Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his day, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days. 1 Kings 21:29b
Today, I am astonished, again, by God’s grace to the repentant. King Ahab gets my vote for the most, evil king in the whole history of Israel. He followed idols and caused the nation of Israel to do the same. He attempted to kill all God’s prophets, and anyone else who spoke against him. He even had his neighbor murdered because he had refused to sell him his vineyard.
Time and again, God sent King Ahab signs the He, alone, is God. God sent a drought to demonstrate that He, not idols, controlled the weather (1Kings17). In a dramatic show down on Mount Carmel, God demonstrated His power over the idols by raining fire from heaven (1Kings18)! And God gave King Ahab two miraculous victories in battle (1Kings20). Still Ahab did not honor Him as God, nor was he thankful. He continued to worship and serve the created rather than The Creator! In fact, the Scripture says, “there is no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord” (1Kings21:25).
And yet, when King Ahab humbled himself before God in sackcloth and ashes, God had mercy on him. I was touched by God’s response to King Ahab’s repentance. Even though God knew Ahab would revert to his wick ways after repenting, still God responded with mercy. Don’t worry, King Ahab did not get off without punishment for all the evil that he did. But God did delay his judgment . . . because he repented.
Look how God’s heart is moved by repentance. The most evil person in the world will find mercy, . . . if they will repent. I find that astonishing!
I wanted to share God’s astonishing grace, so I began to write a devotion. Halfway through I remembered that I had already written one on this topic. I looked back to find that I even quoted the same verse! Clearly, I am astonished by God’s amazing grace every time I read this story.
I encourage you that whatever you have done, it cannot be as evil as King Ahab .. . so repent! There is no need for sackcloth and ashes .. . just give your heart to God. You too, will be astonished at the amazing grace that God will shower upon you.
PS. I will repost that original devotion next week.