Bitter Is Sweet

“And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.” (1Ki 22:27 AV)

 

Maciah was the prophet of God sent to preach to the wicked king Ahab. Ahab was the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel who married Jezebel, a daughter of a Phaniciaen nation.  Jezebel pushed Baal worship and Ahab her husband was a spineless wimp of a man who wouldn’t stand up to her.  His most hideous act was to murder a close relative that he might possess a field.  Upon this act, which was three years before the event above, Elijah declares to the king that he and his wife would die violent deaths.  In the process, wild dogs and birds would consume their carcasses.  This brings us to the above event.  Syria has come out against Israel.  Ahab summons his prophets to declare what God will do.  All declare God will bless the battle and Ahab would be victorious.  The only thing is, they did not prophesy in the name of the LORD.  None of what they said was valid.  The king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (who came up to help in the battle) called for a man of God who would prophesy in the name of the LORD.  Here enters Maciah.  After initially telling Ahab to go ahead and fight because he would return victorious, Ahab tells him to prophesy in the name of the LORD.  When he then revealed the truth of the future; that Ahab would die in battle and the dogs would eat them; he is sent to prison and fed with the bread and water of affliction.  When I read this, I wondered how Maciah actually felt about it.

There is a difference between being punished for doing wrong and being punished for doing right.  One can suffer the same conditions of punishment, but experience it differently depending on the circumstances.  When I worked at the pizzeria, there were two of us considered for the manager position.  Jerry and I competed for the same position.  The owner’s brother was the current manager but was leaving to manage a new store.  Not to brag, but I was the better employee.  I was faster, better organized, and could deal with employees better than Jerry could.  I was a Christian and my character was far and away higher than Jerry’s.  However, I would not drink with my boss.  I would not go to bars with my boss.  I would not go next door to a Seven-Eleven to buy booze for my boss.  I would not tell dirty jokes or listen to them either.  I wouldn’t stay until the early morning hours just to shoot the breeze.  I went to church whenever I could.  I worked just as hard as Jerry but I also went to Bible school.  I was passed over time and again.  Not just for the management position at the restaurant I worked, but for every new shop the company opened also choose someone different.  One might think I might have become bitter.  Not so.  The oppression I felt was a badge of honor.  The bread and water of affliction they meant as a discouragement was a reminder that I had done the right thing.  To me, it wasn’t stale bread and bitter water.  It was the reward for doing the right thing.

The bread of affliction may be moldy.  The water of affliction may be bitter.  What makes all the difference in the world is why we are consuming it.  If we are in obedience to the will of God, then that which is meant to be a discouragement and punishment is rather a constant reminder we did the right thing.  What is meant to be a hindrance is actually and motive to continue.  What is meant to be detrimental is actually a source of growth.  Ahab may have meant to do additional harm to Macaih, but perhaps Macaih looked at that old and dried-out loaf of bread and said, “praise the LORD!  At least I declared the truth in the name of the LORD and he will be dead within a day or two.”  There is no persecution the world can send that would discourage the faithful saint from service to God.  All it does is add fuel to the fire of a heart that is already on fire for God.  So, appreciate the cost of faithfulness. It is a reminder of what God can do through a surrendered heart.