Key Scriptures:

• Hebrews 11:34
• 1 Kings 16:30-33

Introduction

In lesson eight of King Sized Lessons we will look at the life of King Ahab who was a weak king. To be honest, none of us are really strong in ourselves. In fact we all have weak times and it is in those weak times that we can be tempted. We make bad decisions and our emotions can dominate us. We all have areas of our life where the enemy tries to attack us in our character. This verse from Hebrews 11 speaks of great heroes of our faith. Even they had weaknesses but the Bible tells us that theri weakness was turned into strength. What a great encouragement that even though we may find ourselves in a weak moment, God can turn that weakness into strength! Let’s look at the five areas of weakness in the life of King Ahab.

1. Weak in his Decisions

(1 Kings 16:30-33) - Decisions determine your destiny. Not everything that we “feel good” about is a right decision. Ahab married a beautiful woman, the daughter of a king, Jezebel, one of the most wicked people recorded in the Bible. Strong leaders make decisions from their spirit and not from their emotions. No matter how good a decision may appear on the outside, we should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

Question: Decisions determine your destiny. How have decisions that you have made shifted your destiny? 

2. Weak in his Principles/Convictions

(1 Kings 21) -  Ahab had no problem with Jezebel’s plan to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and having him put to death just so he could have his vineyard. Ahab forgot that God sees everything. Elijah confronted Ahab in the vineyard and said “you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight” (vs. 20). In fact verse 25 records that no one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezabel! We have to be careful that we do not allow ourselves to be influenced by others around us who are not serving Christ. If we are weak in our convictions they will influence us to violate our principles and convictions. 

Question: We live in a world where we see injustice happen all around us. How can we see Satan at work trying to change the convictions passed on to us by prior generations?

3. Weak in his Responsibilities

(1 Kings 18:17) - Ahab would not take responsibility for his mistakes. As a result of Ahab’s wickedness God caused there to be no rain for three and a half years. When Elijah went to Israel to confront Ahab, instead of confessing his failure and taking responsibility Ahab blames Elijah by calling him the troubler of Israel. Satan will have you blame other people but strong leaders will accept the blame for their mistakes and ask for forgiveness from those that they have hurt. 

Question: Is it easy for you to admit fault and ask for forgiveness? What are the advantages of being quick to ask for and give forgiveness?

4. Weak in his Emotions

(1 Kings 21:3-4) When Naboth refused to sell his family land to Ahab, the king went home angry and sullen, refusing to eat and laid in his bed with his face to the wall. What an immature reaction. We will all go through situations that do not turn out in our favor. Mature believers know how to control their anger. They understand that this is a normal part of life and move on.

Question: Emotions can dominate our lives. How do you as a believer keep your emotions in check?

5. Weak in His Commitments

(1 Kings 18:20-21) - Ahab could not decide who to be loyal to. He would worship Baal but then decide that he would try to serve God again. Elijah on Mt Carmel challenged the people saying “How long will you hobble between two opinions? If the Lord is God, serve Him! But if Baal is god then follow him”. At some point we must all be firm in our commitment and decide who we will serve. 

Question: Share with the group the moment you made a firm decision to follow the Lord. How did that affect your life moving forward?

Conclusion

When you look at the life of king Ahab we see a weak leader who was weak in his decisions, weak in his convictions and principles, weak in his responsibilities, emotions and commitments. Elijah on the other hand exemplified strength. He was not afraid to confront Ahab and his wickedness. God wants you to be strong like Elijah. To be strong we need to lean upon the Spirit of God and learn to trust him to direct our life.