1 Kings 21: An Ivory Palace with Little Faith

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?' Then say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth's blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!' "

Although Ahab inherited a bad situation: a divided kingdom in which religious faith was in free fall. Yet somehow he made it worse, doing “more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (16:30)

The Bible lays much of the blame for Ahab’s performance on a bad marriage. To forge a political alliance he married Jezebel, the daughter of a neighboring king. When she brought along her idols of Baal, Ahab joined in, building a temple to Baal right in his capital. Jezebel then tried to hunt down and destroy all remnants of true Israelite faith, replacing god’s prophets with her own imported substitutes.

While Ahab may seem like the passive partner in crime, he bore his share of responsibility as well. The prophet Elijah might have been his salvation; Ahab saw him instead as an enemy and a troublemaker (18:17; 21;20) Time after time Ahab rejected good and godly advice.

By secular standards of prosperity and military strength, Ahab achieved success. He built a fine palace inlaid with ivory. He drove back invaders from Syria. From the Bible’s point of view, however, these achievements meant nothing compared to his failures of faith and morality. As a traitor to God, Ahab was the worst king yet.

Life Question
In today’s world, how do political leaders affect a country’s overall moral and spiritual climate?

Sadly, the media tends to dictate a leader's image- both in a positive and negative light. I think the average person is quick to judge someone's character by what they watch on the 6:00 news. One has to wonder what kind of press coverage good ole' King Ahab would have received back in the day. My guess is that he may have been glorified by his lofty buidling projects and little attention would have been given for his spiritual plight...and because of this, the people would rally behind him. Some things never change in human history.

1 Kings 18: Mountaintop Showdown

For sheer drama, few scenes can match the one that transpires on windswept Mount Carmel, where the forces of good and evil collide head-on. The incident recorded in chapter 18 is no myth. On this day, a prophet single-handedly takes on a king and nearly a thousand powerful priests.

Elijah has already made a grand entrance, stalking the terraced streets of affluent Samaria in black camel's hair, a striking contrast to the priests of Baal in their white linen robes and high-pointed bonnets. Three years before, he had proclaimed a simple, unpopular message of doom: "There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (17:1) That message was a direct affront to followers of Baal, who believed their god could control the weather. His message delivered, Elijah disappeared. For the next three years he was the most wanted fugitive in Israel, for he alone had the power to bring rain. And now, in this scene, the prophet Elijah returns to Samaria.

Israel faces a crossroads. Other kings have introduced idolatry into the Jewish religion, but King Ahab and his notorious wife Jezebel want to go much further. Queen Jezebel has just launched a murderous campaign to eliminate all true prophets of God and replace them with pagan priests. The prophet Elijah, whose very name means, "The Lord is my God," is a thorn in her side. So, Elijah proposes a showdown, the ultimate contest, to prove who is the true God. On one side stands a resplendent array of 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah; on the other side stands a lone, bedraggled prophet of God.

Elijah lets the pagan prophets have the first turn. As they dance around an altar beseeching their gods, he sits back, enjoys the show and taunts them into a frenzy. "Maybe your god is traveling, or sleeping," he yells. The priests slash themselves with swords until their blood runs. When Elijah's turn comes, he works the crowd like a master magician. Just when it seems Elijah is perpetrating a fraud, the miracle happens: Fire falls from heaven. In the final analysis, it is no contest at all.

Elijah lives during one of the greatest outbreaks of miracles in Biblical history, as God is sounding a final warning to the rebellious northern kingdom. As Israel's rulers and then its priests grow more and more corrupt, 1 and 2 Kings train the spotlight on prophets like Elijah. These prophets channel God's power through their words and deeds. Over time, the significance of the prophets equals and even surpasses that of the kings.

Life Question: Do you think people's faiths would be strengthened today if there were more miracles like that which occurred on Mount Carmel?

Sometimes God seems silent, and sometimes he works slowly and mysteriously. But occasionally God does step in directly, even spectacularly, with a display of power that is simply awesome. That said, the Bible is filled with spectacular miracles, and yet the Israelites time and time again break their covenant and fall away from God's plan. I would imagine that the same would hold true in today's society. A miracle does not strengthen faith. I think it has to be something that comes from your heart and is nurtured by a constant, healthy relationship with Christ. A lightning bolt can't bring you closer to Christ...

1 Kings 17: God turns to a new breed of heroes- the prophets

Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.

Although the nation of Israel flourishes during its Golden Age under Solomon, in the end, the king's weaknesses seriously erodes the kingdom. His lavish public projects lay a heavy tax burden on its citizens and force him to conscript some of them as virtual slaves. His moral failures undermine the spiritual unity of the nation, and the brief, shining vision of a covenant nation gradually fades away. After Solomon's death, Israel splits into two kingdoms and begins to slide toward ruin.

The two nations will have 39 rulers between them and a couple dozen prophets besides. Although the Bible discusses all 39 rulers by name, their stories speed up into a forgettable blur after Solomon's reign. God turns instead to a new breed of heroes, the prophets.

Elijah, the wildest and woolliest prophet of all, illustrates better than anyone else the decisive change. Whereas King Solomon wore jewelry and fine clothes and lived in a gilded palace, Elijah wears a covering of black camel's hair, sleeps in the wilderness, and has to beg or pray-for handouts. He comes on the scene when Israel (the northern kingdom) is thriving politically, but floundering spiritually.

Chapter 17 shows Elijah during his fugitive days, learning utmost faith in God. First, he is fed by ravens. Then, when his water supply dries up, God orders Elijah to an unlikely place'" the home of a poverty-stricken widow. The widow, not even an Israelite, lives in evil Queen Jezebel's home territory, a dangerous place for a hunted prophet. Yet the widow shows enough faith in the prophet and his God to offer her last meager resources. The tender story of his healing of a widow's son shows that God has not forgotten the "little people." Israel's salvation will depend on how well the nation listens to prophets like Elijah.

Life Question: When was the last time that you had to turn to God in a time of physical crisis? What happened?

Well, just this past week my daughter finally confided in me that she has been absolutely miserable at school...dating back to last year. Peer pressure is just a miserable thing for adolescents, and part of me wants to wring the necks of the kids who can be so cruel at times. Long story short, Marie has asked to transfer over to St. Matthews, the school that her brother attends. She's visiting the school tomorrow, and we will all sit down this weekend to make a definitive decision. I will surely turn to God for prudence on this one...I just want what's best for my little girl.