READING: 1 Kings 20-21
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: These chapters tell us much about Ahab, king of Israel. When the king of Aram gathered his forces against Israel, God intervened for the purpose of making Himself known to Ahab. Twice, in fact, this chapter shows that God delivered His people to show them who He is.
1 Kgs. 20:13 A prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am Yahweh.’”
1 Kgs. 20:28 Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans have said: Yahweh is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over all this great army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
What is remarkable is that God made Himself known in power, and Ahab humbled himself before God (so much so that God delayed judgment on Ahab’s house; 1 Kgs. 21:27-29) — but his grief was only temporary. He is instead remembered by these words:
1 Kgs. 21:25-26 Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him. He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols as the Amorites had, whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
Clearly, Ahab was a sinful king whose story is different from ours. I read of his life, though, and I wonder how many times I have taken God’s intervention lightly— perhaps responding quickly in repentance to God’s work, but then falling back into previous patterns. I wonder how often God has given me victory, and my faith response has been only fleeting.
PRAYER: Please pray with me that we will not miss God’s intervention today — and we will respond with heartfelt adoration and repentance that result in life change.
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18