OT Fire Starters – Day 136: 1 Kings 20-21
READ: 1 Kings 20-21
THINK: Are you putting up with something that’s taking you down? Are you attached to things that do more spiritual harm than good? Are you allowing anything to remain in your life for reasons of selfish pleasure, personal gain or convenience that could eventually ruin your relationship with Christ or diminish your influence for Him? Staying connected to the wrong people or things can have disastrous effects on you spiritually, robbing you of the peace and purpose God intends. Don’t let this happen to you. Pull away from distractions and pursue your destiny.
RESPOND: Why do you think God gave a wicked king like Ahab a strategy for victory over his enemies? How did Israel’s armies compare with the Aramean army (20:27), and how was God’s power revealed through this battle? In what way did the Arameans underestimate God (20:28)? Why did Ahab let Ben-Hadad live, and why was this a selfish and foolish decision (20:34)? Who were “the sons of the prophets”? (See 20:35 note.) What consequence would come on Ahab for sparing Ben-Hadad’s life (20:42)? What can you tell about Ahab’s mood and temperament from 20:43 and 21:4? How did Jezebel’s devious ways affect and influence the king? What punishment would Ahab face for his and his wife’s wicked acts (21:17-22)? (See 21:19 note.) How and why can listening to bad advice or being relationally tied to a bad person bring harsh consequences on an individual (cf. 21:25-26)? What would happen to Jezebel because of her evil ways (21:23), and what reputation would her name carry from then on? (See 21:25 note.) How and why did God show some mercy to Ahab (21:28-29)? What does this reveal about God’s character?
PRAY: Give God thanks for how He can bring big victories even when we have little or no power or resource on our own. Ask God for wisdom to avoid bad relationships and evil influences.
ACT: If you are in a relationship or friendship that is influencing you in a bad way or pulling you away from God and His purposes, get out of it before you bring destruction on yourself.