Police Devotion 11-21-2016
“Trust in the LORD, and do good;” (Psalm 37:3)
After King Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam, became king of Israel. Afterward the kingdom was split in two, Israel and Judah. Israel had one rotten king after another. One thing worse than a wicked person is a wicked person in a place of power. Israel’s first king after the division was Jeroboam. He turned Israel to idol worship. Nadab, his evil son reigned after him two years until Baasha assassinated him and took over. When Baasha died, his son, Elah, took over. Zimri, a military captain, conspired against Elah as he was “drinking himself drunk” (1 Kings 16:9), then killed him and became king. When news spread that he’d killed Elah, the Israelites made Omri, another military captain, king. Zimri committed suicide. Omri took over. 1 Kings 16:25 says, “But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him.” Omri’s son, Ahab, was even worse than his father: “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him” (1 Kings 16:30).
Ahab married a woman named Jezebel who was as wicked as he: “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up” (1 Kings 21:25). One day Ahab wanted to buy a vineyard from a man named Naboth. However, Naboth wouldn’t sell. He also didn’t seem to have much respect for Ahab. Naboth told Ahab, “The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee” (1 Kings 21:3). Ahab went home and pouted.
When Jezebel heard what happened, she used Ahab’s name to have false charges of blasphemy brought up against Naboth. As a result, Naboth was stoned to death, and Ahab got the vineyard for free. God saw what Ahab and Jezebel had done. God sent the prophet Elijah to tell Ahab, “Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine” (1 Kings 21:19).
Some years later, Ahab wanted to go to war with Syria and regain Israeli territory that Syria possessed. Ahab asked the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, to go with him. Jehoshaphat was a good king and wanted to hear from a prophet of God before going to battle. So Ahab paraded his phony prophets—his religious “yes men”—and they told Ahab what he wanted to hear: that God would give Ahab victory.
Jehoshaphat was suspicious of these men, though. He asked if a prophet of the LORD were there. Ahab said that there was one, Micaiah, but he hated him, “for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kings 22:8). Micaiah was called in and warned Ahab that he would fall in battle. Jehoshaphat probably should have gotten the warning, but he still went with Ahab. Ahab had Jehoshaphat dress in his robes, but Ahab was disguised. So Jehoshaphat was a more visible target. Wasn’t that nice of Ahab!
The Syrian commander, however, wanted Ahab. When the Syrians saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was Ahab and turned against him, but then realized he wasn’t. Then, as 1 Kings 22:34a says, “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel [Ahab] between the joints of the harness:” It was a random shot to the soldier, but God had His target picked out. Ahab died. The dogs licked up the blood from his chariot. Ahab got his for what he’d done. Jezebel would get hers later.
As a cop, you may see people in power who do wickedly. God sees them, too. Psalm 37:1-3 says, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good.” Just do what’s right and trust God to deal with them in His own way and time.
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Brian Miller 11/21/2016
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822