“And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord." 1 Kings 20:13
Ahab was a wicked king. The Bible says he “sold himself to do evil" and that he “did more evil than all the kings who were before him.” He was weak of character, manipulated by his wicked wife Jezebel, and behaved like a spoiled child, sulking when he didn’t get his way or when he was corrected.
Yet the Lord was seeking Ahab’s heart. He sent Elijah to break through the confusion and show Ahab as well as the people that He, not Baal, is God, on the day he sent fire from heaven and relief from the drought. Now He sends another prophet whose name we don’t know, to guide Ahab through a war against the much superior army of Syria that has invaded Israel.
The prophet assures him of victory, and when Ahab asks, gives him the battle plan that he should follow. Ahab is now listening to the Lord and taking direction from Him. God delivers Israel by Ahab’s hand as he learns to follow God’s Word.
But that weakness of character is still there. The Lord has gotten Ahab’s attention but He still doesn’t have his heart.
God lovingly deals with each one of us according to His knowledge of our heart. He knows what we need, where our weaknesses lie, and what needs to be broken so that He can heal us. His goal is to reveal Himself to each one of us in a personal way so that we come to know Him and surrender to Him. His forgiveness is infinite, because He is seeking our heart.
Lord Jesus, I want to know You. There is still something in me that resists You, but You know all about that. Forgive my hardness of heart and my weakness of character. Reveal Yourself to me and draw me close to Your heart. I surrender to You. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles