When The Wicked Are Humbled And Receive Mercy

What we know about evil people, is that they have something coming to them come death. Because they did not repent while on earth, they will surely find themselves in hell when they die. However, even these types of wicked people have a chance to be saved, if they would just listen to God and repent while in this life. There may be few people that actually do this, but still, God’s mercy is upon all people in this world. One such person who was said to be evil was Ahab the king, who was the husband of Jezebel. It is said that ¹“there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.” (1 Kings 21:25,26) He even caused an innocent man named Naboth to be stoned and killed, in order to take his vineyard from him, which he coveted. Now, he wasn’t going to take it at first, but his evil wife convinced him to put out a proclamation to the people about Naboth so that they would stone him and he would die. It is said that, ¹“Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.” (1 Kings 21:7-10) And the people did just that and killed an innocent bystander, for the king and his wives gain.

It was in this time that Ahab went to take the vineyard for his own, but Elijah met him there and had some choice words from the Lord to say to him. He said, ¹“thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.” (1 Kings 21:19-24) Wow, judgment was surely cast upon Ahab because of what he did. So what did Ahab do when he heard this from God? ¹“It came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” (1 Kings 21:27-29) Because Ahab humbled himself before God, his life was spared and God’s mercy was for him. So you see, everyone has a chance at being saved. This includes the worst of the worst.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I am so grateful to know You. You are so good to me. Thank You for saving a wretch like me. For many years I was so far gone in my own sinful ways. I had no cares in the world about doing Your will, but my will instead. If I was taken care of physically because of sin, I was happy. So my demands were temporarily given to me in the pleasures I felt in sexual sin. I had what I wanted in the moment and that was all that mattered. It didn’t matter that I was defiled because of the things I saw and did. I had joy in the moment and that is what mattered most. I lived like this for years until one day everything came crashing down on me. I was no longer living a secret life but was now exposed for my wrongdoings. Even my wife and kids knew everything and I was very shameful. What I did wracked my soul and I felt like dying inside. Lord, at this time, I was flooded with guilt and shame. No longer was self-gratification good anymore, for it brought unto me so much pain and sorrow in the end. I didn’t want to look at porn or be involved with any other women but needed Your help now. Surely, I did not know that You still cared for a sinner like me, but I hoped and prayed that You would at least give me a chance. And so it was that in my brokenness, I was made humble. I cried out to You in all my tears and You came to my rescue. You heard my confessions and had mercy for my soul. What a great God You are. I did not deserve Your mercy and compassion. I was destined to hell, but You opened the gates of heaven so that I might enter. Thank You, Lord. Now I know that anyone can be saved. A person can be the worst person to have ever lived, and do all the wrong things, but if they would humble ourselves before You, there is mercy still for them. Your mercy endures forever and never fails us when we call upon Your Name. I love You, God. Amen.

Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.

1 Kings 21

¹1 Kings 21 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
6 And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.
7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.
21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.