Evil doesn’t need numbers. History’s most horrific acts were committed by only a handful of perpetrators. These agents of evil didn’t persuade others to join in their sin; they only convinced them to go along. Most Germans didn’t hunt down and kill Jews, but they allowed their government to do it. Most Americans didn’t own slaves, but they permitted their neighbors to do so. Evil simply needs a silent majority who see what is happening and do nothing.
Passivity was one of Ahab’s many problems. He cowered before his wife, Jezebel, a foreign queen who pushed him to worship Baal (1 Kings 16:31). When Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Ahab ran home to Jezebel and told her about him. It was Jezebel, not Ahab, who promised Elijah that she would get her revenge (1 Kings 19:1-2). Ahab went along.
When Naboth refused to sell his vineyard, “Ahab went home angry and sullen” and told about him (1 Kings 21:4-6). Jezebel replied, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” (1 Kings 21:7). And she did. Ahab merely went along with the idea.
Ahab was passive, but he wasn’t innocent. God declared that he was the most wicked of the evil kings of Israel. He may not have pulled the trigger, but he allowed Naboth’s murder and Israel’s idolatry to occur, among other evil choices.
This should give us pause: What evil might we be silently tolerating? Do we sit on our hands when others are bullied or abused? Do we say nothing when professing Christians dismiss the foundational truths of our faith? We may feel bad for challenging them; but given that Ahab’s greatest sin was idolatry, how can we not speak up for God and His true Word?
Evil doesn’t need you to stand with it. It wins whenever you don’t take a stand.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 4:1-16
More:
Read 1 Kings 19:1-18 to discover how you can stand against evil.
Next:
Who needs you to stand up for him or her? How can you be an advocate for that person today?
tom felten on January 3, 2013 at 8:48 am
Good word, Mike. As has been said, we as believers in Jesus must walk toward the mess. We must face the injustice and ugliness and evil, seeking to see God’s light and love piece the darkness.
alli on January 3, 2013 at 9:56 am
its easier than pie to be a willing party to someone else’s death. sitting around allowing people to continue in sin is such, people think its loving to fail to discipline or rebuke as if you are committing them cruelty and even when GOD says hard words to us we find it hard to believe depending on our tru estimation of self or what others have told us, but the tru gauge is always in the eyes of the father, i hope to change it is always costly to stand for righteousness never a simple task. and you want to hide your face from your own flesh and sins
juliette on January 3, 2013 at 11:31 pm
Such a timely word. In the Bahamas the Christian church is fighting a battle against legalizing webshop gambling and lottery, and professed Christians don’t see the need to vote in the upcoming referrendum. If we don’t stand, who will?
mike wittmer on January 5, 2013 at 10:39 am
Juliette: the worst part is when people accuse Christians who take a stand as somehow being unloving or unChristian. The right response, I think, is to remind them of the people who will be hurt by what we are opposing, so our vote comes from love.
winn collier on January 7, 2013 at 10:37 am
I’m so glad that justice and righteousness are not merely ideals…