PROCLAMATION
“Then the word of The Lord came to Elijah the
Tishbite: ‘Have you noticed how Ahab humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not
bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of
his son.’” 1 Kings 21:28-29 (NIV)
EXPLANATION
Near the palace of king Ahab there was a vineyard
which belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.
Ahab wanted this vineyard for a vegetable garden but Naboth would not
sell it to him. (1 Kings 21:1-3) This
saddened and angered Ahab. When his wife
Jezebel found out about this, she plotted to kill Naboth so that Ahab could
have the vineyard. (1 Kings 21:4-14)
After Naboth’s death Ahab took possession of the vineyard. Then the word of The Lord came to Elijah
telling him to go Ahab, king of Israel who ruled in Samaria, and tell him that
in the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will also lick up his
blood. (1 Kings 21:17-19) The Lord God
was going to bring disaster on him and wipe out all of his descendants. His wife would be devoured by dogs along with
all those who belong to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on
those who die in the fields. (1 Kings 21:21-26)
When Ahab heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, fasted, and
went around meekly. (1 Kings 21:27) Then
The Lord told Elijah that because Ahab humbled himself, He would not bring the
disaster during his lifetime but during the life of his son.
APPLICATION
Most of us do not like to hear about the sins of our
parents. However, as difficult as it is
to hear this, the truth is that some of the problems that we face today may be
part of the punishment for the sins of our parents and/or our grandparents. The Lord God said that He would punish the
guilty, and their children to the third and fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6-7) Sin will be punished although we will not
lose our salvation because of it. All we
can do is pray and do our best to walk in the ways of The Lord and know that He
is a merciful God.
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