Untitled Sermon

Prophetic troublemaker.

Same question presented by Obediah in vs 7, Obediah sees Elijah for who he is, one whose name mean Yahweh, or Jehovah is my God.

Yet Ahab accuses elijah, not of being a true prophet od God, but rather a prophetic troublemaker.

Ahab is declaring, you Elijah are the one whoae actions are disripting the peacefulness of the community, in this case, Israel.

The “troubler” is one who disturbs the well-being of the community by acting for self against healthy social relationships

Thus Elijah challenges the way in which social power is organized; he unleashes an alternative possibility in the world

The work of prophets is to raise questions and expose what is taken for granted when it is in fact destructive

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) 6579 עָכַר

6579 עָכַר (ʿā·ḵǎr): v.; ≡ Str 5916; TWOT 1621—LN 22.21–22.28 (qal) bring trouble, make trouble, i.e., cause hardship and distress for another, implying social chaos from the interaction or situation (Ge 34:30; Jos 6:18; 7:25; Jdg 11:35; 1Sa 14:29; 1Ki 18:17, 18

1 Kings & 2 Kings Notes

you troublemaker of Israel. This is perhaps a phrase better reserved for Queen Jezebel, or for that matter Ahab himself, as Elijah points out explicitly in the very next verse. The verb ‘akar [5916, 6579], used twice in these two verses, means “to entangle, put into disorder, bring into disaster or ruin” (HALOT 824).