1 Kings 16:30-33

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshipped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal which be built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

– 1 Kings 16:30-33

Devotion

While Judah had both good and evil kings, Israel had only evil kings. In the story of Ahab, his wife Jezebel is highlighted throughout the reign of her husband because of her extreme evil impact on her husband and, thus, upon Israel. Ahab and Jezebel’s use of power showed them to be the most wicked power-couple of all the kings and queens in Israel’s long history. Jezebel was so wicked that her name became a synonym for evil.

The Big Question

Ahab and Jezebel put the “D” in dysfunctional. Little did they know, they would become a negative model for the generations that would follow them. There is no denying that our family of origin has a profound impact on our own growth and development. The good news is that we can break the negative patterns of behavior that are passed on from the previous generation. As you look back on your own family history, who are those people that have had both a positive and negative impact on your life and your family? How has their influence impacted the person you are today?

Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you through His Word today.