Turning Away, Step By Step

Preparing for the Third Sunday after Pentecost: Three Days before Sunday (Year C)

Scripture

For information on semicontinuous and complementary readings in the season after Pentecost or Ordinary Time, click here.

Semicontinuous: Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20; 1 Kings 22:29-40, 51-53; 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

Complementary: Psalm 16; Leviticus 9:22—10:11; 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

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Prayer

Lord God, friend of those in need, your Son Jesus has untied our burdens and healed our spirits. We lift up the prayers of our hearts for those still burdened, those seeking healing, those in need within the church and the world. Hear our prayers that we may love you with our whole being and willingly share the concerns of our neighbors. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

1 Kings 22:29-40, 51-53

King Ahab’s life offers more than a historical account of Israel’s monarchy—it presents a moral lesson on the peril of divided allegiance and the slow erosion of the soul when God is no longer at the center. Ahab was not a man without potential. He ruled over a prosperous kingdom, had political savvy, and even moments where he appeared responsive to God’s word. But his story is marked not by faithfulness, but by compromise—a compromise that began in the heart and slowly poisoned everything around him.

One of the defining marks of Ahab’s reign was his marriage to Jezebel, a foreign queen who not only brought with her the worship of Baal, but wielded her influence to turn the nation’s heart away from Yahweh. Ahab did not stop her. In fact, he enabled her. He built altars to Baal, sanctioned idol worship, and allowed injustice to reign under his authority. Perhaps he convinced himself he could still be a servant of God while accommodating the cultural and political pressures of the day. But that is the great deception of compromise—it rarely announces itself in grand rebellion, but in subtle concessions that accumulate over time.

The incident with Naboth’s vineyard reveals how far Ahab had drifted. Instead of ruling with righteousness, he allowed his personal desires to overtake justice. When he couldn’t have what he wanted, he sulked like a petulant child, and Jezebel took matters into her own hands—framing and executing Naboth to satisfy Ahab’s greed. The tragedy here is not just the death of an innocent man, but the spiritual numbness of a king who had abdicated moral responsibility.

And yet, in this bleak narrative, there is a glimmer of hope. When Elijah confronts Ahab with God’s judgment, Ahab responds with humility. He tears his clothes, fasts, and mourns. God takes notice. The Lord delays judgment because Ahab humbled himself. It is a profound moment—a reminder that even those who have fallen far are not beyond God’s mercy. But sadly, Ahab’s repentance is short-lived, and he returns to his old patterns, ultimately dying in battle after ignoring yet another prophetic warning. His life ends, not with the peace of a faithful servant, but with the chaos and shame of a man who trusted in his own plans more than in God.

So what does Ahab’s life mean for us today?

It is a sobering reminder that the heart is a battleground. Ahab didn’t wake up one morning and decide to defy God—it happened step by step, compromise by compromise. As believers, we must ask: Where am I allowing other influences—whether culture, comfort, or fear—to shape my obedience to God? Are there “Jezebels” in my life—voices or desires I’ve permitted to speak louder than God’s word?

But it is also a reminder of hope. God didn’t abandon Ahab without warning. He sent prophets. He gave opportunities for repentance. And when Ahab turned, however briefly, God responded with grace. The Lord is patient, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Let us take Ahab’s story to heart—not just as a tale of failure, but as a call to examine our own faithfulness. May we not be people of divided hearts, swayed by power or pride, but men and women who walk with integrity, listen to God’s voice, and live out our calling with unwavering devotion. In doing so, we not only avoid Ahab’s fate—we embrace the life God always intended for God’s people: a life of purpose, justice, and eternal reward.

PRAYER: O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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