Day 97

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Ahab's Divine Arrow Shot

Scripture

April 6—1 Kings 20-22: Ahab's Final Days as Israel's King

Observation

Today we finish reading the book of 1 Kings. But the division between 1 and 2 Kings is only literary, not historical. The story continues as smoothly as if there had been no book division at all (which, in fact, was the case in the original Hebrew). Although God's mercy and patience are great toward Ahab, the rebellious king of Israel  simply refuses to follow God. And yet, Ahab's disobedience pales by comparison with the wickedness of his wife Jezebel. In cruel treachery, she engineers the murder of Naboth so that Ahab can seize his vineyard. At last, Ahab reaps what for so long he has sown.

Application

You can outsmart your friends; you can outsmart your family; you can outsmart your enemies; and sometimes you can even outsmart yourself. But you can never outsmart God.

Consider the life of Ahab. Warned by a prophet of God not to go into battle, Ahab gambled with his life—and lost. He concluded that a clever battlefield disguise would make it impossible for anyone to recognize him. Even God. And the results? "Someone shot an arrow at random and it struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor" (22:34). A lucky shot or a divine bull's eye?

Trying to outsmart God has never been a wise move. Even the psalmist David learned that, in the game of hide-and-seek, God always comes out the winner (Psalm 139:7-12). But if you find yourself playing the game, the choice is yours: Remove the disguise you've been hiding behind and come to God in humble repentance or wait for God himself to unmask you. Ahab selected the second course, tell God right now which path you will choose

Prayer

Lord, we know some of us you had to unmask and drag us to you and we are thankful for you loving us first. We want all of our family and friends to share in the salvation that's offer to all that believes. So, show them that you are God and you do all that you do because you are who you are. Thank you in Jesus name, amen!



© Odessa Mathis about my Father's business! 2019

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