Read 1 Kings 21 and 22 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph divisions:
1 Kin 21:1-16 {p} Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard/ Jezebel murdered him, so that the king may have it
1 Kin 21:17-26 {p} The word of YHVH against Ahab + Jezebel, who did more wickedness than all before him
1 Kin 21:27 {p} When Ahab heard it, he mourned in sackcloth with fasting
1 Kin 21:28-22:1 {p} The word of YHVH: because Ahab humbled himself, the calamity will not come in his day
1 Kin 21:28-22:1 {p} The word of YHVH: because Ahab humbled himself, the calamity will not come in his day
1 Kin 22:2-18 {s} Ahab asks Jehoshaphat to join him in war with Syria/false prophets and Micaiah
1 Kin 22:19-40 {p} Ahab imprisons Micaiah/ he is killed in the battle that day
1 Kin 22:41-50 {s} The reign of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 25 years, who did good in the eyes of the LORD
1 Kin 22:51-2 Kin 1:2 {s} …
The strong themes:
1 Kin 21:1-22:1 {px4} The crimes of Ahab + Jezebel, so that YHVH prophesied against them, but Ahab humbled himself
1 Kin 22:2-40 {s+p} Ahab initiated war with Syria, but he is killed in the battle, according to the word of YHVH
The matching pairs I have been working with this morning are:
1 Kin 20:43 {p} The king of Israel went to his house sullen + displeased, (because of the word with the prophet had spoken to him) and came to Samaria;
1 Kin 21:4 So Ahab went into his house sullen + displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him;
and
1 Kin 21:20 So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord;
1 Kin 21:25-26 {p} But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel;
and
1 Kin 20:35-42 YHVH to Ahab: Because you let the king of Syria go, your life shall be forfeit for his life;
1 Kin 21:17-22:40 Ahab’s life forfeit, therefore he was he was killed in battle with the Syrians;
and
1 Kin 20:23-25 {p} False counsel given to the king of Syria, to fight Israel in the plains;
1 Kin 22:5-28, False counsel given to Ahab, to fight against Syria at Ramoth Gilead;
and
1 Kin 18:15-19:14 {s} A great victory over the false prophets of Baal, however Jezebel did not humble herself or repent
1 Kin 21:27 {p} When Ahab heard the word of YHVH he tore his clothes + put on sackcloth + fasted + mourned.
But I am not wise enough to complete it. Take the puzzle pieces and puzzle with it to work it out. But out of all the chapters of the reign of Ahab, what spoke to me the most was:
And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.” 1 Kin 21:28-29
It is so important to obey the LORD, for your son’s sake if not for your own! And yet, even so wicked a man as Ahab, when he humbled himself before the LORD, called forth the LORD’s mercy on his head. God is great indeed!
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psa 34:18The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise. Psa 51:17For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation. Psa 149:4Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble. Pro 3:34For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isa 57:15“But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. Isa 66:2
If even for someone like Ahab, how much more for you and me! ♥
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