By Roy E. Ciampa, Ph.D., S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong
Professor of Religion, Samford University
SERVE WITH COURAGE
1 Kings 16:29–33; 17:1–6
Courage is often required to serve God faithfully in a culture given over to various kinds of idolatry. Elijah serves as an example to us. We can rest assured God will be faithful to us as we seek to be faithful to Him in a world that considered such faithfulness offensive.
Recognize when others oppose God and His authority. (16:29–33)
Each king of Israel was supposed to honor God and read His law every day so they would “learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes” (Deut. 17:19).
But the kings of that northern kingdom were consistently evil. Ahab’s father, Omri, was worse than most, and Ahab was worse than his father (1 Kings 16:25, 30).
These kings may have built up the infrastructure or provided greater military security or a stronger economy than in the past. But the prophetic author of 1 and 2 Kings judges leadership by spiritual criteria, not economic or military.
The ungodly leadership of these kings may have brought them and the kingdom some worldly benefits, but by rebelling against the Lord and embracing idolatry, they forfeited not only their own souls, but also the soul of the nation (see Luke 9:25).
Jeroboam (mentioned in v. 31) had made two golden calves and urged his people to worship them rather than going to Jerusalem (which would have meant going down to the southern kingdom of Judah).
Ahab went further (vv. 31–33). He married a Sidonian woman and joined her in promoting the worship of the pagan god Baal, setting up a pole that was used for the worship of the pagan goddess Asherah
(usually understood to be the wife or female consort of a male god).
The Israelites either failed to recognize that their king was radically opposed to God and was defying His authority, or they didn’t care and were willing to sacrifice their theological and religious integrity out of loyalty to their political ruler.
American Christians have often been tempted to fuse their love of country with their love of God so the two are sometimes confused.
In other ways our political or other allegiances may compete with or be improperly merged with our sense of faithfulness to our Lord. We are tempted to look back on the failures of the Israelites and fail to see ways in which our culture or subculture might be similar.
Stand against the lies and false beliefs of culture. (17:1)
The prophet Elijah was not about to go along with what Ahab was promoting even though the vast majority of his society was willing to follow Ahab into various forms of idolatry.
Baal, one of the gods who was being promoted by Ahab and Jezebel, was believed to die and rise again each year, bringing the rain (and thus the renewal of the agricultural cycle) when he came back to life each year.
When Elijah announced to King Ahab that there would be no moisture at all (no dew or rain) except by the command of the Lord’s prophet, he was declaring that Baal and Baal worship would be exposed as a fraud and the Lord would show that He is the one true God.
God sustains us as we obediently exercise courage. (17:2–6)
Having stood up to Ahab and challenged the political ruler of his nation, Elijah might have wondered how he would survive, having burned his bridges with all those around him who had committed themselves to various forms of idolatry. But God miraculously provided him with water, bread and meat.
God is the One who sustains us through whatever challenges we face. It is only by trusting Him that we can show the courage we need to stand up to an idolatrous culture and society and remain true to His calling on our lives, speaking His truth in love to all those around us.
Share with others: