"The King who Tried to Hide from God"
by Shelly Burke
Ahab’s attempt at disguise did not work. During the battle he was hit between the sections of his armor and we are told that “the blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of his chariot, and that evening he died.” (1 Kings 22:35b) He died despite his disguise.
by Shelly Burke
Ahab was a very evil king of Israel during Old Testament days. In fact, the Bible says that he “did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.” (1 Kings 16:30 ) 1 Kings 22:30 tells of Ahab’s attempt to disguise himself in battle so that he would not be killed, as Micaiah, a prophet of the Lord, had prophesied.
My immediate thought when I read this was, “How dumb! Did Ahab really think that the Lord would be fooled? Did he seriously believe that he could avoid death with a disguise?” Of course he could not! We are talking about the Lord!
In Psalm 139 David tell us that the Lord knows, “…when I sit and when I rise…” Also according to Psalm 139 the Lord:
o Perceives thoughts from afar
o Discerns our going out and lying down
o Is familiar with all our ways
David continues by saying, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?... even the darkness will not be dark to You…”
And Ahab thought a simple disguise would change his fate?
But then I realized that I (and I bet you too!) have done the same thing. How? I’ve tried to disguise my sin by saying, “But I deserve to be happy,” or “That commandment doesn’t really apply these days,” or the ever popular, “But I waaaaaaant to!”
Obviously the Lord sees through these disguises and sees our sins for what they really are.
Ahab’s attempt at disguise did not work. During the battle he was hit between the sections of his armor and we are told that “the blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of his chariot, and that evening he died.” (1 Kings 22:35b) He died despite his disguise.
We can be eternally thankful that Jesus’ blood, again through prophecy, flowed for a purpose—to wash away our sins. The Lord will forgive us—for any and every sin, no matter our attempt to disguise them. All we have to do is believe in Him and His promises, and ask.
Lord, please show me how I’ve attempted to disguise my sins, and forgive me for doing so. Thank you so very much that I don’t have to try to hide from You; You will forgive me just for asking for that forgiveness. Amen.
----------
I'm also blogging at Home is Where the Mom Is.
See today's post about a special-needs camp, "His Kids Camp."
