This chapter narrates the end of Ahab’s life. Ahab died in battle which, in this context, is seen as divine judgement. What was it that led Ahab from his previous penitential attitude to being struck down in this way? It all began with Ahab’s reluctance to receive some bad news about himself from God. It is something we all struggle with, though we are not always conscious of the struggle. There are things you resist knowing about yourself; things that God sees, and things that even other people see. In the long run, it is actually much easier to face up to the hard truth about ourselves. When you acknowledge and confess a harmful attitude, God can set you free from it. We have already seen how willing God was to show mercy and grace to Ahab when he confessed his sin. Evidently there were other things that God was grieved about in Ahab’s life and he wanted to confront Ahab with this, but Ahab held off this revelation. He preferred to be surrounded by false prophets who told him what he wanted to hear. When the godly Jehoshaphat questioned him about this and asked whether there was a real prophet in Israel, Ahab’s answer revealed his defensiveness: “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.” How willing are you to know the worst about yourself? The willingness to face this is the first step toward growth and freedom.
Ask God to show you if there is anything in your life that grieves him.
Read 1 Kings 22
