Ok two things struck me in my Bible reading this morning. I was reading in 1 Kings 21 and essentially the plot goes like this; Ahab saw a vineyard he wanted and offered to buy it, but the owner said no. So Ahab went home and threw a fit.

“”So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! “What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?” “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her. “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” “ ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬-‭7 

First I’d like to point out the obvious, King Ahab was nothing but a spoiled rotten baby. I’m sorry, a guy didn’t want to sell his family’s vineyard passed on for generations, probably his only source of living so the king goes home and throws a fit?! What in the world? Why did that guy ever get to be king?? But even worse was his wife, who came in and told him to suck it up and KiLL tHe DuDe?! It just keeps getting worse! So they devised a plan to do just that and the prophet Elijah found out (probably because they got paid actors to accuse the dude of blasphemy and stone him in front of the entire town) and Elijah had to tell him he’s done for and that was the last straw.

”“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’ “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’ “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.” (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.) But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning. Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”“ ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭21‬:‭20‬-‭29

So after God had Elijah deliver the speech of damnation, Ahab repented and humbled himself and God allowed the punishment to pass to his sons so he didn’t have to endure it. Woah woah hold up, he literally threw a fit and murdered a guy but because he repented he gets off on the punishment?? This whole chapter is just a roller coaster of emotions 🎢. 

But even through that whirlwind of a story, there is a lesson to be learned. I think two things to take away are; 

1. Don’t take advice from the wicked, it only leads to destruction. Also if someone doesn’t cater to your every whim, maybe don’t throw a manchild sized fit and kill them, it definitely does not turn out well in the end.