting too, but not in his own strength. “Thou comest to me,” he said, “with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand.”

That is the kind of boasting that stands the test, because it is boasting, not in ourselves, but in One who cannot fail. And if we have this confidence it will last us from the day we put on our armor till the day we put it off to exchange it for a crown of victory.