1 Kings 21:17-24, 27-29

1 Kings 21:17-24, 27-29

God of Another Chance

Introduction:

The POUTING of Ahab - unseen/invisible sin of envy & covetousness

Envy - a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions

Covetousness - Strong desire to have that which belongs to another

The PLOTTING of Jezebel

The purpose of this message is to highlight the theme of another chance. This is evident in the lives of Elijah and Ahab!

The Boldness of Elijah (17-24)

Comes from God (17-18)

Crimes & Consequences of Ahab (19-22)

Crimes of Ahab (19-20)

Murder

Improper Seizing of Property - (stealing) Naboth’s Vineyard in Jezreel,

Doing Evil before God -- AHAB WAS SELL OUT (19, 20)

“Sin causes us to sell our souls in the following ways.

First, we sell our souls when our desire is uncontrolled. Ahab’s sin was the sin of coveting. He coveted Naboth’s vineyard, and that desire led Ahab and Jezebel to commit murder.

Second, we sell our souls when we believe we are above the law. Ahab and Jezebel manipulated the law to get Naboth’s property.

Finally, we sell our souls to satisfy our desires when we believe no one will know about our sin. Ahab felt guilt over what he did. Ahab’s guilt teaches us that we can’t hide anything from our conscious minds. When we violate our standards of right and wrong, that result is guilt.

Ahab committed one of the worst possible sins when he stole from God. Naboth’s vineyard was part of God’s gift to the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land. Naboth refused to sell his vineyard because selling it would have meant selling something he received from God. Ahab and Naboth might have been able to resolve their dispute if they had just talked about it, but Ahab resorted to murder as his first option. When Ahab had Naboth murdered and confiscated his vineyard, Ahab stole from God. God will not allow sin to go unpunished even when we repent because we have to accept the consequences of our actions. We as Christians are called on to live according to God’s will and not the world’s will.”

Consequences for Ahab:

Shameful death (19)

Impending Disaster (disaster would come on all the males, both slave and free (or as some translations suggest, both “weak and incapacitated”), of Ahab’s house. Dogs and carrion birds would devour their corpses.

Bowling, A. C. (2017). 1 Kings. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.), CSB Study Bible: Notes (pp. 547–548). Holman Bible Publishers.) (21-22,24)

Crime of Jezebel (23)

Did evil in God’s

Consequence for Jezebel (23)

Shameful death

The Humility of Ahab (27)

Ahab’s Repentance

Tore his clothes

Put on sackcloth

Fasted

Ahab’s Repentant Behavior-walked around Meekly

“Ahab showed repentance by tearing his clothes. The tearing of garments was a common expression of grief, terror or repentance in the face of great personal or national tragedy. Ahab also showed repentance by wearing sackcloth. Sackcloth was rough and made the skin itch, so it made the wearer remember his or her sin.”

The Response of God (28-29)

God’s Observation of Ahab (28)

God’s Action towards Ahab (29)

God’s Forgiveness

God’s POSTPONEMENT - NOT CANCELATION.

CONSEQUENCES DELAYED does not always mean CONSEQUENCES DENIED

Conclusion