posted by Tom Chantry at Tuesday, May 18, 2010
So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken. I Kings 22:37-38
Although God showed remarkable kindness to Ahab when the king humbled himself before the Lord, the ultimate judgment of Ahab and his house was not changed. Ahab's repentance was never of the heart, and eventually he demonstrated the futility of surface repentance. He took the temporary leniency of God as an excuse to return to his old ways.
In chapter 22 of I Kings Ahab may be found consulting with prophets of false gods, insulting and imprisoning a prophet of Jehovah, and willfully opposing the will of God. His encounter with Elijah had not changed him in the least. The Lord honored his temporary humility, but there was no heart repentance to honor. Thus the word of Elijah was fulfilled, and the holy war against Ahab's family commenced.
With this episode Elijah's ministry approached its end. He would have one unsought confrontation with Ahab's son, and then his time would come and God would call him home. Baal worship would remain the law of the land for some time, and the primary recipient of Elijah's ministry would be in hell. The ministry which opened with such dramatic promise would end in obscurity. As much as the sight of Ahab's blood trickling from the cistern demonstrated the failure of the king, men could also claim that it demonstrated the failure of the prophet. His words had been fulfilled, but in their fulfillment his dream of a revived Israel had come to nothing.
What are we to think about the ministry of Elijah? Already God had given him guidance to a certain degree: "…the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel…" What mattered was not Elijah's success, but rather God's. He would ultimately destroy Baal worship, though He would do it through the agency of many men, not one. Meanwhile God had a remnant that were faithful to Him - a remnant largely composed of people Elijah had never met.
Was Elijah insignificant, then? Hardly so. Three truths may be observed about his ministry in the days of Ahab:
1. Elijah proclaimed the greatness of God. From first to last the prophet had framed his ministry in the words "As Jehovah lives." In an age when men cared nothing for the God of their fathers, one voice loudly proclaimed that God is great. His ministry was an act of praise to God. That alone is a worthy goal for any life. God will be glorified, and to be used by Him as the voice that expresses that glory is a tremendous blessing.
2. Elijah proclaimed the justice of God. The God of Elijah could never be thought of as soft or weak. He made it very clear to all that God is righteous and holy, hating sin, and that He will not tolerate wickedness. Idolatry is a grotesque and shameful evil, and Elijah never flinched from declaring the righteous anger of God against the sin of his age. God is glorified not only in His grace, but also in His justice. The fact that Elijah faithfully warned many who would enter into perdition manifests the righteousness of God. We may be tempted to call such a ministry vain, but it is not so.
3. Elijah proclaimed the mercy of God. From the demonstration of God's life-giving mercy to a widow of Zarephath (Elijah's only recorded convert) to the proclamation of God's patience with a demented king who showed some sign of humility and fear, Elijah - the man known as "the Prophet of Fire" - stood ready to say that the just God was also ready to forgive whoever turned to Him in humble repentance. Elijah did not proclaim a soft and meaningless grace, as though sin did not matter. He proclaimed a robust, powerful grace - grace which could overcome the impediment which sin is in the face of a holy and righteous God.
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Amazingly, this chapter ends with a demonstration of mercy toward Ahab. The king of Israel had persisted in wickedness through all the messages which God had sent him. He had worshiped false gods and consented in the murder of many righteous men. At last his evil had grown so great that God had sent His prophet to tell the king that there was no more opportunity for grace. He and his family would most certainly die in violent agony. God would wipe them from the face of the earth. The end had come for Ahab, and not only he, but also his wife, children, and grandchildren would suffer the awful penalty his rebellion against the almighty.
And at that point, Ahab - always a coward who lacked the courage of any convictions - went into mourning. He engaged in all the outward forms of repentance. He tore his clothes, wore uncomfortable cloth, and changed his demeanor. He acted like a sorrowful sinner looking for mercy.
Yet we know that Ahab had not repented within his heart. Only one chapter later we find him consulting false prophets and imprisoning another prophet of Jehovah. He would willingly oppose the will of God and go to war in a cause not sanctioned by the Lord.
What, then, was he doing? Why did he respond to Elijah as he did? We cannot escape the conclusion that Ahab's tears were either a terrified response to the graphic prophecy of his family's destruction or a jaded attempt to trick God into sparing him. In either case, his tears were those of Judas and did not demonstrate repentance. The paragraph heading in our Bibles which calls this "Ahab's Repentance" are wrong; neither the word nor the concept occur in this passage.
Why, then, did God respond as He did? It is most remarkable to us that God responded to this false show of tears. We expect the Lord to ignore such sentimentality. However, God relents to some degree - postponing the destruction of Ahab's family while he lives. His judgment is not reversed, but its execution is stayed for a time.
The reason given is not repentance but rather one element of repentance: humility. "Because he has humbled himself before me…" says the Lord. Humility is not only the wisest course; it is always the right course before God. Although Ahab's repentance was a fraud, his outward humility had to be taken into account. God would not destroy the king so long as the king was humble before Him.
First, this forms the necessary background to Christ's command to forgive seventy times seven times. Peter's question to our Lord had an obvious point: at some point we can assume that repentance is not genuine. God certainly knew that Ahab didn't feel any remorse within his heart, yet He relented for a time. When He calls us to forgive after obviously fraudulent repentance, He calls on us to do no more than He himself has done.
Secondly, and of even greater import, if God was willing to respond favorably to the half-hearted, superficial repentance of Ahab, how will He respond to true repentance? The king's tears may not have revealed a heart of humility, but God's response did demonstrate a heart of compassion. He stands ready to forgive those who truly humble themselves in spirit before His face.
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in
With these terrible words Elijah pronounced the judgment of God against King Ahab. The words are chillingly final, but do not imagine that they are in any way harsh. Ahab received precisely what he deserved, and in fact the Lord had been very patient with him. The king was assigned his own prophet, a faithful man who pointed out to him the evil of his ways. He had ample opportunity to hear and obey the word of the Lord. Nevertheless, he had persisted in idolatry and oppression, and most recently he had consented in the murder of a righteous man. God’s judgment was certainly just, but more than that may be said.
The judgment which Elijah pronounced was also a certain judgment. There could be no question that God would follow through on it. The prophet demonstrated this fact with reference to earlier demonstrations of God’s justice. Jeroboam had an opportunity to walk with God, but he refused. He would not listen to the prophets who warned him. Consequently his family was eradicated and others took the throne of
How often has God judged sin? How many times do men need to see the terrible consequences of rebellion before they repent before the Lord? Sin brings judgment; this is no secret. It is splashed alike across the pages of Scripture and history. Yet the world is populated with Ahabs who imagine that they will escape the consequences of their sin.
We also see the absolute horror of falling under the judgment of God. Our modern ears cringe at the mention of dogs and birds eating the flesh of Ahab and his family. Such language is common to the warnings of the Lord. It is reminiscent of the descriptions of eternal damnation for those who will not hear the word of the Lord.
In fact, it is this which should make us tremble when we read the condemnation of Ahab. His fate is the fate of all those who refuse to give God His due. The slaughter which would come upon Ahab and Jezebel would encompass not only their children and grandchildren, but all those who bowed the knee to Baal in both
Yet even in this dark pronouncement there is a touch of light, if only we will look far enough in Scripture to find it. Ahab, Jezebel and their children would die terrible, violent deaths. Their grandchildren would also be obliterated, many of them by the hand of their own wicked daughter, the future queen of
Yes, Ahab stands in the list of ancestors of our Lord. It is a distinction which will never do him any good, but the fact still demonstrates that God’s wrath, though perfect and thorough, never overturns His gracious plan to redeem His people. The condition of the world is terrible, but the same God who judges the wicked also delivers the humble and contrite.
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.
I Kings 21:20
Oh, how little Ahab had learned! Elijah had already explained it to him; it was not the prophet who troubled
Only notice that this time Elijah made no attempt to dispute what he says. Ahab asked if he had found him, and he agreed that he had. By implication he also agreed that he was Ahab’s enemy. Indeed, God had become Ahab’s enemy, and Elijah was only God’s messenger. This is as bad a condition as any man can find himself in.
The phraseology with which Elijah rebuked the king is telling. He had “sold himself to do evil.” We are reminded of the Apostle’s language; we are either slaves to sin or slaves to Christ. Ahab, the king of
All of that is somewhat obvious, but notice something further in this passage. Ahab, having become a slave to sin, also had a conscience. The repeated visits from Elijah had some effect on him. He spoke as a hunted man. He knew that Elijah was looking for him, and in truth God was looking for him as well. What a terrible condition that man is in who sells himself to do evil. Ahab knew that sooner or later the prophet would find him and probe his guilty conscience once again. Messages from God are unavoidable.
The truth is that God does seek those who do evil, and He does find them. The disaster which would fall on Ahab was unavoidable, as it does on any who does evil in the sight of God.
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, October 07, 2009
“And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”’”
I Kings 21:19
And these are the words which Elijah must finally speak to Ahab. Last week we considered the implications for the people of God - that He is always watching over us and will avenge the injustices done to us. For a moment let us consider the import of these words to Ahab.
Elijah had spoken to Ahab on only a few occasions before. The first time he laid down the challenge of God to Baal: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” God’s first embassy to Ahab was essentially to say that Jehovah, the God of Israel, lives. Furthermore, Baal, the storm-god of the Phoenicians, does not. But Ahab ignored the Word of the Lord.
Elijah’s next words to Ahab were these: “I have not troubled
The next word which Ahab heard from Elijah was addressed to all the elders of
The last word which Ahab had heard from Elijah was a message of grace: “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” There is no record of Ahab joining in when the people cried out “The Lord, He is God!” Nevertheless, the people having humbled themselves before Him, God was prepared to pour out the blessing which He had been withholding from the land. The prophet had communicated the mercy of God as well as His righteous anger. Once more, though, Ahab ignored the Word of the Lord.
Think of that! Ahab had ignored not one but four messages from the Lord. God lives. You have sinned and brought disaster on yourself. Turn from sin and trust in God. The mercy of God is still offered. Can any sinner expect more than this from the God he has offended? Yet Ahab was stony-hearted and would not listen.
Consequently, God had only one more message for him. This was to be Elijah’s last visit, and the message itself was terrible. Essentially Elijah said, “God is finished with you, and He is going to destroy you.”
It is an inevitable message to all those who will not listen to the Word of God. Sooner or later every sinner who does not repent receives this message. How terrible a thing it is to ignore God when He pronounces His justice and His mercy before sinners!
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, September 30, 2009
As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of
I Kings 21:15-18
And so that was it. Ahab wanted the vineyard, Jezebel was willing to take it, and there was nothing Naboth could do about it. The righteous man who stood up for his principles was murdered, and no one in all
But that was not really the end of the story. The wickedness of men is never the end of the story. God was watching, and He was not pleased with the thing Ahab had done. He had never concerned himself with the approbation of the Almighty, but now his days were numbered. As soon as Ahab set foot on Naboth’s ground, God dispatched his prophet to bring words of doom to the king.
It is remarkable how God cares for the upright of heart. Ahab had done much wickedness in His day. He had married outside the faith, imported the false god Baal, and blasphemed in many ways. He had permitted the murder of the prophets of God and he had refused to repent when provided with abundant evidence of God’s power. Neither the chastisement of the drought nor the miraculous demonstration on
Yet it was this small act - the murder of a righteous man - that stirred God to action. God would not rest in avenging the blood of Naboth until Ahab’s race had been eradicated from the earth. Ahab himself would die a violent death, as would Jezebel, and as would all of their children. One great-grandchild alone of all their seed would be preserved in order to keep the promise that God made to David.
God cares deeply about His people - even the nameless ones who labor in obscurity, seeking to glorify Him and to keep His laws. Naboth was one such man, and we are allowed to see the attentiveness of God to his plight in order that we might never forget that He has His eye upon His children always.
This is an encouraging thought when we find ourselves oppressed. It is also a sobering thought when we consider our obligations toward the people of God. He cares for us - for every one of us. Do we also treasure those who are called according to His name?
posted by Tom Chantry at Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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