This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Life of Elijah” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, May 29, 1988.
About this sermon
Ahab’s frivolity and gluttony make him easy to moralize about, and that reading is too simple. Even a king this compromised can, strangely, take a Christlike place in the structure of the narrative. What that says about the dawning age of the Spirit matters more than what it says about Ahab.
Sermon transcript
Tonight we are in 1 Kings 18, verse 41. We will be reading to the end of the chapter, and then we’ll take a look at some verses in Ezekiel. This is 1st Kings 18 verse 41 to the end of the chapter. Now Elijah said to Ahab, go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the roar of the fish shower. So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked and said, there’s nothing. And he said, go back. Seven times.
And it came about at the seventh time that he said, behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea. and he said go up say to Ahab prepare your chariot and go down so that the heavy shower does not stop you so it came about in a little while that the sky grew black with clouds and wind there was a heavy shower and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he girded up his loins and out ran Ahab to Jezreel.
And then from Ezekiel chapter 34 beginning with verse 23 and reading to the conclusion of the chapter. This is Ezekiel Then I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them himself and be their shepherd, and I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will make a covenant of peace. with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season and they will be showers of blessing. Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them, but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. And I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nation anymore. Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. As for you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, You are man, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.
Pray with me briefly. O how your word comes to us as refreshment, our God, truly a refreshment to our souls. and we are revived by this means of grace. For surely, Lord, you have trained us that our refreshment is found nowhere else. Lord, now we ask that as the showers came to Israel of old, and as the showers of the Holy Spirit came upon your church, we may be refreshed to the full that our hearts may be strengthened in serving you and doing those things that please you. We pray this with our whole heart, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 1 Kings 18, 41-46 has proved to be a confusing passage, a difficult text. And that difficulty is caused by the fact that we are trained in our senses.
We are accustomed, because of what we know of Ahab, to see him exclusively in one light. That is, a negative life, in a negative way, in negative terms. For us, it is impossible for Ahab to be viewed positively in any sense whatsoever. He cannot, therefore, be useful to the Lord to positive ends because He is such a negative, an evil person.
Yes, it’s true. Ahab is as wicked a king as we will meet in Israel’s history. So wicked, in fact, that he is fittingly compared to Satan himself, a sort of Satan incarnate. Satan in the flesh. That’s Ahab. It is in terms of this assessment then, this persistent assessment of Ahab, that the entirety of his history is judged, and this story concerning him is judged as well. So then we come to these last verses of the 18th chapter of 1st Kings and we see these verses as intelligible only in terms of that negative rendering of Ahab. So it is suggested by good exegetes, good interpreters of scripture, that following the judgment that we have seen, that overwhelming and dramatic judgment which we have seen on Mount Carmel, and the execution, the bloody execution of the prophets of Baal by Elijah, that Ahab now, in this subsequent story, becomes a picture of dissipation. A picture of one who is given over to bare sensuality as he goes off to eat and drink. Maybe even eat a great deal and drink a great deal. Drink himself into a stupor.
And of course, in keeping with this interpretation then, we have over against Ahab, contrasting Ahab, the figure of Elijah. Who in this story, very fittingly, gives himself to acts of devotion. Acts that demonstrate a love for God. Ahab in dissipation, in rebellion, given to sensuality, carnality, Elijah given to God. So we have Elijah in abject humility. Note his posture, crouching down upon the ground. his head between his knees in abject humility, applying himself to spiritual ends, while the world and those who love the world go to hell.
Elijah, the epitome of spirituality, They have the epitome of frivolity, callousness, a hardness of heart against the things of God and the kingdom. So the interpretation goes, and from that point, we are then served up a good dosage of moral Yes, the crisis has been compounded for Israel in that presently she is suffering beneath God’s judgment in this three-and-a-half-year drought, and has now witnessed firsthand God’s fury upon the mountain.
Now could there be anything like it? I mean, it wasn’t enough for the fire to come down and consume the offering. It wasn’t enough for the fire to come down and lap up the water that was in the trench around the altar. No, the fire comes down, consumes the offering, the water and the stones out of which the altar was made. Israel has been witness to the fierce fury of God, His wrath at Carmel.
Yet, so it is suggested, now, as we view Ahab in the closing verses of this chapter, so it is suggested Ahab is not moved by any of this. and easily, with not so much as a thought, traipses off for a banquet to in effect forget his promise. He is compared with various historical figures, Belshazzar and his noblemen, who are feasting inappropriately as the Persians invade the city. Nero, fiddling while Rome burns, and English royalty diddly-parting while William the Conqueror invades. Ahab is representative of leaders and people, so it is said, who pursue pleasure intoxication while ruin is crashing down around their heads. He is indicative of circumstances that, in the end, overtake the wicked in their sin. The Lord comes as a thief in the night. So, Adam, due to a hardening of his heart, is unprepared. While Elijah, representative of the elect, is preparing himself for the advent of God. And like him, we must watch and pray.
So that’s generally the approach that has been taken to this text by reformed interpreters of scripture, by conservative and evangelical interpreters of scripture. Now what do we do with this interpretation, this approach. First of all, we must of course stand our ground against all ungodly sensuality, and that is clear. So whatever is said subsequently, let this point stand. However we interpret the passage, we will of course add our voice to those who speak out against all ungodliness and wickedness, and the voice of those who speak out against Ahab and what he represents. Secondly, we stand our ground with regard to the demonstration of proper piety and godliness.
Elijah is a man of prayer. an example of one who gives himself to effectual fervent prayer, and we know how he is utilized in the New Testament in the epistle of James to that end. So whatever is said subsequently about this passage, let us always keep in mind that pursuit of piety and godliness, which is correct for all of God’s saints, and let nothing be interpreted as taking away from that emphasis a proper biblical emphasis indeed. We are not to forsake prayer. We are always to be alert. We are to watch for the Lord is coming. We are to direct our affections towards God our expectation is for him.
But, is that what this passage is about? Is this passage about the cultivation of proper piety in this respect? Is it about avoiding sensuality as is suggested with regard to a his pursuits. Well, I want you to consider a few things about this text in order that we might understand it a little better. Did you notice that he had here at the Lydians.
Elijah gives the word, and Ahab obeys. Is it a trap that is being set for Ahab? Elijah driving him off to sort of fulfill his destiny? We all know what you are, Ahab. So here, why don’t you just demonstrate it for everyone to see. your own judge and condemn yourself by your actions. Is that really what’s going on here? Ahab feasts at Elijah’s command. In fact, each of the acts of Ahab in this account, to the end of the chapter, is at Elijah’s command. Ahab will go down to Jezreel at Elijah’s command.
So you see, the feast looked upon in light of this fact must not be viewed as an irresponsible descent into riotousness, a blatant exercise of carnality. No, not at all. Rather, this feast is at the command of God, and this king keeps the feast in obedience to that command. The feast is no exhibition of carnality, it is rather the celebration of the triumph of God.
And Ahab himself is now compelled to celebrate. How great our God, how thorough His triumph, how magnificent. The feast is positive, and even Ahab himself now is being transformed seemingly, when we know that it doesn’t take. But nevertheless, in this particular instance, Ahab is being transformed into a positive figure.
Here then, the celebration of the triumph of God over the forces of evil. The prophets of Baal destroyed, God vindicated. But there’s something else here as well. Notice how Elijah phrases his statement to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the roar of a shower. The triumph celebrated here is not just God’s victory over the prophets of Baal, over Baal himself, but it is in anticipation of the end of the drought and the coming of deliverance and salvation.
This feast, then, is commended by God, and it is a positive festival. And Ahab’s presence at this feast is positive as well, and we are compelled to see him in a positive light. Ahab, then, as king, as king, as king of Israel, goes up. and under the constraints of the prophetic word, he representatively leads the nation in celebrating the deliverance and the salvation effected by God.
Now there is another thing that you should notice in this connection, which puts a different light on Ahab and these events. You will note that there is no evidence of animosity between Ahab and Elijah in the story that is given to us here. In fact, we can go so far as to observe that Ahab and Elijah are not here antithetical to one another, but rather complementary. Each doing what he is supposed to be doing. And as such, they together present something of a complete picture of the activity of those who are to be leading God’s people.
You remember Ezekiel 34, that’s the great shepherd passage. Woe to the shepherds of Israel! Well, Ahab was a shepherd, proven faithless, but now here in this story, He is being turned upside down, even if it is against his will. And through him there is shining the light of the true shepherd of Israel.
Ahab is made here to be king in the very best sense. He is compelled to leave behind, as it were, the infatuation with David, and become one in this story through whom the messianic light of the good shepherd, the true shepherd of God’s people shines.
As he leads the people of God in a meal, a feast, a festival, memorializing the triumph of our God. There you have Ahab, viewed positively. Complementing him in his kingly role is Elijah, who is pleased to be one in whom the priestly and prophetic ministry is focused. So you have the full complement for the leadership of Israel. King, prophet, priest. It’s all there, in these two men. Elijah, priestly in his intercession, prophetic with regard to his anticipation. The showers of blessing are coming. His effectual, fervent prayer is to that end, and that prayer is available. Ahab and Elijah, therefore, together in this passage, speak most positively about the Lord’s administration of things and His administration of His people.
Beneath anointed leadership. And finally, in this respect, Again, underscoring the fact that we are not here to see Ahab negatively, but positively, we have in this passage that overwhelming positive theme of salvation. And that, in deference to judgment, you see.
There’s no note of judgment here. In the episodes that are reported here, this is a story about salvation. The drought is ending. The rain is coming. Salvation is at hand. God will bless, does bless, his people. The feast is to be understood in this light. It is a feast that has its focus in salvation. The prayer of Elijah is to be understood in this light. Salvation is coming, and the enigmatic episode with which this passage concludes, it also is to be seen in the light of that salvation which is being accomplished. That concluding episode.
Tell Elijah to get down, go to Jezreel, because the showers are coming. And then before I’m sorry, tell Ahab to go down in his chariot, down to Jezreel, because the showers are coming. And before Ahab can arrive, Elijah precedes him into the city. This final, this concluding episode, here in this chapter, preaches the positive, climactic intent of God. and in it Ahab shines. You may think otherwise, because he is outrun by Elijah, but no, that’s not the purpose.
You see, Elijah is the prophet. The coming rain is the end-time blessing of God, and Ahab is the Christ And that is why Elijah outruns Ahab, for he, as the prophet, goes before the coming King and prepares his way. Elijah is the Old Testament and the prophetic witness.
Coming behind him is the King, and then behind him, the wonder. of refreshment, the glorious blessing of the showerings from God, and the reviving of the earth. Imagine it. For anyone who had eyes to see on that day, imagine the whole history of salvation played out before them as the prophet comes first through the city gates and behind him there comes the king and then behind him the blessings from heaven why that’s the gospel and in another day another Elijah appears in Israel preparing the wedding and behind him following along that way which has been prepared comes the King and after the King the Holy Spirit poured out from heaven for the refreshment the eternal refreshment of the people of God now you live in the day of that refreshment. If you can think for a moment about the joy that was experienced by a sinful people as God graciously opened the heavens and the showers came. The people dancing in the streets of Jezreel. The farmers coming out of their and literally going into ecstasy with joy and delight will announce the eternal beatitude has commenced and the rain and showers of eternal grace have commenced and you are living in the day of the showers of God for the refreshment of your soul and that unto eternity. Your lives now, not barren, the ground of your soul no longer parched, but you revived and fruitful for God. Well, they have a wicked king who serves God’s purpose now even as God causes him to be one through whom the Lord Jesus Christ shines.
We see it, we understand it, but more than that, we experience everything. of which it spoke. Let’s pray. O Lord, we ask that in light of the things that we have heard, in light of the things that we have observed in this passage, he would realize that you were preparing your people for the day when another Elijah would appear and one surely greater, far greater than Ahab would come and that day in which he would pour out upon your people the showers of the Holy Spirit in lieu of the day when all things would be brought to a conclusion and how our festival with no diminishment or cessation could only be perpetual in your presence a feast of feasts in glory with our God forever. Train our souls now, Lord, that we, by what we observe in your gospel, would realize that these are the days of refreshment for our souls, and therefore we are to be heartened and also obedient.
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