3. Ahab and Manasseh are powerful examples of how the human will is ultimately weak without God. Their failure to effectively lead the Israelites through a vulnerable period of history shows that neither Ahab nor Manasseh understood how important their faith was to their ability to govern. The stories of Ahab and Manasseh can therefore illustrate valuable lessons related to leadership in general. One of the ways these stories can be used to teach spiritual truths is by examining how and why Ahab and Manasseh failed as kings.
Moreover, these stories teach well through negative examples. These kings show us what not to do, just as inspirational stories in the Bible show us how to positively conduct our lives. Ahab succumbed to greed and egotism. Although he repented in the end, he was unable to have faith until he suffered. Manasseh ruled as if he were a child his entire life, defying the will of God the Father. He was unable to have faith until he suffered, too. The message is clear: we do not need to wait for suffering to accept the Will of God. The legacies of Ahab and Manasseh lies in their errors and sins. We can learn from the mistakes made by Ahab and Manasseh and hopefully not repeat those mistakes again.
4. (a) Although not Christian kings, Ahab and Manasseh's stories clearly apply to the modern Christian life. For example, one of Ahab's greatest errors was to listen to his wife Jezebel when she encouraged him to abuse his power as king. Ahab seemed ready to accept that he could not have Naboth's vineyard. He was simply sulking after Naboth refused his offer. It was only after Jezebel egged him on by appealing to his ego that Ahab indirectly murdered Naboth. Jezebel set the evil plan...
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