Only One God

Read 1 Kings 20 – 22
 
1 Kings 21:17-19 But the Lord said to Elijah, 18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. 19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
&
1 Kings 21:25-26 (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done – the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
 
IN 1 Kings 20-22, you read the story of Ahab and Jezebel. Their sins were so great that “Jezebel” is still a term used for absolute evil. You can see why. The Bible describes how she plotted against the farmer Naboth. Naboth owned a vineyard Ahab desired. Ahab sulked as a spoiled child when Naboth refused to sell it to him. In response to grant her husband’s desire, Jezebel hired two men to falsely accuse Naboth of blasphemy and lying, and Naboth was stoned to death. In God’s law, blasphemers were to be stoned when accused by two witnesses. Be alert! One of Satan’s tools is to misuse God’s law to destroy God’s people. He even tried to do that with Jesus, the Living Word. In true obedience to the Law, Jezebel should have been stoned for her idolatry and lying. Ahab then possessed Naboth’s vineyard. But he lost all. No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil.
   In response, Elijah returns to Ahab to pronounce God’s judgment over Ahab. Although Ahab at times seemed to seek the Lord in his life, he does so at his own gain. He had the attitude, “If it is good for me, I’ll do as God commands.” His character, then was to reject the Lord for his own desires.
   You learn more of Ahab’s disobedient heart in a conversation he has with Jehoshaphat. As the two kings consider going to war together, Jehoshaphat, Judah’s king, insisted they speak to a particular prophet. Ahab’s response is, “I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.” In response Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.” Indeed, Jehoshaphat knew what would happen to kings who disobey God.
   As God commanded Ahab to follow him and graciously gave to Ahab many “second opportunities” to obey God, Ahab followed his own way. Ahab’s and Jezebel’s ongoing evil destroyed Ahab’s family. Ahab’s gain of a vineyard and of his own personal desires was his family’s fatal loss.