Day 173 – Ahab #2

• We’re still in Ahab’s reign (and will be for several more days) but our focus once again is on the prophet Elijah and this amusing story of God’s power compared to false gods.
• Our passages today open with Obadiah, another prophet. Obadiah served God just like Elijah did, but in a very different way. Can you see an example of what Obadiah was doing to support the other prophets during the evil reign of king Ahab?
• Obadiah took a “lesser” role than Elijah. It was one of servitude without necessarily being in the limelight. God uses us all in different ways, doesn’t He? How does God use you, and are you willing to do that role even if it might not have the status of other jobs? Can you think of jobs at church which need to be done but don’t get the attention that others do?
• Look at the conversation between Elijah and Obadiah in 1 Kings 18:7-16. What’s Obadiah scared of doing? Why? Does he do it anyway? What’s the result? Have you ever stepped out in faith, doing something scary, trusting in God to see you through?
• Elijah does indeed meet with the king, as we read in 1 Kings 18:16 onward. What brave message does Elijah bring to Ahab?
• The rest of 1 Kings 18 is the fun story of Elijah facing off against the 450 prophets of the false god, Baal. Baal was worshipped by many in the foreign lands that surrounded Israel. What does Elijah do, in 1 Kings 18:19-40, to shows God’s almighty power against the impotence of a false god like Baal?
• Quite possibly the most withering sarcasm in the bible is found in Elijah’s taunts in verse 27. Read it again if you missed it! Do you imagine prophets could be sarcastic? Do you think Elijah’s taunts were the right thing to do?
• How did God show his power and might in this passage? Notice that the stones were consumed by fire too – this was more than a freak lightning bolt from the sky. This was God at work!
• The passage in 2 Kings, which shows events several years later, shows us another story in the life of Elijah. In it we see him calling on God to destroy the armies who had come to try and capture him. What can we learn from this passage? What had Ahaziah’s choice to turn away from God led to? Interestingly, by 2 Kings 1:15, Ahaziah finally got the meeting he requested, but God’s will still prevails and Ahaziah dies.
• Why does Jesus rebuke James and John in the passage in Luke? You might be wondering why, if Elijah can call down fire from God to destroy people, why they or we shouldn’t try either? Don’t forget why Jesus came though. He didn’t come to bring judgement (that’s going to come next time!). He came to bring a message of reconciliation and grace; a free offer of the gospel. Compelling people into believing God through fear, signs or punishment wasn’t (and isn’t) the order of the day. Jesus’ life and saving act of love on the cross is the best message we can share now, not fire!

As we finish, flick back to the first reading again and cast your eyes down to verse 21. Elijah challenged the people to “stop limping between two different opinions”. In other words, the people were continually flipping between following God, perhaps when it was easy or when it suited them, and following Baal. They may have even convinced themselves that they could get away with pretending to do both at the same time.

It doesn’t work like that! God is a jealous God, and doesn’t share our affections with anyone else!

If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll be doing the same thing though. I know I do from time to time. Do you praise God at a midweek bible study, and then do things on Saturday evening which betray all you know about the great and wonderful Lord you claim to love and serve? Do you care that you are doing this, or aware that you are doing so? Do you have the conviction in your heart to put Jesus number one in these times?

I guess it comes down to a simple question – who have you been truly worshipping this week, and who will you be worshipping tonight?