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In chapters 15 and 16 we focus on kings of Israel, and see men leading the people of Israel further and further away from Yahweh and becoming closer and closer mirrors of the depraved cultures around them. Then in chapter 17 we are introduced to one of the greatest prophets Israel ever saw: Elijah. 15:33-34 Just changing the paint color and the name on the door of the palace doesn’t mean the hearts of changed. Political change in Israel does not equal spiritual change, and Baasha is just as bad as Nadab and Jeroboam. 16:1 – 4 God allowed Baasha to rule, but did not sanction the way he got there. The standard is still walking with God, like David. If you don’t have a relationship with Him, you don’t have Him. Jehu gives much the same prophesy that Ahijah (different guy than Baasha’s father) gave to Jeroboam’s wife in 14:11. 5 – 7 Baasha is judged both for his personal spiritual condition, and for his actions in destroying the house of Jeroboam. But didn’t God prophecy this very end for Jeroboam? Isn’t what Baasha did right then? No. God uses evil to judge evil all the time, but that doesn’t excuse the actions. Using bad to do good does not make it good. 8 – 10 You really had to watch your back in Israel in those days. Zimri, one of Elah’s army commanders saw Elah passed out drunk (what an example for the people) after partying-down at Arza’s house and offed him. But he wasn’t done yet. 11 – 14 Again, God’s word comes true. Notice it is still all about relationship: “provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.” So Zimri wipes out Baasha’s house, but he himself lasts only a week! 15 – 20 Zimri servers the shortest time of any of the kings of Israel. Another army commander (perhaps over the other half of the chariots) finds out about the coup d’état. He’s been down trying to take a Philistine town, comes back to Tirzah and besieges it. Zimri evidently realizes he’s not going to stay in power and rather than being executed, wants to do as much damage as possible, so he sets the place on fire around himself. Have you ever met someone like that? When they can’t get their way they burn as many bridges and hurt as many people as possible on their way out. You can see the seeds of a civil war among the northern tribes begin to emerge when rival army commanders are each vying for the throne. 21 – 24 Tibni managed to keep power from Omri’s hands for six years but was eventually killed, probably executed. Omri buys an easily defendable hill for 150 pounds of silver and calls it Samaria. Omri was apparently a strong leader. Records from over a century later talk about “the land of Omri.” Omri cemented a relationship with the Phoenicians by marrying his son Ahab off to Jezebel. 25 – 28 Jeroboam’s Yahweh-substitute religion lived far longer than he or his dynasty. Notice how the kings get further and further away from the Lord. If we think things are bad now, get ready for the worst king ever: Ahab. 29 – 33 Ahab didn’t think twice about following the ways of Jeroboam – he thought so little of it that it was like Yahweh was a foreign god and that his real gods were those of the nations around him. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, a king of the Sidonians (Phoenicians). She not only worshiped Baal Melqart but vigorously encouraged Israel to worship Baal. She also re-introduced the worship of Baal’s wife using Asherah poles. Ahab was not forced into this marriage, he did it by choice. 34 I think that perhaps this story of Hiel re-fortifying Jericho is symbolic in two ways. 1. After Israel first entered the Promised Land, God defeated Jericho in a miracle. It symbolized conquering the enemies of God all over the land and relying on God’s hand to move on Israel’s behalf. Joshua said at the time in Joshua declared by oath that anyone who rebuilds the city would be cursed (6:26). It would happen by the deaths of both first born and youngest sons. So in a sense, Ahab, through Hiel, would rather go all the way back to the beginning and endure the curse of God than be under his hand. It’s like moving time backward and undoing all of the faithfulness to God and rejecting him all over again – but totally this time. 2. It also symbolized how God’s Word would come true regarding Ahab, just as it came true for Hiel. Chapter 17 With the ministry of Elijah, there is a shift in the prophetic ministry. Guys like Ahijah and Jehu made pronouncements of what God was going to do, which came about. Elijah was much stronger in his pronouncements from God—that at his word rain would be withdrawn or given to the land. Elijah also got his hands dirty in fighting the rampant idolatry and especially the worship of Ba’al in the land. And he suffered more personally for coming against Ahab directly. He is a great example of someone not afraid of wading into the sinful world around him, trying to bring God’s light and righteousness. His fears, triumphs, divine knowledge and struggles knowing God’s will give us a lot of encouragement as we seek to be ambassadors for Jesus in a dark world. 1 Ba’al was known as the god of storms. People worshipped him to get rain for their crops. He wasn’t actually real, only a demon was the limited power behind Ba’al. The God of the universe is about to show Ahab that the real power over the earth came by Him only. By the time Elijah tells Ahab, the drought is already six months old. (see Luke 4:25 compared with 1 Kings 18:1 – the drought was three years six months long – Elijah confronted Ahab after three years of drought). 2 – 7 This isn’t the first time Elijah will have to make a run for it. It wasn’t that he was afraid, but it removes access to Elijah, and God, from Ahab. Ahab is left to think about the cause as he sees the people of Israel suffer more and more. It was also a sign that God had turned his back on Israel for their disobedience and they were being disciplined. Elijah went 15 miles east to the Jordan from Jezreel. Kerith (or Cherith) was in a narrow gorge. By the way, Tishbe, Elijah’s birthplace, is just a few miles east of that canyon. There was water in the brook and somehow birds were sent to bring him food. Notice that it wasn’t until the brook dried up that God gave Elijah new direction. We want to know the next move when we still have a job or before we get sick or before some other calamity, but it is like God to wait so that we truly see our dependence on Him. 8 – 16 God has Elijah travel to Jezebel’s home country. Zerephath is between Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia. This non-Jewish woman is given a test: if she would care for the needs of another, the needs of her family would be provided. It was a great testament to her of God’s provision, strengthened Elijah’s faith, and also shows us that if we simply believe and trust in Jesus with our little puny faith, that God will provide for us abundantly! 17 – 24 This is an odd story because clearly God did not reveal what was going on to Elijah. You’d think that everything would be rosy for this family once they trusted in God’s messenger. In fact, God is in the business of growing our puny faith into something much more powerful. It is one thing to experience the miracle of flour and oil that never seems to run dry, but it’s quite another to rise people from the dead. Even so, Jesus began his ministry by healing people, but in the end his purpose was to rise all of us from the dead by dying in our place. Here both the woman and Elijah are puzzled. She accuses Elijah of tricking her – that the true purpose of coming was only to judge her sin and thus take her son. In reality the purpose was to grow her faith in God (the God of the whole earth, not the Jews only). Elijah queries God along the same lines and then follows that prayer by an act of faith, stretching himself out on the boy, who comes back to life. Our prayers should be accompanied by action—I don’t mean throwing yourself off the pinnacle of the temple to test God, but if we trust him to provide for us, then we shouldn’t panic but be at peace. If we trust that he will repair a relationship we should look for his moving and our part in it. Conclusions Do you believe your own prayers? In James 5, the apostle talks about Elijah’s prayer for drought and rain. He says that Elijah “was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” Sometimes we think that we are just covering our bases or asking God because it is what we are supposed to do. But do we believe that he actually hears and answers? Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. |
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