November 21, 2022

I Kings 21: 21, 25-29 (NIV)

“‘I am going to bring disaster upon you. . . .’”(There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil . . ., urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols . . .) When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. . . . Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah . . . “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day. . . .”

If we are completely honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge that we deserve God’s wrath.*

Remember how Jonah reacted when Nineveh repented and God spared them? How do you think Elijah felt when he heard the news about Ahab? We aren’t told his thoughts on Ahab’s change of heart and God’s subsequent pardon but at the very least he had to be skeptical of the king’s sincerity. What are your thoughts when you learn that a celebrity has announced that he has been “born again”? We can wait and see if his life reflects a change of heart, but we don’t always get to follow-up on how they’re doing. What about mass-murderers who have a “come-to-Jesus” experience in prison?  Are you buying that?

Our feelings are conflicted about God’s mercy upon the most heinous of sinners. We tell ourselves that one sin is as bad as another in God’s eyes. We base that on James 2: 10, which says that if we stumble at just one point of the law we are guilty of breaking the whole law. Yes, under the law, a law-breaker was a law-breaker. But even under the law there were different penalties for different sins. Some sins are worse than others. Murder is bad but torturing someone before you kill him is worse. Lying is bad but a lie that leads to another person’s suffering is worse. James’ point wasn’t that all sin is the same; he wanted us to understand that once we break the law – even if it was only one and only once – we are in need of God’s grace.

We may have trouble believing that Ahab and Jeffrey Dahmer deserve God’s mercy, but hear this: neither do we. How we conduct ourselves is an indication of the condition of our heart but only God knows for sure if our repentance is real. He will judge us based on who sits on the throne of our heart. 

It was Christ who said that those who have been forgiven the most will love Him the most. Is there a place in our churches for those who will love Him more than we?*