Israel's Original Troublemaker
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Have any of you ever been labeled a troublemaker before? Maybe as a child in school? Maybe by a boss at work?
I remember one summer as an 11 year old I was attending summer camp down at Nosoca. Now I was the kid who always wanted to win Honor cabin. The cabin that was most well behaved and had the cleanest cabins typically won, and would get to eat first in the cafeteria line, and if you were honor cabin of the week, that cabin would get a PIZZA party at the end of the week. Thus I was the kid who was always cleaning and sweeping and looking for trash outside the perimeter of the cabin. This particular year, there was one who felt the opposite. He was a rule breaker, he was a slob, he mouthed off to the counselor. If we were going to win honor cabin, I felt I was going to have to work extra hard to not let this “troublemaker” disrupt our chances of winning.
As a child and a peer of this kid I grew increasingly annoyed with this particular cabin mate, but I also couldn’t understand why my counselor wasn’t singling him out for his misbehavior. Those of you who have ever attended Nosoca as a camper or as a staff member know that on Friday night there is a pageant depicting Christ’s crucifixion and also the resurrection. Following we would have campfire discussions with out counselors and with our cabin. I still remember the tears of the boy who I had seen as a nuisance all week, clearly being affected by the portrayal of Jesus. He had seen Jesus be labeled a disruptive troublemaker and yet he was still willing to sacrifice Himself so that everyone would have a chance to be saved. I would learn later that this kid who had been the troublemaker and who our counselor had been so helpful to all week shouldn’t have been labeled a troublemaker, but one who was simply very troubled. He came from an abusive home and his being dropped off at camp was more a means to get rid of him for a week. I also realize though he had been difficult, I hadn’t exactly been the nicest to him.
Sometimes there is more than meets the eye to those who are deemed troublemakers. Often times this label is applied to those who are disrupting the status quo. Jesus was looked at as a troublemaker, The apostles were looked at as troublemakers. Martin Luther, was looked at as a troublemaker. The American colonies during the American revolution were looked at as trouble makers. The civil rights movement was filled with many who were deemed troublemakers. Today some peaceful protesters are being labeled troublemakers. Is it possible one day Sabbath keeping Christians will be labeled troublemakers?
Now don’t get me wrong not all troublemakers are standing from a sound moral high ground. I later would become a camp counselor to, some kids I had in my cabin would reek havoc just for the sake of their own amusement. However to many times we are willing to liberally apply the term troublemaker without listening and observing first, and looking into our own hearts as well. I think of Jesus’s words in Matthew 7.
Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
One people mentioned throughout the Bible who were most often labeled as trouble makers by nobility of Israel, were those who acted as the Lord’s watchmen or better known as prophets. Last Sabbath Pastor Don introduced us to one of the most famous watchmen and legendary prophets of God, Elijah. Elijah was also a famed trouble maker labeled by King Ahab himself. Before we go any further, lets take a moment to pray together.
Prayer
In the Old Testament book Ezekial chapter 33 verse 7, the prophet Ezekial writes down what God had him say, calling Him a “watchman” for the House of Israel, His role as watchman/prophet was to be a vessel of God communicating to God’s people special warning and instruction. Prophets were to faithfully communicate the message of God without adding their own ideas or deleting what they did not like (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19). God then acknowledged the message of the prophets as His own message. That in itself is a daunting task, as often the prophets of the Bible had to communicate to ill-tempored Kings who had the power to kill them, messages that they would not like to hear, such as famine, or coming destruction, due to their own wickedness. It was often very dangerous to be a faithful obedient prophet. And Elijah is a prime example.
In 1 Kings 16, we learn that King Ahab of Israel did more to anger the Lord than any previous King of Israel before him. He had a lack of regard for God’s commandments and through his marriage to Jezebel was seduced into Ba’al worship.
It is in 1 Kings 17 do we see seemingly in response to Ahab and Jezebel, God telling Elijah there would be a coming drought in the land.
It is then in 1 Kings 18 that a mighty confrontation between Elijah, the Lord’s prophet and Ahab the King.
If you have your Bible’s present I would encourage you to turn to 1 Kings 18.
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.”
It almost appears as if God is giving Elijah incentive to go before Ahab, that rain would come, but their is an underlying mission he is to carry out. I know sometimes here in South Carolina where it dryer than others for periods of time but According to Luke 4:25 this famine had lasted about 3 and half years. No wonder Elijah was hiding, no wonder other prophets were in hiding. The life of a prophet was not a glamorous one. But Elijah goes out, but is first greeted by Obadiah on the road. Obadiah was a God-fearing man and a sympathizer of the prophets of God. Obadiah served the King as a prime minister but had secretly hidden 100 prophets of the Lord away in caves hiding from Jezebel who had been out to slaughter them. Obadiah had been mandated to find Elijah and bring him to Ahab. In fact Obadiah is so amazed to find Elijah, that he fears for his own life that Elijah is going to take off. Elijah, of course calms Obadiah’s excitement and tells him He has come to show himself to Ahab.
He then goes before King Ahab and is quickly greeted with: in verse 17
“Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”
It is quite clear, the famine has not softened Ahab’s heart to repentance. I would compare Ahab and Elijah’s relationship to Samuel and King Saul. Saul didn’t want the accountability of Samuel but did want all the blessing. Ahab had shown little regard for the prophets or God’s law. By accusing Elijah of being Israel’s troublemaker, he seemingly was attempting spin the story and blame all the famine on Elijah.
Elijah stands his ground, similar to Moses before Pharaoh, he holds Ahab accountable.
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.
I don’t like to make blanket statements, but I am about to make one. Leaders who don’t want to be held accountable for their actions are not good leaders. Sometimes we ourselves would like to to give out accountability but refuse accept it from someone else. Quite frankly we witness this in our country. Anytime something happens, liberals and conservatives sit and point the finger at each other rather than work together to find solutions.
I am now in my 6th year of pastoring, I remember in my 1st year pastoring I preached a sermon to which I don’t even remember the subject matter, but I do remember, not feeling I had not given my best delivery. One of our elders at this church called me that week and shared his support for me and then gave some very fair constructive criticism. I remember feeling agitated to say the least, I did thank him for his thoughts but inside I was hot, this person had always been one of the first to say thankyou and the one time he had some accountability to give me, I didn’t want to hear it. Yes even us pastors can be to prideful sometimes, I am sure you are all shocked to hear that. ;) But you know accountability is something we all need at times. For instance I was recently lifting weights with my good friend Derek, Ms. Lynn’s son. I was remarking how much better I had been feeling physically since we had begun working out together. He said, yeah its commitment to working out. I told him, “no for me it was the accountability of working out that had really been helpful.” Not all accountability is hurtful or challenging, but sometimes it does cut like a knife through butter.
Elijah’s accountability to King Ahab was of the knife through butter variety.
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Elijah’s example is one that I believe very much applies to us today. In times of uncertainty, his obedience to God, no matter the earthly ramifications, yet confidence in God’s will and justice is something many of us can learn from. His faith is like anyone who prays and earnestly believes God will answer their prayer. You know those times when you pray or you hear someone else pray publicly, and its said, Lord please heal this person, but your will be done. This is a good prayer. Its a prayer I pray daily in fact, but sometimes I think some of us are saying it, only to basically let God off the hook in some way, or for our faith so we won’t be to let down. But have you ever prayed with the kind of confidence where you expect fire from Heaven such as Elijah? You might say Elijah’s entire prophetic reputation was on the line, but really it wasn’t him at all. I reminded of God’s word to the prophet Samuel generations before Elijah and Ahab.
The people had wanted to be like the surrounding nations, and to have a King, not to be simply led by a prophet.
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
Now many years after, this prophecy to Samuel was still true. The kings of Israel and the people had rejected God by the worshipping foreign pagan gods.
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 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.
Limping between two opinions. I thinking about that as I read it. If I’ve ever been accused of anything in my life it has been to be a fence sitter. I’m always attempting to find compromise when I see disputes or arguments or viewpoints. I’ve got lots of friends I respect and admire who are democrats and who are republicans, those who are liberal and those who are conservative. Maybe you can have some blended political views, but the Bible is clear God wants our allegiance to Him and only Him. We can’t give Him half of our heart, we need to be ALL in.
Mrs. White comments in the book Book, Prophets and Kings,
Prophets and Kings Chapter 11—Carmel
The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work. The whole universe is watching with inexpressible interest the closing scenes of the great controversy between good and evil. The people of God are nearing the borders of the eternal world; what can be of more importance to them than that they be loyal to the God of heaven? All through the ages, God has had moral heroes, and He has them now—those who, like Joseph and Elijah and Daniel, are not ashamed to acknowledge themselves His peculiar people. His special blessing accompanies the labors of men of action, men who will not be swerved from the straight line of duty, but who with divine energy will inquire, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (Exodus 32:26), men who will not stop merely with the inquiry, but who will demand that those who choose to identify themselves with the people of God shall step forward and reveal unmistakably their allegiance to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Such men make their wills and plans subordinate to the law of God. For love of Him they count not their lives dear unto themselves. Their work is to catch the light from the Word and let it shine forth to the world in clear, steady rays. Fidelity to God is their motto.
Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.”
Elijah may seem alone to the people, but he is not alone, as He has God’s blessing and power on his side and he knows it. He sets the terms of this visual display putting he and his counterparts on equal playing field and all the people are present as witnesses.
John 15:7 comes to mind:
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
The texts record that the prophets of bail screamed and danced themselves into a exhaustion calling upon their false god. They did all they could . By noon, Elijah begins to mock them, to cry louder, perhaps Ba’al is asleep. The crowd watching is so large and Elijah is carefully watching. Even the temptation for the false priests to craft away to cleverly kindle a fire of their own is not available because everything being done was visible. It was as if all the people had their iphones out video taping, ready to post on facebook and youtube. You can be sure though, had their been an opportunity to, they would have attempted to plant a fire to trick the people watching.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
As the prophets of Ba’al would have been quick to try and plant a fire themselves, they would have also been quick to accuse Elijah of trickery. The enormous amount of water proved no trickery was taking place.
Prophets and Kings Chapter 11—Carmel
Reminding the people of the long-continued apostasy that has awakened the wrath of Jehovah, Elijah calls upon them to humble their hearts and turn to the God of their fathers, that the curse upon the land of Israel may be removed. Then, bowing reverently before the unseen God, he raises his hands toward heaven and offers a simple prayer. Baal’s priests have screamed and foamed and leaped, from early morning until late in the afternoon; but as Elijah prays, no senseless shrieks resound over Carmel’s height. He prays as if he knows Jehovah is there, a witness to the scene, a listener to his appeal. The prophets of Baal have prayed wildly, incoherently. Elijah prays simply and fervently, asking God to show His superiority over Baal, that Israel may be led to turn to Him.
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”
Elijah’s prayer wasn’t long, it wasn’t self glorifying, and its agenda was only to honor God. Lastly Elijah believed with all of his heart, His God would send the fire.
“Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears. Faith such as this connects us closely with Heaven, and brings us strength for coping with the powers of darkness.”
White, E. G. (1917). The Story of Prophets and Kings
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
Following this, Elijah, under the Lord’s instruction, had the prophets of Ba’al seized and killed. This is a visible witness of removing the cancer from God’s people.
That day God’s people had seen with their eyes just as their ancestors before them as they left Egypt the power of the Living God. In this act of fire, God not only demonstrated his existence and his power but had also shown He was as He had always been the God of Israel.
Elijah’s journey was not over, as we will learn in the coming weeks but there is a lesson for each of us here, and especially for any of you fellow troublemakers. When you stand for the principles of God, when you stand for love, equality, and if you stand against injustice, if you stand against hatred and stand against all these things that dishonor God, there will be a group maybe seemingly the size of 450 to 1. You will be labeled a troublemaker maybe called names far worse. If you know without a shadow of a doubt like Elijah that you are following God’s command for your life, you can have confidence that God will be with you. He was there for Elijah, He was there for Samuel, He was there for David, He was there for Daniel, shadrach, mishak, and abednego, He was there for Mary, He was their for His apostles. He will be there for you to!
I would also caution there are so many in this world who confuse their own wills with God’s will. I am one of those people who have been guilty of this. It stems from a greater communion with the ways of the world then setting your mind on God’s purposes and spending active time in prayer and in His word.
I don’t know about you but I want to be able to have the confidence of Elijah when I pray to know that God is with me and that I am pursuing His noble cause.
If that is your desire whether you are in your home or the few of you present here in the sanctuary, will you stand with me! And lets pray together!
