Month: November 2023

1 Kings 21:27, 29 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and went softly….Seest thou how Ahab humbled himself before me. Because he humbled, himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring evil upon his house.

Ahab listened to the words of the prophet Elijah, and he humbled himself in penitence before God. Because he repented, God did not punish Ahab right away. But Jezebel and his family were later destroyed. God brought evil upon his house after his days.

Considering how evil Ahab was, his penitence is really quite remarkable. This humility exhibits the awesome power of God’s Word, for through it the stubborn resistance of an evil heart was broken. As much as he hated Elijah, he still heard the words of the prophet. And his repentance staved off the evil God would bring upon him and his kingship during his lifetime.

Our response to hearing God’s Word of Law and Gospel is one of abject humility and sincere repentance. The Holy Spirit grants us a penitent heart and He creates a believing faith in Christ. Every day. We are saved, for Jesus took upon Himself the evil punishment that we deserved. God grant me a penitent heart!

1 Kings 21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

Ahab may have been the most evil of all the kings of Israel, especially when it comes to worshipping and serving the Lord as God and serving Him only. He “sold himself to work evil.” He refused to admit his sin against God. Instead, he accused Elijah of being his enemy. Talk about “shooting the messenger.” The truth: Ahab was the enemy of God. Envy and rage blinded him from seeing his own sin.

We also are blind, dead, and an enemy of God, so much so that it is impossible for us to see our own sin. It must be supernaturally revealed to us through the Word and the Spirit. He reveals our selfish nature and convicts us of sin and guilt. Then He shows us our Savior Jesus Christ, who died for us. By the power of the Word we see and admit that we, too, have sold ourself to work evil. But Jesus sold himself to give goodness and life.

It is impossible to admit that we are sold out to evil, that we are in desperate need of forgiveness and salvation, until the Spirit convinces us through words of Law and Gospel. A prophet reveals the truth our sinful self refuses to see. We falsely say, “I’m a good person. I’m not that bad.” Without the Word we remain deceived and lost. With the Word we are gloriously saved and found.

1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite ha spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

The sin of covetousness and greed can lead to lying, stealing, and murder. King Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard, which was next to the palace, but Naboth wouldn’t sell it. He became severely depressed because he couldn’t have what he wanted. Jezebel took the problem into her hands, by bringing false witnesses against Naboth, having him stoned to death, and allowing Ahab to seize the vineyard for himself. One sin leads to another to another. The conclusion of the matter was that both Ahab and Jezebel died for their sins.

What started out as depression grew into gross evil. Depression usually has no discernible cause, but sometimes the cause is that we can’t have what we want. The problem may be as simple as the sin of covetousness. I don’t have what I really want, or life isn’t going the way I wanted it to, or I’m just greedy for more than I really need. We feel the loss and the empty hole in our life that yearns to be filled in order to make us happy. We think. The heart becomes heavy and displeased. We pout like a child.

If Depression is caused by a perceived lack of something that isn’t fixed by God coming to fill the void, then the sinful human resorts to sinful behavior. The solution is actually in the Gospel that brings us to God. Sin does not solve the problem of filling the loss of what we wanted; Jesus does, by filling us with Himself, which is what we really need.

1 Kings 19:21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did ear. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

After the Lord spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice, he did as he was told and found Elisha and called him to the service of the Lord. Elijah came up to him while he was plowing and cast his mantle upon him. Elisha responded immediately to this call of the Lord to follow Elijah and minister to him. He said goodbye to his family and his livelihood (the oxen), and went after Elijah. This is similar to the disciples of Jesus, who, when Jesus called them, left everything to follow him.

The call of God is a powerful thing that is almost irresistible. We also were called by Jesus to leave everything and follow Him. We respond to the gospel call upon our life by a willingness to allow everything else in our life to take second place to Him. “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Philippians 3:8: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

It is hard, but possible through Christ, to answer the call so thoroughly. The call of the Lord is finally stronger than the pull of the world. Our response is total.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

After the miracle of fire on the altar and the sending of rain, Elijah fled for his life from Jezebel into the southern desert under a tree. He was extremely discouraged with life, so much so that he wanted to die. He asked the Lord to take his life. After the exhilaration of seeing the victory of God over Baal, he was threatened with death, fled into the desert, and sunk into the depths of discouragement and despair. We would say he was desperately depressed.

Then an angel appeared to him, touching him and telling him to arise and eat supernaturally prepared food twice. Such food would strengthen him for a 40-day fasting journey to Mt. Horeb (Sinai). This appearance encouraged him to keep going, to keep living.

It can happen to us, too, that after a highlight experience and an evil threat that we sink down and become discouraged, maybe not always to wish for death, but discouragement happens nonetheless. We need, and we can receive, an encouraging word from God, with which He touches our spirit and we are revived. Discouragement can come upon us at any time, even out of the blue. Therefore, we maintain a strong faith relationship with Jesus, and we are regularly touched by the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. The Lord renews our spirit and gives fresh life to prevent and cure discouragement. If we hear the Gospel weekly and repent and pray daily we may not even notice when discouragement comes to tempt us.

1 Kings 19:3-4 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.

Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, about the incident of fire on the altar of the Lord. She was so incensed that she threatened to take Elijah’s life. His response was to flee away as fast and as far as he could. The natural human response to human danger is to fight or flee. In the physical world Elijah could not fight the Queen’s court, so he fled in fear into the southern desert.

When the devil comes after us in many forms and disguises we can put on the whole armor of God and with the Word stand firm. We can flee to the cross and take safety and comfort in it. By faith we understand that the devil’s threats are empty. But the simplest course of action to take is often to avoid his threats and accusations and run away as far as we can. When it comes to Satan we resist the devil and he flees [James 4:7]. Spiritual threats cannot stand against the name of Jesus and the blood of Christ. He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

1 Kings 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

The dramatic miracle of fire from heaven caused the witnesses to believe, confess, and worship the one true Lord and God. The Lord showing up amazed and surprised the people to draw forth the physical response of worship; they fell on their faces and confessed the Lord as God. The prone posture of worship is a common response in the Bible to the appearance of God, or even an angel. When the Lord so obviously appears, falling down in worship is the natural response.

We are over-awed and overcome in the presence of God when we experience Him first-hand. When the Holy Spirit convicts the heart through the word of Law and Gospel every Sunday, in our minds we assume the falling on our face position, signifying simple faith, penitent humility, utter thankfulness, and complete adoration. Whether we feel it or not, this what is really going on in the spirit.

Many things convict us of the reality and love of God. Our experiences of God may not be as dramatic as with Elijah, but just as real. God will make resources available to us in creative ways. He will give us wisdom to raise a family, the courage to stand up for truth, and the means to provide help for others. He will provide what we need to carry out His commands. In our daily life falling on our face in response to the Gospel happens quite often. We say, God is here!

1 Kings 18:24, 37 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken….Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

At Elijah’s famous duel between God and Baal, both the priests of Baal and the prophet of the Lord were to call upon the name of their respective gods. Whichever one answered by fire would be God. Let God be God, and the people would worship that one.

The priests of Baal cried, wailed, and cut themselves all day long, pleading for Baal to send fire. But their antics were to no avail: Baal was not god, and he could do nothing in response to their pleas. Elijah prayed once, calling on the name of the Lord: “Hear me, O Lord.” The Lord heard his simple, believing prayer and answered with fire.

A simple prayer in Jesus’ name is all that is necessary in time of need. Call on the name. Badgering, cajoling, repeating, begging, pleading, promising, even cutting yourself to show God how sincere you are, does not move a false god to answer our prayer. Neither suffering nor promising to be good nor repetition will make God hear your prayer; only the blood of His Son moves the Lord to hear. And, of course, we must pray to the right God, the God who has revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We pray by faith in His name. God hears because Jesus is good, not because we are good.

1 Kings 18:22 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Elijah famously challenged Ahab and the people to a duel between Yahweh and Baal. They would set up two altars, and each side ask their god to send down fire on their altar. Whichever one sent fire would be the true God. The prophets of Baal prayed for hours and nothing happened. Elijah prayed once and fire came down from heaven immediately and consumed the offering, the altar, and the water poured on and around it. This dramatic event should have proved once and for all which was the true God and which was the no god. Of course, it didn’t happen that way: Ahab remained resistant, even belligerent, seeking Elijah’s life.

Elijah put his finger on the main issue. It was not the worship of one god or the other; it was trying to hold on to both at the same time, “halting between two opinions.” The problem was not worshipping Baal instead of the Lord; it was worshipping Baal alongside the one true God. Having both causes one to halt, limp, falter, and stumble along with two beliefs. It’s God or Mammon, not both.

This is a real and present danger for us in our lives as well. We will constantly be struggling between the Lord we believe in and the sin, the self, and the world we follow when tempted. Living two incompatible lives causes us to limp. The satisfied, contented life walks strong by the words “worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Living out the “One thing needful” is difficult, even impossible, for sinners. We need daily and weekly reminders of Sin and Grace.

1 Kings 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Elijah came before Ahab, and Ahab said, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” Not me, but you; you have troubled Israel by your sin and idolatry, breaking God’s commandments and following the Baal gods. Ahab called Elijah the troubler of Israel, accusing him of bringing famine on the land. Of course God did it, and he was just the messenger of God.

Elijah throws the word back to Ahab: you are the troubler. Your sin and idolatry has brought this trouble on the land and its people. You have disobeyed God, worshipped Baal, and led the people into idolatry. This sin caused the Lord to send the three years of drought. Take the responsibility on yourself.

When we experience troubles we tend to blame God or others, but never ourself. We need to take responsibility, confess our sin, repent, and believe the gospel. We see our own self as the troubler. It is our sin that causes trouble, pains, problems, and trials of various kinds. “Count it all joy, my brothers [James 1:3],” for trials can lead you to repent, believe the gospel, and come to the Lord who sees you through. The testing of your faith makes it stronger.