The Vision (2.7.20): The Saint of God is Never Outnumbered

Image: Winter sunset, February 2020, North Garden, Virginia

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 6.

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them (2 Kings 6:16).

2 Kings 6 describes how the king of Syria sent his forces by night to encircle and capture the prophet Elisha at Dothan. The next morning the prophet’s servant saw the Syrian forces and told Elisha, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” (v. 15b).

Elisha’s response in v. 16 is the key to whole chapter. It is the spiritual center of this narrative.

First, Elisha says, “Fear not.” Elisha’s “fear not” is a call to trust and confidence in God even in the worst of circumstances.

The Southern General Thomas Jackson was famous for his indifference to the bombs and bullets that flew and fell around him, because he was a staunch Calvinist and believed in the providence of God. So, he got the name “Stonewall” for his ability to stand unmoved in the face of the direst circumstances.

Then Elisha said, “for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (v. 16).

He knew that the Lord and his great hosts were there to protect him. It anticipates the word of the apostle John: “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The saint of God is never outnumbered!

Notice next it says, “And Elisha prayed…” (v. 17). The greatest men of God are men of prayer. The veil was lifted so that the servant saw that the mountains around Elisha were thick with horses and chariots of fire. (v. 17). There was a hedge of protection!

The Lord had extended his own hand to protect his servant. The saint of God is never outnumbered.

Paul said that the Old Testament was written “for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4).

What can we learn? When we are encircled with foes, we can trust God; we can remember that we are never alone; and we can pray

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (12.17.19): Made in the likeness of men

Image: Elder Clark leads prayer during CRBC outreach at Epworth Manor (12.27.19).

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Philippians 2:5-11.

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7).

In the “Christ Hymn” of Philippians 2:5-11, the apostle Paul provides perhaps the best-known summary of the doctrine of Christ. He describes three aspects of our Lord’s existence and ministry: (1) his pre-existent glory (v. 6); (2) his incarnation (vv. 7-8); and (3) his exaltation (vv. 9-11).

Let’s look at each:

First, his pre-existent glory (v. 6):

This verse reminds us that the second person of the Godhead existed before the incarnation of the Word in Jesus of Nazareth.  God has from all eternity been Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons, equal in essence, power, and glory. The second person of the Godhead was in the form (morphe) of God, and did not consider it robbery [harpagmos:  something to be seized, stolen, grabbed at] to be equal (isos) with God (cf. John 5:18; 10:32; 19:7). 

Second, his condescension in his incarnation (vv. 7-8):

Three things are described in v. 7:

First, he made himself of no reputation. He laid aside the glory and honors and prerogatives that were rightly his as God.

Second, he took on the form of a servant.  The word servant is doulos, slave.  He went from the highest and most exalted state to the lowest and humblest.

Third, he was made in the likeness of man.  It staggers the mind.  He went from riches to rags. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). No one can ever say to God:  But you don’t understand what it’s like to be me (cf. Heb 4:15).

Third, his exaltation (vv. 9-11):

Praise be to God, his death on that cruel cross is not the end of the story!

He was gloriously raised from the dead, appeared to his disciples, and ascended on high to be seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (cf. Mark 16:19). 

Finally, the Christ hymn proceeds to tell of yet another level or stage of Christ’s exaltation that has yet to be achieved, and it is the final and universal acknowledgement of his great identity by all creation, including all men.

What is described here is not universal salvation but universal acknowledgement of the identity and greatness of Christ. The godly will do this willingly, but the ungodly “by force” (Matthew Poole).

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (12.20.19): Where is the LORD God of Elijah?

Image: Some CRBC young people singing for residents during outreach at Epworth Manor in Louisa (12.18.19)

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 2.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11).

And he [Elisha] took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over (2 Kings 2:14).

Here is the great ascension of Elijah. The chariot of fire and horses of fire are a theophany, a manifestation of God’s presence. Fire is so often associated with God’s presence. Think of the burning bush (Exod 3), and of the fire that fell from heaven at Carmel (1 Kings 18) and also on the men of Ahaziah (2 Kings 1). Recall also Hebrews 12:29: “For our God is a consuming fire.”

Notice also again the reference to the whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1; cf. Job 38:1).

Having witnessed his master’s departure, Elisha takes his mantle and stands before the Jordan. What thoughts must have gone through his mind. Am I sufficient for these things?

He takes the mantle and strikes the water, even as Elijah had. As he does this, he asks, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” (v. 14). It is a question, but it is also a petition. Where are you Lord? Are you still there? Will you still work among your people? Will you still manifest your power to them? Will you still provide for them?

And the answer comes quickly as the waters are parted. God is with Elisha as he was with Moses at the Red Sea (Exod 14), with Joshua (Josh 4) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:8) at Jordan. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

God’s power is the same, no matter who the prophet is. He may give his power to whom he will. His power is not limited by the people through whom he works.

The transition took place from Elijah to Elisha in the prophetic office, but Jehovah is always the same.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (12.13.19): Is it not because there is not a God in Israel...?

Image: Some CRBC young people helping with leaf raking last Saturday (12/7/19)

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 1.

2 Kings 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

King Ahaziah had an accident and became gravely sick (v. 2a). Remember, however, that there are no accidents (cf. 1 Kings 22:34a). The sad thing is that instead of calling out to the one true God and seeking a word from his prophets, the king instead sends messengers to go and inquire of “Baalzebub the god of Ekron” (v. 2b). It might be said that just as there are no atheists in foxholes there are none in hospice units. Gravely ill men will often seek spiritual help, who otherwise have been indifferent to it.

Baal-zebub literally means “Lord of the flies.” It is suggested that this might have been one of the titles given to Baal, affirming him as the chief god of the pagans, who controlled all creatures, including even the flies. Or, it is also suggested, the title here might have been given by the inspired historian as a sarcastic parody of another title given to Baal: Baal-zebul, which means “prince Baal” or “Lord Baal.” For the historian, he was instead “Lord of the flies.” Where would one find flies? Circling around a pile of dung. Baal-zebub is a title used in the Gospels in reference to Satan (cf. Matt 10:25; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).

Ekron was a Philistine city. The point is that Baal was a foreign god. I remember several years ago on a trip to DC we saw a group of Hare Krishnas dancing and chanting. They were all Westerners who had abandoned the God of the founders of this nation for Lord Krishna, a foreign deity.

But the angel of the LORD intervenes (v. 3). He commissions Elijah to meet the messengers sent to Baal with a question: “Is it not because there is not a God in Israel…?” (v. 3b). That is a fair rendering of the original Hebrew, but with two negatives it comes with some difficulty to our ears. Its meaning: Are you going to this foreign god, because you do not know that the one true God is in Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? This question is an indictment. Are you really denying the existence and power of Jehovah?

If you were sick would you want to seek out an actor who plays a doctor on tv or a doctor who is actually a doctor and who can actually help you?

The question we need to ask ourselves: To whom will we turn in time of crisis, when life and death is at stake? Will we turn to the false gods of this world, the Baalzebubs, as did Ahaziah? Or will we turn to the one true God?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (12.6.19): The Word of God destroys the man who defies it.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 22:3-53 (audio not yet posted).

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness….” (1 Kings 22:34a).

Old Testament scholar Dale Ralph Davis describes the theme of this chapter as “the word of God destroys the man who defies it” (1 Kings, 311).

As King Ahab went into battle, he took off his royal robes in order to hide his identity and not draw the attention of the Syrians. This illustrates his cunning, his shrewdness. He had fooled the army of the Syrians. There was someone, however, whom he had not fooled. There was someone who knew his identity, better than any facial recognition system or DNA test. Someone who knew his location, with greater precision than any GPS could provide. Someone who, in fact, knew every inch of his body and even where there was a tiny gap of vulnerability where one piece of his armor was joined to another.

Christ encouraged his disciples by telling them that the very hairs of their head were all numbered (Matt 10:30). That is comforting to know, but also frightening. He knows us and we cannot hide from him.

Notice in v. 34a, “And a certain man drew a bow at a venture….” It was just a random, unnamed man, who became the instrument of the Lord’s judgement upon Ahab. He drew his bow “at a venture.” We might say, “by chance.” He was not even aiming, but behind the human archer, there was a Divine Archer, who would guide that missile. And it smote the king of Israel “between the joint of the harness.” It land just at the tiny point of weakness.

If you are familiar with Greek mythology this account might bring to mind the death of the hero Achilles. As an infant, he had supposedly been dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis, giving him invulnerability over his whole body, except at the heel where he had been held to be dipped. Then, in battle an arrow fatally struck him in his “Achilles’ heel.” Sometimes even the pagans could grope however blindly toward recognition of the guiding hand of divine providence.

Was it dumb luck that Ahab was struck? No, it was the hand of a providential God. The Lord was bringing his temporal judgement to bear upon Ahab for all his sin and idolatry, and for all the spiritual misery he had brought upon his nation and people. There are no accidents in this life.

1 Kings ends with a warning. Men will either obey the Word of God or they will be crushed by it. Consider Christ’s words in Matthew 21:44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Will you be like the many that go to destruction, or the few who find life in Christ?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.29.19): Ahab’s hostility to the Lord’s prophet

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 22:1-29.

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so (1 Kings 22:8).

Ahab’s description of Micaiah recalls his interactions with the better-known Elijah (cf. 1 Kings 18:17-18; 21:20).

Some kings only want to surround themselves with “Yes-men.” Ahab only wanted prophets who could give him good news, confirm him in his own desires. He did not want a prophetic minister who would bring the word of the Lord to rebuke him, exhort him, admonish him.

There are parallels between this account of Micaiah son of Imlah and the ministry of Jeremiah which took place in later generations. Jeremiah will say of the false prophets of his day: “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer 6:14). Paul, likewise, will write to Timothy with a similar warning: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Tim 4:3).

Just think of how silly that is? What if you went to your physician to have a physical, but you told him ahead of time, I only want you to give me a good report. If you find a tumor or an irregular heart beat or high blood pressure, just ignore that and tell me I’m fine.

Wouldn’t you want your physician to tell you the truth? What about your spiritual physician?

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.22.19): The Lord’s strange kindness to Ahab

Image: Stoning of Naboth from Chronique universelle de Rodolphe (c. 1350).

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 21.

Seest thou how Ahab humbled himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house (1 Kings 21:29).

I think the most salient spiritual truth in 1 Kings 21 comes to us in these final words. In this strange kindness to Ahab, we see the heart of a good, kind, compassionate and merciful God.

If he showed mercy to such an ungodly man, what will his mercy be towards those who are born again by grace?

We might also consider how that righteous Naboth is presented as a type of Christ.

Who was Christ but a righteous man who perfectly kept the law of God?

Still, wicked men plotted against him.

False witnesses were assembled to slander him (see Matthew’s account of two false witnesses against Christ in Matt 26:59-61).

He was accused of blasphemy and of making himself a king.

He was deserted by even his closest disciples. No one stood up to defend him.

He was taken out not to be stoned, but to be nailed to the cross.

Unlike Naboth, however, he did not remain in the grave but was gloriously raised.

And what has God done? He has taken those who killed his dear Son and rather than condemn them he has given them grace, mercy, and truth.

Ahab was spared punishment merely in this life. Justice was not removed but only postponed. Those redeemed by Christ have something greater. We escape the second death.

So then, in light of such great grace given us in Christ, let us not be slaves to sin, sold to work evil in the sight of the Lord, but let us be slaves of Christ and slaves of righteousness.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.15.19): Unseasonable leniency toward ungodliness

Image: Berries, North Garden, VA, November 2019

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 20.

“And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria” (1 Kings 20:43).

1 Kings 20 ends with the note that king Ahab went away “heavy and displeased” (v. 43). This morose state of mind came about after the king was rebuked by God’s prophet for sparing the life of Israel’s enemy, Benhadad of Syria. The prophet announces the Lord’s condemnation of Ahab, “Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I had appointed to utter destruction….” (v. 42). The spiritual problem here is that Ahab had extended unseasonably leniency to an ungodly enemy.

We might draw spiritual lessons from Ahab’s actions. The Puritans used to speak about “bosom” sins and “darling” sins. These are sins that are nurtured and held close, which bring compromise and destruction. John Owen said, “We must kill sin, or sin will kill us.”

If I were to choose a parallel passage from Christ’s teaching to illustrate this point it would be his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, “if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee” and “if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast, it from thee” (Matt 5:29-30). Holiness requires radical surgery. It requires the removal of “bosom” and “darling” sins.

There are some interesting descriptions of Ahab in these final chapters of 1 Kings. Ahab’s spiritual state is debated (cf. 1 Kings 21:27-29). When rebuked here, he walks away “heavy and displeased”. There is never, however, any sign of Ahab expressing the kind of contrition that David did in Psalm 51, after he was rebuked by Nathan. Ahab expresses a carnal form of repentance, but not an “evangelical” form of repentance. The apostle Paul makes a distinction between “godly” sorrow and “the sorrow of the world” (2 Cor 7:9-10).

May the Lord keep us from unseasonable leniency toward sin and ungodliness in our lives, and may he grant us “godly sorrow that worketh repentance to salvation” (2 Cor 7:10) and not mere “worldly” sorrow.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.8.19): The Call of Elisha

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 19:19-21. Audio not yet available.

“…and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him…And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah…Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him” (1 Kings 19:19-21).

The call of Elisha to follow after the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:19-21 anticipates the call to follow after Christ. This is Old Testament discipleship, a shadow or type of a greater coming reality. Not only does it point forward to Christ’s ministry as the great Prophet who would call men like Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave their nets and follow after him, but it also points to a present reality as we are being called to abandon all and follow after the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice at least six aspects of the call of Elisha:

First: The call came upon Elisha suddenly and unexpectedly (v. 19).

Second: The call demanded that Elisha leave his present circumstances (v. 20a).

Third: The call took precedence over all other relationships, including even that of his own family (v. 20b).

Fourth: The call required sacrifice and abandonment of former things (v. 21a).

Fifth: The answering of the call was accompanied with joyful celebration (feasting) (v. 21 a).

Sixth: The call required lowliness of spirit and willingness to serve in the humblest of ways (v. 21b).

Christ still calls upon men to deny themselves, to take up the cross daily, and follow him (Luke 9:23). May the Lord grant us grace to be his faithful disciples.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

The Vision (11.1.19): Elijah's Cave Experience

Image: Holy Trinity Chapel on the top of Mt. Sinai, Egypt.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 19.

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).

We could call 1 Kings 19:9-18 Elijah’s cave experience. At Horeb, Elijah settles into a cave (v. 9). This says something about his spiritual state.

The word of the LORD, however, came to him in the cave. The Lord does not desert Elijah. He is there at the highest heights and at the lowest depths. And he continues to send his word.

The Lord examines Elijah: What doest thou here, Elijah? (v. 9b). Have you ever been examined of the Lord in this manner? Has he ever asked you: What are you doing in the place where you are?

Elijah defends himself before the Lord (v. 10). He notes how jealous he had been for the Lord. And in contrast he notes the failures of the children of Israel. This is the spirituality of comparison. We can always find someone who is in a worse spiritual state to make comparison to ourselves. The question is not how we compare to other sinners, but how we compare to the righteous standard of Christ.

Elijah contends that he is the only faithful man left in Israel, but we know this cannot be the case. Obadiah had hidden at least a hundred faithful prophets from the ravages of Jezebel (see 18:4, 13).

Elijah, it seems, is having a major pity party. In his narrative, he is the only man in the entire world who has been faithful to God, while everyone else has failed. That is a spiritually dangerous mindset.

Finally, he notes that God’s enemies are seeking his life. Elijah has a fear of man and a fear of death. Everyone has these kinds of fears.

The Lord then commands his prophet to go and stand on the mountain before him (v. 11a). And the LORD passed by. This recalls the Lord showing his glory to Moses (see Exodus 33-34).

There then follows a series of the Lord’s manifestation of his power and presence:

A great and strong wind descends with power to rend mountains and breaks the rocks into pieces. But the Lord was not in the wind.

After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake, a fire (v. 12). But the Lord was not in the fire.

So we have God moving powerfully in wind, earth, and fire. These were among the basic elements that many ancients considered to be the building blocks of life.

Finally, there was “a still, small voice” (v. 12).

Many have pondered the significance of this. Could it be that God does not speak as clearly to sinful man in general revelation as he does in special revelation? Could it be that he so often chooses to speak to us not in loud and spectacular extra-ordinary experiences but in small and quiet ordinary experiences? He speaks to us in a still, small voice when we pray, read the Scriptures, and meditate upon them.

May the Lord continue to speak to us in a still small voice, especially when we enter into our own cave experiences.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Gleanings from 1 Kings 17

Image: Engraving depicting Sarepta (Zarephath) c. AD 1837.

Note: Devotion take from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 17 (audio not yet posted).

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this word I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth (1 Kings 17:24).

1 Kings 17 divides very easily into three parts, each describing the ministry of Elijah and the miraculous power that accompanied it:

1.    The miraculous provision from the brook and the ravens (vv. 1-7);

2.    The miraculous provision from the widow (vv. 8-16);

3.    The raising of the widow’s son (vv. 17-23).

And it ends with that final description of Elijah from the grateful widow (v. 24).

Here are at least five spiritual gleanings from 1 Kings 17:

First: We learn here how God provides for his people, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

He gives us a hiding place. He leads us by still waters. He sends his ravens.

The believer may not always have more than enough, but he often has just enough from God’s hand.

So, Christ taught his anxious disciples not to take thought for what they would eat or drink or wear, but “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matt 6:26).

Second: We learn about God’s care not only for his servants but also for the spiritually poor and destitute, for the fatherless and the widow.

When Christ visited his hometown synagogue in Luke 4 we are told that his fellow Jews did not receive him as the Messiah. The Lord Jesus reflected, “No prophet is accepted in his own country” (v. 24). He then recalled 1 Kings 16, noting that though there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, the prophet was sent instead to the widow of Zaraphath in Zidon (Luke 4:25). The unspoken meaning was clear. If his fellow Jewish townsmen would not receive him, he would go to others, even to Gentiles.

This so infuriated those in Nazareth that they took Christ to the brow of the hill on which the city was built to cast him down “headlong” (v. 29), but, Luke says, “he passing through the midst of them went his way” (v. 30).

If we will not honor Christ someone else will.

Third: We learn here that God can take resources that are mean and insufficient and make them more than adequate—even unendingly adequate—for the times in which they are needed.

“And the barrel of oil wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail…” (1 Kings 16:16).

Fourth: We learn how God can take those who are dead and bring them to life.

Just as Elijah raised the widow’s son, Christ raised the only son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). He also raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

What is most astounding, however, is that he takes those who are spiritually dead, and he raises them to new life through that same resurrection power (Eph 2:1).

Fifth: We learn here about the persistence and the truth of God’s word.

God never fails to send his word. He sends it in every generation. He no longer sends his prophets as he did in the days of Elijah, because he has now sent his Son (Heb 1:1), and his Son sent forth his Apostles (Matt 28:19-20), and part of their mission was to give to his people the Word of God written (John 20:31). And now the Lord sends his elders and preachers to proclaim that Word (2 Tim 4:1-2).

We can say of all Scripture what this widow said of Elijah: “the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” Christ’s prayer for the disciples in John 17:17 was “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Faith in Christ goes hand in hand with faith in his written Word. One cannot have a high view of Christ and a low view of the Bible.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Admonitions from Ahab: As if it had been a light thing to walk in sin

Note: Devotion comes from last Sunday's sermon on 1 Kings 16.

1 Kings 16:31: And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the ways of Jeroboam….

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world have come.

1 Kings 16 is repetitive. One evil king is followed by another evil king in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It describes a string of no less than five evil kings (Baahsa, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and, finally, Ahab).

Dale Ralph Davis asks why some parts of the Bible seem boring and answers: “They’re boring because they are the records of sinful men who simply repeat the sins and evil of those before them. Sin is never creative but merely imitative and repetitious” (1 Kings, 179). He later says, “godlessness is dull” (180). In the 1960s a famous political study introduced the term “the banality of evil.” We see that in 1 Kings 16.

Ahab is the apex (or nadir) of this line of evil kings. He is the epitome of all that was rotten in Israel. There’s a reason Melville named the villain of Moby Dick Captain Ahab!

Ahab was second in the dynasty of Omri, and he ruled for 22 years, the same length of rule as Jeroboam (v. 29; cf. 1 Kings 14:20). Outwardly speaking his rule might have been successful. God, however, does not judge success as do men.

From God’s perspective Ahab was a spiritual failure. The inspired historian says that Ahab “did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him” (v. 30; cf. v. 33). Ahab was an overachiever in wickedness.

His spiritual duplicity is described in an intriguing way in in v. 31: “And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam….” There follows a catalogue of his failures including taking as his wife the Baal worshipping Jezebel (v. 31). Ahab even built a temple for Baal in Samaria (v. 32). In this he was an anti-Solomon. Solomon built the house of the LORD (the temple) in Jerusalem; Ahab built the house of Baal in Samaria.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11 the apostle Paul reflected on all the events recorded in the Old Testament: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples [types]: and they are written for our admonition….”

What are we meant to learn from Ahab and these other evil kings?

Perhaps we might consider these questions:

What does it mean to walk in the ways of Jeroboam [false worship]?

Who judges the success of a man’s life?

Has it ever been a light thing for you to walk in sin?

Have you unequally yoked yourself with unbelievers (cf. 2 Cor 6:14)?

Have you set up a house of Baal?

Reading 1 Kings 16 ought to remind the Christian that his only hope is the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 10:10 he declared: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle