Who Else is Suffering?

1Kings 17:1
1Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets that ever lived. He served the Lord wholeheartedly. Ahab had become King of Israel. He used to serve the Lord wholeheartedly then he married Jezebel who worshiped a false god by the name of Baal. Ahab knew he was not to marry Jezebel because she did not serve the God of Israel but did so anyway. To make matters worse he began to rebuild the walls of Jericho. God did not want the walls of Jericho to be rebuilt because the ungated/unwalled town was supposed to be a reminder of what God had done when He gave the land over to Joshua and the Israelites. Ahab even sacrificed his sons to do it. As judgement for Ahab's evil deeds, there was to be no rain for three years. Not only did Ahab suffer but he caused a whole kingdom to suffer with him. What's wrong with this picture? When the Lord says don't do something, He means it. Not listening can cause inconvenience and pain to the one who negates His instruction. However, the pain can be  much greater when that one is responsible for the lives of others in some capacity. Ahab's deed of rebuilding the walls of Jericho would undo the evidence of God's miracle. Bad move. And for Ahab to marry a woman who he knew would not serve the God he serve though he was earthly ruler over God's people is a spit in the face of God as well. It showed that not only did Jezebel not respect God, but she didn't respect her husband nor did she respect his reign over God's people. What's wrong with this picture? So to get Ahab's attention, suffering had to come. Jezebel's disrespect of her husband, King Ahab didn't end there. And Ahab's lack of correcting her misdeeds, even the murder she ordered of an innocent man, led to Jezebel's death and Ahab's as well. How much suffering can one's willful disobedience cause? One only need to look at the story of Ahab and Jezebel's reign. Are you suffering for your disobedience? Better yet, is there anyone else suffering with you?

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