"(But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the Lord cast out before the Children of Israel)" 1 Kings 21:25-26

OLD TESTAMENT PARENTHESES (15)
"(But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to
do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel
his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following
idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the Lord
cast out before the Children of Israel)" 1 Kings 21:25-26

THE contents of this parenthesis do not surprise us, for we are already aware of what a wicked king Ahab was. What does surprise us greatly, however, and what must have surprised Elijah very much, is what immediately follows, for we are told of God's obvious satisfaction in finding that even such a man would humble himself in repentance. "Have you seen it?" He asked Elijah, as if meaning, 'Can you believe it?'

WE are not told whether Elijah was pleased or offended. Nor are we able to determine whether Ahab's was really the godly sorrow which works repentance unto salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). We are only informed that God regarded Ahab's humbling as genuine and gave him immediate reprieve. If we pursue our enquiry we may retain strong reservations about his subsequent behaviour and we find that God's arrow pierced his disguise and his armour, leaving him to bleed to death in a day of defeat on the battlefield.

THE historian was inspired to emphasise his self-humbling as he records that the king "fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly". Then, as if that were not enough, he added this confidential exchange between the Lord and Elijah in which it is emphasised that Ahab had truly humbled himself before God. So it seems that this parenthesis draws particular attention to Ahab's heinous wickedness only to give added weight to God's words of kindness when He drew the attention of His beloved servant to the marvel of even an impossible case like that being prostrated in contrition. If Elijah was not overwhelmed, I confess that I am.

ALL Scripture has a meaning. Does this parenthesis suggest, then, that the man in question was the chief of sinners? We remember that in the New Testament there was another man who admitted this charge but was able to rejoice that even so, through grace, he had obtained mercy (1 Timothy 1:15). If Ahab's experience does nothing else, it should encourage us to go on praying that even those who seem most hardened may yet humble themselves before the Lord and find mercy.

TO me an equally surprising case is that of King Manasseh, the evil king of Judah who is said to have slain Isaiah and who "filled Jerusalem with innocent blood" (2 Kings 21:16). Throughout most of his long reign this king seems to have given himself over to every kind of evil and refused to listen to the Lord. Yet we are told that "when he was in distress, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he prayed unto him; and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication ..." (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). His crimes reached almost to heaven, but the amazing grace of God reached even higher.

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