Oblivious to Destruction…

You live in a culture that is oblivious.

Our leaders are oblivious of the side affects of their spending

Our wealthy live oblivious to the unhealthy standards of beauty and wealthy they impress on our youth.

Our husbands live oblivious to the needs of their wife.

Our fathers abandon their children oblivious of the impact.

Our Justice system seems oblivious to right and wrong.

But if we are honest Christians live oblivious to the impact righteousness was meant to make in the lives around Us.

battle hymn

as he died to make men holy

let us live to make men free.

What we mean when we use this phrase oblivious we simply mean living life unaware of the consequences. Then unable to look back our lives and see the correlating cause to consequence.

Text: I Kings 16:29-34

Kings Ahab’s Rise to the Mountain top of Power.

I Kings 16: 29 records the meteoric rise of this incredible leader named Ahab. This guy came blowing in on the scene ready to make things happen.

He was a great counter to king Asa who was the older more boring righteous king of Judah. Understand Judah was always in the corner of Israels’ eye. So you would compare each of the kings against the other.

He has a brand new wife. She sounds like a joy. Jezebel was a wicked woman that will take the kingdom to wickedness it had never known before.

“Had a secular historian been recording these events, the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel would likely have been applauded as a prudent political move. Both Phoenicia and Israel were being threatened by Syria, and the marriage gave Ahab a powerful military ally at a crucial time.” (Dilday)

David Guzik says,

“It seemed like the marriage partnership between Tyre and Israel was ideal for Israel. Tyre was at the height of its glory. “Her colonies dotted the shores of the Mediterranean as far as Spain; her ships whitened every sea with their sails, and ventured to the coasts of our own Cornwall for tin; her daughter, Carthage, nursed the lion-cup Hannibal, and was strong enough to make Rome tremble.” (Meyer)

But at the same time Judah’s culture was crumbling.

1 Kings 16:30–33 KJV 1900

And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

It was a light thing

Served Baal and worshipped him

Reared and altar

Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God to anger

Guzik points out…

It was a crucial time in the history of Israel. It looked as if the worship of the true God might be completely eliminated in the northern kingdom. “The land swarmed with the priests of Baal and of the groves—proud of Court favour; glorying in their sudden rise to power; insolent, greedy, licentious, and debased. The fires of persecution were lit, and began to burn with fury.” (Meyer)

Elijah is not having the same promotion as Ahab.

Not a lot is known about Elijah except he was from Tishbe in Gilead.

And that he was a prophet. With the same entrance out of nowhere Elijah doesn’t have the same promotion. In fact by obeying Christ…

He gave up his home like Abram

He was moved to a creek bed

He shut off the spicket of rain.

He ate whatever the ravens brought to him.

While Ahab was living in the glory of the throne. Insulated from the hurt of the people around him. Elijah was living right in the middle of the result of his wickedness.

But through his work Elijah will actually do more to bring the people back to the mountain of God’s glory again.

See the image painted in Scripture.

↗️ Ahab on a personal pursuit of the peaks of glory was actually bringing the nation down. ↘️

↘️ Elijah on a self inflicted humbling was bringing a nation upward. ↗️

What’s worse is that Ahab was oblivious. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was causing the problem.

1 Kings 18:17–18 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Pride or humility was indicated by their response to God’ Word

Ahab has been compromising with with sin the whole time.

Idolatry

Self promotion

Trusting foolish treaty’s instead of God

All of these were against the commands of God’s word.

One specifically is pointed out in our text.

1 Kings 16:34 KJV 1900

In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

There was a warning given by Joshua all the way back at the beginning of Israels entrance into the promised land. You will remember that Joshua led Israel to knock over the walls in Jericho. Remember that Jericho was a sacrifice to the lord completely given to God. Achan and family was stoned to death for this very crime. To keep this dedicated to God Joshua put a curse on the ground.

Joshua 6:26 KJV 1900

And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

Six hundred years before Heil was commissioned by Ahab to build the city of Jericho we find Joshua putting out the warning that God was going to remove the family name of anyone that attempted to build again these walls.

Shortly after the establishment of the foundation his oldest would die.

Then throughout the work each successive child would die.

Then as the gates were hung the last son would be scrubbed from the earth.

That doesn’t sound very gracious.

Wait: God had demonstrated grace by leaving the foundation exposed

God had demonstrated grace by announcing the curse

God had demonstrated grace by killing only the first son.

The issue is not God’s extreme cure to wickedness. Rather it is our unwillingess to take his word and its warnings seriously.

Don’t think you’ll have any different when he Scripture warns of the destruction that comes from immoral thoughts and you continue in your sin.

Or God’s warnings about the sanctity of your marriage and you continue to craft a marriage by your design.

Or God’s instruction for rearing children and you continue to prioritize your personality, or personal preferences.

Paul warned,

Galatians 6:7–9 KJV 1900

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

The issue of Ahab was that he ignored the instruction of God’s Word, ignored the warning of God’s Word. In contrast, you see one man without all the financial, social, or political power and he turned the people back to God. Remember, your home can come back to righteousness, your family, your child, but it will only be when we humbly get serious about God’s word.

Psalm 119:104–105 KJV 1900

Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way. NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.