When the leader fails to lead, everyone pays a price.

 Read 1 Kings 21. 

This is the story of a pouting king and the consequences of selfish, evil behaviors. 

Underlying principles that Ahab violated:

1. We are to respect the rights of others.

2. We are to respect the heritage of others.

3. We are never to abuse power for personal gain.  That is the definition of extortion.

4. We are to take swift and decisive action when we become aware of wrong doing. 

If the person responsible will not take action, someone else will fill that vacuum and the outcome may not be honorable. 

Mistakes and sins committed by Jezebel:

1. She took up another's offense.  She should have reminded her husband that he possessed plenty of food and land already.  She should have been an encourager to him.

2. She took responsibility and authority that did not belong to her.  There was no crisis for her to usurp authority.  She used the king's power to do evil.

3. She lied.

4. She devised an evil scheme, commanded others to participate in murder, and abused the legal system against an innocent man.  Those in charge of such judgments became directly and knowingly involved in the corruption. 

God sent Elijah to condemn these two for what they did.

1. Ahab "sold" himself to do evil. (v.20)

2. Ahab "made Israel sin." (v.23)

3. Ahab allowed Jezebel to incite him to do evil. (v.25) 

Yes, Ahab repented at the news of the impending disasters.  However, God did not change His mind.  He only delayed  implementing a part of the judgment. 

King David wrote wise words for us today-

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14) 

Where is my Help?

 Read 1 Kings 20.  

The king of Syria with an allied force from 32 other kings mustered to conquer Ahab and the northern kingdom of Israel.  When negotiations failed, the two sides readied themselves for battle. 

God sent an unnamed prophet to Ahab with this message, "Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the LORD" (v.13b).  Amazingly, after all of Ahab's rebellion and evil, God continued to reveal Himself to Ahab.  These were God's chosen people and He wanted them to turn back to Him.  Though enormously outnumbered, Israel set themselves toward the enemy and routed them.  

But God was not through with punishing Syria or demanding obedience from Ahab.  As Syria prepared for the second battle, the advisers to Ben-hadad told him to fight in the plain of the land.  Why?  They believed Israel’s god ruled the hills, while their god ruled the valleys (v.23).  In their pagan way of thinking, they believed that a war could be won by pleasing one made-up god over another. 

When the LORD heard this, He sent a prophet to Ahab, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD" (v.28).  The battle was not Israel against Syria, but Syria against God.  The LORD wants all nations to know who He is and of His power; that included Ahab. 127,000 enemy soldiers died that day against 7,000 from Israel.  Only God. 

They looked the gods of the hills, instead of the God who made the hills.  Many today look to the stars, instead of the God who made the stars.  The Psalmist looked at the hills and asked the life changing question. 

Psalm 121:1-2 "I will lift my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth."

Time for a Break

 Read 1 Kings 19. 

Elijah faced down a king and 450 false prophets.  He saw God answer prayer and use him in one of the great demonstrations of God's power in the Old Testament.  Yet, when the evil Jezebel threatened to kill him he ran in fear. 

Why would such a strong prophet of God do this?  And, how would God respond to him? 

It appears in verse 4 that Elijah was exhausted--physically, mentally, and spiritually.  All he wanted to do was find a safe, quiet place to sit and, perhaps, die.  He did not want to do this anymore.  He wanted out.  Anyone who has experienced burn-out can identify with Elijah at this point. 

Notice how the LORD does not rebuke Elijah but very patiently nurses the prophet back to health.

1. He needed sleep.

2. He needed food.

3. He needed more sleep.

4. God sent him on a travel adventure to Mt. Horeb.

More than a month and a half went by without God confronting Elijah about anything. 

At Horeb, the LORD delivered His message, but watch how He began.  He did not start with a lecture, but a simple question: "What are you doing here?"  God often used this technique.  In the very first confrontation in the Bible, to Adam: "Where are you?"  To Jonah: "Do you do well to be angry...?" and others.  He asked questions, not because He did not know the answer, but because He wanted the person to verbalize their feelings and the problem.  Elijah was afraid, discouraged, and lonely. 

Elijah did not need a seminar on loneliness or counseling about discouragement.  Instead, God refreshed the personal relationship and showed again His miraculous power.  But the call from God to get up and get back to work did not come in the loud, powerful displays.  No.  It came in the quiet, whisper of God's voice. 

I believe God is speaking...through the scriptures and into our spirits every day.  We need daily times alone with God and to listen to what He has to say to us.

Make up your Mind

 Read 1 Kings 18. 

Three years passed.  The famine in Israel was so great the king had to search the land for grass to feed the animals.  Meanwhile, Jezebel sat at her royal table and fed 450 false prophets of the god Baal.  It was time for the one true God to intervene again.  He sent Elijah to meet with Ahab for a showdown.  

This was not an ego-driven power game between Ahab and Elijah.  Rather, it was a public opportunity for God to display His power and bring Israel to repent of its false worship.  The challenge is in verse 21: "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him."

The Hebrew word translated "limping" in the ESV means "to hop".  It may be used of one who steps as if lame or dances.  The nation claimed by heritage to be the people of God, chosen by Him from the time of Abraham.  Yet, their lives and resources went to worship a made-up god of their choosing and reject any claim the God of heaven made upon them.  Doing both is not possible.  It was time for them to make up their minds. 

The confrontation is graphically detailed for us.  The prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice, danced around, cried out, and cut themselves in self-punishment for their sin.  But "there was no voice.  No one answered; no one paid attention" (v.29b). 

So many people claim they believe in God, even say they believe the Bible, yet there is no evidence in the way they think, speak or live.  When trouble comes or tragedy strikes, they cry out but all the stuff they lived for does not help them. 

Elijah's prayer was a simple one calling for repentance.  "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."

God acted. What is our response?

 Read 1 Kings 17. 

There are three acts of God recorded here with varying responses. 

Even after the death of his two sons, proving the word of God to be accurate, King Ahab of Israel did not repent of his sin.  Then God acted and sent the Prophet Elijah to announce that rain would be withheld for three years.  The drought was devastating to the entire nation.  Everyone suffered.  Still there was no spiritual change. 

God instructed Elijah to cross the Jordan River and leave the country.  There God provided for him.  Next, God sent Elijah to Zarephath and have a widow take care of him. 

The unnamed widow was destitute.  Due to the drought, there were no crops which meant food was scarce.  To demand her to feed him seemed cruel.  But God acted to provide for her, her household, and Elijah.  There is no recorded response from this widow to what the LORD had done for her. 

Then, her son died.  The widow's first reaction was guilt for her sin and that this death was a punishment.  But God acted to bring her son back to life.  Her words appear to reveal that prior to this she only observed what God had to say and what He did for her.  The light went on and faith became personal.  "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth." 

Ahab experienced the painful consequences of disobeying God's word and refused to repent. 

The widow experienced God's blessings and showed no change. 

The widow experienced a spiritual confrontation about her sin and she personally embraced God's word as truth. 

The Lord is at work every moment of every day.  The question is: Are we paying attention to what God is doing throughout the day and responding obediently? 

Ignoring God's Word comes with a Price

 Read 1 Kings 16. 

Once the kingdom divided, there was not a single good king in the northern kingdom of Israel.  One right after the other, these leaders did evil and led the people in false worship.  Each time this provoked the Lord to anger.  And, each time that leader came to some tragic end. 

With the demise of a king also came the killing of at least all the males in his family who might desire to claim a right to the throne.  Many times total destruction of possessions, property, even cities belonging to the king ensued.  In short, when one person does evil, many other people suffer the consequences. 

When Ahab became king of Israel, he married Jezebel and worshipped the false god Baal.  There is no argument that Jezebel was an awful, sinful woman.  But, concerning Ahab, the scripture states that he "did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him" (v.30).  He thought he could do whatever he wanted in total disregard for the God of heaven. 

One of his famous projects was to rebuild the ancient city of Jericho.  In Joshua 6, when the walls of Jericho fell and the Israelites conquered that city, Joshua pronounced a prophecy.  "Cursed before the LORD be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.  'At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates'" (Joshua 6:26).  Though more than 600 years had passed, God's word proved true and Ahab's family experienced these painful consequences. 

God means what He says.  His word is totally reliable.  Neither His word, nor His character, changes with time or culture.  This provides all the confidence we need to live for Him today.  He is worthy of our trust. 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) 

"Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.  Your faithfulness endures to all generations;" (Psalm 119:89-90a)

 

Watch your Influence

 Read 1 Kings 15. 

Abijam became king of Judah.  He was the great-grandson of David.  The scriptures are clear that Abijam continued the sinful practices of his father Rehoboam and "was not wholly true to the LORD his God" (v.3).  However, notice that God remained faithful to the promises He made to David. 

Next, Asa, David's great-great-grandson became king of Judah.  He was a good king and pleased the LORD in his life and in his leadership of the nation.  It required spiritual courage and boldness to cleanse the nation morally, even removing his own mother from her national position. 

Meanwhile in the northern kingdom of Israel, the kings that followed Jeroboam aggressively maintained their evil ways.  

There is a huge reminder for all us here.  We never know how our decisions and actions directly affect those around us, particularly the generations within our own family.  Our personal spiritual commitments and our moral choices leave a legacy for others to remember us and follow.  The Apostle Paul wrote: "For none of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself." Romans 14:7 

Every interaction with others is a moment of influence.  May all who come behind us find us faithful.