S:
1 Kings 21:21,
25, 27-29 Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you
away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, and him
who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel.
…
But there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do that
which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
…
When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put
sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about despondently. Yahweh’s
word came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab humbles himself before
me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his
days; but I will bring the evil on his house in his son’s day.”
2 Kings
3:1-2
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in
Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve
years. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, but not like his father
and like his mother, for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had
made.
2 Kings 6-9
When Syria repeatedly attacked Israel, God had Elisha warn Jehoram
many times where he would be, until the king of Syria thought he had an Israelite
spy in his camp, but then when he was told it was the prophet, he tried to kill
the prophet, but God blinded them so that Elisha could lead them into Samaria
where they were shown Yahweh’s power, so they stopped attacking Israel.
But later, the next king of Syria, Ben Haddad, invaded
again, but God didn’t warn Jehoram anymore and Samaria besieged and staving,
and Jehoram said “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son
of Shaphat stays on him today.”
But the
next day, God miraculously made the Syrians run away, and Samaria was saved.
However,
some time after that, Elisha instructs one of his disciples to anoint Jehu to
enact the earlier pronounced judgment on the House of Ahab, and Jehu kills him.
O: At
first, we might wonder: “there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to
do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight” yet when he showed remorse (though temporarily),
God postponed that judgment to his son’s time.
Yet, his son Jehoram seemed less evil, having “put away the
pillar of Baal”. Yet did Yahweh jinx him by the curse on Ahab earlier? Didn’t Yahweh
say not to punish the children for the sins of the parents? (Ezekiel 18:19-20)
Then there’s
the interesting thing: Yahweh first helps Jehoram against Syria by sending
Elisha to warn him whenever they would attack. But then later He allows an
attack so severe Ben Haddad had actually besieged Samaria till they were
resorting to cannibalism from their hunger! And then Jehoram demanded Elsha’s
life before God intervened and rescued them.
What’s the
deal there?
My theory
is: Jehoram did make steps towards Yahweh… but didn’t persist. Because if there’s
anything the Book of Jonah taught us, it’s that God always has an implicit “unless
they repent” clause on all His judgments even if it’s not stated. Even the Ninevites
knew that.
So my
theory is that God sent Elisha to warn Jehoram of the Syrian attacks at first
because Jehoram was at least kind of trying to follow Yahweh. But then he drifted
back to the bad old ways. So God allowed Syria to attack. But I’m guessing that
Jehoram didn’t repent even after God delivered them miraculously from that siege.
So God had
Elisha’s disciple anoint Jehu and enact the judgment earlier pronounced.
So: God is
not unjust. While there are natural consequences that might harm one’s
descendants, God does not judge a person’s offspring for their parent’s sins.
And there is always an implicit “unless they repent” clause.
A: So we
must always be quick to repent and turn back to God. And stay heading back to
God. Both Ahab’s and Jehoram’s problem was an incomplete and temporary repentance
– then going back to their bad old ways, which then brought back the judgment.
Contrast that with David’s horrible sins of adultery and murder: when he
repented, he stayed repented. Not that he never sinned again (he did.) But he
kept heading back to God, even after later failures.
P: “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” as the Catholic confession prayer goes. Father, I mess up again and again but I repent each time and head back towards You. Renew my mind and conform me to Your Son. May I be a good ambassador for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
