God chased Ahab.
I never knew that until a few weeks ago. But these days I’m learning lots of new things about the Old Testament as I study “People of the Promised Land: Kingdom Divided” with my Bible Study Fellowship group. I’m reading passages that I’ve never read before in my life and piecing together details that have long eluded me.
You see, even though I’ve been a Christian basically all my adult life (with several years of backsliding worked in through my 20s and 30s), I’ve never gotten around to reading all of the historical, poetic or prophetic books that are found in the Old Testament. I know I should have, but I just haven’t.
Not a good excuse. I mean, it’s the word of God, and I should be – I actually am – eager to learn from it.
A couple of times I tried to read it on my own, but my best effort got me only as far as II Samuel. I truly wanted to accomplish that goal, but I think one reason I failed was that I just read it. I didn’t study it.
Oh, that’s not to say that I haven’t been presented with many of the stories and truths that the Old Testament provides. I have been – multiple times. I’ve also studied some books of the Old Testament in-depth more than once. I’ve just never been through it fully, step by step, book by book, verse by verse.
Now I know that studying these books via good commentaries, Bible studies with others or a series of sermons can be truly invaluable. I’m learning what God wants us to find between the lines. Of course, His message is always there for anyone who truly wants to understand. The “secret” is taking the time and effort to look for it.
Which bring me back to Ahab.
Almost everyone who knows anything at all about the Bible (or who has read “Moby Dick”) knows that the name Ahab conjures up images of evil. I Kings 16:30 says that Ahab of Israel’s Northern Kingdom did more evil than any king before him. He and his pagan wife, Jezebel, were one of the most sinful couples in Biblical history.
Yet God continued to extend His grace and mercy to Ahab for years. One of BSF’s teaching leaders phrased it this way: God was continually calling to Ahab, but Ahab let it go to voicemail and didn’t answer. God sent him a godly friend, but that didn’t help. God gave him victories in battle, and Ahab refused to give God credit for the win. God sent him prophets, and multiple times Ahab did not heed their messages.
Ahab ruled for 22 years, while many other kings ruled for only a short time.
Yet Ahab didn’t seek God at all – except for one brief period of repentance after Elijah’s gruesome prophecy concerning the deaths of both Ahab and Jezebel, which, of course, ultimately came true.
Yes, even this wicked, rotten reprobate had multiple opportunities to turn to God. God gave him chance after chance to change course; he just didn’t.
God is not trigger happy, and I’m so exceedingly thankful. God sought me while I was backsliding and gave me the means to get back on track. On reflection, I realize that He literally led me where I needed to go.
In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve’s sin, God still called out to them. And in the game of hide-and-seek that we sometimes play with God today, God always wants to be found.
In fact, as with Ahab, He will even chase you.
