1 Kings 20-21

April 18

1 Kings 20-21

Ahab is a bad king not matter how you look at him. He was reported as the most evil king up to his time. God did not give up on Ahab, no matter how wicked he may have been. God sent a prophet to Ahab and told him God would give him victory over the vast Aramean army so Ahab would know that God was in fact God. Ahab received the victory, but continued to disobey God.

Ahab at the encouragement of his wife, Jezebel, had a man, Naboth, wrongly charged and stoned to death so Ahab could claim the man’s vineyard for his vegetable garden. Ahab did not seem to have a shred of decency in him. After he took possession of Naboth’s vineyard, God sent Elijah with a message. Elijah brought a message of God’s intended wrath upon Ahab and his family. Ahab finally realized that he needed to take God seriously. "When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”" (1 Kings 21:27-29, NIV)

If God showed mercy to Ahab, how much more will He show us mercy if we will humble ourselves before Him? Ahab was one of Israel’s most wicked kings. He led many away from the Lord and was involved in Baal worship. He killed a man for his garden. But when he humbled himself before God, God relented from bringing disaster upon his family while he was still alive.

Paul wrote to the church in Rome; "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (Romans 11:32, NIV) We all have sinned. We all deserve death. We all deserve the sentence given Ahab. But God’s desire is for us to realize that He is God and He loves us and has a plan for our lives, plans to prosper us as Jeremiah 29:11 tells us. God wants to show us mercy; He is just waiting for us to humble ourselves before Him.