March 28 - I Kings 21,22
The story of Naboth's vineyard shows us several things that are very important for each of us today. Ahab was overcome by convenience and materialism to the point that he thought he could not be happy if he did not have Naboth's land. All of us need to know that real happiness does not come from things, but from doing God's will. Jezebel was willing to slander a good man and commit murder to help her husband have this land. Her power had gone to her head. We must see that integrity is vital to life, and we must not let power corrupt us. The Lord pronounced judgment on Ahab, but when this very sinful man repented of this sin, God showed him mercy. We need to know that God's mercy extends even to the most sinful, if they will humbly repent of their sin. This does not mean that Ahab was saved, but it does mean that God lessened his punishment for that particular sin.
The reason I say that Ahab was not really a believer comes from his actions in the story about the prophet Micaiah. Ahab did not want to know God's will. It was only because Jehoshaphat was there with him. Ahab wanted to ignore the truth. He thought he could get away from trouble by putting on a disguise, but God guided the arrow right to its spot. The prophecy of the dogs licking Ahab's blood came true, and later they would lick Jezebel's blood, too, as the prophet said. God has a way of evening the score. When His judgment comes, it is swift and complete. Believe me, you do not want to be on the wrong side of God's wrath.
Jehoshaphat was the righteous king of Judah. He did a lot of good things as he followed in the path of his father Asa. The Bible says that there was peace between Israel and Judah during his reign. That must have been one of his goals, and it was a good thing. However, it seems to me that sometimes he went a bit too far to have peace. He compromised his convictions to produce a shaky peace with Israel. This is always a danger to us. Jesus wants us to be peace-makers, but we must have the peace in His way. We must not compromise just to have peace.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 1-3.
The reason I say that Ahab was not really a believer comes from his actions in the story about the prophet Micaiah. Ahab did not want to know God's will. It was only because Jehoshaphat was there with him. Ahab wanted to ignore the truth. He thought he could get away from trouble by putting on a disguise, but God guided the arrow right to its spot. The prophecy of the dogs licking Ahab's blood came true, and later they would lick Jezebel's blood, too, as the prophet said. God has a way of evening the score. When His judgment comes, it is swift and complete. Believe me, you do not want to be on the wrong side of God's wrath.
Jehoshaphat was the righteous king of Judah. He did a lot of good things as he followed in the path of his father Asa. The Bible says that there was peace between Israel and Judah during his reign. That must have been one of his goals, and it was a good thing. However, it seems to me that sometimes he went a bit too far to have peace. He compromised his convictions to produce a shaky peace with Israel. This is always a danger to us. Jesus wants us to be peace-makers, but we must have the peace in His way. We must not compromise just to have peace.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 1-3.