The story of Naboth’s murder is the climactic point in the accumulation of Ahab’s evil deeds. The events described in this chapter epitomise the violation of all that was most sacred in the eyes of God. Possession of land was a crucial aspect of each Israelite’s inheritance of the promise of God. Justice and truthful testimony in trial are dominant notes in the Law of God. And, of course, human life is the most sacred thing of all. Ahab trampled upon all these, and what is worse is the way he did this. He was incited by his wife Jezebel, a Phoenician princess. He allowed her to go ahead with her evil plan in his name thus abdicating his responsibility as king to an ardent pagan whom he should never have married in the first place. I find this story immensely comforting and I believe the writer of Kings wants this story to comfort his original hearers who, a couple of hundred years later, were languishing in exile because of their sins. The comfort in this story is in the ending. When Elijah confronts Ahab with his evil, Ahab showed great remorse and God responded with compassion and mercy and relented from immediate judgement. Ahab would not mend his way entirely, but this account shows how ready and eager God is to show compassion and mercy the moment we recognise our faults. No matter how you have failed, God is not only willing to forgive but eager to forgive.
Reflect on God’s grace and mercy to you and give him thanks.
Read 1 Kings 21
