In the Northern Kingdom ~ Israel ~ the king, Jeroboam, has a son named Abijah. He is sick. It must have been really bad because he tells his wife to disguise herself and go to Shiloh to talk to the prophet Ahijah. He says, "Go to Shiloh, Abijah the prophet is there -- the one who told me I would be king over this people." That tells me that he must have told his wife about the prophetic encounters he had had: ripped cloak, dried up hand and broken altar. I wonder about her...what did she think? Did she know God at all, or just 'about' him? She goes to this prophet and gets "schooled" -- as they say. She disguises herself as her husband asked and is greeted with, " Come in wife of Jeroboam. Why the pretence?" The prophet proceeds to tell her MUCH more than she, I am guessing, expected to hear. He tells her what God thinks and feels -- here are some of the 'high-lights': ~ Go tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel s...
Reading the story of Ahab in a chunk, as it were, (instead of reading part of it one time, then another part -- or only reading only the part of the story referred to during a sermon) actually makes me feel uncomfortable. It is like this: have you ever watched a movie where one of the characters makes a stupid decision, or walks into a trap? OK, confession time: when that happens to me, I find myself yelling at the screen : "STOP! Don't do that!" -- or some equally inane warning. I bet you do too -- well maybe not you , but some people do. That is how I find myself feeling as I read this story -- only what I want to do is yell at God , "Just kill Ahab! He is going to go on being a jerk! What? You didn't kill him after that??? NO lightening? Really? He's not going to get it, God. He is a self-indulgent brat. YOU said he did more to provoke You than any other king of Israel before him...GIVE UP!" I want to yell this because God does not give up. Infact, ...
i betcha watching gives you a few blogging ideas!
ReplyDeleteYeah . . . you are blogging . . . that makes me happy! I'll put you on my "roll" :)
ReplyDeletegarth