Deceit by Sackcloth

1 Kings 20:31-43
    31 Then his servants said to him, "Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life." 32 So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says, 'Please let me live.'"  And he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."
    33 Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, "Your brother Ben-Hadad."  So he said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.  34 So Ben-Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria."  Then Ahab said, "I will send you away with this treaty." So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.
    35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the LORD, "Strike me, please." And the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.  37 And he found another man, and said, "Strike me, please." So the man struck him, inflicting a wound. 38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' 40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone."  Then the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it."
    41 And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets. 42 Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'"  43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Ahab made a treaty with Ben-Hadad when he cried for mercy that he might not be killed as the Syrian army he had pitted against God’s people.  The servants of Ben-Hadad talked him into deceit by sackcloth and seeking to latch onto the words of Ahab as his brother to gain sympathy.  Ahab agreed in disobedience to God’s command to eliminate him for defying the LORD and minimizing His power and authority to a god of the mountains alone.  Ahab was conned into sparing Ben-Hadad and doing business in Damascus with the added concession of getting his cities back to Israel.  The prophet brought a message in a visual parable to show the error to Ahab for giving freedom to one whom God had set aside for complete destruction.  Ahab would pay the price with his own life and with the people of Israel for this blatant disregard of God’s command.  This made Ahab depressed, but godly repentance is nowhere to be seen.  Do we listen and follow God’s word, or do we listen to deceitful sad stories moving our feelings above obedience and end up following the world opposed to Him?  When we do fail in disobedience, do we then feel sad, resentful, and angry, or do we seek true repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10) and seek to turn from repeating such sin?  There is mercy and grace at His throne when we need help, and heartfelt repentance with resulting changes leads to certain forgiveness.