AHAB THE WICKED KING
The kings of Israel and Judah, both good and evil, had prophets sent by God to advise, confront, and aid them. King David had a faithful friend in God’s prophet, Nathan; Ahab could have had an equally faithful friend in Elijah. But while David listened to Nathan and was willing to repent of his sins, Ahab refused to acknowledge that it was his own constant disobedience to God and persistent idol worship, not Elijah’s prophecies that brought the evil on his nation. He blamed Elijah for bringing the prophecies of judgment, rather than taking his advice and changing his evil way.
Ahab was trapped by his own choices, and he was unwilling to take the right action. As king, he was responsible to God and his prophet Elijah, but he was married to an evil woman who drew him into idol worship. He was a childish man who brooded for days if unable to get his own way. He took his evil wife’s advice, listened only to “prophets” who gave good news and surrounded himself with people who encouraged him to do whatever he wanted. But the value of advice cannot be judged by the number of people for or against it. Ahab consistently chose to follow the majority opinion of those who surrounded him, and that led to his death.
It may seem nice to have someone encourage us to do whatever we want, because advice that goes against our wishes is difficult to accept. However, our decisions must be based on the quality of the advice, not its attractiveness or the majority opinion of our peers. God encourages us to get advice from wise counselor, but how can we test the advice we receive? Advice that agrees with the principles in God’s Word is reliable. We must always separate advice from our own desires, the majority opinion, or whatever seems best in our limited perspective, and weigh it against God’s commands. He will never lead us to do what he has forbidden in his Word-even in principle. Unlike Ahab, we should trust godly counselors and have the courage to stand against who would have us do otherwise.
Strengths and accomplishments:
- Eighth king of Israel.
- Capable leader and military strategist.
Weaknesses and mistakes:
- Was the most evil king of Israel.
- Married Jezebel, a heathen woman, and allowed her to promote Baal worship.
- Brooded about not being able to get a piece of land, and so his wife had its owner, Naboth, killed.
- Was used to getting his own way, and got depressed when he didn’t.
Lessons from his life:
- The choice of a spouse will have a significant effect on life-physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
- Selfishness, left unchecked, can lead to great evil.
KEY VERSE: “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him” 1 Kings 16:30-33 New International Version (NIV)