The House of Ahab (7)

The House of Ahab (7)

1kings18:30

‘And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.’

The prophets of Baal, which depict the prophets of Secularism of our day, had utterly failed; they had been completely humiliated in the Show-down on Mount Carmel; now Elijah reveals the Strength of Israel.

Firstly, Elijah found the altar of God that had been broken down; ‘the House of Ahab’, with its Secularist policies, had destroyed the altar of God. They had achieved this by discrediting and marginalising the Word of God; the Obadiah movement, with their affiliation to the power sharing executive of Ahab and Jezebel, gave silent ascent to this outrage in Israel. With God’s Word removed from the state, then opportunity arose for false pagan altars to spring up; and before Israel as a nation knew what was happening, they had become multicultural and pluralist to the heart. There was national rebellion against God’s Word, and a craving for ‘equal rights’ and an ‘integrated society’ in Israel. ‘Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.’ 19Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 20For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. 21Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 22For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD. 23How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; 24A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her. 25Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. 26As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets. (Jerm2:11 & :19-26)

Elijah led the people of Israel back to the foundation of God’s Word, that is where the repair work would start from; in repairing the altar of God, Elijah went back to the foundational truths and teaching of the Scriptures of truth. He would not build on any other foundation; ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (1Cor3:11); yes, Elijah had his eye by faith fixed upon another Mount, Mount Calvary; where Christ would offer Himself a sacrifice to put away sin and transgression. ‘But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God;’ (Heb10:12) It is interesting to notice the absence of Obadiah in this great reformation work; he would have been concerned more on issues of political correctness as he polished the unrighteous boots of Ahab and flirted with Jezebel; Obadiah would have been taken up with the more weightier matters of consoling the prophets of Baal in the wake of their humiliation and defeat on Carmel.

Elijah was pointing the lost sheep of the house of Israel to, ‘the strength of Israel’ (1Sam15:29); he was pointing away from failed Secularist policies which had evoked the wrath and judgment of God; he was pointing to the LORD, the ‘strength and shield' of His people. The Reformation movement started on Mount Carmel, when Elijah:-
1 Gathered the lost sheep of the house of Israel together; they were famished, they had witnessed the defeat and misery that Secularism had delivered, and they were turning their backs against Secularist Humanist error and had begun to look to God. ‘And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him’.
2 Elijah takes the nation back to the foundational truths and principles of God’s Word as we have just seen.
3 Elijah repairs the altar of God; in this, he is uplifting the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ; he is exalting the name of Jehovah, the covenant keeping God of His people; ‘And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’ (Jhn12:32)
4 Elijah ‘took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob,’ and he ‘made a trench about the altar’; he uplifted the national need to God; only God could help Israel in their distress and urgent need; so Elijah spread that need before the Lord. Elijah made a trench; this signifies separation from the Secular principles and point to separation unto God. ‘Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you’ (2Cor6:17)
5 Elijah offers ‘the burnt sacrifice’; here was ‘the sin offering’, this was the only means of putting away sin.; if Israel was ever to enjoy reformation blessing, then it had to come from Redemption ground and from none other. ‘and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin’ (1Jhn1:7)
6 Elijah offers ‘the drink offering’, ‘and the water ran sound about the altar’ this betokens the desire for an out pouring of God’s Holy Spirit in Revival blessing.
7 Finally, Elijah offers prayer on the ground and merit of the shed blood; he offered prayer from a broken and contrite heart; he offered prayer earnestly. ‘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. And the fire of God fell…’ Ah yes, ‘the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James5:16) ‘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.’ So ‘the strength of Israel’ manifests His great glory and power upon the Reformation movement.


Rev Mervyn Cotton (Heb13:6)