“Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Getting called on the carpet for doing something wrong will happen to all of us at some point. I can remember sitting down all my girls and having the “who did this?” conversation. Someone was always defiant, someone was always indifferent, and the guilty party just stayed quiet until we got to the truth of the matter. The punishment was always reduced when the guilty party fessed up before we had the talk.
Ahab is still king over Israel. Greedy and selfish, Ahab has his eyes on the vineyard of Naboth. Ahab goes and tells Naboth that he will gladly pay for entire vineyard with a good price. Naboth responds to the offer by telling the king that this vineyard is his family’s land and he will not sell it. Ahab, rejected and sad, goes back to the palace, lays on his bed, sulks, and refused to eat (verse 4). Jezebel, his evil wife, sees the king in this condition and tells him that is no way a king should act. She tells Ahab that she will get the vineyard for him and concocts an evil plan to have Naboth stoned to death. Naboth is stoned to death and Ahab takes possession of the vineyard.
The Lord summons Elijah, Ahab’s not so good friend. Elijah tells Ahab that the Lord will bring down punishment on Ahab and his family for the evil that has been done. Verse 25-26 tell us, “(There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)
Here is where the story gets turned in different direction. Just when you are picturing Ahab being taken out by the Lord for all the evil he has done, he actually does something to get the attention of the Lord. Verse 27 tells us that, “When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.” The Lord speaks in verse 29, He says to Elijah, “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Today, realize the character of the God we serve. If a wicked king such as Ahab can receive the mercy of the Lord by humbling himself, then you can as well. We often think that we are too far gone for redemption because of the sins we have committed. Jesus paid the price for “ALL” of your sins on the cross. Because the Lord’s mercies are new every morning and we are saved by grace so that no man should boast, we can walk in the victory Jesus paid for on the cross.
Ahab’s story is a sad one and in the chapters to come we read that this momentary humbling did not stick and he went back to his old ways. He was taken out just like the Lord told Elijah. Take a page from this story and know that the Lord is waiting for you with open arms when you humble yourself before Him.
Prayer: Father help us to humble ourselves before you. Help us to walk with humility. Jesus told us to confess our sins to one another so help us be open and honest about where we are in our sin. Also, help us extend grace and truth to those who are walking in sin showing them the love of the father. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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