And he said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.’” 1 Kings 20:42
I commonly meet those in jail who’re begging to go to treatment. They say that all they want is to get out of jail and go to treatment so they can get help, address their drug addiction, and improve their lives. If you let me out for treatment, I swear I’ll do good. A couple of months later though, they’re right back in jail, having run away from treatment to use drugs, break the law, and get arrested. It’s maddening to watch. Everyone around them is asking the same question – How could you be so stupid. Will you never learn? You were given this chance, and you threw it away. Why?
Though I’ve not been incarcerated, I’m afraid I’ve been on the stupid end of this situation. I’ve been the one who’s been given the second chance and I’ve still failed. In that failure, I’ve had to ask myself those same questions. How could I be so dumb. Will I never learn?
This is the same sentiment I feel when I read about King Ahab in today’s passage. In the story, King Ahab faced certain destruction from the advancing Syrian army. God intervened however, saving Israel and delivering the Syrians into their hands. In the aftermath, King Ahab unfortunately allowed the Syrian king to live, when he should have killed him. Afterwards, an unnamed prophet confronted King Ahab. Will you never learn? God saved you, yet still, you disobeyed him (my paraphrase).
If we’ve placed our faith in Christ, God has saved us from ourselves. Yet still, we all struggle with some recurrent self-destructive behavior. He’s given us new life, but we repeatedly return to the old one. Though we should daily abandon ourselves and following God’s will for our lives, we still occasionally return to those old behaviors, injuring ourselves and our loved ones in the process. Will we never learn? The answer to that question, for better or worse, is up to us. If we want to stop causing self-inflicted injuries, and if we desire the new life, we must daily point our lives at God, making every single decision in his will. God will never lead us back to the old life.