Ahab and Elijah

 The northern kingdom of Israel struggles to find stability – it goes through several kings in the space of just a few years  One guy, Zimri, reigned for 7 days as king  The northern kingdom fights its own brief civil war, and Omri takes over  He’s a bad, bad dude.

 When Omri dies, his son Ahab takes over the throne.  “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him….” 1 Kings 16:33

 Ahab acted “as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat…” 1 Kings 16:31  He married a Philistine Priestess of Baal (Jezebel)  Built temples to Baal  Built Asherah poles  Reinstituted child sacrifice o.O  Didn’t just introduce false gods like the other kings, he actively encouraged people to turn from the Lord to the Baals and Asherahs  Jezebel has hundreds of God’s priests and prophets killed because they would not turn to Baal

 Because of Ahab’s sin, and that of his wife, God sends Elijah with a message  Elijah tells Ahab that in the coming years, there would be a drought so bad there wouldn’t even be dew on the ground, until Elijah says it’s time.  God tells Elijah to beat feet to the wilderness, to escape Ahab

 God tells Elijah to go to Sidon, to live there.  A Widow and her son are there, starving. Elijah tells her to make some food for him and for herself and her son. Miraculously the jar of flour and the jug of oil do not run out.  The son falls ill and dies though. Elijah resurrects him through the power of God.  Now the widow believes that Elijah is a true prophet of God.

 Ahab had sent Obadiah to find grass for horses when Elijah finds him.  Obadiah is a follower of YHWH’s, and recognizes that Elijah is a sign that God is about to punish Israel, and he is afraid.  Elijah uses God’s name in a vow to get Obadiah to go (Aren’t you not supposed to do that?)

 Ahab calls Elijah the “troubler of Israel” when they meet  Elijah calls out to Ahab to meet him on Mount Carmel with 850 priests of Baal and Asherah plus all the people of Israel.  When they get there, Elijah calls them out for trying to “limp between two opinions,” if God is God, follow Him, if not, give yourself fully to Baal.

 Build an altar – call to Baal, and if he accepts your offering with fire, great.  They call and call, Elijah makes fun of them (“Maybe he’s pooping!”) but Baal does not answer  Elijah’s altar built with 12 stones and a trench. He has them soak the bull, the stones, and the wood three times with water  God consumes the altar, wood, bull, and water in one giant gout of flame, in response to Elijah’s tiny prayer.  Elijah has the prophets of Baal and Asherah slaughtered.

 Jezebel vows to kill Elijah  He killed all her priests of Baal, after all.  Elijah flees, afraid for his life.  He heads into the wilderness, falls under a tree, and passes out.  An angel appears to him, and tells him to eat.  He wakes up, and there is food at his head, which he eats. This happens twice.  The food lets him go to all the way to Mount Horeb in forty days

 Elijah is in a cave on the mountain  The Word of God comes to him – “What are you doing?”  Elijah pours out his heart “I’m the only one that follows you!”  God sends him outside, and blasts the mountain with wind “But God was not in the wind”  He does the same with an earthquake, and with fire  He hears a low whisper, wraps his face, and goes back to the cave

 Elijah wraps his face with his cloak, and plunks himself back down in his cave  God asks him again what he’s doing, and Elijah repeats his story.  God tells him to go back up north, and appoint some people to be kings and prophets.  What the heck just happened?

 Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard for his own  He offered to buy it for any price – Naboth said no: it had been in the family too long  Jezebel has Naboth framed and killed, now his belongings can be claimed by the king  Elijah goes to Ahab and tells him that because he killed to get the vineyard, dogs would lick up his blood on that very vineyard. Not only that, but dogs would eat Jezebel too….

 Syria and Israel have been at war for years  Ahab and Jehoshaphat from Judah actually work together to drive off Syria.  Ahab disguises himself, knowing the Syrians want him dead  They attack Jehoshaphat, but realize it isn’t Ahab.  Someone randomly shoots Ahab with a bow, hitting him between the plates of his armor in the back  Ahab flees to the land near his vineyard, and bleeds to death. Dogs lick up his blood.

 With Ahab gone, Ahaziah takes over the throne  He rules exactly as his mother and father did  Ahaziah has a boo-boo.  He falls from an upper-floor balcony, through a lattice screen on a lower floor ceiling.  As he lays injured from his wounds, he sends messengers to priests of Baal-zebub in Ekron to ask if he’ll get better.  When they can’t answer, he asks Elijah.

 Captains of fifty and their men go to get Elijah  “Hey, The king wants you!”  They get eaten by fire.  “Hey! The king wants you NOW!”  They get eaten by fire.  “Please oh please, oh please don’t kill me!”  “Okay, I’ll go with you…”  Elijah tells Ahaziah he won’t recover because he lived a sinful life. He doesn’t.

 Elijah knows his time has nearly come  He tells Elisha, his disciple, to stay put. Elisha refuses to.  At every town they come to, the priests there ask Elisha if he knows Elijah will be taken, which of course he does.  Elisha asks Elijah to bless him – “give me a portion of your spirit!”  When Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind, Elisha can see him, which is the sign that God honored the blessing.