Selling ourselves to do evil

Don’t covet.  Don’t murder.  Don’t steal.

Often times when we think of Israelite kings that broke those commandments, we think of David in his sin with Bathsheba.  Coveting his neighbor’s wife, murdering the husband, and then taking the woman for himself.

But Ahab did the same kind of things.  He coveted his neighbor’s field, murdered him when he refused to sell, and then took possession of the field.

In verse 25, it says,

There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. (1 Kings 21:25)

Selling yourself to do evil.  What does that mean?  It very much sounds like prostitution: selling our body to do what is evil in God’s sight.

In this case, it was spiritual prostitution in more than one way. 

Ahaz prostituted himself for the love of things (Naboth’s field) instead of love for God. 

He prostituted himself in his worship of idols instead of the worship of God. 

He prostituted himself in placing his wife over God.

How about us?  God has said that he is a jealous God.  He will not put up with our unfaithfulness forever.  And if we continue to prostitute ourselves to evil, he will bring judgment in our lives.

But God is merciful.  He was to Ahab when he showed humility following God’s pronouncement of judgment. 

But the sad thing is that Ahab’s humility didn’t last.  And he continued to live the rest of his life prostituting himself to evil.

Let us not be like Ahab.  Rather, let us be like David, who although he did fall at times, sought to be faithful to his God.

And let us truly learn to be people after God’s own heart.