1st Kings Chapter 20. Surrender Everything
The king of Israel was being threatened by a great army from the King of the Arameans. A great army was ready to attack the king of Israel and steal gold and silver, wives and children, and many valuables. The king of Israel was not following the Lord, but God said to the king of Israel I will give the enemy into your hands so that you will know that I the Lord am your God. Then God delivers the enemy into their hands. But the king of Israel makes a peace treaty with the king of the Arameans instead of getting rid of the evil King. This made the Lord God angry for the king of Israel was to get rid of all the evil that was upon them.
Compromising with the enemy is never an option. We are never to accept some evil in our lives. Our God wishes to cleanse us from all evil so we must get rid of all of it. We can't make a peace treaty with some evil in our lives. For example, we can't say, Lord thanks for giving me victory over my lustful thoughts but I'll keep on swearing. Or we can't say, thanks God for delivering me from being rude to others but I'll keep on gossiping. Thanks God for delivering me from addictions but I'll continue to stay away from Church fellowship. We can't give God our lives for him to transform us into a new person only to turn around and say, wait God, I want to hang on to certain sin. If we're going to give our lives to Jesus for him to transform and change our lives, then we must give him everything. We can't hold on to certain sin areas. Let him change us 100% so we are his clean vessels. Dear Lord I surrender all to you!
Ahab certainly wasn’t a godly man, but God still helped him to not have to lose to Ben-hadad. Ben-hadad wanted to take away all the gold, silver, and the best wives and children. Ahab seemed too willing to just simply surrender it all as we see in verse 4. If we would only be so willing to surrender all that we have to God so easily instead of letting Satan have any footholds in our lives.
I was reminded of a couple of other passages after reading this chapter today.
John 10:10-11
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
1 Timothy 5:3-8
“Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Satan wants to steal our joy, kill our relationships, and destroy our families, but Jesus came to give us abundant life. Some things are worth fighting for and laying down our lives for just as Jesus laid down His life for us, His sheep. May we not let Satan have his way, but may we be fully surrendered to our good shepherd as He helps us in caring for His sheep.
I am in awe of God’s amazing grace. He showed so much grace to Ahab who was a wicked king indeed. God gave Ahab opportunity after opportunity to repent and be restored to Him. I feel so blessed that the Lord didn’t give up on me and gave me the chance to repent my sins and become one of His own! I love you and trust only in you, Lord!