Cowboy John Dean & King Ahab

A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine my high school reminded me of a Biblical truth. I’ve thought about it a lot since she shared it with me. In a story told in I Kings 20: 4-8. We see how God wins our battles and how the devil tries to defeat us in the valleys. The story is of Ben-Hadad, King of Aram. He sends word to Ahab, King of Israel, that he is coming to take all his silver and gold. King Ahab relents and sends word back saying, “just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours.” King Ben-Hadad sends another message to Ahab saying, “oh but I will take all that you have, your gold and silver, your wives and your children. I will seize everything you value and carry it away.” Ben-Hadad is a picture of the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy. The devil is never satisfied with taking only one thing from you, but he wants it all, your spouse, your money, and your children. We become Ahabs when we agree to let the devil have anything. I became an Ahab when it came to my brother. I didn’t stand up right from the beginning and say no, you won’t take anything I have. Rather, I consented to giving the devil some of what he wanted. I won’t make the same mistake again. The people who hurt my brother and subsequently my family will not win. The Bible tells us, “God will deliver him and his armies into the right hands, and they will know that he is the Lord wherever his people are. He’s the God of the mountain and he’s the God of the valley too.” I’m sure it seems strange that I can write about gunning down enemies in the street one day and mention God the next. I know I’m nothing but a sinner. Nothing I ever say about wanting vengeance or revenge for what’s happened to Rick takes away from God’s goodness. I struggle. It’s hard to watch my brother die. I appreciate the Old West because the metal of a person then was defined by standing up to what was wrong and saying no. On this day in 1879, Cowboy John Dean got to whooping it up in Caldwell, Kansas and when he went to drunkenly waving his pistol around the law was called in. Marshall George Flatt and Deputy Red Bill Jones attempted to arrest Dean as he was riding out of town. They both pursued him on foot firing as they ran. But Dean galloped to safety. I like the fact that the Marshall and Deputy pursued the bad guy on foot. They were dedicated to not letting evil come and take over without a fight. John Dean learned his lesson. He knew if he ever returned to Caldwell he would be taken down. Consequently, Dean never went back.