Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 21:27
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
27. The LXX. gives for this verse ‘And when Ahab was pricked (in his heart) on account of this word (coming) from the presence of the Lord, he went and wept, and rent his robe, and girded sackcloth upon his body, and fasted. And he put on sackcloth in the day on which he slew Naboth the Jezreelite, and went [softly]’. There is nothing to represent the last word, which is in brackets, and thus the sentence is incomplete. Josephus explains that the king went barefoot. On the mention of the day of Naboth’s murder, see above on 1Ki 21:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The repentance of Ahab resembles that of the Ninevites Jon 3:5. It has the same outward signs – fasting and sackcloth – and it has much the same inward character. It springs, not from love, nor from hatred of sin, but from fear of the consequences of sin. It is thus, although sincere and real while it lasts, shallow and exceedingly short-lived. God, however, to mark His readiness to receive the sinner who turns to Him, accepted the imperfect offering (as He likewise accepted the penitence of the Ninevites), and allowed it to delay the execution of the sentence 1Ki 21:29. So the penitence of the Ninevites put off the fall of Nineveh for a century.
And lay in sackcloth – In this particular he seems to have gone beyond the usual practice. We do not read elsewhere of mourners passing the night in sackcloth.
And went softly – As if he had no heart to go about any business (Patrick).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Ki 21:27
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes.
Ahabs repentance
I. How Ahabs repentance was called forth. A threefold crime is here laid to the charge of the King of Israel: that he had provoked God to anger–that he had made Israel to sin–and that he had sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. It was for this cause that the sword of the Almighty had been whetted for the destruction of himself and his house. It is a common proverb that Every man has his price; that there is something for which every one will be found willing to sell himself. These are words of very awful import, and yet they are but too true concerning every natural man. The children of this world, proud as they are of themselves, may always be bought with one temptation or another: honours, profits, pleasures of one class or another, will induce them to debase themselves more and more. The idol to which Ahab sacrificed was his affection for Jezebel. His own will, his honour, his peace of conscience, the salvation of his soul, the favour of God–all that he had or hoped for, was laid at this idols feet. Would that he were singular in such infatuation; or only one of a few! But alas, it is common in every age. Let any one ask himself, why he is an unbeliever; why he despises the people of God; why he serves the world and the devil, and endeavours to stifle every good conviction. What an accursed alliance, though it be under the sacred name of friendship itself, must that be, which is connected with enmity against God!
II. What kind of repentance it was. This mourning of the King of Samaria was real as far as it went. The wretched outward dress in which he appeared was a true expression of his inward temper and state of mind. Still, much was wanting in his repentance to render it a repentance unto life and salvation. It was not a mourning like that of the woman that was a sinner at the feet of Jesus, like that of the thief on the cross, or that of the poor publican. Ahabs repentance was utterly destitute of love; and it is love which hallows all our acts and deeds, and give them a real value. Now, when a sinner has, with heartfelt seriousness, pronounced sentence against himself before the throne of God, he has begun to die to the law. For here is an end of his supposed self-righteousness, and of his own supposed ability. But that true repentance, which the Scripture calls a godly sorrow, and a repentance which needeth not to be repented of, does not, as yet necessarily exist. This is but, as it were, dying before the Divine holiness; as we see was the case of St. Paul, in Rom 7:1-25,: When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. Now, this glorious and happy death comes by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2). And this law is no other than the Gospel; whereby alone it is that true, divine, and saving repentance is called forth.
III. What were its consequences. Here was a delay of execution; but no revocation of the sentence. The curse still rested upon Ahab and his house. Yet even this respect shown to a repentance which had so little intrinsic worth, this exemption of Ahab from personally experiencing those storms which impended over his house, was an instance of great condescension and favour. But why, it may be asked, if Ahabs humiliation was so little worth, was any Divine regard shown towards it? This, we answer, was to show by a living example that self-condemnation and abasement before God is the way to escape His anger, and obtain His favour. Just as a novice in any art or trade may be cheered by words of encouragement at the first favourable attempt which he makes, however important it may be; so the exemption which the Lord made in Ahabs favour on repenting, was calculated to encourage him to aim at something better. Self-condemnation, self-abasement, and giving God the glory, are the first steps from spiritual death to spiritual life. (F. W. Krummacher, D. D.)
Repentance of Ahab
I. A person whose heart is unchanged, and who is totally destitute of real piety, may perform many outward religious duties, and have inward sentiments and affections, somewhat resembling the Christian graces.
II. How powerful is the word of God, which can humble the haughtiest oppressors, and make the most hardened of mortals tremble.
III. Sin is always succeeded by sorrow and remorse. (H. Kollock, D. D.)
Ahab
In the context we have three subjects worthy of attention.
1. A fiendishly greedy soul,
2. A truly heroic soul.
3. A morally alarmed soul. In this incident we discover three things.
I. The worthlessness of a partial reformation.
II. The mighty force of Divine truth.
III. The self-frustrating power of sin. (Homilist.)
Ahabs sin and repentance
There is much in this old chronicle of sin and doom which it may profit us to ponder. Let me try to bring out of it some present-day lessons of warning and admonition.
I. Happiness consists, not in having, but in being. How many even to-day are letting their lives be darkened because some Naboth denies them a vineyard, or some Mordecai will not salute them! They forget that, even if they had the things which they so long for, happiness would be as far from them as ever, and some new object would take the place of their old grievance. They do lack one thing. But that one thing is not external to them, but within them. They lack a new heart, and until they get that they can have no abiding satisfaction. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.
II. The evil of unhallowed alliances. Dazzled with the glitter of a fortune, or the glare of an exalted position, a young person enters into the sacred alliance of matrimony with one who has no moral stability or Christian excellence, and the issue is certain misery, with the probable addition of crime and disaster.
III. The perversion which an evil heart makes of religious knowledge. The Spaniards have a proverb somewhat to this effect, When the serpent straightens himself, it is that he may go into his hole. So when the unscrupulous suddenly manifest some punctilious regard for legal forms or for religious observances, you may be sure that they are after mischief. Some of the blackest crimes that have ever been committed have been perpetrated through the forms of law, or under the colour of religion. Is it not true that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked? and are we forcibly impressed with the fact that no one is so daringly defiant in wickedness as he who knows the truth and disregards it? Mere knowledge never yet saved any one from ruin; for, if the heart be perverted, everything that enters the head is only made subservient to its iniquity. Your educated villains are all the more dangerous because of their education; and among godless men they are the most to be dreaded who have an intelligent acquaintance with the Word of God.
IV. The price which we have to pay for sin. What weighty words are these of Elijah to Ahab, Thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord! The great German poet has elaborated this thought into that weird production wherein he represents his hero as selling his soul to the mocking Mephistopheles. And it were well that every evil-doer laid to heart the moral of his tragic tale. That which the sinner gives for his unhallowed pleasure or dishonest gain is himself. Consider it well.
V. The curse which attends ill-gotten gains. The gains of ungodliness are weighted with the curse of God; and, sooner or later, that will be made apparent. For the moral government of God to-day is administered on the same principles as those which we find underlying this narrative. True, the dishonest man now pursuing his purposes in secret may have no Elijah sent to him, with the special mission to declare to him the sort of punishment which shall overtake him; but Elijahs God is living yet, and one has only to open his eyes, and mark the progress of events from year to year, to be convinced that sorrow tracketh wrong, as echo follows song–on, on, on.
VI. The tenderness of God toward the penitent. Ahab was filled with bitter regret at what had been done, and God, who will not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax, said that the evil should not come in his day. If God were so considerate of Ahab, the idolater, the murderer, the thief, will He not regard thee, O thou tearful one! who art bemoaning the number and aggravation of thy sins? Go, then, to Him; and let this be thine encouragement. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Ahabs repentance, and punishment deferred
I. The repentance of Ahab was awakened by the fearful prediction of coming vengeance, which Elijah delivered at the moment when he had taken possession of Naboths vineyard. Mark the power of the Divine word. Is it not like as a fire, saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? In the moment of Ahabs humiliation, his remorse was sincere; i.e., his conscience was roused, his fears excited, his sense of Gods justice real, and his desire for pardon unfeigned.
II. Ahabs punishment was suspended in his own days. Because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days. How can this be? It is possible that the God of mercy should show mercy; and that His mercy should rejoice against judgment. The history of our own lives, still spared and still prolonged, notwithstanding our manifold transgressions, is an evidence of this certain truth. And what is the practical result, arising from this combined view of Gods mercy and truth? Assuredly, it will cause the contrite to hope, and the careless to fear. The one will recognise, in the sorest visitations that befall him, the hand of a gracious Father who chastens that He may bless; and whose afflictions are strewed upon the path of life, like the arrows of Jonathan before David, not for destruction, but for warning. The other will as surely perceive, that Gods word shall not return unto him void; and, that, if it work not his conversion, it must be his condemnation. The threatenings which are revealed, that the sinner may repent, will remain, if he do not repent, to proclaim his fall.
III. The threatened evil, which was suspended in the days of Ahab, should, in his sons days, be brought upon his house. And here we cannot but call to mind the fact, that, whatever be the difficulties, connected with the view which is here presented to us, of Gods moral government, or however weakly we may succeed in explaining them; it is, still, the government of God, of Him who is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works. The matter of fact, in the history before us, came to pass, as it is here predicted. Evil was brought upon Ahabs house, in his sons days Ahaziah, his first successor, soon perished. The next, Jehoram, fell by the arm of Jehu, in the very portion of Naboths field. The seventy sons in Jezreel, were also slain, in obedience to the commands of Jehu, which he sent to the elders of that city; and, last of all, the same anointed captain, slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and all his kinsfolk, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. Now, if we examine the sacred narrative which relates these events, we shall find that all these descendants of Ahab walked in his evil ways, and wrought evil in the sight of the Lord. It was not the innocent, then, suffering for the guilty; but the guilty reaping the harvest of his own guilt. And since known unto God are all his works before the beginning of the world, the whole of this train of wickedness was known likewise,–itself, its causes, and its consequences,–that long process stretching out, from year to year, and from generation to generation,–whose separate and disjointed portions, only, can be discerned by moral intellect,–but the whole of which was, alike, and at the same moment, present to the Eternal Mind. It is difficult for us, in forming our estimate of actions, to preserve this distinction between the occasion which leads to an event, and its immediate effective cause; but a distinction there is, and must be remembered. When a criminal is convicted at the tribunal of an earthly judge, the law, and they who administer it, are the instrumental causes of inflicting the sentence; but the crime committed is the immediate cause which deserves it. We do not confound these things, in our estimate of the dealings between man and man: let us not confound them, therefore, when we are contemplating the revealed dispensations of God to man. But may we not be permitted, in some degree, to trace the course of the Divine counsels, in the present instance? The punishment of Ahabs descendants, we know to have been inflicted under a theocracy, which employed temporal rewards, and temporal punishments, as the instruments of its government. Now, what instrument could be more powerful, in such a case, than the prospect of misery, about to fall upon the children of the sinner, as well as upon himself? His own licentious and hardened passions might make a man insensible to the fear of temporal evil befalling himself; but, when he was assured, as he could not fail to be, by the moral law of Moses, that Divine wrath would visit his iniquity, upon his children, unto the third and fourth generation, every instinctive feeling of parental kindness and affection would be enlisted on the side of duty, and act as a restraint upon the unruly will. (J. S. M. Anderson, M. A.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 27. He rent his clothes] He was penetrated with sorrow, and that evidently unfeigned.
Put sackcloth upon his flesh] He humbled himself before God and man.
And fasted] He afflicted his body for his soul’s benefit.
Lay in sackcloth] Gave the fullest proof that his repentance was real.
And went softly.] Walked barefooted; so the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Vulgate has demisso capite, “with his head hanging down.” Houbigant translates went groaning. Jarchi says that the word at, used here, signifies to be unshod. This is its most likely sense. All these things prove that Ahab’s repentance was genuine; and God’s approbation of it puts it out of doubt. The slow and measured pace which always accompanies deep and reflective sorrow is also alluded to by AEschylus, where the Chorus are thus shortly addressed on the defeat of Xerxes. – AESCH. Pers. 1073.
‘
“With light and noiseless step lament.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i. e. Slowly and silently, after the manner of mourners, or those who are under a great consternation, and in deep consideration.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27-29. Ahab . . . rent his clothes,and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth,and went softlyHe was not obdurate, like Jezebel. Thisterrible announcement made a deep impression on the king’s heart, andled, for a while, to sincere repentance. Going softly, that is,barefoot, and with a pensive manner, within doors. He manifested allthe external signs, conventional and natural, of the deepest sorrow.He was wretched, and so great is the mercy of God, that, inconsequence of his humiliation, the threatened punishment wasdeferred.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ver. 27 And it came to pass when Ahab heard these words,…. Delivered in 1Ki 21:21,
that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon, his flesh, tore off his clothes, and stripped himself of all, even of his very shirt, and put sackcloth on his bare flesh, a coarse cloth made of hair, and such as sacks are made with:
and fasted, how long it is not said:
and lay in sackcloth; in the night on his bed, would have no linen on him day nor night:
and went softly: step by step, as persons mourning, grieving, and pensive, do; the Targum renders it “barefoot”, and so Jarchi.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This terrible threat made such an impression upon Ahab, that he felt deep remorse, and for a time at least was sincerely penitent. Rending the clothes, putting on the mourning garment of hair ( ), and fasting, are frequently mentioned as external signs of humiliation before God or of deep mourning on account of sin. , he walked about lightly (slowly), like one in deep trouble. This repentance was neither hypocritical, nor purely external; but it was sincere even if it was not lasting and produced no real conversion. For the Lord Himself acknowledge it to be humiliation before Him (1Ki 21:29), and said to Elijah, that because of it He would not bring the threatened calamity upon Ahab’s house in his own lifetime, but only in the days of his son. for , as in 1Ki 21:21.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(27) And went softly.The translation seems correct; the meaning is variously conjectured. The LXX. (in some MSS.) has bent down in sorrow; the Vulgate similarly with head bent down; the Eastern versions and Josephus, barefooted, which seems far the most probable meaning.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Went softly Walked in the slow and silent manner of a mourner. So he put on every appearance of humiliation and penitence. Many have supposed that Ahab’s repentance was altogether false and hypocritical. But Jehovah considered it as sufficiently genuine to cause him to modify the sentence he had previously passed upon him. For a time, doubtless, his repentance was deep and genuine, but it soon passed away, and, like many previous convictions, was lost by reason of the evils to which he had made himself a slave.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Ki 21:27. Ahabwent softly Went groaning. Houbigant; who observes, that the Hebrew word at, is from the Arabic to groan, as a camel when wearied, or falling under its burden. Though Ahab thus assumed the external garb of a penitent, we do not find him produce any of the fruits of sincere repentance; how came God, then, who inspects the heart, and cannot be deceived with external show, to have had any regard to such repentance, and in consequence of it to have revoked, at least in part, the sentence which he had denounced against Ahab? Some have replied, that God had so great an esteem for true repentance and reformation, that he was willing to reward the very appearance of it. But this is an answer which comports not so well with the purity and holiness of God; and therefore we should rather choose to say, that Ahab’s repentance at this time was true, though imperfect, and his sorrow sincere, though of no long continuance; and that had he persisted in his good resolutions, God would have remitted him not only the temporal, but the eternal punishment likewise which was due to his sins. This, however, is an example of the infinite goodness of God towards the greatest sinners, when they humble themselves before him; and we may hence, to our great comfort, infer, that if the repentance of Ahab appeased the Lord for a time, because there was something of sincerity in it, though it was of short continuance; much more infallibly will those who repent with all their heart, and persevere in their repentance, obtain from the divine mercy the pardon of all their sins. See Calmet and Ostervald.
REFLECTIONS.Ahab had now filled up the measure of his iniquities. Worse than all his predecessors in wickedness, and more infamous in his idolatries, he had willingly sold himself to commit every abomination: nor is it any exculpation of his guilt, that Jezebel stirred him up, whom he should have restrained, rather than have obeyed.
1. Elijah, at God’s command, met him in Naboth’s vineyard, and his unwelcome presence marred the master’s joy. Ahab’s guilty conscience told him that the prophet’s coming boded no good, and therefore he accosts him, with his former unhumbled pride, as the enemy of his repose; yet expressing a dread, which majestic goodness impressed even on such a hardened heart. Note; (1.) The ministers of God, who cannot bear to see sinners perishing in their iniquities without warning, are therefore often counted by them as their worst enemies. (2.) The very presence of a godly man strikes an awe upon sinners, and they shun him as the ghost which haunts their conscience, and as the fiend come to torment them before their time.
2. Elijah denounces on him his deserved doom: I have found thee, and am come from God to pass sentence on thee. He charges him with Naboth’s murder, and his unjust seizure of his inheritance, and, with a terrible commination of approaching judgments, thunders God’s wrath against him. His wicked house shall be utterly cut off, as the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha, whose uncommon wickedness he had exceeded: his accursed wife shall be eaten by dogs; so low shall her pride fall; and in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, (awful and just retaliation!) dogs, says he, shall lick thy blood, even thine. Note; (1.) Let no sinner hope to be hidden; sooner or later, terrors like an armed man shall seize him; and woe then to the soul, that, flying now from its convictions, treasures up wrath against the day of wrath. (2.) No subterfuges in the day of judgment will be able to evade conviction. Both the approver and the perpetrator stand guilty before that God who searcheth the heart. (3.) God’s justice in this world sometimes appears most exemplary in suiting the sinner’s punishment to his crime.
3. Shocked at the message, his stubborn heart, for a moment, trembled; and, driven to his knees in terror, with sackcloth on his loins, he wore the garb of penitence; and God is pleased to grant him a short reprieve. Note; Partial professions of penitence legal terrors often produce; but a sense of pardoning love alone can convert the heart.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 353
THE FEIGNED REPENTANCE OF AHAB
1Ki 21:27-29. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his sons days will I bring the evil upon his house.
MUCH there is which bears the semblance of religion, and which brings with it a present reward, whilst in the sight of God it is of no avail for the salvation of the soul. The hopes of the presumptuous, the fears of the desponding, the joys of the hypocrite, and the sorrows of the worldly, are of this kind. An instance of the last occurs in the passage which we have just read; wherein Ahabs repentance was honoured with the notice and approbation of Heaven to a certain degree, though we have no reason to think that it ever availed for his final acceptance before God.
In speaking of Ahabs repentance, we propose to shew,
I.
What there was in it that was good
If there had not been something good in it, God would never have called the attention of Elijah to it, or have honoured it with a reward. The two principal things in it that were good, were,
1.
A fear of Gods judgments
[Many, when Gods judgments are denounced against them, only puff at them [Note: Psa 10:4-5.] as unworthy of any serious regard. They do not believe that God will execute them: the language of their hearts is, God will not do good, neither will he do evil [Note: Amo 9:10; Zep 1:12; Mal 2:17.] But Ahab credited the predictions of the prophet, and sought deliverance from the judgments he foretold. This it was that prevailed in behalf of the Ninevites, when they repented at the preaching of Jonah [Note: Jon 3:5; Jon 3:10.]; and God on the present occasion was so pleased with it, that he pointed it out with special approbation to the Prophet Elijah.]
2.
An acknowledgment of Gods justice in inflicting them
[Had Ahab thought himself unjustly dealt with, he would have complained of the severity of the sentence that was passed against him: but he complained only of his own sins, which had so justly brought on him the divine displeasure. This was a public testimony that God was worthy to be served, and that the most exalted monarchs are bound, as much as others, to be obedient to his laws. Such an acknowledgment, from so abandoned a character, was honourable to the Lord: it gave glory to him [Note: Jos 7:19; Jer 13:16; Jer 13:18.] as a God of holiness and power, and consequently was so far good and acceptable in his sight.]
Still, as it availed not for his salvation, it will be proper to shew,
II.
Wherein it was defective The terms wherein it is set forth are doubtless strong; but yet it was altogether defective;
1.
In its principle
[If there had been no punishment denounced against him, Ahab would have felt little concern about his iniquities: he had no real hatred of sin, no ingenuous shame on account of his having transgressed against so good a God. It was fear, and fear only, that called forth his penitential acknowledgments. But, if his repentance had been genuine, he would have mourned for his sins even though there had been no punishment annexed to them [Note: Eze 20:43; Eze 36:31.]; he would have seen an hatefulness in them, as transgressions of the holy law of God; and would have hated and abhorred himself on account of them, even though God should have blotted them from the book of his remembrance [Note: Eze 16:63.]. Hatred of sin, and not fear of punishment, is the true source of penitential sorrow.]
2.
In its measure
[His repentance was expressed only by external signs, such as fasting and clothing himself with sackcloth: but it should have proceeded to operate in the renovation of his heart and life. He should have instantly begun to put away his sins. But we read not of any such effects produced upon him. He turned not from his idolatry, nor did he, as far as we know, restore the vineyard to Naboths family. But true repentance would have led him to mortify his besetting sins [Note: Hos 14:1-3; Hos 14:8.]: that alone is the repentance which is not to be repented of.]
3.
In its end
[Could Ahab have escaped the miseries he had brought upon himself, he would have been contented though God had still been as much dishonoured as ever. He had no view to Gods glory, but only to his own safety. But if his sorrow had been of a godly sort, he would have inquired, how he might best counteract all the evil he had done, and cause his subjects to honour Jehovah as much as they had before slighted and despised him [Note: 2Co 7:10-11.].]
Nevertheless God was pleased to reward it: and it is of importance to inquire,
III.
What the honour which God put upon it was
designed to teach us
It was designed to shew,
1.
That God will not overlook the smallest things that are done for him
[We have many instances in Scripture of actions rewarded, even where there was little, if any, reference to him in the minds of the actors. Ebed-melech had some regard to God in the services he rendered to Jeremiah the prophet: Jehu was more actuated by pride than any feeling of true piety: and Nebuchadnezzar, in his siege of Tyre, had not the least idea that he was doing Jehovahs work: yet were they all rewarded for the services they performed [Note: 2Ki 10:30; Jer 38:7-10 with 39:1518; Eze 29:17-20.]: and if those of us who have done the least for God would consult the records of their lives, they would find that he has in some way or other recompensed to them whatever they have done, and never long continued in their debt.]
2.
That he will surely receive every true penitent
[St. Paul, in reference to the rites of the ceremonial law, argues thus: If the blood of bulls and of goats availed for the least things, how much more shall the blood of Christ avail for the greatest [Note: Heb 9:13-14.]. In like manner we may justly say in reference to the history before us, if the feigned repentance of Ahab availed for the deferring of temporal judgments, how much more shall true repentance avail for the removal of all sins, and for the everlasting salvation of the soul! Let any one only see how God longs to behold his people returning to him [Note: Luk 15:5; Luk 15:9; Luk 15:23-24.], and how he rejoices over them when they do return [Note: Jer 13:27; Hos 8:5; Hos 11:7-8.], and we shall not doubt, but that instead of willing the death of any sinner, he desires that all should turn from their wickedness and live [Note: Eze 33:11; 1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9.]. He will not despise the day of small things [Note: Hos 4:10.]; but will hear the groans, and regard the sighs, and treasure up the tears, of all who truly turn unto him. He never has said, nor ever will, Seek ye my face in vain.]
We cannot conclude without a few words,
1.
Of caution
[Many there are who conceive that they have repented, because they can look back upon some time when they were humbled before God, either in an hour of sickness, or after some awakening discourse. But those temporary affections of the mind are a very small part of true repentance: they have been experienced by thousands, who yet have turned back with the dog to his vomit, or the sow to her wallowing in the mire [Note: Psa 78:34-37; Hos 5:15.]! Let it be remembered therefore, that if we dissemble with our God, his sword shall certainly overtake us [Note: Jer 42:20-22.] You have been long and faithfully warned of your danger; and if you despise the admonitions of the weakest of Gods servants, it will ensure and aggravate your eternal condemnation [Note: 2Ch 36:12; 2Ch 36:17.].]
2.
Of encouragement
[It is not said of him in vain, that with him there is mercy and plenteous redemption. Do but bear this in mind, and you will frequently put yourselves in the posture of Ahab, and walk softly before him all the days of your life. Were it only temporal deliverance that you were authorized to expect, it would be right to mourn as Ahab did: but when God promises to multiply his pardons beyond the utmost reach of your sins [Note: Isa 55:7; Rom 5:20.], you maybe sure that nothing shall ever be wanting to those who seek him with their whole hearts. O that God might now see in us occasion to address the angels as he did Elijah; See how those people humble themselves before me! Because they so humble themselves, and wash in the fountain of their Redeemers blood, their iniquities shall all be blotted out, and cast behind me into the depths of the sea!]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
(27) And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. (28) And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, (29) Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Though Ahab humbled himself before the Lord, and like another Felix, trembled; yet we read nothing of his heart being turned towards the Lord. But behold the graciousness of God. The evil day is postponed, intimating the Lord’s readiness to pardon, and his reluctance to punish. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel; how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Hos 11:8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
Ver. 27. When Ahab heard these words, ] viz., Concerning the utter excision of his wife and posterity, a this troubled him more than the loss of his own life forethreatened.
And fasted and lay in sackcloth.
a A , .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
rent his clothes. His repentance was outward, not real.
went softly: i.e. humbly.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
he rent: Gen 37:34, 2Ki 6:30, 2Ki 18:37, Jon 3:6
lay in sackcloth: 2Sa 12:17, Job 16:15, Isa 22:12, Isa 58:5-8, Joe 1:13
went softly: Isa 38:15
Reciprocal: Exo 33:4 – and no 2Sa 21:10 – took sackcloth 1Ki 20:31 – put sackcloth 1Ki 22:8 – Let not the 2Ki 19:1 – covered 1Ch 21:16 – clothed Job 42:6 – repent Psa 35:13 – humbled Ecc 3:7 – time to rend Jer 26:3 – that I Jer 34:15 – ye Jer 36:24 – nor rent Jer 48:37 – upon the loins Dan 6:18 – and passed Joe 2:13 – your garments Jon 3:10 – God saw Mat 6:16 – be Mat 18:30 – but Mat 27:4 – I have sinned Act 24:25 – Felix
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 21:27. He rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, &c. These were expressions of great sorrow and heaviness, and usual in mourning: for, notwithstanding that Ahab was drawn, by the persuasions of his wife, to idolatry and other great crimes; yet he was sensible that many of Elijahs prophecies had been fulfilled, and therefore he was much disturbed at what he now heard from that prophet. And went softly Slowly and silently, after the manner of mourners, or those who are under a great consternation.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went {k} softly.
(k) In token of mourning, or as some read, barefooted.