Bible Reading: 1 Kings 16; Colossians 3; Ezekiel 46; Psalm 102
1 Kings 16:30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.
The kings of Israel went from bad to worse. It started with Jeroboam’s wickedness when he set up golden calves for the people to worship. Each successive king continued in that idolatry. When Ahab became king, he added to the idolatry he inherited from his father. The Bible is very clear in telling us exactly what the evil was that Ahab did in the sight of the Lord.
1 Kings 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
The sin of idolatry was no ‘light’ thing. Idolatry is a big thing!
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Ahab also married a pagan princess – Jezebel. The Zidonians did not even pretend to worship Jehovah. With Jezebel came the worship of her god – Baal. Jezebel introduced Ahab and all Israel to the worship of Baal. Ahab did not keep it quiet, but publically worshipped Baal in a temple that he built.
1 Kings 16:32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
Groves were places of worship where the Canaanite goddess Astarte was worshipped. She was a very sensual goddess and her worship involved immorality on the part of the worshippers. Ahab not only continued the idolatry of his father, but he also introduced more idolatry because of his wife. He went from bad to worse!
These passages in the Bible are there to warn us and to grow us. We must guard against idolatry. We must not let anyone influence us to go away from God. Who are the primary influencers in your life? Who do listen to? Make sure that you are weighing all things against the Word of God! Don’t let anything take your eyes off Jesus.
In Christ,
Rody
