DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 20 May 2023: Mercy For The Pertinent
Key Verse: “And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.” – (1 Kings 21:27
TEXT: 1 Kings 21:17-29
17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.
21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
In our text, God sent Prophet Elijah to confront Ahab who had gone to take over the vineyard of Naboth whom Jezebel had killed so he could have the land. Elijah announced the judgment of God upon Ahab, his wife, Jezebel and his entire household for all the wicked atrocities they had committed.
Ahab’s sins and wickedness were said to have far exceeded those of all the other kings before him. He literarily sold himself to sin; but God’s message of judgment struck Ahab. His tough, wicked and hardened heart melted immediately and he humbled himself in repentance.
Ahab’s penitence here is very instructive to us as believers. It goes to show that no one is beyond redemption. Often, we give up on certain classes of non-believers we have concluded to be hardened and beyond redemption. When we go out for evangelism, we avoid preaching to them or inviting them to church because we feel that they can no longer be saved. Even though we believe that God has the power to save all sinners, in our subconscious minds, we tend to write off some people. There are Christians who have given up on their spouses and children and do not expect them to get saved anymore because of how far they think they have gone in sin.
God can forgive sinners who truly repent of their sins. Since He does not give up on any sinner no matter how deep the person has gone in evil and misconduct, we should also not give up on them. Let us include them in our prayers and evangelistic plans. If God can break down Ahab’s wicked heart, He can melt and convert every sinful heart.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: To write off a person that God has not written off is a risky presumption.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 3-4
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Mercy For The Pertinent – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 20 May 2023
