1 Kings 20:14
And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
The verse belongs to the history of the two separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel for about eighty years from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat, comprising the histories of the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. It stands in a sad historical record that carries important lessons, including that the leaders of God's people strongly shaped the conduct of the people. In its immediate setting, God used the defeat of Ben-hadad king of Syria and his mighty army in an effort to win the weak Ahab. A prophet warned and reproved Ahab, so that the victory would show him it came from Jehovah.
The deliverance of Israel from the Syrian army would come through the young men serving the princes of the provinces, and Ahab himself was to order or direct the battle. Those young men are numbered at 232, drawn from among seven thousand people, whom God chose and used for this deliverance. Their sortie took place during Ben-hadad's siege of Samaria, after which the Syrians fled and Ben-hadad escaped.
Applied to the work against sin, the verse shows that victory comes not through worldly power but through the might of God's Spirit. It calls young and middle-aged people to serve in that work. It is an example of God calling the young to pioneer important work while experienced leaders help order the effort.