Elijah then pronounced solemn judgment upon Ahab and his household for what he had done, even to the cutting off of his posterity from Israel. He told him too what would happen to his wicked wife Jezebel, for she was the one who stirred him up in his evil ways. Her name is used in Scripture as the figure of evil in the name of religion (Rev. 2:20), and just as a terrible judgment fell upon her, so God’s awful judgment will fall upon that great religious system which persecutes the true children of God. (Revelation 18.) Like Jezebel who did evil in king Ahab’s name, so we see a great religious system around us which works through the government in many places, to hinder the servants of the Lord in the spread of His Word and truth. What a day of reaping awaits that religious system, more terrible indeed than that which came upon Jezebel.
When Ahab heard the words of the Lord through Elijah, he humbled himself and fasted. This is good to see, for when the sinner is warned of judgment, the right place for him to take is repentance before God. The Lord was pleased with this repentance and sent a message through Elijah saying that because Ahab had taken the humble place, He would not bring the evil He had pronounced in his days. If there is an unsaved one reading these lines, we would plead with you to take the low place in repentance before God. It is the place of blessing for you. If you will acknowledge your lost condition before God, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who accomplished redemption for you at Calvary, you will be saved. Ahab was delivered from the judgment of God upon him during his lifetime, but you will be delivered from eternal hell, if you will accept Christ as your Saviour today. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.
The twenty-second chapter presents to us a sad picture of a true believer forming friendships with the world. Jehoshaphat the king of Judah was a godly king, but he came down to Ahab, the wicked king of Israel. Notice he “came down,” for the world never comes up to the believer’s level; we can come down to the world, and do, if we are not careful. This coming down was the first step in departure which soon led Jehoshaphat farther away, for how can we be faithful when we have chosen the company of those from whom we ought to be separate? How can we count on the Lord to keep us from the evil of the world, when we have chosen its company? Oh let us watch the first steps of departure from the Lord!
King Ahab decided to make good use of Jehoshaphat, for the world always wants a person for what it can get from him, not for what it can give to him. The world is selfish and really has nothing to give. Ahab asked Jehoshphat to help him get back Ramoth-gilead which was in the hands of the king of Syria, though it belonged to Israel. We might remark here that this was the result of the mistaken kindness Ahab had shown to Ben-hadad, king of Syria. How soon Ben-hadad had forgotten the promises he had made to Ahab such a short time before (1 Kings 20:34-43)! It is also instructive to notice that Ramoth-gilead was on the wilderness side of Jordan where the two and a half tribes settled, and it was the first to fall into the hands of the enemy. We learn from this that if we do not walk in ALL the truth of God, the enemy soon robs us of the truth we have.
ML 08/05/1956