1 Kings 21-22
Ahab was a real piece of work. After all that he saw of who God is, he still refused to let go of his selfish pride and to commit his ways to the One True God. When Elijah declared God’s promise of disaster on Ahab and his entire house, however, he actually humbled himself before God. Though it appears that this moment of repentance was genuine, it was sadly not lasting. Ahab went right back to going his own way.
But what amazes me is God’s response to Ahab’s repentance. He honored it. Even though God knew Ahab’s repentance was temporary, He honored it. He rewarded it by not bringing the promised disaster in Ahab’s days. Ahab did not have to witness the downfall of his house. I also noted that, unlike the destroyed kings before him, Ahab’s body was actually buried, even though his blood was still lapped up by the dogs as promised. This drives home to me the truth that, “The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Ps 51:17). If God did not reject evil Ahab’s moment of repentance, then surely He will not reject such sacrifices from me.
And back to the topic of living boldly for God – the Old Testament prophets sure had it rough! In 1 Kings 22 we Ahab and Jehoshaphat summoned Micaiah to speak God’s word amid a whole host of false prophets declaring their victory in battle. The messenger warned Micaiah not to go against the flow, but his response was, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” And so he did. And what did he get for his efforts? They ridiculed him, struck him, and tossed him in prison – on meager rations, no less. Nobody said that being obedient to God would not come with a cost!
What we are promised, however, is that whatever price we pay in the here and now for our obedience to God, we receive back many times over, in full abundance, in the life to come. This is how we “store up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven” (Matt 6:20a). Men can persecute us, take all we own, mock us, throw us in prison, and even kill our bodies. But God alone has the power to either save or condemn our souls for all of eternity. Yeah, I want to remember that the next time I face a difficult decision of obedience.
Acts 14
How many people have started out in some well-intentioned service, but when people started to praise them for it, they let it get to their head and started to feed on the people’s praises? Whether it be politics, charity, or religion, it is all too easy to set aside the service in favor of the power.
This could have happened to Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. Paul healed a lame man and the crowds went wild. They gave Paul and Barnabas the names of gods (Hermes and Zeus, respectively), and set about gathering sacrifices to offer them. The chance to be gods – many men have fought and died in pursuit of such an honor. But I don’t see even an instant of temptation in Paul and Barnabas when the opportunity is handed to them on a silver platter. In fact, they were horrified. They stayed true to their service, to their message, and to the One True God.
Maybe we don’t face such dramatic examples in our own lives. But I know that I have often had the opportunity to fix my eyes on something other than God. And more than that, people have sometimes used the promise of prestige or power or some other personal gain as an enticement in order to influence my decisions. I want my decisions to be influenced by God’s presence in my life and nothing more. Let me never choose anything that turns me even one step away from Him.