Sermon
#011 Through The Bible Series
Title: 1 Kings
Christ the
Prince of Peace
Text: 1 Kings 11:11
Subject: Solomon’s Influence upon Israel
Date: Tuesday
Evening—April 15, 2003
Tape # X-53b
Readings: Bob Poncer & Larry Brown
Introduction:
(Proverbs
4:23) "Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."
Salvation is entirely the
work and gift of God’s free grace in Christ. Our only standing before
God is Christ. His blood alone is our atonement. His righteousness alone is our
righteousness. We have no other righteousness but his. Our personal
obedience or disobedience has absolutely nothing to do with our acceptance
before God. Believers are “accepted in the Beloved,” only in the
Beloved, and once accepted never unaccepted. “Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin.”
Yet, we must never imagine
that obedience and disobedience to the revealed will of God are matters of
indifference. Obedience on the part of God’s own is so very important (to the honor
of our God, the cause of Christ, and our own souls) that the Lord God was
determined to kill Moses if he did not circumcise his sons, though his wife was
adamantly opposed to it (Ex. 4:24-26).
How foolish and selfish we
are when we presume that our behavior no one but ourselves! None of us is an island.
We all influence others for good or for evil. This is something we ought to
keep in mind all the time. You and I are responsible, not only for ourselves
but also, for those who are influenced by us. Those to whom God has
providentially given positions of authority over others are particularly
responsible to lead those who are under them by example.
·
Political Figures—A nation is morally elevated or debased by the moral
character of its president and national leaders.
·
Pastors—A local church usually follows the example of its pastor in
doctrine, in behavior, and in faithfulness.
·
Teachers—Children are, to a great degree affected for life by their
teachers.
·
Parents—Mothers and Fathers mold the lives of their children by
everything they do.—Temper—Conduct—Divorce—(Ellisons, Bradleys, B. D.).
Key
The importance of our
influence upon those around us is set before us dramatically in the life and
reign of Solomon as it is described in 1 Kings. Chapters 1-11 give us a picture
of Solomon’s greatness and glory as the king over all Israel for forty years.
Then, chapters 12-22 display the horrible consequences of Solomon’s
disobedience upon the kingdom. These chapters set before us the first eighty
years of the divided kingdom, a kingdom divided because of the evil influence
of Solomon’s life. The key to understanding the last half of 1 Kings is found
in God’s Word to Solomon in 1 Kings 11:11.
(1
Kings 11:11) "Wherefore the LORD
said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my
covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the
kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant."
Still, the message of 1 Kings is Christ, of whom Solomon was in many ways
a type.
If you read Psalm 72, which was “A Psalm for Solomon,” you will immediately see
that the things there spoken of Solomon could only find their fulfillment in
Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Adonijah
First Kings begins with
David still on the throne. He was old and dying. Solomon’s brother, Adonijah
tried to seize the kingdom for himself, though David made it clear that Solomon
was to succeed him as king. Adonijah’s scheme failed and Solomon was
established as king. But there are two things connected with the opening of 1
Kings that I cannot fail to mention.
First, David’s family suffered as
the consequence of his sin in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba until the very
day of his death, and even beyond his death, just as Nathan had told him it
would (2 Sam. 12:10). When he sent for Bathsheba, I am sure, the thought never
crossed David’s mind that he would bring such trouble to his family and God’s
kingdom by the indulgence of his lust. What a sad, sad bequeathal he made to
his family by his behavior.
Second, when David was dying his
servants found a beautiful young woman to come, lay in his bed, to nourish him,
hoping that she might rouse his physical passions and thereby help their
beloved king recover.
Needless to say, this
incident has raised many eyebrows. But the situation was not as it might
appear. There is no record that Bathsheba disapproved, no record that the Lord
disapproved, and no record of disapproval of any kind from anyone. This was not
a perverse device concocted by perverse men. This young lady, Abishag, married
David on his deathbed. How can that be stated so confidently, when there is no
record of the marriage? In chapter two, Adonijah made one last ditch effort to
seize the throne from Solomon by deceit, which resulted in his just execution.
Adonijah persuaded Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, to ask him to let marry
Abishag. Bathsheba did not see through the thing, but Solomon did. Solomon knew
that if Adonijah married Abishag he would have a rightful claim to the throne.
That could not have been the case if Abishag had not been married to the King
(2:22).
Overview
1 Kings then begins with the
reign of Solomon and takes us through the terrible division of the kingdom
under Rehoboam his son. Then we see the various dynasties within the Northern
Kingdom of Israel, and the lives of the kings of the single dynasty of the
house of David in the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
In each case, the focus is
always on the king, because it was the king’s relationship with God that determined the
condition of the nation. When the king walked with the Lord, God's prosperity
and triumph rested upon the kingdom by God’s blessing. The rains came at the
right time, the crops grew and the land flourished. The nation prevailed over
their enemies even though the enemies came in allied forces.
But when the king disobeyed
God and led the people into the worship of other gods, immediately famines
broke out, plagues came, invading armies came, and the kingdom fell into hard
times spiritually, morally, and politically. The kings who walked in obedience
were types of Christ, such as David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, and
Josiah. But the kings who walked in disobedience were pictures of the
anti-Christ, leading the people away from God and into apostasy.
Solomon
Before his death David
called Solomon before him and solemnly charged him to walk in the ways of the
Lord his God, and to teach his children after him, that the kingdom might
endure in safety and prosperity forever (2:1-4). He told Solomon that he must wisely
and justly deal with Joab, his brutal and bloody general, and Shimei, who
violently cursed David on the day he fled from Absalom (vv. 5-9). David kept
his word concerning those wicked men by sparing their lives; but they were
ultimately executed at the command of Solomon. He also made Zadok the priest,
replacing Abiathar and fulfilling of the prophecy given to Eli many decades
before.
As I said, Solomon was, in
many ways, a magnificent type of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
His kingdom was a kingdom of peace.
(1
Chronicles 22:9) "Behold, a son
shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest
from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon (Peaceable),
and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days."
Solomon’s peaceable kingdom
was the result of David’s mighty conquests. And it is because of
Christ’s conquest over all our enemies that we now enjoy the glorious reign of
his peace in our hearts. All who are under the dominion of grace, all who are
ruled by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ are ruled in peace.
·
Christ has made peace.
·
Christ is our peace.
·
Christ gives us peace.
(Romans
14:17) "For the kingdom of God is
not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost."
Solomon was also a king to
whom the Lord God gave wisdom beyond measure. His wisdom as the king of Israel
also foreshadowed Christ, who is made of God unto us Wisdom, in “whom are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Psalm 72 describes the glory of Solomon and the glory of his kingdom. But that Psalm, as I said, finds its ultimate fulfillment only in our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Like Solomon, our Mediator is King and possesses his kingdom because
the Lord God made him King and gave him his kingdom (1 Kings 5:4; Ps. 2:8; John
17:2).
(1
Kings 5:4) "But now the LORD my God
hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor
evil occurrent."
(Psalms
72:7-9) "In his days shall the
righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. (8)
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth. (9) They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow
before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust."
(Psalms
72:11-15) "Yea, all kings shall
fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. (12) For he shall
deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no
helper. (13) He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls
of the needy. (14) He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence:
and precious shall their blood be in his sight. (15) And he shall live,
and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for
him continually; and daily shall he be praised."
(Psalms
72:17-18) "His name shall endure
for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall
be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. (18) Blessed be
the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things."
The
Temple
Solomon’s most significant
achievement was the building of the temple in Jerusalem. He was raised up
specifically for that purpose (1 Chron. 28:5-10).
(1
Chronicles 28:5-10) "And of all my
sons, (for the LORD hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to
sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. (6) And he
said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I
have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. (7) Moreover
I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments
and my judgments, as at this day. (8) Now therefore in the sight of all
Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and
seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this
good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you
for ever. (9) And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father,
and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD
searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:
if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will
cast thee off for ever. (10) Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen
thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it."
In the fourth year of his
reign,
Solomon began to build the temple, Four hundred and eighty years after the
Israelites came out of Egypt. They were now settled in the land of promise,
enjoying a season of rest from warfare, and tremendous prosperity. Solomon
enlisted the assistance of his father's friend, Hiram the king of Tyre, from
whom he obtained huge quantities of cedar and cypress wood as well as skilled
workers in bronze and gold (5: 1-12).
The stones for the temple were quarried from beneath
the Temple mount and were finished within the quarry so that "neither
hammer nor ax nor any iron tool (was) heard in the house, while it was
being built" (6:7). This is a picture of God’s work of grace in the
building of his spiritual temple, the church (Eph. 2:20-22).
(Ephesians
2:20-22) "And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone; (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (22) In whom ye also are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
There is no clanging noise
of human works heard in the building of God’s holy temple. The salvation of God’s
elect is altogether the work of his free grace in Christ. We contribute nothing
to it by our works (Eph. 2:8-9).
The temple was built along
the same pattern as the tabernacle in the wilderness; but it was double the
size and was indescribably more magnificent than the tabernacle. Yet, like the
tabernacle, the temple’s beauty and splendor was to be seen from within. Almost
everything within was covered with pure gold.
It took Solomon seven years
to build the temple. But we are told, "Solomon was building his own house thirteen
years" (7:1). That fact is recorded for a reason. Any time our time,
talents and possessions are devoted more to our own comfort and pleasure than
they are to the cause of Christ, the glory of God and his kingdom, they are
misused; and that misuse indicates a horrible self-centeredness on our part.
·
The temple was a picture of God’s true house and abode, the church (1
Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Tim. 3:15).
·
Solomon’s temple was costly and glorious.
·
It is set before us throughout the Book of Hebrews as a picture of our
Savior’s great work of redemption (Heb. 9:12; 10:11-14, 18-22).
·
It took Solomon seven years to build it.
·
When it was finished the glory of God filled the holy place, so much so
that the priests could no longer do their work (8:10-11).
When the temple was
complete, it was solemnly dedicated to God. The ark of the covenant
was brought out of the tabernacle and installed within the holy of holies in
the temple. When the priests pulled out the staves by which the ark was carried
for the last time and came out from the holy place after installing the ark in
the holy of holies, a cloud of glory from the Lord suddenly filled the temple,
and when Solomon saw this evidence of God's immediate presence with his people,
he was overwhelmed with joy and arose to bless the people (8:15-21).
Then kneeling (v. 54) before
the altar of burnt offering and raising his outstretched hands, Solomon uttered
a tremendous, instructive prayer of dedication, recognizing the
faithfulness of God and the peril of departing from his ways (vv. 22-53). His
understanding of God's infinite greatness, majesty and glory was manifest in
his words, "Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee,
how much less this house that I have builded" (8:27). Then he outlined
the many circumstances by which the people might be caused to turn away from
the Lord and the method by which they might recover as they turned again to God
in repentance, looking to Christ who was symbolized by the ark and mercy seat
in the temple.
When Solomon arose from
prayer he pronounced another blessing upon the people and offered thousands of
sacrifices (8:54-64). At the close of the day, the joyful people returned to
their homes. Never was there a greater day in the history of Israel.
The Lord appeared again to
Solomon in a dream (9:2-9) and assured him that his prayer had been heard. He assured
Solomon that his promises to David his father were renewed to him, upon the
condition that he and his descendants walked before the Lord God in faithful
obedience. If they failed to do so, the temple would be torn down and the
people would be driven from the land and become a byword and a proverb among
the nations. Indeed, that is exactly what happened.
Solomon exceeded all the
kings of the earth in riches, and in wisdom. He made silver to be as gravel
stones in the street (11:23, 27). He was truly a remarkable type of Christ our
King.
The
Queen of Sheba
Chapter ten records the
famous, beautiful story of the Queen of Sheba coming to Jerusalem to meet
Solomon. “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here!” What a picture this
is of a sinner coming to Christ.
·
She heard of Solomon’s greatness.
·
She came to him from a country far away. We “who were sometimes far
off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
·
She communed with him of all that was in her heart and proved him with
many questions.
·
Solomon told her everything she wanted to know and gave her all her
desire, according to his royal bounty!
·
There was no more spirit in her.
·
When she had seen all, she said…
(1
Kings 10:7-9) "Howbeit I believed
not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the
half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I
heard. (8) Happy are thy men, happy are these thy
servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
(9) Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on
the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he
thee king, to do judgment and justice."
The gospel of Christ is that
true report of the grace and glory of God, which we heard in the land of our
alienation from God. It was by the hearing of the gospel that we were brought
to Christ. By the glad tidings of the gospel Christ was revealed in us and we
were granted life and faith in him by the grace of God (Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet.
1:23-25). Like Solomon, our Savior has granted us all that we could desire and
has given all the fulness of his royal bounty “according to his riches in
glory.”
Solomon’s
Great Failure
Solomon was a great king. He
was a great man, a man in whom God had put his grace, upon whom the Lord God
poured out his Spirit. He was, as we have seen, a great type of Christ, the
Prince of Peace. But Solomon was only a man, no more. He was a sinner saved by
grace. But he was still a sinner.
·
Solomon went down to Egypt for help. He made a league with Pharaoh.
·
He took Pharaoh’s daughter to be his wife.
·
He multiplied horses.
·
He multiplied wives.
·
His wives turned his heart to serve other gods.
·
Therefore the Lord God divided the kingdom, and constantly increasing
wars between Israel and Judah ensued. Idolatry became rampant. Moral degeneracy
followed. Homosexual prostitutes were advanced in the land!
(1
Kings 11:11) "Wherefore the LORD
said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my
covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the
kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant."
The Lord appeared to Solomon
a third time to announce to him that the kingdom would be torn from him and
given to another. Yet for David's sake it would occur after Solomon died, during the
lifetime of Solomon's son. Immediately, adversaries began rising up against
Solomon, including Hadad the Edomite on the south, Rezon in the land of Syria
on the north, and from within the kingdom itself, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an
Ephraimite who lifted up his hand against the king.
Ahijah the prophet was sent by God to meet
Jeroboam outside of Jerusalem. Ahijah took off his new garment and tore it into
twelve pieces. He handed ten pieces to Jeroboam, symbolizing that he would be
given ten of Israel’s twelve tribes. Only two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) would
remain with the house of David.
God’s promised blessing to
David was extended to Jeroboam, too, upon condition of obedience. If he would
walk in David’s ways, believing God, he would have David’s mercies. When
Solomon heard of this he tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled into Egypt and
stayed there until Solomon died.
After forty years of
unparalleled magnificence and prosperity, Solomon died and was buried in the
city of David, his father. What a sad, tragic end to a life that had begun with
great promise and possibility!
A
Divided Kingdom
Solomon, by his
disobedience, (Yes, by the disobedience of an obedient, believing, faithful
man!), brought the kingdom into a division from which it never recovered. He
stands as a beacon to warn us of the sure, far reaching, and long lasting
consequences of disobedience.
When Solomon's son,
Rehoboam, came to Shechem to be anointed king, Jeroboam led the people who had
returned from Egypt to ask that the new king grant them relief from many of the
burdens which Solomon had placed upon them. The king sent them away for three
days and consulted with both the old men who advised his father and the young
men with whom he grew up. With despotic pride he followed the counsel of the
young men and told the people that their burdens would be increased ( 12:1-15).
The result was widespread revolt. The ten tribes chose Jeroboam to be their king,
fulfilling God’s word to Solomon.
Jeroboam
Jeroboam set up his capital
at Shechem. Fearing that the people might eventually return to the authority of
Rehoboam if they continued to worship at Jerusalem, he made two golden
calves and led the northern tribes into idolatry, from which they never
recovered. He set one of the calves up in Dan in the far north and the other at
Bethel, at the border with Judah. Calling Israel to worship, he said, "Behold
thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"
(v. 28). This was exactly what Aaron had done at the foot of
Mount Sinai, when he made a calf of gold that the people began to worship. They
called that calf, Jehovah (Ex. 32:5), not openly denying that Jehovah was their
God, but foolishly misrepresenting him as no more than the gods of the nations
around.
That is exactly what the
most deceitful forms of idolatry do today. It is but a form of godliness that denies
the power of God. It retains the words and phrases and the ordinances of the gospel,
but denies the character of God, representing him as one who is pathetically
helpless without the aid of men. Every form of freewill/works religion that
makes the will and work of God dependent upon the will or work of man for its
efficacy follows the deadly sin which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, introduced to
the Northern Kingdom.
From this moment on, David
and Jeroboam became representative of two spiritual principles that are seen
throughout the rest of the nation’s history. In Judah a good king
"walked in the ways of David, his father." Every good king
served the Lord God, tearing down idols, destroying the practice of idolatry
and establishing the worship of God. In Israel, the northern kingdom, the evil
kings "walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his
sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities."
It is significant that in
Israel, the northern kingdom, there was not even one good king. Israel’s throne was
occupied by a succession of kings who walked in idolatrous way of Jeroboam.
They frequently gained the throne by murdering their predecessor. Yet, God
graciously sent prophet after prophet to the rebel nation. He who is God indeed
is God “who delighteth in mercy!”
In Judah there were a few
good kings
among many who were evil, but those good kings, who “walked in the way of
David,” stand out like lights in the darkness. Among them were Asa,
Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah.
When the Lord God sent his
prophet to Jeroboam, denouncing his wickedness and announcing the immediate
overthrow his altar, Jeroboam stretched out his hand to order the
prophet's arrest. When he did his hand withered; and he could not draw it back.
He begged the prophet to pray for him, and he did. The hand was restored; but
Jeroboam was yet without repentance toward God (13:1-6).
When the prophet left for
home, he disobeyed the word of the Lord and entered into another prophet's house to
eat and drink with him after the man lied and told him God had sent him. There
he was told that he would die as a result of his disobedience. On the way home
a lion met him and killed him. Though no excuse can be made for the lying
prophet, there is a solemn lesson here that must never be overlooked.—When we
know what God would have us do, in any circumstance, we must not confer with
flesh and blood, and we must not be persuaded to disobedience, even though an
angel from heaven or another prophet suggests a change. Learn this, too.—Even
faithful prophets, like faithful Solomon, are only sinful men at their best.
God’s judgment fell upon
Jeroboam, just as the faithful prophet had told him it would. Ahijah, the
prophet, sent word to Jeroboam by his wife that God who had exalted him to
power and made him king over Israel would, because of his sin, remove him from
the throne. The sign of it would be the death of his son. As Jeroboam's wife
brought the news to her husband the child died. We know nothing else of
Jeroboam’s twenty-two year reign of wickedness and idolatry. His son, Nadab,
took the throne after him.
Rehoboam
Things were not much better
in the southern kingdom of Judah, where Rehoboam reigned (14:21). His seventeen
year reign was also characterized by the introduction of idolatry and the
reappearance of homosexual prostitutes within the land. God sent the king of
Egypt to invade the land in judgment. He took all the treasures of gold out of
the temple and the king's palace. Bronze shields and vessels replaced them to
remind the king of the deterioration of the worship in the land. War raged
continually between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, and ultimately it is recorded that
Rehoboam, too, slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
Asa
Abijam, his son, reigned in
Rehoboam’s stead. But he only reigned for three years, before he died. Then one
of the good kings, Asa, began a forty-one year reign. Asa eliminated
homosexuality in the land and destroyed the idols. He even destroyed his own
mother’s gods and removed her from the office of queen because of her idolatry
(15:9-13). Without question, Asa’s bold zeal for God and his people preserved
Judah, for the time, from the decay and corruption, which was rampant in
Israel.
Israel suffered continually
under the rule of wicked, idolatrous kings who “walked in the way of
Jeroboam." When Ahab, the vilest of them all, ascended the throne,
with his even more vile wife, Jezebel, God sent a prophet whose name rings
through history as a prototype of John the Baptist—Elijah.
God’s
Faithfulness
All mere men fail in many
ways. But man’s failure never nullifies God’s purpose or prevents his
faithfulness. He is ever on his throne, unceasing in goodness, unfailing in
faithfulness, and unchanging in his purpose. Solomon failed; but God intervened
in mercy.
By
taking Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, as his wife Ahab brought the
worship of Baal into Israel. "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" (16:33). Yet, where sin
abounded grace abounded more.
·
Elijah appears on the scene, as out of nowhere (chap. 17).
The next four chapters (17-20) describe the
constant, faithful, unflinching boldness of God’s prophet, Elijah and the
constant, stubborn rebellion of Ahab in his defiance of God’s right to be God.
We know nothing about
Elijah’s previous life, except the fact that he came out of Gilead. He suddenly
appeared on the scene and confronted Ahab with an announcement of divine
judgment. He told Ahab that it there would be neither dew nor rain for three
years; and that when the rain did come it would only be by his word, as the
prophet of God (17:1).
A
Chosen Gentile
Severe drought began
immediately. The Lord sent Elijah to the brook Cherith where he was
miraculously fed by ravens and protected from the fury of Ahab and Jezebel.
Then God sent him to Zerephath on the coast of Sidon, where he lived with a
widow and her son.
The Lord Jesus holds this woman before us as a
monument of God’s unalterable purpose and method of grace (Luke 4:24-26). Ahab
and all of Israel forsook the Lord God for idols; but God’s purpose of grace
was unaltered. This poor, Gentile widow was one of God’s elect who must be
called. So God sent his prophet to her, confronted her with the claims of Christ
as her Lord, and she surrendered all to him (17:13-14). But she lost nothing by
giving up her life to Christ. Rather she was constantly supplied with all her
need (17:15-16). Even when it appeared that she would lose her only son, he was
raised to life by the power of God (17:17-24). And through this dear, elect
lady God’s prophet and God’s cause were maintained in the world.
What a picture this is of God’s saving
purpose of grace!
·
When the Jews despised Christ and rejected God’s revelation of his
grace in him, God sent the gospel to the Gentiles.
·
By the preaching of the gospel the Lord God is calling out his elect
from among the Gentles.
·
Bowing to Christ, trusting him, we find in him a constantly supply of
all our souls’ needs, even in this desolate world.
·
And now, through chosen Gentiles, the purpose and cause of our great
God is maintained in this world (Rom. 3:3-4).
·
Elijah and the prophets of Baal (chap. 18).
After three years Elijah was
sent back to confront Ahab, who had been looking for Elijah for three years,
wanting to kill him, came out to meet him.
(1
Kings 18:17-18) "And it came to
pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that
troubleth Israel? (18) 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."
Elijah then challenged Ahab
to gather all the prophets of Baal on
Mount Carmel. There he would show Ahab and all Israel that Jehovah alone
is God. Then we have that story that is so familiar. It is a story full of
drama, majesty and instruction.
On one side are four hundred
and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of the groves. On the
other side Elijah stands alone, crying out, "How long halt ye between two
opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him" (v.
21). Elijah mocked the prophets and mocked their helpless, useless god, as they
vainly cried out for Baal to descend and burn up the sacrifice that waited on
the altar. Elijah mocked them by suggesting that perhaps their dumb idol was
asleep, or had gone on a journey, or even had gone to find a bathroom to
relieve himself.
Then, it was Elijah's turn.
After drenching his sacrifice with water he prayed and God answered by fire
from heaven, devouring the sacrifice and licking up the water. Elijah’s prayer
was very short, but remarkably instructive.
(1
Kings 18:36-39) "And it came to
pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that
Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of
Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that
I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at
thy word. (37) Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that
thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back
again. (38) Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water
that was in the trench. (39) And when all the people saw it, they
fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD,
he is the God."
When it was proved that the
prophets of Baal were false prophets, they were put to death. Then, in answer
to the prayer of Elijah, the rain, which had not fallen for three years, now
came in great torrents.
·
The Lord kept his Word and preserved his kingdom, in spite of
everything!
When her prophets were slain
and her gods were proved to be nothing but useless idols, Jezebel was enraged.
She threatened Elijah with immediate death (19:2). Then, Elijah too proved
himself to be nothing more than a man. He was God’s true prophet; but, like all
God’s servants, he was only a sinner saved by grace.
That bold, lion-hearted man,
who was so courageous and triumphant on Mount Carmel, in the face of eight
hundred and fifty false prophets, fled in fear before a single woman. Still,
the Lord God graciously met his needs, encouraged his faith, upheld him in
grace, made himself known to him anew, and used him as his prophet. Even when
we believe not, “he abideth faithful.”
Being assured that there
were yet seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal, Elijah
was then sent to anoint Hazael to be king of Syria, Jehu to be king of Israel,
and Elisha to be prophet in his own place (vv. 9-18). The obedient prophet
returned to the land and, finding Elisha plowing with oxen, cast his mantle
upon him. After offering a sacrifice, Elisha took up his new role as servant to
the old prophet.
The Lord God protected
Israel from Ben-hadad and the Syrians (chap. 20), but sent a prophet to Ahab to
announce his doom. Ahab returned to his house, "sullen and vexed"
(20:43).
The selfish, self-serving
king of Israel coveted the vineyard of his neighbor, Naboth. When Naboth
refused to sell it to him, Jezebel, steal the vineyard for her sulking husband.
This base idolater falsely accused Naboth of cursing both God and the king and
had him killed. Persecutors never lack for imagination in the appearance of
justifying their villainous deeds
But when Ahab went to take
possession Naboth’s vineyard Elijah confronted him again, with all the boldness
he had in days gone by. When Ahab heard
God’s message, he showed great outward signs of repentance before the Lord;
but. Though it was only an outward show of repentance, God promised not to take
the kingdom from his house until after he was (21:29).
The final chapter in both
Ahab's life and the Book of I Kings is about Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahab.
Ahab the king of Israel, wanted Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, to go to war
with him against Syria. The two kings, sought the will of God by the counsel of
four hundred false prophets who cowered before Ahab. The hireling prophets told
them what Ahab wanted to hear, and assured them of victory. But Jehoshaphat
insisted upon consulting Micaiah, a true prophet of God. Micaiah, being a
faithful prophet, told them the mind of God and prophesied that Ahab would be
killed in the battle.
(1
Kings 22:34) "And a certain man
drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the
harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and
carry me out of the host; for I am wounded."
True to his cowardly
character, Ahab placed Jehoshaphat in a conspicuous place during the battle,
hoping that the Syrians would mistake Jehosaphat for himself and be killed. But
"a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel
between the joints of the harness.” (Our God is the God of circumstances.
There are no accidents in his world.) Ahab's body was brought Samaria and the
dogs licked up his blood from the chariot according to the word of God. The
final account of 1 Kings briefly summarizes the reign of Jehoshaphat of Judah,
who walked in the good way of his father Asa. This story is picked up and
continued in the second book of Kings.
Elisha’s
call (chap.
19).
But there is one other
event, recorded in chapter nineteen, that must not be overlooked. Here we have
the record of Elisha’s call. Elisha’s ministry was a source of healing and of
blessing. In that he was typical of Christ.
·
Elijah passed by him.
As he was plowing his fields
with his servants, he saw the outlawed prophet of Gilead coming toward him.
·
Elijah cast his mantle upon him.
Passing by him, Elijah cast his mantle upon Elisha.
Elisha knew the meaning of this sign. Though he was a very wealthy man, he had
now been called of God to be Elijah’s servant, to follow him, minister to him
in lowliness and humility, and perhaps even to die with him. Immediate
decisiveness was demanded. Elisha immediately counted the cost and made his
choice.
·
After seeking Elijah’s permission, he kissed his parents good bye,
burned his oxen, gave everything away, and followed the Lord, serving his
prophet Elijah, totally abandoning his former life.
That is exactly what happens
when the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, passes by chosen, redeemed
sinners and casts upon them the skirt of his righteousness, calling them to
life and faith. The sinner called by grace willingly forsakes all and follows
Christ (Luke 14:25-33).
And that is exactly what
happens when the Lord God calls a man to preach the gospel. The man called of
God to the work of the gospel confers not with flesh and blood, but willingly
forsakes all for Christ, that he may give himself to the most noble of all
callings.
(Proverbs
4:23) "Keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."