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Friday, July 28, 2017

Let’s go fish…for people.

Ahab lived a life fighting against God.  When the LORD warned Ahab that his actions would have consequences, Ahab repented and turned back to God.  This repentance, however, was not long-lived.  So, the LORD pronounced his doom (1 Kings 22:23).  Ahab, however, figured he could outsmart his enemy (and the LORD) as he and the king of Judah went into battle as allies.

The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his thirty-two chariot commanders: "Attack only the king of Israel. Don't bother with anyone else!" (1 Kings 22:30-31 NLT)

Ahab’s plan, of course, did not work.  A “stray arrow” found him and he died in battle.  That’s because nobody goes up against the LORD and wins.

I found myself strangely thinking about Ahab the king of Israel at the same time I thought of Ahab the captain in the fictional story, Moby Dick.  It took me awhile before I saw the connection that God wanted me to see.  Both men were far away from the LORD.  Both men let their obsessions control their lives.  Both men died without finding redemption.  A king story and a whale story were brought together in my mind because of men named Ahab.

As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:16-17 NASB)

Both of these men needed the LORD.  All people need the LORD.  It is only through the LORD that we make sense of the world around us.  With the LORD we find meaning and purpose in this life.  Through the LORD we find grace, forgiveness, and hope for the next.  Jesus introduced us to a completely different fish story.  He taught us to be fishers of men.

Howa bout you?  Does your relationship with the LORD help make sense of the world around you?  Does the LORD give you meaning and purpose in this life?  Does the LORD give you hope for the next life?  Do you help others draw near to the LORD?  Do you fish for people?

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