I had a dream a few nights ago, in which I was sitting at a table with many esteemed Bible scholars and clergy. They gave me an assignment to take all of Christ’s 33 years of teaching, preaching, healing, miracles, etc, and in one sermon formulate the essential message and purpose of Jesus Christ. I recall in the dream how overwhelmed I felt to be tasked with reducing all that Jesus did into one sermon! It was an impossible task. But it occurred to me that while all that Jesus did could not summed up not in thirty minute sermon, but there are three words that could the sum up what He represented: Obedience to His Father (which we talked about last week as it applies to you and me), love—-because that is the most all encompassing word I can imagine to describe Jesus Christ—- and humble—-which is a choice He made when His Father sent Him to be born a baby….to struggle with unkindness he endured as young man, and suffer, without a second thought, to that humiliating execution on a cross.
But then I thought, what one word best describes me and my relationship to God? What about you? What one word best describes our relationship to Jesus? There are a lot of words that should jump into our heads: Grateful, relieved, abandoned, but the word we should all have in our vocabulary, as it relates to our relationship to God, is humble. We’re told to love God with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength. But we begin by humbly admitting who and what He is. He is the Almighty—-the one and only Divine One—-the Great I Am—the Creator and Sustainer of all in existence that ever was or ever will be.
I would argue that some folks think that they can love God without submitting to Him, or kneeling before Him—they see God as one that’s desperate for their love and they think of Him as a kind old man with a long white beard. But they’’re mistaking an affection for Him or some sort of sentimental appreciation of His power for love. Read the word and you’ll see God’s great compassion and mercy are shown not for those that make great sacrifices for God or are outwardly obedient to all God’s laws. His favor falls upon those of us who humble ourselves before Him.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves……” That’s the key—that’s combination to the lock that opens the door to all God’s blessing, His abundant mercy and His favor. So do you? Do you humble yourself before Him….when you make a bad choice do you throw yourself at His mercy….have you placed your trust in Him and His beloved Son?
According to the Bible, the worst king to ever rule Israel was a man named Ahab. There were a lot of bad kings in Judah and Israel—but Ahad was the most wretched! But listen to what the Holy Spirit inspired the author of First Kings to record about Ahab right before His death:
“Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’
“And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
“Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.”
(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.)
And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”( I Kings 21:20-29, English Standard Version)
Ahab did horrible things, worshipped false gods, had God’s prophets killed or exiled, and was led astray by and even worse idolator—his pagan wife Jezebel. Even today, 4000 years later, if a woman is bad, we call her a Jezebel. And yet…. God had compassion on Ahab!
Please think about this today. What happens when the worst man repents? God listens and has compassion. Did you all hear that? Not a one you—-not a single person listening to this devotion or reading it later on this week—has been more evil than Ahab. Don’t flatter yourself by believing otherwise. President Putin and Chairman Xi are lightweights compared to Ahab! But God had compassion on Ahab because he listened to Elijah and believed what Elijah said! He feared God, regretted the bad things he had done and admitted his sins!!! You see, Ahab knew the game was up—he was about to fall into the hands of a very angry God.
Consider another King— Hezekiah. He was the king of the Southern Kingdom, Ahab of the Northern Kingdom. He was told that it was set by God that he would die in a few days—-but listen to what happened:
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city (II Kings, 20:1-6, NIV)
Every now and then, Greg, my eldest. will cry about something that has disappointed him—the same with Tyler—-and more rarely with Tommy. But my sons teaeres causes something to be roused up within my soul which is hard to explain—-a desire to wipe away their tears and make things right for them. Oh, my friends, how much more so our heavenly Father when He sees tears of true repentance and bitterness for what’s happening to us.
And even before Ahab and Hezekiah were born, King David committed a sin worthy of death—-he was a scoundrel! An adulterer, raptist and murderer. But his confession, remorse, fasting and tears were sincere—God forgave him as well.
Finally, consider what Jesus said: “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:33, NIV. But Peter, quite famously and in the most cowardly fashion, denied knowing who Jesus three times just a few weeks after Christ spoke that warning! And yet, after Peter wept bitterly in sorrow and anguish for his denial, Christ restored Him made him into the head of the church!
Okay, so to the point. God wants from us our humbleness of heart before Him—-not our arrogance or pride. Neither does He allow us to ignore who He is—-God Almighty—if we would receive His blessings. Ahab was foolish——but not stupid. He knew that his time was soon going to pass. In fact, we might one day come across Him in heaven based upon the his repentance and how he humbled himself. But Jezebeel?—-not a chance—she’s not there in my opinion. To the very end she was prideful, full of hate, had no remorse and had no regard for God. But what about you???
The good news is that we have a loving God that has for some reason chosen to love you and me! There is no explanation for why He has chosen to forgive us even when though we are wicked and evil. But when He forgave David, Ahab and Hezekiah it was because our God, who is not limited to today, tomorrow or yesterday, had already made places for Christ to come and pay the sins of all men that would repent and place their faith in Christ. After all of Ahab’s sins, Jonah’s open rebellion, David’s adultery, rape, and murder——after all of that, God showed us the merciful and compassionate God He is! He merely requires only our humble confession, repentance acceptance of God’s blood sacrifice for our sins—-Jesus Christ. .
Once upon a time, man and woman walked humbly with God. They knew of His love and His will. It was Paradise—Adam, Eve and the Garden of Eden. But only for a time.
Someone once put it this way: “Before too long, the Tempter entered the scene. With whispers and soothing assurance, and seemingly perfect reason, they were offered what appeared to be the sweetest fruit: To be independent of God and follow their own pursuits. “I know what you were told by God,” whispered the serpent.” “But how can you be sure? And what about you really want?” They were swayed by the idea of getting all we wanted, without waiting and learning from our Father.. And so when the fruit was offered, they ate it. Arrogance and pride overtook humility.” The same thing that overtook Lucifer and turned him into Satan—-the deceiver…the serpent….the tempter.
Listen again to what Ahab did when he was confronted with the coming judgment:
“And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.”
And what was God’s response? “And the word of the Lord came to Elijah…. “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days….
How blesses Ahab, Hezekiah and David were to have God send the prophets Elijah. Isaiah and Nathan to warn them! That’s what God does because He does not want anyone to be lost! Has God sent a prophet, like these men of old, to warn you? Yes! His name is Jesus Christ! And we have the Holy Spirit inspired Word to read and know what God expects. And right now, I am telling the truth: A time of judgment is coming. Have you humbled yourself before God—-perhaps even shed tears over your the bad things you’ve done? Jesus paid for your sins! But you and I must humble ourselves before Him—and there are times where we should fast and shed some tears.