What a wonderful lesson today even though it covers some really reprehensible behavior on the part of King Ahab (Israel) and his wife Jezebel. We learn that our God is a God of mercy and forgiveness.
King Ben-hadad of Aram decided to attack Samaria, the capital of Israel. King Ahab (Israel) was willing to give him his silver and gold and wives and children but, at the advice of the elders, drew the line at letting Aram search his palace and the homes of the people. An unnamed prophet of the Lord tells Ahab (Israel) that the Lord will defeat them. Then, he would know that God was the Lord. Sure enough, Ahab (Israel) and his forces defeated Ben-hadad. The prophet told Ahab (Israel) to get ready for another attack, that Ben-hadad would come back in the spring.
When spring came, the prophet told King Ahab (Israel) that God would once again defeat Ben-hadad for him so he would know that God was the Lord. It happened just as the prophet said, except King Ahab (Israel) was disobedient and let Ben-hadad live and made a new treaty with him. His punishment seemed fair: “you must die in his place, and your people will die instead of his people.” Ahab (Israel) did not react well; he went home “angry and sullen.”
We get real insight into the spiritual condition of Ahab (Israel) and Jezebel in chapter 21 from the way they treated Naboth, killing him in order to get his vineyard. When confronted by Elijah, though, Ahab (Israel) “tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.” When the Lord saw what Ahab (Israel) had responded, he told Elijah that he would not do what he had promised during Ahab’s (Israel) lifetime, but would still destroy his dynasty.
Tomorrow, it’s I Kings 22 and II Chronicles 18.
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