“Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day..." (1 Kings 21:29).
Our Father, God of the ages, You are an unchanging God. You are the true God;...the living God, the eternal King (Jeremiah 10:10). You are not a God of only "New Testament grace"— Your love, Your grace and Your favor are from eternal:
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children (Psalm 103:17).
We know that You set Your redemption plan in place with the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). And we know that the prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come spoke through the Spirit of Christ in them [who]was pointing to the Lord Jesus when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow (1 Peter 1:10-11).
But we see Your grace in every detail of human history. We see the grace that covered Adam and Eve from the naked exposure of sin. We see the grace that saved Noah and his family from the waters that flooded the earth.
We see the grace that called Abraham "friend"—establishing a covenant that would bless all all peoples on earth (Genesis 12:3). And we see the grace that followed Your people through the history of Your nation, even when its leaders turned aside and followed other gods (Judges 2:19).
Even from King Ahab, whose "house" became a standard for evil (2 Kings 8:18, 27), You did not withhold Your mercy. Sovereign Lord and Righteous Judge (Psalm 7:11), although Ahab...did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him (1 Kings 16:30), You granted grace when he humbled himself before You.
Lord, thank You for the grace and truth [that] came through Jesus Christ, out of [whose] fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given (John 1:16-17). But thank You that the full story of Your measureless grace has continued from age to age—from Genesis, to Moses and Abraham, to the prophets, to the disciples, to the apostle Paul, to the early church, to centuries of believers, and to us.
Thank You, that Your grace exceeds the guilt and sin of Ahab, of Peter, of Paul—of every human being, including me. Thank You, that, in the words of the hymnwriter*, The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives. To God be the glory!
* Frances J. Crosby ~ To God be the Glory ~ published 1875
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