Opposition to Renewal
Seeking Renewal • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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How many of us like a story that features an underdog?
When we look at the book of 1 Kings and chapter 18 that is exactly what this looks like in a anthropomorphic since.
I love a good underdog story: movies like facing the giants, Rudy, or even the old basketball movie Hoosiers.
Or in the Bible the stories like David vs. Goliath.
There is something about cheering on the team that is supposed to be destroyed and watching them rise like a phoenix.
This morning, in human terms, our story/message is a from the Biblical narrative of 1 Kings 18 which looks exactly like an underdog story.
Narratives are hard to preach, because for the most part they essentially tell us the historical happenings. There is not a lot of go and do this now.
Yet, the Bible always displays an opportunity for exposition — the challenge of God because of the text.
We titled today’s message: “Opposition to Renewal”
The reasoning is to point to the external hindrance to renewal, the internal opportunity to waiver, and blending of both in opposition/excuse.
Let’s look at our focal passage:
1Kings 18:1-6 & 17- 39.
1 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly,
4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.)
5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.”
6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
Let me set the stage:
Ahab — The most wicked king in the history of Israel is on the throne of Israel. Let’s take a look at how we know this. Omri was his father.
25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him.
30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.
He is married to an evil woman named Jezebel.
His father, Omri was evil in the sight of the Lord, but Ahab’s evil increased after marrying his wife.
31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
Let’s put this in perspective...
Israel is committing evil primarily because its leadership, Ahab, is evil.
Attitude can often reflect leadership.
Idea # 1:
Evil Leadership Breeds Evil Activity
Evil Leadership Breeds Evil Activity
In the background information we find the idea behind the intro to this pericope of scripture.
1 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”
Elijah prayed that the Lord would stop the rain and He has done so for 3.5 years.
You can imagine the outcome of this extended drought:
2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.”
6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.
But in those days and sometimes even today rather than questioning what is in one’s own life that one might be facing difficulty…men tend to blame others or even God.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”
You see, in the background of our story in those verses I did not read and in the chapters leading up to 18 we find Jezebel and Ahab killing the prophets of the Lord and searching high and low for Elijah that they might kill him.
They blame him for the drought, not their own evil activity.
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
Idea 1 Evil leadership breeds evil activity.
Idea # 2
There Is a Burden of Serving
There Is a Burden of Serving
4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.)
1 Kings 18:8-15 gives a clear picture of the struggle.
Maybe you are thinking: “Why would a man faithful to the Lord continue to be on the staff of Ahab?”
I know when I have read this passage over the years…this is exactly what I have felt.
It is also the way we feel when we see a person who is supposed to be honorable/godly serving on the staff of a dishonorable person.
The easy thing to do is to quit.
It’s for this reason that often people will do exactly that, QUIT!
The difficult thing to do is to stay planted until the Lord tells one to move.
Is Obadiah wrong to work for Ahab? Should he have quit? or is it possible that the Lord put a man on the inside for His glory?
Daniel 2:21 (ESV)
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
So if the Lord allowed this man to become King…was it not His purpose/will?
Then there must be a reason.
Idea # 1 Evil leadership breeds evil activity
Idea # 2 There is a burden of Serving
Idea # 3
The Stats Can Seem Overwhelming
The Stats Can Seem Overwhelming
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
Walking Away, But In...
Walking Away, But In...
Emulate Christ
Serve & Wait
Don’t Look to Probabilities Look to the Certainty—JESUS!
