June 12 - 1 Kings 20:23-22:9 | 2 Chronicles 18:1-8

Good morning everyone,

You will remember from yesterday’s reading that God told king Ahab to send his foot soldiers out to attack Ben-Hadad, he did and had great success killing many while many others would flee in a panic. Now today, Ben-Hadah claiming that the only reason Israel won was because their gods were those of the hills, vowed to rebuild his army and at the next war season, take it to them on the plains. (Seriously! They had war seasons like we have baseball season. Right?) However, God once more gave Ahab a heads up of the plan, assured Ahab that he would be victorious and told him this time he was to take Ben-Hadad out, that is to kill the guy. So the next war season comes and Ahab’s army, as promised, is quite superior, killing 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers, the rest fled to a town where 27,000 were killed by a wall that fell. Ben-Hadad knowing he was in a bind, took off his kingly attire and submissively approached Ahab to bargain for his life. Ahab, totally out of character, does make a treaty with him though it will end up biting Ahab in the bum as on the way back to his palace he crosses paths with a prophet who basically points out to him that God had asked him do away with Ben-Hadad, he didn’t do that, so now there was going to be a price to pay, a consequence of choice. The king, we’re told, went home angry and sullen.

King Ahab, though the most wicked king Israel had ever seen, was a bit of a wimp, a cry baby, a pouter. His wife Jezebel, on the other hand, was a very dominant, controlling woman, their marriage, a classic case of “she wears the pants in the family.” So it comes as no surprise that when Naboth, the neighbor, told Ahab he would not give up his property to him, Ahab went home, threw himself on his bed, was sullen and refused to eat. Are you kidding me!?! But even less of a surprise is that when Jezebel found him in that state she told him, “Get over it, this is not how a king acts. I’ll get you the land.” She then proceeds to devise a plan to have Naboth killed, pulls it off and now the land belongs to Ahab, done deal. Except …. except that God was so not cool with it. So, God has a chat with Elijah,  you remember him, he’s the guy Jezebel has threatened to kill because he put all her false prophets to death, so he fled the land. Well now God sends Elijah back to Ahab’s palace to deliver a message of disaster for him and his ever so wicked wife Jezebel.  

We’re told in 21:27 that when Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. He was scared and so very humbled by the whole thing. God saw this, saw his change of heart and, though there would still be consequence of choice,determined the disaster would not happen in Ahab’s life time but in his sons. Jezebel, however, will not fare so well. 

What I totally love about this is that no matter how many wicked things we have done in our past; no matter how many times we blow God off and say, “talk to the hand” when we humble ourselves to Him, He sees this and because of his love for us he pick us up, dust us off, and say okay let’s try this again. Ahab had been really wicked and disobedient but he humbled himself to the Lord and the Lord forgave him and while he would still have the consequence of choice for not doing what God had instructed in taking out Ben-Hadad, Ahab was allowed to live. So what that might look like today is, oh, let’s just say, someone, not a believer, is perhaps in a sexually active relationship, or just sexually active outside of marriage. It’s a sin. In this sin they contract some STD, they get scared, cry out to Father God with a submissive heart, beg forgiveness, humbling themselves to the Lord. Our loving Abba will forgive them and welcome them with open arms, however there is still the consequence of choice, the STD that will follow them. Make sense? And this is just one example of the many, many different possibilities of God’s loving forgiveness and consequence of choice. There are two things that move God; faith and humility. No one is more wicked than Ahab was. Not you. Not me. When we humble ourselves and repent we can receive the matchless joy of the Lord’s loving kindness, the matchless grace of God. Psalm 63:3-4 says, “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …