Sermon Tone Analysis

*1 KINGS 17:1*

Biblical teaching comes in various forms:

§         There is /didactic/ teaching; there are doctrines to be grasped, for example the letter to the Romans.

§         There is also the idea of /exemplary/ teaching: examples from history; biography; etc.

§         There are examples of what we should not be like, for example, Esau, Judas Iscariot, even Samson, etc.

§         There are examples of what we should be like, for example, Elijah, Abraham [Heb.11].

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*THE NATIONAL SCENE *

*1.        **The Political Scene *

*a.        **Split** Kingdom** *

After the death of Solomon the kingdom of Israel was divided:

§         Successor: “/Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead/” [1Kgs.11:43].

§         Treatment of the people: “/I will add to your yoke…I will chastise you with scorpions/” [12:11].

§         Result: “/So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day/” [12:19].

*i.         **Judah**    *

The southern kingdom: “/Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem; he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin/…” [12:21].

*ii.

**Israel** *

The northern kingdom: “/The people made Jeroboam king over all Israel/…” [12:19].

§         Northern kingdom: “/Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and dwelt therein/…” [12:25].

*2.        **The History of Northern Kingdom  *

*a.        **Jeroboam *

Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry: “/The king made two calves of gold…one in Bethel, and the other in Dan/” [12:27-29].

§         This was to prevent Israel from returning to Jerusalem: “/if this people go up to sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again/…” [12:27].

§         This was the nation’s sin: “/this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, unto Dan/” [12:30].

*b.        **Successive Kings *

Successive kings followed the example of Jeroboam: “/Nadab the son of Jeroboam…did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father and in his sin/…” [15:25-26].

§         The same analysis was made concerning eighteen successors of Jeroboam.

§         Successive kings: Baasha [15:32-16:6]; Elah [16:6-20]; Omri [16:21-27].

*3.        **The Current Scene    *

*a.        **Omri *

The nation reached an all-time low under the rule of Omri: “/Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him/” [16:25]-26].

§         Omri erected the new capital of the Northern Kingdom, Samaria [16:23-24].

§         Omri’s alliance with the Phoenicians: “/Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians/…” [16:31].

*i.

**Economic Prosperity *

This alliance resulted in economic prosperity:

§         Israel imported Lebanon cedar wood and other merchandise garnered from the ends of the known world of the day.

§         Israel enjoyed revenue from valuable trade routes to a larger clientele further south and east, and from supplying Phoenicia with grain and olive oil.

*Summary*.

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*Main Characters *

There are two main characters in the story of Elijah

*1.        **Ahab *

The first of these is Ahab: “/Ahab, the son of Omri/…” [16:29].

§         These new depths were reached as a result of a political marriage that so often characterised international relations: “/he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians/…” [16:31].

*2.        **Jezebel *

The second main character is Jezebel: “/he took Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal/…” [16:31].

[16:31].

§         אֶתְבַּ֙עַל֙  - “/Ethbaal/” [16:31], literally ‘I am with Baal’, ‘I am living under Baal’;

*a.        **Dominant Figure *

Jezebel was the dominant partner in the marriage: “/Ahab worked wickedness…which Jezebel his wife stirred up/” [21:25].

She was determined to replace the God of Israel with the worship of Baal:

§         She was not content with privately worshipping Baal: “/eat at Jezebel’s table/” [18:19].

§         She brought her own hoard of Baal enthusiasts: “/prophets of the groves, four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table/” [18:19].

§         She was determined to destroy the prophets of God: “/Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord/…” [18:4].

*3.        **Baalism *

This led to the re-introduction of Baalism: “/went and served Baal and worshipped him/” [16:31].

§         הַבַּ֔עַל  - “/Baal/” [16:31], literally ‘owner, possessor, husband’: “/your Maker is your husband/…” [Isa.54:5];

§         וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ - “/went/” [16:31], ‘travelled’; ‘point of departure and destination’;

§         וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֣ד - “/served/” [16:31], ‘to be a slave’; ‘ethbaal’;

§         וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ - “/worshipped/” [16:31], ‘to bow down’;

Baal worship included the following aspects:

§         The offering of incense and burnt-sacrifices [Jer.7:9].

§         Sometimes the offering of human sacrifices, especially children [Jer.19:5].

§         It especially included licentious sexual activity, including sodomy [1Kgs.14:23-24;

15:12].

*a.        **History of Baal Worship *

The worship of Baal, a Canaanite deity, had been observed by Israel in the days of the Judges: “/And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim/” [Jdg.2:11].

§         King David had rid the land of this dirge: “

§         Baalism became the main religion in Israel: “/Ahab reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal/…” [16:32].

*b.        **Baal-Melqart *

This alliance opened the door to the Phoenician form of Baalism, the worship of Baal-Melqart.

Baal-Melqart was a ‘fertility god’.

§         Baal worshippers believed that their ‘god’ made rain, which is quite an important detail in an agricultural community.

§         Baal is the ‘storm god’ who sent the life-preserving rains onto the land.

Fertility was equated with a living and vibrant Baal.

§         Times of drought were explained by saying that Baal submitted to Mot, the ‘god of death’, each year, which caused drought and barrenness to the land.

Eventually Anat defeated Mot and freed Baal, which restored fertility.

*Summary*.

Toleration of immorality of every kind – adultery, homosexuality, abortion;

 

*4.

**God’s Word  *

The nation has reached a new low-point;

§         Under Ahab’s reign Israel reached its lowest state: “/Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him/” [16:30].

*a.        **God’s Judgement *

The judgement of God was imminent: “/he did more to provoke the god of Israel to anger/…” [16:33].

*b.        **God’s Word *

God’s Word never fails: “/in Ahab’s days did Hiel…build Jericho/…” [16:34].

*i.         **God’s Command*

God had given a clear warning to Israel concerning Jericho: “/Cursed be the man before the Lord that rises up to build Jericho, he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it/” [Jos.6:26].

§         Word of God ignored in Ahab’s day: “/did Hiel build Jericho/…” [16:34].

§         He laid the foundation thereof at the expense of his first born: “/at the cost of the life of Abiram his first-born/…” [16:34].

§         He finished it at the expense of his youngest: “/set up the gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub/…” [16:34].

§         This was in fulfilment of God’s threatened judgement: “/according to the word of the Lord/” [16:34].

*Application*.

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*THE MAN OF GOD *

Elijah is an example of what we should be like; he was a man like ourselves: “/Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are/…” [Jam.5:17].

*1.        **The Grace of God*

In the context of idolatry and the anticipated judgement of God: “/and Elijah the Tishbite/…” [17:1].

§         וַיֹּאמֶר - “/and he said/” [17:1],

§         God introduces a ‘new page’ in Israel’s history; there is the sudden, unexpected introduction of a man of God.

§         An intrusion of pure grace to a godless nation!

*2.        **The Man  *

Elijah has none of the normal qualifications of a prophet of the Lord.