1 Kings 21-22 Just Makes You Shake Your Head

My commentary took a moment to see how well Ahab was not keeping the 10 Commandments, and I picked up some interesting thoughts:

 

“The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.” (A.W. Tozer)

 

Regarding covetousness, “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone … This commandment is perhaps the most difficult one to obey … This commandment deals primarily with the hidden desires of the heart.”

 

King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a godly leader, but he made three costly compromises, it said.  He let his son marry Ahab’s daughter; he got entangled in Ahab’s battle affairs with Syria; and he foolishly joined forces with Ahab’s son later, trying to get rich by importing foreign goods, but God wrecked his fleet.

 

Ahab, dressed for battle not as a king but as a commoner, finally met his match:  “By chance, a soldier shot an arrow, but he hit Ahab between the pieces of his armor … that evening he died …”  There is no chance where God is concerned.  God directed the arrow toward the most vulnerable part of Ahab’s armor, and did what He’d said He would do.

 

Father, please work in my mind and heart to keep unworthy thoughts about You from ever entering them.  Help me to value the number of things I can afford to leave alone.  Take control of the hidden desires of my heart and hold them captive to You and Your will!

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford