And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”— 1 Kings 21:28 – 29 ESV
King Ahab is known to be the worst king who reigned in the northern part of Israel. He was married to Jezebel and as a couple, they got up to despicable things during their reign.
1 Kings 21:25 (ESV) says: “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.”
It isn’t known whether King Ahab had more than one wife but Jezebel commanded as much power as the king himself or even more. An example of how ungodly they were can be seen in the case of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21). To take possession of the vineyard for her husband, Jezebel successfully concocted an evil plan to get rid of Naboth.
Mission completed, Jezebel went back to her husband, giving him the go-ahead to possess Naboth’s vineyard—the land that didn’t even belong to her! No questions asked, Ahab was happy to take possession of the vineyard. However, we have an all-seeing God and He sent Elijah to rebuke the king and dole out God’s punishment, not only on him but also on his generation to come.
Surprisingly, Ahab humbles himself and repents before the Lord. The Lord saw the genuineness of Ahab’s heart and action and some of his punishments were averted.
This story demonstrates how merciful and compassionate God is. With every evil thing Ahab had done and allowed Jezebel to do, you would have thought that Elijah’s first proclamation would be final. But God saw genuine repentance and He offered forgiveness.
It doesn’t matter what you have done or how far you have gone from the Lord. He is waiting to forgive, restore you, and lead you on the right path. You just need to turn to him in repentance.
“The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” Psalm 145:8 (NLT)
“But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15 (NLT)
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 