Ahab's Profile
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The kings of Israel and Judah, both good and evil, had prophets sent by God
to advise, confront, and aid them. King David had a faithful friend in God's
prophet, Nathan; Ahab could have had an equally faithful friend in Elijah. But
while David listened to Nathan and was willing to repent of his sins, Ahab saw
Elijah as his enemy. Why? Because Elijah always brought bad news to Ahab, and
Ahab refused to acknowledge that it was his own constant disobedience to God and
persistent idol worship, not Elijah's prophecies, that brought the evil on his
nation. He blamed Elijah for bringing the prophecies of judgment, rather than
taking his advice and changing his evil ways.
Ahab was trapped by his own choices, and he was unwilling to take the right
action. As king, he was responsible to God and his prophet Elijah, but he was
married to an evil woman who drew him into idol worship. He was a childish man
who brooded for days if unable to get his own way. He took his evil wife's
advice, listened only to the "prophets" who gave good news, and surrounded
himself with people who encouraged him to do whatever he wanted. But the value
of advice cannot be judged by the number of people for or against it. Ahab
consistently chose to follow the majority opinion of those who surrounded him,
and that led to his death.
It may seem nice to have someone encourage us to do whatever we want because
advice that goes against our wishes is difficult to accept. However, our
decisions must be based on the quality of the advice, not its attractiveness or
the majority opinion of our peers. God encourages us to get advice from wise
counselors, but how can we test the advice we receive? Advice that agrees with
the principles in God's Word is reliable. We must always separate advice from
our own desires, the majority opinion, or whatever seems best in our limited
perspective, and weigh it against God's commands. He will never lead us to do
what he has forbidden in his Word - even in principle. Unlike Ahab, we should
trust godly counselors and have the courage to stand against those who would
have us do otherwise.
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Ahab's Strengths and Accomplishments
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* Eighth king of Israel
* Capable leader and military strategist
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Ahab's Weaknesses and Mistakes
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* Was the most evil king of Israel
* Married Jezebel, a pagan woman, and allowed her to promote Baal worship
* Brooded about not being able to get a piece of land, and so his wife had
its owner, Naboth, killed
* Was used to getting his own way, and got depressed when he didn't
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Lessons from Ahab's life
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* The choice of a mate will have a significant effect on life - physically,
spiritually, and emotionally
* Selfishness, left unchecked, can lead to great evil
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Ahab's Vital Statistics
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* Where: Northern kingdom of Israel
* Occupation: King
* Relatives: Wife: Jezebel.
Father: Omri.
Sons: Ahaziah, Joram
* Contemporaries: Elijah, Naboth, Jehu, Ben-Hadad, Jehoshaphat
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Key Verses
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"Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those
before him....He also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the
Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal
in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole
and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the
kings of Israel before him" (1st Kings 16:30-33).
Ahab's story is told in 1st Kings 16:28-22:40. He is also mentioned in 2nd
Chronicles 18-22; Micah 6:16.