And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words,
that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay
in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the
Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I
will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the
evil upon his house (I Kings 21:27-29).
COMMON GRACE
ARGUMENT:
God seems to be acknowledging the repentance of wicked King Ahab (whom we presume to be an unbeliever/reprobate), and, because of Ahab's deed, God performs an “act of mercy” (so-called) towards him, in suspending or delaying the execution of judgment originally declared towards Ahab.
If it is an “act of mercy” (it certainly seems like it), is this not a “common grace” of God? For as we read in the context following, Ahab’s deeds were still wicked, revealing that his repentance was merely “outward,” and not of the heart ... implying that God’s “act of mercy” (if it can be called that, can it?) was completely undeserved on the part of Ahab ... God seems to be even approving of this repentance—“Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?”
Aren’t all acts of mercy indicative of a gracious, favourable disposition of God towards the recipient? God could have wiped out Ahab, but upon this reaction of the king, He chose to “give Ahab another chance” and “grant him some reprieve”(?) “another chance to repent and seek after God”(?)
True, Ahab’s repentance was in response to
the threat of judgment and damnation, and was done out of self-interest, ....
but God still (graciously?) delayed the coming judgment.
(I)
Prof. David J. Engelsma
I call attention first to the fact that the text does not speak of grace toward Ahab, nor of a removal of the evil of God’s punitive wrath from Ahab. Concerning the latter, the evil is inflicted upon Ahab in his family. But the wrath is inflicted upon the wicked king. It is not removed as is the case with the pardon of sins in grace.
Decisively with regard to the appeal to Ahab in the interests of common grace, if the text reveals grace towards a reprobate, wicked man, it reveals special grace, not common grace. For it would not have been a grace of rain and sunshine, bestowing earthly good things, but a grace forgiving Ahab’s sin in the matter of the killing of Naboth at the threatening of divine punishment for this sin by the prophet.
The appeal to this text, therefore, proves too much for the proponent of common grace. It would prove a special, forgiving, saving grace for Ahab that nevertheless failed to save the wicked king—for the later history shows that Ahab died a reprobate man under the full and terrible wrath of God.
Does any proponent of common grace want to take this position? God was gracious to this evil king with the special grace that saves sinners on the basis of the cross of Christ, but which special grace failed to save the king?
The passage does not speak of or refer to grace. It only shows that in His providence God deals with even reprobate sinners in such a way as to punish them in accordance with their outward attitude and behavior. Where there is a self-seeking humbling of oneself in fear of punishment and an outward change of conduct, God in His justice delays the full punishment of his sins, sometimes postponing the punishment unto the sinner’s children and until one’s death. But for the unregenerated ungodly, there is no removal of the punishment upon Jesus Christ; there is no forgiveness. God did not forgive Ahab; He merely postponed the punishment.
I call attention to the reality expressed by the
argument of those who appeal to this text, namely, the confession of a common
grace of God invariably results in the confession of a universal, conditional,
and ineffectual saving grace of God. (DJE, 04/10/2021)
-------------------------------------------------
(II)
Herman Hoeksema (1886-1965)
(a)
[Source: The Rock Whence We Are Hewn (RFPA, 2015), pp. 380–81]
[The theory of common grace] teaches that in the preaching of the gospel God evinces his general love to all the ungodly, his pleasure in their lives, and his willingness to save them all. [It also] teaches that in the preaching there is a temporal blessing for all men, also for those who are not saved. [Examples suggested in favor of this idea often include] Ahab, who repented and whose punishment was postponed as a result of Elijah’s preaching, and [also] Nineveh, which repented as a result of Jonah’s preaching and was temporarily saved from destruction.
This is a minor point and I can dismiss it with a few remarks.
True, final
judgment was postponed in Ahab’s case. But note, first, that the postponement
was not under the preaching of the gospel but under the announcement of most terrible
judgment. Second, it was not a postponement of judgment for one who utterly
refused to listen to the word of God but for Ahab insofar as he still trembled
because of God’s terrible wrath. Third, Ahab was not blessed by everything that
took place in his case. Ahab’s house was not destroyed in his time, but the
final execution of judgment was transferred to the next generation. Thus
postponement was entirely in harmony with God’s righteousness. Final judgment
cannot come until the sinner has shown himself to be utterly hard. Ahab still
feared and trembled under the announcement of God’s judgment. He seemed to be
repentant. Hence that God might appear perfectly just and righteous when he
judges the final judgment was postponed until the next generation. Fourth, Ahab
did not personally escape punishment at all, for he died, and the dogs licked
his blood.
(b)
[Source: Protestant Reformed Theological Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, December 1968]
A second illustration of common grace referred to is Ahab. To all his wickedness Ahab had added the crime of shedding Naboth’s innocent blood and depriving him of the inheritance of his fathers. Elijah is sent to Ahab to announce God’s punishment upon him. What is the punishment announced? Complete destruction, the extermination of Ahab and his house. Jehovah threatens to make the house of Ahab like that of Jeroboam and Baasha. The punishment threatened is final and therefore presupposes that the measure of iniquity is full.
When this final punishment is announced, Ahab humbles himself and wears sackcloth and ashes. He does not come to repentance; it is not his sin that troubles him. No, the hard blow of Jehovah, as announced in Elijah’s prophecy, simply crushes him. He is broken. This reveals that the wickedness of Ahab and his house has not reached its culmination. It is not fully ripe. He still fears Jehovah’s judgments. The sin of Ahab’s house would become ripe in his son. For that reason the threatened extermination, the final punishment of Ahab and his house, is postponed until the next generation. Then the measure of iniquity will be full, and the time for final punishment will have arrived.
In other words, the passage teaches what is taught
in all Scripture—that final punishment will be inflicted when the measure of
iniquity is full. Thus it was with the flood. Thus it was with Sodom and
Gomorrah. Thus it will be at the end of the world. The sign of the fullness of
this measure of iniquity will be that the world will not be frightened and
humbled anymore, even under the threats of severest punishment. Thus it was
with the prediluvian world. Thus it was with Sodom. Thus, according to the Lord
Jesus, it will be at the end of the world. People will continue to live
unconcernedly, marrying and giving in marriage, even though a thousand Noahs
are preachers of repentance and righteousness. Sin develops gradually and
ripens along the historical, organic line of the development of the human race,
and when it is fully ripe final punishment will be inflicted.
-------------------------------------------------
(III)
Rev. Dale H. Kuiper
(Source: The Reformed Witness Hour, April 7, 1991 [No. 2517] — “The Humiliation of King Ahab”)
Dear Radio Friends:
The churches that bring you this broadcast, the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, believe that the grace of God is particular and not common; it is for the elect and never for the reprobate; it is irresistible and never frustrated; it is redemptive so that if a man has the grace of God he is saved forever, and it never results in anything less than that! As we return to our series of messages on the ministry of the prophet Elijah, we call your attention to I Kings 21:27-29, “And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and hasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.”
At first glance it might seem that we have here a clear example of the common grace of God upon the wicked whereby sin is restrained and good is produced; in fact, this text is sometimes pointed to as proof for common grace. Everyone who reads these words grants that Ahab’s sorrow was not genuine or lasting. It was not a sorrow after God which works repentance unto salvation. Ahab remained a wicked man, as following history makes clear. Yet, he did humble himself. In fact, we read twice that it was a humbling of himself before *God*. And further, God assures Elijah that because Ahab has humbled himself, the evil that God had spoken upon him would not come upon him in his lifetime, but rather in the days of his sons.
So our passage confronts us with several very important questions. How can we account for this humiliation of Ahab? Was this due to God’s grace working by the Spirit in his heart? Secondly, How must we understand the fact that because of his humbling of himself, divine punishment pronounced upon him is postponed? Does God change? And is man able to influence God to change? In the third place we may ask after the practical significance of this history, Why did God tell Elijah these things? We do not read that Ahab ever heard of this conversation, but God speaks these words to Elijah. Well, what is the significance of these words for Elijah, and also for us? To these questions we now turn our attention.
That Ahab humbled himself after Elijah had spoken to him in the vineyard of Naboth is very evident from the previously quoted text. He had been told in the clearest possible language that God would see to it that he would be killed. The blood of Naboth which he shed in secret the Lord would avenge upon him openly, so that he would be disgraced before the eyes of all the people. Jezebel also would meet a horrible death, for the dogs would lick her blood in the inheritance of Naboth. And even Ahab’s sons would meet a violent death. God would bring about a revolt in the kingdom so that every male in the house of Ahab would perish under the righteous judgment of God. And the implication of God’s words to Ahab was that this would happen rather soon, if not at once.
Now these things had not left Ahab cold and indifferent. I am rather sure that he must have reported these things to his wife, and she laughed at the words of the Lord in bitter scorn; but not so with Ahab: he was touched by them. And therefore he humbled himself not only in private, but also in front of all the people. As far as Ahab is concerned, this was not merely a pretense, but it was the expression of sorrow and remorse as far as he was able to experience such things. First, he tore his royal robe which he wore when he came to take possession of the vineyard with his chief captains. Secondly, he continued in this humble attitude for some time. For he dressed in sackcloth, the sign of mourning and deep sorrow. He wore sackcloth day and night. He walked the streets of Samaria before all the people, dressed in mourning and going softly. This may mean that he went about barefooted, or that he displayed regret even in the way he walked, in his gait. Slowly and quietly he went about his business, so that he revealed to the people and to God that he was in deep mourning.
Now how are we to understand this sorrow of the king? Was it genuine? Was it the result of the work of divine grace in his heart? To answer these questions, we do best to compare the sorrow of the world with the sorrow of the believer, as Paul does in II Corinthians 7:10. The apostle tells us that “a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” We notice, then, that there are two kinds of sorrow: one called a godly sorrow and the other the sorrow of the world. Godly sorrow works repentance, while the sorrow of the world also works but it does not work repentance. Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation or eternal life; the ungodly sorrow of the world works and ends in death. Ahab’s sorrow was plainly the sorrow of the world. There was no repentance for sin, and the end for him was not salvation, nor any other good thing.
What is the difference? How can we distinguish Ahab’s sorrow from genuine sorrow? We ask these questions in order that we, in our own lives, may be able to know whether or not our sorrow is godly and genuine! There is an easily discernible difference, for the one is worked by God, Paul tells us, and the other is the product of man’s old, sinful nature when it comes into contact with the judgment of God. First, we ought to notice what God works by His grace when He works true sorrow. We can be sure that when God works sorrow, He makes a person conscious of the fact that his motive in all that he has done was not God. He makes a person understand that he has sinned against the holy commandments of God, as David said, “Against thee and thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight.” Then, God makes a person sorry that he has offended God and caused God sore displeasure. Godly sorrow recognizes with pain of heart that we have caused our Father in heaven to be displeased. And in close connection with this, we understand that we deserve whatever punishment God’s justice demands. And, finally, true, godly sorrow leads a person to desire reconciliation with God. When God works sorrow in His child, then His child wants to be restored and to enjoy favor with God once again. As the prodigal son we return to the father with the confession, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son. But let me have a place in thy house; let me be thy servant!”
But now the sorrow of the world, what is true of that? Paul tells us that, first of all, a man with worldly sorrow complains because something bad has befallen him. His pride has been hurt, people think badly of him, he has made a mess out of his life. Such a person can be so concerned with self that he is even ready to walk about in sackcloth and ashes. Further, a worldly sorrow is not concerned with offending God, but rather with the consequences of sin, and such a sorrow expresses itself with a desire to escape the punishment or the consequences. The drunkard is worried about his health or the job he has lost. The adulterer wishes he did not have diseases that his dissolute life has brought him. But this sorrow is always a complaint about consequences, and always an attempt to escape the consequences. There is one more thing true of a worldly sorrow. When the scare is over and the crisis is passed, the sinner wonders why he was so upset, so worried, and so on. Worldly sorrow, when it looks back, repents of the fact that it was sorry and repented! And such a person goes right back to his old sinful ways, worse than ever before.
This sorrow of the world, not worked by the grace of God in any sense, is plainly the case with Ahab. He was concerned in pride for his position and honor . He dreaded the fact that he would go to the grave in shame and dishonor before the eyes of the entire kingdom of Israel. And it grieved him deeply when he thought that his name would be wiped out in his genera¬tions. He knew that God’s word would come to pass. Thus Ahab was not really concerned with his sins, but with the consequence of his sin. His sorrow was that he had not gotten away with it. And therefore he sought, not forgiveness, but escape from punishment. This is shown a little bit later, when the sting of these words had lessened and the crisis had passed, so to speak. Ahab repents of the fact that he had humbled himself; he was sorry that he had ever put on that sackcloth and went about softly. He repented of the fact that he had repented! For example, we read in I Kings 22 that he boldly states that he hated Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, who warns him not to go to battle against Syria the third time. And then he goes defiantly into battle, when he knows in advance that Israel shall be defeated, and would be left as sheep without a shepherd. And in that battle he dies. The sorrow of the world is a sorrow unto death. Well do the words of the prophet Joel apply to King Ahab, and all others who are not sincere in their repentance, “Rend your hearts, and not your garments; and turn unto the Lord your God.”
There can be no doubt but that God takes note of this humiliation of the king. The Lord even calls the attention of Elijah to the king’s behavior. We read, “Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?” And then the Lord adds, very emphatically, “Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” It is plain, therefore, that the judgment pronounced upon Ahab’s house is postponed for a time because of Ahab’s humiliation. We should note, of course, that the judgment is not lifted; God does not retract a single word that He has spoken. We do not even read that this message of postponement was made known to the king. It was spoken for the benefit of Elijah. But even so, there is a postponement of judgment for a time. The destruction of Ahab’s house will not take place while he lives but after he has died, and when his sons sit upon the throne. Then the entire house of Ahab will be destroyed and made a curse on the earth. In that sense there is a postponement.
But this brings up several questions. Does God change His mind? Is there room in the counsel of God for changes? Can God be influenced by man to change? The argument is sometimes raised that God first announces His judgment upon Ahab, and although no time is mentioned when this will happen, the impression is certainly left that this shall happen at once. But when Ahab humbles himself, the Lord tells the prophet that this will not happen until some years later. In fact, Elijah did not live long enough to see this destruction of Ahab’s house. But, did God change His mind? Did God change His intention by working out His counsel differently than He had originally intended, because of the behavior of Ahab? And the answer to these questions is NO! God never changes; His counsel stands, and He does all His good pleasure. As the great I AM He does not, and cannot, change! And man can never so influence God as to change His plan or purpose.
We must remember that when we read in Scripture that God “repents” of something, that we have a figure of speech, an anthropomorphism, a way of making something clear and intelligible about God to man. We must remember, too, that when the eternal and unchangeable God reveals Himself in time, what is unchangeable in His counsel is shown to us bit by bit, in a succession of moments. God sees the end from the beginning, but we see things one at a time. Each turning point in history, the flood, for example, and the great wickedness of the world at that time, are in the counsel of God. But when this is revealed to us, as creatures of time, we read that God repents that He had made man. It may seem to us that He has changed, but every step of the way is in His counsel.
Thus, also the humiliation of Ahab was in God’s eternal will and counsel. God was not surprised by this. He did not have to make contingency plans on account of this. He had planned it eternally. God brought His word of judgment to Ahab to reveal what Ahab truly was spiritually, and Ahab remains a responsible party, accountable for all he says and does. When he humbles himself before God, God points out to Elijah that because of that humbling of himself, even though it was sinful, the judgment would be postponed. In one word, God wants Elijah to know that as long as men like Ahab humble themselves even sinfully, they are not ready for final destruction. But that will surely follow.
There is another question here: Was it pleasing to God that Ahab humbled himself as he did? And if not, Why was judgment postponed? The answer is that there are only two kinds of sorrow, a godly sorrow worked by God which results in salvation, and worldly sorrow that works death. God is pleased by a godly sorrow, for that is the fruit of His gracious work. A godly sorrow acknowledges God’s sovereignty, His holiness, and His precepts. It involves a fleeing to the cross of His Son. It brings a man close to God, and ends in salvation. But how can God be pleased with the sorrow of the wicked which is only a sham? Can God delight in wickedness? Besides, Paul tells us that worldly sorrow worketh death, and death is God’s penalty for sin. God was not pleased in any way with the humbling of Ahab. And the judgment of God on Ahab and his house was never lifted. A few years later Ahab’s two wicked sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, sat on the throne of Israel, and they filled the cup of iniquity of Ahab’s house. And God appointed Jehu to slay these sons, and Jezebel, and every male in the house of Ahab.
I wonder how anyone can call that postponement of judgment a favor of God, or an operation of God’s Spirit and grace! What we have here is the reward that the wicked ever receive. You see, Ahab personally had not filled the measure of iniquity to the brim. God had determined the exact amount proof for common grace. Everyone who reads these words grants that Ahab’s sorrow was not genuine or lasting. It was not a sorrow after God which works repentance unto salvation. Ahab remained a wicked man, as following history makes clear. Yet, he did humble himself. In fact, we read twice that it was a humbling of himself before *God*. And further, God assures Elijah that because Ahab has humbled himself, the evil that God had spoken upon him would not come upon him in his lifetime, but rather in the days of his sons.
So our passage confronts us with several very important questions. How can we account for this humiliation of Ahab? Was this due to God’s grace working by the Spirit in his heart? Secondly, How must we understand the fact that because of his humbling of himself, divine punishment pronounced upon him is postponed? Does God change? And is man able to influence God to change? In the third place we may ask after the practical significance of this history, Why did God tell Elijah these things? We do not read that Ahab ever heard of this conversation, but God speaks these words to Elijah. Well, what is the significance of these words for Elijah, and also for us? To these questions we now turn our attention.
That Ahab humbled himself after Elijah had spoken to him in the vineyard of Naboth is very evident from the previously quoted text. He had been told in the clearest possible language that God would see to it that he would be killed. The blood of Naboth which he shed in secret the Lord would avenge upon him openly, so that he would be disgraced before the eyes of all the people. Jezebel also would meet a horrible death, for the dogs would lick her blood in the inheritance of Naboth. And even Ahab’s sons would meet a violent death. God would bring about a revolt in the kingdom so that every male in the house of Ahab would perish under the righteous judgment of God. And the implication of God’s words to Ahab was that this would happen rather soon, if not at once.
Now these things had not left Ahab cold and indifferent. I am rather sure that he must have reported these things to his wife, and she laughed at the words of the Lord in bitter scorn; but not so with Ahab: he was touched by them. And therefore he humbled himself not only in private, but also in front of all the people. As far as Ahab is concerned, this was not merely a pretense, but it was the expression of sorrow and remorse as far as he was able to experience such things. First, he tore his royal robe which he wore when he came to take possession of the vineyard with his chief captains. Secondly, he continued in this humble attitude for some time. For he dressed in sackcloth, the sign of mourning and deep sorrow. He wore sackcloth day and night. He walked the streets of Samaria before all the people, dressed in mourning and going softly. This may mean that he went about barefooted, or that he displayed regret even in the way he walked, in his gait. Slowly and quietly he went about his business, so that he revealed to the people and to God that he was in deep mourning.
Now how are we to understand this sorrow of the king? Was it genuine? Was it the result of the work of divine grace in his heart? To answer these questions, we do best to compare the sorrow of the world with the sorrow of the believer, as Paul does in II Corinthians 7:10. The apostle tells us that “a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” We notice, then, that there are two kinds of sorrow: one called a godly sorrow and the other the sorrow of the world. Godly sorrow works repentance, while the sorrow of the world also works but it does not work repentance. Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation or eternal life; the ungodly sorrow of the world works and ends in death. Ahab’s sorrow was plainly the sorrow of the world. There was no repentance for sin, and the end for him was not salvation, nor any other good thing.
What is the difference? How can we distinguish Ahab’s sorrow from genuine sorrow? We ask these questions in order that we, in our own lives, may be able to know whether or not our sorrow is godly and genuine! There is an easily discernible difference, for the one is worked by God, Paul tells us, and the other is the product of man’s old, sinful nature when it comes into contact with the judgment of God. First, we ought to notice what God works by His grace when He works true sorrow. We can be sure that when God works sorrow, He makes a person conscious of the fact that his motive in all that he has done was not God. He makes a person understand that he has sinned against the holy commandments of God, as David said, “Against thee and thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight.” Then, God makes a person sorry that he has offended God and caused God sore displeasure. Godly sorrow recognizes with pain of heart that we have caused our Father in heaven to be displeased. And in close connection with this, we understand that we deserve whatever punishment God’s justice demands. And, finally, true, godly sorrow leads a person to desire reconciliation with God. When God works sorrow in His child, then His child wants to be restored and to enjoy favor with God once again. As the prodigal son we return to the father with the confession, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son. But let me have a place in thy house; let me be thy servant!”
But now the sorrow of the world, what is true of that? Paul tells us that, first of all, a man with worldly sorrow complains because something bad has befallen him. His pride has been hurt, people think badly of him, he has made a mess out of his life. Such a person can be so concerned with self that he is even ready to walk about in sackcloth and ashes. Further, a worldly sorrow is not concerned with offending God, but rather with the consequences of sin, and such a sorrow expresses itself with a desire to escape the punishment or the consequences. The drunkard is worried about his health or the job he has lost. The adulterer wishes he did not have diseases that his dissolute life has brought him. But this sorrow is always a complaint about consequences, and always an attempt to escape the consequences. There is one more thing true of a worldly sorrow. When the scare is over and the crisis is passed, the sinner wonders why he was so upset, so worried, and so on. Worldly sorrow, when it looks back, repents of the fact that it was sorry and repented! And such a person goes right back to his old sinful ways, worse than ever before.
This sorrow of the world, not worked by the grace of God in any sense, is plainly the case with Ahab. He was concerned in pride for his position and honor . He dreaded the fact that he would go to the grave in shame and dishonor before the eyes of the entire kingdom of Israel. And it grieved him deeply when he thought that his name would be wiped out in his generations. He knew that God’s word would come to pass. Thus Ahab was not really concerned with his sins, but with the consequence of his sin. His sorrow was that he had not gotten away with it. And therefore he sought, not forgiveness, but escape from punishment. This is shown a little bit later, when the sting of these words had lessened and the crisis had passed, so to speak. Ahab repents of the fact that he had humbled himself; he was sorry that he had ever put on that sackcloth and went about softly. He repented of the fact that he had repented! For example, we read in I Kings 22 that he boldly states that he hated Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, who warns him not to go to battle against Syria the third time. And then he goes defiantly into battle, when he knows in advance that Israel shall be defeated, and would be left as sheep without a shepherd. And in that battle he dies. The sorrow of the world is a sorrow unto death. Well do the words of the prophet Joel apply to King Ahab, and all others who are not sincere in their repentance, “Rend your hearts, and not your garments; and turn unto the Lord your God.”
There can be no doubt but that God takes note of this humiliation of the king. The Lord even calls the attention of Elijah to the king’s behavior. We read, “Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?” And then the Lord adds, very emphatically, “Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” It is plain, therefore, that the judgment pronounced upon Ahab’s house is postponed for a time because of Ahab’s humiliation. We should note, of course, that the judgment is not lifted; God does not retract a single word that He has spoken. We do not even read that this message of postponement was made known to the king. It was spoken for the benefit of Elijah. But even so, there is a postponement of judgment for a time. The destruction of Ahab’s house will not take place while he lives but after he has died, and when his sons sit upon the throne. Then the entire house of Ahab will be destroyed and made a curse on the earth. In that sense there is a postponement.
But this brings up several questions. Does God change His mind? Is there room in the counsel of God for changes? Can God be influenced by man to change? The argument is sometimes raised that God first announces His judgment upon Ahab, and although no time is mentioned when this will happen, the impression is certainly left that this shall happen at once. But when Ahab humbles himself, the Lord tells the prophet that this will not happen until some years later. In fact, Elijah did not live long enough to see this destruction of Ahab’s house. But, did God change His mind? Did God change His intention by working out His counsel differently than He had originally intended, because of the behavior of Ahab? And the answer to these questions is NO! God never changes; His counsel stands, and He does all His good pleasure. As the great I AM He does not, and cannot, change! And man can never so influence God as to change His plan or purpose.
We must remember that when we read in Scripture that God “repents” of something, that we have a figure of speech, an anthropomorphism, a way of making something clear and intelligible about God to man. We must remember, too, that when the eternal and unchangeable God reveals Himself in time, what is unchangeable in His counsel is shown to us bit by bit, in a succession of moments. God sees the end from the beginning, but we see things one at a time. Each turning point in history, the flood, for example, and the great wickedness of the world at that time, are in the counsel of God. But when this is revealed to us, as creatures of time, we read that God repents that He had made man. It may seem to us that He has changed, but every step of the way is in His counsel.
Thus, also the humiliation of Ahab was in God’s eternal will and counsel. God was not surprised by this. He did not have to make contingency plans on account of this. He had planned it eternally. God brought His word of judgment to Ahab to reveal what Ahab truly was spiritually, and Ahab remains a responsible party, accountable for all he says and does. When he humbles himself before God, God points out to Elijah that because of that humbling of himself, even though it was sinful, the judgment would be postponed. In one word, God wants Elijah to know that as long as men like Ahab humble themselves even sinfully, they are not ready for final destruction. But that will surely follow.
There is another question here: Was it pleasing to God that Ahab humbled himself as he did? And if not, Why was judgment postponed? The answer is that there are only two kinds of sorrow, a godly sorrow worked by God which results in salvation, and worldly sorrow that works death. God is pleased by a godly sorrow, for that is the fruit of His gracious work. A godly sorrow acknowledges God’s sovereignty, His holiness, and His precepts. It involves a fleeing to the cross of His Son. It brings a man close to God, and ends in salvation. But how can God be pleased with the sorrow of the wicked which is only a sham? Can God delight in wickedness? Besides, Paul tells us that worldly sorrow worketh death, and death is God’s penalty for sin. God was not pleased in any way with the humbling of Ahab. And the judgment of God on Ahab and his house was never lifted. A few years later Ahab’s two wicked sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, sat on the throne of Israel, and they filled the cup of iniquity of Ahab’s house. And God appointed Jehu to slay these sons, and Jezebel, and every male in the house of Ahab.
I wonder how anyone can call that postponement of judgment a favor of God, or an operation of God’s Spirit and grace! What we have here is the reward that the wicked ever receive. You see, Ahab personally had not filled the measure of iniquity to the brim. God had determined the exact amount proof for common grace. Everyone who reads these words grants that Ahab’s sorrow was not genuine or lasting. It was not a sorrow after God which works repentance unto salvation. Ahab remained a wicked man, as following history makes clear. Yet, he did humble himself. In fact, we read twice that it was a humbling of himself before *God*. And further, God assures Elijah that because Ahab has humbled himself, the evil that God had spoken upon him would not come upon him in his lifetime, but rather in the days of his sons.
So our passage confronts us with several very important questions. How can we account for this humiliation of Ahab? Was this due to God’s grace working by the Spirit in his heart? Secondly, How must we understand the fact that because of his humbling of himself, divine punishment pronounced upon him is postponed? Does God change? And is man able to influence God to change? In the third place we may ask after the practical significance of this history, Why did God tell Elijah these things? We do not read that Ahab ever heard of this conversation, but God speaks these words to Elijah. Well, what is the significance of these words for Elijah, and also for us? To these questions we now turn our attention.
That Ahab humbled himself after Elijah had spoken to him in the vineyard of Naboth is very evident from the previously quoted text. He had been told in the clearest possible language that God would see to it that he would be killed. The blood of Naboth which he shed in secret the Lord would avenge upon him openly, so that he would be disgraced before the eyes of all the people. Jezebel also would meet a horrible death, for the dogs would lick her blood in the inheritance of Naboth. And even Ahab’s sons would meet a violent death. God would bring about a revolt in the kingdom so that every male in the house of Ahab would perish under the righteous judgment of God. And the implication of God’s words to Ahab was that this would happen rather soon, if not at once.
Now these things had not left Ahab cold and indifferent. I am rather sure that he must have reported these things to his wife, and she laughed at the words of the Lord in bitter scorn; but not so with Ahab: he was touched by them. And therefore he humbled himself not only in private, but also in front of all the people. As far as Ahab is concerned, this was not merely a pretense, but it was the expression of sorrow and remorse as far as he was able to experience such things. First, he tore his royal robe which he wore when he came to take possession of the vineyard with his chief captains. Secondly, he continued in this humble attitude for some time. For he dressed in sackcloth, the sign of mourning and deep sorrow. He wore sackcloth day and night. He walked the streets of Samaria before all the people, dressed in mourning and going softly. This may mean that he went about barefooted, or that he displayed regret even in the way he walked, in his gait. Slowly and quietly he went about his business, so that he revealed to the people and to God that he was in deep mourning.
Now how are we to understand this sorrow of the king? Was it genuine? Was it the result of the work of divine grace in his heart? To answer these questions, we do best to compare the sorrow of the world with the sorrow of the believer, as Paul does in II Corinthians 7:10. The apostle tells us that “a godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” We notice, then, that there are two kinds of sorrow: one called a godly sorrow and the other the sorrow of the world. Godly sorrow works repentance, while the sorrow of the world also works but it does not work repentance. Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation or eternal life; the ungodly sorrow of the world works and ends in death. Ahab’s sorrow was plainly the sorrow of the world. There was no repentance for sin, and the end for him was not salvation, nor any other good thing.
What is the difference? How can we distinguish Ahab’s sorrow from genuine sorrow? We ask these questions in order that we, in our own lives, may be able to know whether or not our sorrow is godly and genuine! There is an easily discernible difference, for the one is worked by God, Paul tells us, and the other is the product of man’s old, sinful nature when it comes into contact with the judgment of God. First, we ought to notice what God works by His grace when He works true sorrow. We can be sure that when God works sorrow, He makes a person conscious of the fact that his motive in all that he has done was not God. He makes a person understand that he has sinned against the holy commandments of God, as David said, “Against thee and thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight.” Then, God makes a person sorry that he has offended God and caused God sore displeasure. Godly sorrow recognizes with pain of heart that we have caused our Father in heaven to be displeased. And in close connection with this, we understand that we deserve whatever punishment God’s justice demands. And, finally, true, godly sorrow leads a person to desire reconciliation with God. When God works sorrow in His child, then His child wants to be restored and to enjoy favor with God once again. As the prodigal son we return to the father with the confession, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son. But let me have a place in thy house; let me be thy servant!”
But now the sorrow of the world, what is true of that? Paul tells us that, first of all, a man with worldly sorrow complains because something bad has befallen him. His pride has been hurt, people think badly of him, he has made a mess out of his life. Such a person can be so concerned with self that he is even ready to walk about in sackcloth and ashes. Further, a worldly sorrow is not concerned with offending God, but rather with the conse¬quences of sin, and such a sorrow expresses itself with a desire to escape the punishment or the consequences. The drunkard is worried about his health or the job he has lost. The adulterer wishes he did not have diseases that his dissolute life has brought him. But this sorrow is always a complaint about consequences, and always an attempt to escape the consequences. There is one more thing true of a worldly sorrow. When the scare is over and the crisis is passed, the sinner wonders why he was so upset, so worried, and so on. Worldly sorrow, when it looks back, repents of the fact that it was sorry and repented! And such a person goes right back to his old sinful ways, worse than ever before.
This sorrow of the world, not worked by the grace of God in any sense, is plainly the case with Ahab. He was concerned in pride for his position and honor . He dreaded the fact that he would go to the grave in shame and dishonor before the eyes of the entire kingdom of Israel. And it grieved him deeply when he thought that his name would be wiped out in his genera¬tions. He knew that God’s word would come to pass. Thus Ahab was not really concerned with his sins, but with the consequence of his sin. His sorrow was that he had not gotten away with it. And therefore he sought, not forgiveness, but escape from punishment. This is shown a little bit later, when the sting of these words had lessened and the crisis had passed, so to speak. Ahab repents of the fact that he had humbled himself; he was sorry that he had ever put on that sackcloth and went about softly. He repented of the fact that he had repented! For example, we read in I Kings 22 that he boldly states that he hated Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord, who warns him not to go to battle against Syria the third time. And then he goes defiantly into battle, when he knows in advance that Israel shall be defeated, and would be left as sheep without a shepherd. And in that battle he dies. The sorrow of the world is a sorrow unto death. Well do the words of the prophet Joel apply to King Ahab, and all others who are not sincere in their repentance, “Rend your hearts, and not your garments; and turn unto the Lord your God.”
There can be no doubt but that God takes note of this humiliation of the king. The Lord even calls the attention of Elijah to the king’s behavior. We read, “Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?” And then the Lord adds, very emphatically, “Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” It is plain, therefore, that the judgment pronounced upon Ahab’s house is postponed for a time because of Ahab’s humiliation. We should note, of course, that the judgment is not lifted; God does not retract a single word that He has spoken. We do not even read that this message of postponement was made known to the king. It was spoken for the benefit of Elijah. But even so, there is a postponement of judgment for a time. The destruction of Ahab’s house will not take place while he lives but after he has died, and when his sons sit upon the throne. Then the entire house of Ahab will be destroyed and made a curse on the earth. In that sense there is a postponement.
But this brings up several questions. Does God change His mind? Is there room in the counsel of God for changes? Can God be influenced by man to change? The argument is sometimes raised that God first announces His judgment upon Ahab, and although no time is mentioned when this will happen, the impression is certainly left that this shall happen at once. But when Ahab humbles himself, the Lord tells the prophet that this will not happen until some years later. In fact, Elijah did not live long enough to see this destruction of Ahab’s house. But, did God change His mind? Did God change His intention by working out His counsel differently than He had originally intended, because of the behavior of Ahab? And the answer to these questions is NO! God never changes; His counsel stands, and He does all His good pleasure. As the great I AM He does not, and cannot, change! And man can never so influence God as to change His plan or purpose.
We must remember that when we read in Scripture that God “repents” of something, that we have a figure of speech, an anthropomorphism, a way of making something clear and intelligible about God to man. We must remember, too, that when the eternal and unchangeable God reveals Himself in time, what is unchangeable in His counsel is shown to us bit by bit, in a succession of moments. God sees the end from the beginning, but we see things one at a time. Each turning point in history, the flood, for example, and the great wickedness of the world at that time, are in the counsel of God. But when this is revealed to us, as creatures of time, we read that God repents that He had made man. It may seem to us that He has changed, but every step of the way is in His counsel.
Thus, also the humiliation of Ahab was in God’s eternal will and counsel. God was not surprised by this. He did not have to make contingency plans on account of this. He had planned it eternally. God brought His word of judgment to Ahab to reveal what Ahab truly was spiritually, and Ahab remains a responsible party, accountable for all he says and does. When he humbles himself before God, God points out to Elijah that because of that humbling of himself, even though it was sinful, the judgment would be postponed. In one word, God wants Elijah to know that as long as men like Ahab humble themselves even sinfully, they are not ready for final destruction. But that will surely follow.
There is another question here: Was it pleasing to God that Ahab humbled himself as he did? And if not, Why was judgment postponed? The answer is that there are only two kinds of sorrow, a godly sorrow worked by God which results in salvation, and worldly sorrow that works death. God is pleased by a godly sorrow, for that is the fruit of His gracious work. A godly sorrow acknowledges God’s sovereignty, His holiness, and His precepts. It involves a fleeing to the cross of His Son. It brings a man close to God, and ends in salvation. But how can God be pleased with the sorrow of the wicked which is only a sham? Can God delight in wickedness? Besides, Paul tells us that worldly sorrow worketh death, and death is God’s penalty for sin. God was not pleased in any way with the humbling of Ahab. And the judgment of God on Ahab and his house was never lifted. A few years later Ahab’s two wicked sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, sat on the throne of Israel, and they filled the cup of iniquity of Ahab’s house. And God appointed Jehu to slay these sons, and Jezebel, and every male in the house of Ahab.
I wonder how anyone can call that postponement of judgment a favor of God, or an operation of God’s Spirit and grace! What we have here is the reward that the wicked ever receive. You see, Ahab personally had not filled the measure of iniquity to the brim. God had determined the exact amount of wickedness that would demand the annihilation of his house. But the sins of Ahab’s sons did fill that cup of iniquity, so that in perfect justice God destroys them at the proper time. Now, when Ahab, and Jezebel, and the wicked sons met in hell, do you suppose they thought it was a gift of God’s grace that one died before the other? That it was the favor of God that decreed that the sons should fill the measure of iniquity of the father? No, the favor of the Lord is never upon the wicked. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. They know only His wrath!
There are some lessons for us here. We have seen that Elijah had a great problem, a problem that led him to cast himself under the juniper tree in the wilderness with the prayer that he might die. His problem was, Why does not God come in judgment upon this wicked king and this wicked nation? We can have a similar question in this present day, can we not? Well, God had an answer for Elijah under the juniper, and in this passage we have a further answer. As long as the measure of iniquity of the wicked is not full, the house of Ahab is not ripe for judgment. As long as there is even a sham repentance, the process of hardening is not complete. But when Ahab’s sons do not repent, even outwardly, then the measure is full! That rule of God is still true today, so that this passage is significant for us as well.
In the Book of Revelation, we read again and again of the world in the last days that **they repented not!** In other words, the day comes when this world becomes so wicked that there is not even an outward repentance, an outward fear of God anymore! God is banished from their thoughts. Then the Lord comes in judgment, to destroy all those who will not bow the knee before Him. Therefore, as long as there are still churches that have a form of godliness, as long as God is not completely ignored or His Word abandoned, the end cannot come. But at the same time, we see that the end is very near in that men are adding to and subtracting from the Word of God; more and more His Name is being cursed; more and more His sabbath is being desecrated. The cup of this world’s iniquity is all but full!
So the warning of this passage is that we search our own hearts and lives, and that we turn unto the Lord with sincere repentance. That we are sorry that we have dishonored God, transgressed His commandments, offended His people, and brought shame upon His church. That is the evidence of God’s grace. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. And in the way of heartfelt confession, we will find forgiveness, full and free, in the blood of Jesus Christ. For a godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation!
Let us pray.
Almighty God and Father in heaven: We thank Thee
for this instruc¬tion concerning Thy holiness and justice. As we consider this
Word to us, may we discern in ourselves whether our repentance is godly and
sincere or whether it is merely outward. Give us grace to ponder our sins
against Thee. And work in us, and in all Thy people, true, godly sorrow. That
our repentance may be genuine. And that we may be reconciled unto Thee and have
peace. For Jesus’ sake, amen.
-------------------------------------------------
(IV)
More
to come! (DV)
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