The Life of ELIJAH: Who is Causing the Nation’s Trouble? 1 K 18:17-21 (Sermon 8)

Last time we began to look at the scene of devastation after 3 ½ years of drought & famine.

- For more than a thousand days: "There was neither DEW nor RAIN on the land."

We looked at REACTIONS of THREE MEN to this devastating situation (1 K 18:1-15)

Ahab, the hard-hearted king who stood in defiance against the Living God;

Obadiah, the half-hearted believer who was afraid to stand up against an evil king;

Obadiah finally agreed to go to Ahab and announce the arrival of Elijah (1 K 18:17-18):

"When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, ‘Is that you, you troubler of Israel?’ I have

not made trouble for Israel,’ Elijah replied. ‘But you & your father’s family have.

You have abandoned the Lord’s commands & have followed the Baals’"

The crucial QUESTION is this: Who was Causing the Nation’s Trouble?

This morning we’ll look at four aspects of the TROUBLE facing Israel:

Firstly: The trouble facing Israel can be considered from TWO PERSPECTIVES Secondly: Exactly the SAME TROUBLE can be found in our society today.

Thirdly: Elijah boldly confronts King Ahab with the real issues behind the drought

Fourthly: Elijah asks a fundamental question which gets to the heart of the matter:

"How long will you waver between two opinions?" (v21).

Firstly: The trouble facing Israel can be considered from TWO PERSPECTIVES

• Ahab & Elijah were in complete agreement about this one thing.
• The Nation of Israel was in deep trouble!

Ahab asked the question: "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

Elijah replied: "I have not made trouble for Israel. But you & your father’s family have."

The vital question is this: Who was Causing the Nation’s Trouble?

Firstly: Look at this trouble from Ahab’s perspective:

• From Ahab’s point of view, the TROUBLE facing Israel was there for all to see.
• The greatest trouble facing Israel is this terrible drought & famine.
• The whole land was dry & barren! "The famine was severe in Samaria."

- Many of the kings horses were dying before his very eyes; Others were getting thinner!

- Streams & rivers throughout the land had dried up, just as the Brook Kerith.

Note that, from Ahab’s viewpoint, the CAUSE of the TROUBLE also seemed obvious:

- Wasn’t it Elijah who had announced to the King some 3 ½ earlier that: "There will be

neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word" (1 K 17:1).

- Elijah still hadn’t commanded the rain to return – so it was all his fault!

- In Ahab’s mind – the drought was the trouble, and this trouble was caused by Elijah!

Ahab pointed an accusing finger at Elijah, saying: "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?

Ahab asks the question: "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

The Hebrew word for "Troubler" means "to disturb, stir up or cause trouble".

• It was used of stirring up water. It implies that Elijah was making waves of trouble!
• He had dared to accuse his King & his whole nation of apostacy & wickedness.

- He had dared to pronounce judgement on the mighty King of Israel!

In this question, we have all the pent-up anger from 3 ½ years of frustration!

• This was the frustration of a King who was convinced that the trouble lay with Elijah!
• This is the frustration of a King who had searched everywhere for Elijah.

- The mighty King had no power to deal with the drought that had devastated the nation.

• He had turned away from Yahweh to serve & worship Baal, the so-called fertility god;

The trouble facing Israel can be considered from TWO PERSPECTIVES:

Firstly: From Ahab’s perspective, Elijah was the troubler of Israel;

Secondly: Look at this SAME TROUBLE from Elijah’s perspective (1 K 18:17-18):

Ahab said to Elijah: "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

Elijah replied: "I have not made trouble for Israel. But you & your father’s family have"

- Elijah had a completely different view of things!

• He knew for certain that the drought was NOT Israel’s REAL TROUBLE.
• The drought was only a symptom of the real trouble in Israel!

The REAL TROUBLE was Ahab’s sin and the sin of his father Omri!

Remember what the Scriptures say about Omri (1 K 16:25-26):

"Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He

walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused

Israel to commit, so that they provoked the Lord to anger by their worthless idols"

Remember what the Scriptures say about Ahab (1 K 16:29-33):

"Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.

He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he

also married Jezebel … and began to serve Baal and worship him … Ahab did more to

provoke the Lord to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him."

Note how the Scriptures highlight the intensity of Ahab’s sin:

• Omri did evil – Ahab did MORE EVIL!

AHAB was the MOST EVIL king in the History of Israel!

Note the STEPS which took Ahab DOWN into this DEEP PIT of sinfulness & apostacy!

1. Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him:

• He considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam;
• In other words, he made a calculated and deliberate decision to commit greater sin!

1. He married one of the most evil women in all history!

• He married a foreign princess who worshiped a pagan god!
• Such a marriage was totally forbidden by the Law of the Living God! (Deut 7:1-4).

1. This marriage of political convenience caused Ahab to go into an even

deeper level of sinfulness (1 K 16:31-33):

• The arrival of Jezebel marked the beginning of a new era of idolatry & apostacy.
• Ahab & the whole nation began to "serve Baal & worship him" (1 K 16:31).
• Jezebel planned the wholesale execution of the prophets of Yahweh (1 K 18:4).
• Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel, cast a deep, dark, shadow over Israel.

Elijah makes his message about the trouble facing Israel quite clear:

"I have not made trouble for Israel. But you & your father’s family have."

"You & your father have done more evil than all those before you. You are the real

troubler of Israel! You have caused this drought & famine!"

Elijah knew that Ahab’s heart was full of evil thoughts:

- Ahab had been an evil king throughout his reign, so he was unlikely to change now!

- He was filled with resentment & hatred against Elijah.

• He had a deep-seated desire for revenge against Elijah, the so-called troubler of Israel.
• As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, his evil heart swelled up like an erupting volcano.
• All it needs is the right moment, in the right situation, and the pent-up anger erupts!
• Ahab came out with accusations, name calling, criticism and blame.
• You can hear the venom in his voice as he called Elijah the "Troubler of Israel"!

Ahab’s reaction illustrates a fundamental truth:

"As a man thinks within himself, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7)

- Here is a man who’s heart was so evil: "He did more evil than any of those before him."

• Here is a man who was so full of evil he dared to point the finger of accusation against a true man of God! "You and your prophecy are the cause of this drought and famine!"

Jesus leaves us in no doubt about the origin of such thoughts and accusations:

"Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft,

false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’" (Matthew 15:19-20)

Jesus tells us that we can expect nothing else from such people (Matthew 12:34-35).

"How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart

the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him,

but the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

In this passage, Jesus compares the thoughts of a man’s heart to treasure:

• We store and keep this treasure in our minds because we value this treasure.
• We keep this treasure because we think it will provide our needs & solve our problems!
• The problem is that this treasure can consist of either good or evil.

Solomon gives a timely warning to us all, lest we fall into the trap of Ahab:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity

from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips" (Proverbs 4:23-24).

The crucial QUESTION is this: Who was Causing the Nation’s Trouble?

We are looking at four aspects of the TROUBLE facing Israel:

Firstly: During the time of Ahab & Elijah we find a nation in trouble and turmoil

From Ahab’s perspective Elijah was the troubler of Israel;

Secondly: Exactly the SAME TROUBLE can be found in our society today.

- In a time of trouble & turmoil no one wants to take the blame.

• Whenever someone challenges people’s opinions & values with the truth of

God’s Word, they tend to react with an attitude of resentment and denial.

• The very people who are trying to resolve the problem are labeled as "troublers."
• The perpetrators of the trouble refuse to deal with their own sinful hearts!

The underlying problem in our society today, is the same trouble that faced Elijah:

• People refuse to accept the reality of wickedness, which abounds at all levels of society.

Roger Ellsworth remarks:

"The debate of Elijah and Ahab is still going on. There is no argument today on

whether our society is in trouble. Only the most obtuse conclude otherwise. Homes

continue to fall apart at an astonishing pace. Sexual perversions of the rawest sort

are endorsed and dignified on television, in the movies and in magazines. Drug

addiction, crime, corruption in business and government, dishonesty in the

workplace, are all prime indicators that there is a deep and undeniable trouble."

Think of the depth of sinfulness within our nation.

Look at the Headlines in just one daily Newspaper this week (Monday 11^th May ’98):

• A trans-sexual wins the Eurovision Song Contest!

- It is hailed as a triumph for equality and human rights!

The headline declared: "Last laugh for the singer who split a nation"

The article said: "Some called it a resounding triumph for the secular majority in a

perceived ‘cultural war’ raging with the powerful ultra-Orthodox minority who press

demands for public religious observance."

• This particular ‘cultural war’ is referring to the Nation of Israel.
• The writer sees this same cultural war being waged in our own nation.

Another Article speaks of a TV scriptwriter who was:

"Preparing to shock viewers with the most explicit lesbian love scenes ever seen."

A third article on the same day read:

"The head of the C of E Children’s Charity has called on the Church to accept the

relationships of unmarried couples. Bishop Jim Thompson said, although marriage

was the ideal, ‘there are many other partnerships & indeed communal groupings

that see themselves as family too.’ His aides said such people include cohabiting or

homosexual couples. The Children’s Society supported a definition of the family as,

‘A network of adults & children, some of whom live together’, & which warned

strongly against discrimination against those who choose alternatives to marriage."

This so-called Church Leader makes no reference whatsoever to sin! Instead he says:

"We must acknowledge the changes brought about by two world wars, the increased

mobility of people, and the revolution in the roles between men and women … The

statistics show increasing numbers of lone parents, a vast increase in cohabitation,

both as a lifestyle and as a preparation for marriage."

This Bishop defended:

"The Something to Celebrate Document intended to persuade the Church to

recognise cohabitation. The Bishop has also indicated his sympathy for the cause of

homosexual equality in the Church." He concluded that; "The Church should

develop its theology on marriage, family and the community by reflecting honestly

on the harsh realities of life for families."

There is no reference to any Ultimate Standard of Scripture. Instead, he says:

"Theology reflects the harsh realities of life" Note - life is not governed by theology.

The Scriptures compare the time of Ahab with that of his father Omri:

In Britain, the whole moral fabric of society has disintegrated over the past 30 years!

In 1969 Malcolm Muggeridge, not exactly an evangelical, exposed the downward trends: "He spoke of those bent on the destruction of old moral standards. He criticised the

unprincipled and unrestrained exploitation of sex and violence which prevailed in

society and pointed to the lurid display of obscene paper-backs and magazines on

bookstalls everywhere. In regard to the theatre he referred to yahoos who take off

their clothes, ‘cavort about the stage and yell obscenities’, which results in ‘a great

breakthrough in dramatic art being applauded."

Muggeridge went on to give a telling analysis of the root cause of the problem:

"Past civilisations have been destroyed by barbarians from outside, but we are

doing this job ourselves. Our artists may safely be left to destroy art, our writers to

destroy literature, our scholars to destroy scholarship, our moralists to destroy

morality, and our clergy to destroy religion. We breed our own barbarians at the

public expense in our groves of academy."

We face the same scenario as Elijah (1 Kings 16:25 & 30-31):

"Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord … Ahab son of Omri did more evil than any

of those before him. He considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of

Nebat, but he also married Jezebel … and began to serve Baal and worship him"

The children of the ‘60s & ‘70s are now the parents of ‘90s

• The moral decline was not checked, and so we are reaping the whirlwind of a

degraded society where almost anything is tolerated in the name of moral freedom!

• Moral standards have long since gone.
• They have been thrown into the dustbin of depravity.
• Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

TODAY, just like in Ahab’s time, men MAKE EXCUSES to hide their sin!

Roger Ellsworth says:

"On this matter there is no shortage of answers. Some say lack of education is what

keeps our society from dealing successfully with all its problems. Some say

government is the cause of the trouble. And some, like Ahab, actually go so far as to

accuse the godly of being the troublemakers. We are told, for instance, that many

things – abortion, sexual perversions, & pornography, are not really problems at all.

The problem is Christians going around teaching that these are problems and

The crucial QUESTION is this: Who was Causing the Nation’s Trouble?

We are looking at four aspects of the TROUBLE facing Israel:

Firstly: The trouble facing Israel can be considered from TWO PERSPECTIVES

From Ahab’s perspective Elijah was the troubler of Israel;

Secondly: Exactly the SAME TROUBLE can be found in our society today.

Thirdly: Elijah boldly confronts King Ahab with the real issues behind the drought

Elijah boldly says to Ahab: "You & your father’s house have made this trouble for Israel."

Elijah goes on to make two particular accusations:

"You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals" (1 K 18:18)

1. Ahab and the people of Israel had abandoned the commands of the Lord:

• Elijah is saying: You have ignored & rejected the Word of God.
• You have shown contempt for the Word of the Living God.
• You have rejected the wisdom of God and chosen to live independently from God.

We must not forget that Ahab was the leader of God’s people, Israel:

• In speaking about the "Abandonment of the Lord’s commands," Elijah reminds Ahab of the special covenant relationship between Israel and her God!
• The nation of Israel was not like other nations.
• God had called them out from all other nations & made them his own special possession.

This glorious position of a covenant relationship also included certain conditions:

"The Lord called to Moses from the mountain, saying: ‘If you obey me fully & keep

my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession …

You will be for me a kingdom of priests & a holy nation" (Ex 19:4-6).

• The blessings of the covenant were reliant upon obedience to God’s commandments.

God also warned of calamities as judgement for disobedience (Deut 28:15 & 22-23):

"If you do not obey the Lord your God and do not follow his commands, all these

curses will come upon you … The Lord will strike you with scorching heat &

drought. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron."

In the days of Ahab, the people of God had disobeyed his commandments:

• They were now experiencing God’s punishment for their disobedience! Drought!

Elijah makes two particular accusations against Ahab and the people of God:

1. Ahab and the people of Israel had abandoned the commands of the Lord.
2. Ahab and the people of Israel had followed after other gods:

"You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals" (1 K 18:18).

- Having made a general accusation concerning disobedience to the Lord’s commands,

Elijah now refers to a particular commandment.

One condition of the covenant was that God’s people should not worship other gods.

The first commandment declares:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of

slavery. You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:1-2).

Ahab and the whole nation of Israel had no option but to plead guilty to this accusation:

He set up Baal worship throughout the land of Israel.

Elijah had a cast-iron case against Ahab and the nation:

• It was Ahab, despite his knowledge of the law & commands of the Lord, who had led the people of God to violate the covenant.
• They had turned away from the Living God and followed after the Baals.
• They rejected the Living God and bowed down to pagan idols.
• Because they had broken the covenant they forfeited the blessings and

brought upon themselves this devastating drought.

Elijah was not trying to impose his own religious views on Ahab and the Nation!

• Everything he was saying was written down in the Law of Moses.
• The Living God had constantly confirmed both the blessings & curses relating to the covenant throughout the history of Israel.
• When they obeyed God they were blessed and when they disobeyed they were cursed.

For EVERY NATION on earth, the principle proclaimed by Elijah still remains:

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Prov 14:34).

• In our own nation, if we want God’s blessing, we must obey his commandments!
• If we disobey we can expect trouble & turmoil.
• Our nation may not be in a special covenant relationship with God like the Israelites;

Nevertheless, God’s character and God’s Law do not change!

• A Holy God demands the allegiance & obedience of every individual & every nation!
• Disobedience leads to certain judgement.

Listen to the Word of the Living God to All People & All Nations (Rom 1:18-20):

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness &

wickedness of men …What may be known about God is plain to them, because God

what has been made, so that men are without excuse"

The crucial QUESTION is this: Who was Causing the Nation’s Trouble?

We are looking at four aspects of the TROUBLE facing Israel:

Firstly: The trouble facing Israel can be considered from TWO PERSPECTIVES

From Ahab’s perspective Elijah was the troubler of Israel;

Secondly: Exactly the SAME TROUBLE can be found in our society today.

There is no doubt that this passage is relevant for our own day and age.

Thirdly: Elijah boldly confronts King Ahab with the real issues behind the drought

Fourthly: Elijah asks a fundamental question which gets to the heart of the matter:

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow

The time of reckoning had arrived! Elijah laid down his challenge, saying to Ahab:

"Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mt Carmel. Bring the

450 prophets of Baal & 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table" (v19).

Can you visualise the assembled crowd? People from every corner of the nation!

Eight hundred & fifty false prophets. A mass of humanity as far as the eye can see!

Elijah stood before a whole nation to proclaim the ULTIMATE QUESTION:

"How long will you waver between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him" (v21).

Elijah put his finger right on the problem:

• Israel wanted to create a syncretistic religion between Yahweh & Baal.
• Whilst embracing Baal worship, they had not repudiated worship of Yahweh.
• This syncretism boiled down to sitting on the fence.
• Ahab and the whole nation of Israel wanted the best of both worlds.
• They were wavering between two opinions, and couldn’t make their mind up.
• They wanted to worship the same popular pagan god as other nations around them.
• They wanted to keep up with the times.

On the one hand, they wanted a religion which appealed to the flesh:

• The sexual rites of Baal worship gratified fleshly desires.
• They didn’t want to go back to the disciplined moral purity demanded by Yahweh.

On the other hand, they desperately wanted the rain to return:

• During the drought they had turned to the fertility god Baal, who had let them down.
• Giving up sexual desires for a while was a small price to pay to bring back the rain.

The people wavered because they were being pulled in two directions:

• One moment they were ready to renounce Baal and return to Yahweh;

They would do anything to see the end of this devastating drought & famine.

• The next moment they couldn’t do without Baal worship & its physical gratification.

Elijah made it plain that this was a completely untenable position:

• The two religions were mutually exclusive. It was either one or the other but not both.
• Either Yahweh had total control of the weather & fertility of the land, or Baal!
• It was impossible for both to be right! One of these Gods had to be wrong!
• Either Yahweh was the Sovereign Lord of the universe, OR Baal, BUT NOT BOTH!
• It was totally absurd to believe that both could be sovereign!

Elijah’s ULTIMATE QUESTION is just as relevant today!

• People want to hang on to the popular rites of passage.
• They want Christian baptism, marriage & burial, but they refuse to serve God every day.
• They want to go through the motions without any real commitment.
• They want to go to Church to keep up appearances, then go home and do what they like.
• They want to go to heaven, but they don’t want to live a holy life.

- People the world over want the best of both worlds without commitment to either.

Elijah’s message thunders out to the whole world:

" How long will you waver between two opinions?

Choose between God and the Devil, and make your decision here and now!"

- Wavering between two opinions will end in misery & judgement.

Ultimately, there is ONLY ONE QUESTION to be answered:

• What is the truth? Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, or is he not?
• Does Christianity point us toward light or darkness?

If Christianity does NOT have the truth – we must throw out the whole package!

• People cannot pick and choose what they want.

If Christianity DOES have the truth – then it must be accepted in its entirety!

• People must stop wavering & give their whole-hearted obedience to God’s Word!

The teaching of Jesus is clear (Matthew 6:24):

Extra material regarding the State of the Nation:

Erroll Hulse, in an article on The State of the Nation in the early seventies, said:

His aim was to give a brief outline of some features which were symptomatic of the

corrupt state of the nation. Here is just a brief reference to some of the points raised:

Television: "This medium which has a vast potential for good has become a gutter

through which passes a colossal volume of filth emanating from debased minds. Sex

and murder rival each other for first place. The brain-washing effect upon the people

as a whole by this media is boundless. Today’s X films stimulating the marriage of

sensuality with bestiality are tomorrow’s TV shows. The use of profane language and

blasphemy of the name of Christ is gradually becoming accepted practice."

Sex: "Preoccupation with the subject is seen not only on television but also on

bookstalls and the hoardings … Visitors to London must think that not only the

leaders but all the people are obsessed with the subject … Sex morals and work

morals are not far apart. Corruption in one sphere very soon invades another …

We are threatened on every side with the abandonment of restraints … When we are

threatened with degeneration and consequent disaster we need to pray fervently that

about the destruction of the genuine values as men and women are encouraged to

experiment with licentiousness. Surely we are crazy to encourage the public

mutilation of values which constitute our well-being, happiness & personal security."

Lawlessness: "Policemen in London stand by helplessly as hordes of youngsters have

rampaged through the Underground defying anyone to cross their will. Destruction is

in their hands when & where they please. The prospect in many schools is frightening

when teachers, bereft of any realistic form of punishing the lawless, are helpless to

check disorder & chaos. Lawlessness also threatens our universities & colleges."

Pernicious Government Legislation: "One writer points to an appalling record ‘of the

most morally reprehensible legislation ever passed in so short a space of time by any

Government we have record of in history.’ He mentions Sodomy, Abortion, and

Divorce as well as the Betting Act."