Day 17 - 1 Kings 21:27

A Fasted Journey for Spiritual Renewal

Day 17

“And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.” -1 Kings 21:27

What words could have possibly sent the king of Israel into such grief? The words of a whistleblower, as it were, rebuking the wicked king. The prophet Elijah was sent to condemn Ahab for murdering an innocent man, Naboth, so Ahab could seize Naboth’s vineyard. Verses 25-26 note that Ahab was essentially the most wicked person in the land from the Lord’s eyes. He worshipped idols, he was unequally yoked with an equally wicked queen, Jezebel, who carried out the plot to kill Naboth, yet Elijah’s words miraculously pierced Ahab.

This wasn’t the first time that Elijah “whistleblew” either. Ahab even calls him “my enemy” because Elijah has been resolute, and correct, in his dealings with Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah tells Ahab that the Lord will bring disaster upon him, sever his blood line and leave him dead with his blood being lapped up by dogs; and that Jezebel will be eaten by dogs. Elijah’s predicted doom for Ahab had a true impact. Ahab sincerely repented of his evil ways and showed outward contrition by tearing his clothes, wearing sackcloth, and fasting.

God saw Ahab’s change and true repentance. Ahab humbled himself. God saw this and granted him mercy. Verse 29 says, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.” God relented of the judgement He initially intended for Ahab.

This is analogous to Jeremiah 18:7-10 which was referenced on Day 10. In that passage, God will relent from disaster He intends for a wicked nation if that nation repents and turns from their evil ways. The same is true on an individual level as seen here with Ahab.

Fasting is also mentioned earlier in this passage. The black-hearted queen, Jezebel, wickedly uses the nations laws in a twisted fashion to gain what she wants. That certainly sounds familiar when looking at the fbi and other parts of the government today. She wrote official letters, which Ahab didn’t intervene over thus leading to his guilt in this vile plot, and had them sent to the local government in the city in which Naboth lived.

As part of her repulsive plot, she invoked fasting. Of this, my study Bible says, “to call an assembly for solemn fasting implied that a disaster threatened the people that could be averted only if they would humble themselves before the Lord and remove any person whose sin had brought God’s judgement on them.” She also invoked the use of what the fbi calls Confidential Human Sources (CHS) to further her plot against Naboth. I wonder how much these sordid informants were paid. The fbi pays out about $42,000,000 every year to its informers. I digress.

These informants levied false accusations against Naboth which led to him being stoned to death. All so Jezebel could wrongfully seize Naboth’s land. When she told Ahab what had been done, he willingly went along with it becasue of his own lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and boastful pride of life. Quite frankly, none of this is at all dissimilar to what our own government does on a daily basis. We must continue to pray for our nation; even it’s wicked leaders. Maybe, just maybe, they will repent like Ahab. Or, they will end up like Jezebel, eaten by dogs and their corpses as dung (2 kings 9:30-37).

I am not a medical professional. This journal is about my spiritual path and about that which the Lord has placed on me. This is not medical advice, nor was this fast done for any medical purpose. If you have a medical interest, seek medical advice. If you have particular health concerns, seek medical advice and/or conduct your own research. Any fasting advice, effects, realizations or anything else related to my fast come from my personal reflection and experience. If you are considering fasting, consulting with a healthcare provider may be appropriate for you.