Time For the Lord to Act

I Kings 17: 1; 3 Kingdoms 17:1 (OSB)

About 925 B.C., King Solomon died leaving a formally strong and prosperous kingdom in disarray. He had spurned the blessed inheritance he had received from his father, King David, along with the gift of wisdom from God.

God had warned Solomon to avoid becoming obsessed with wealth, weapons and women. In the end, he had ignored that warning, turned his heart from God and his kingdom fell with him.

Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became king after his father’s death. However, there was a revolt when Rehoboam promised more hardships and heavier burdens on the people than Solomon had inflicted. In the northern portion of the land, the people rose up and made Jereboam their king – thus dividing the kingdom. The northern kingdom was known as Israel, ruled by Jereboam, and the southern kingdom was known as Judah, ruled by Rehoboam. This tragic schism took place about 922B.C.

As we follow the events in the northern kingdom, Jereboam (931-910) was an evil ruler whose heart was turned away from the Lord. Subsequently, his son Nadab reigned in Israel and followed his father’s wicked ways. After two years, Nadab was killed by Baasha, who then reigned over Israel for twenty four years and was no better than his predecessors. Baasha’s son, Elah, became king but reigned for only two years before being assassinated by Zimri – one of his military commanders. When Zimri seized the throne, he killed all the household of Baasha “according to the word the Lord spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet for all their sins …. which they caused Israel to commit, and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger with their follies” (I Kings 16:12,13).

Zimri sat on the throne for only seven days until the people heard about the assassination and rose up against him. They then made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. Omri ruled for twelve years (885-874). Like those before him – from Jereboam – “Omri did evil before the Lord and did worse than all who were before him” (I Kings 16:25). It was Omriwho built the city of Samaria as his capital, naming it after the previous owner of the land, Shemer.

The foregoing may have been too long and tedious to read – for which I apologize. However, it is meant to give a background and some introduction for this (“Time For the Lord to Act”) and the following offered teachings.

Upon the death of Omri, his son, Ahab, ascended to the throne of Israel. He ruled in the capital city of Samaria for twenty-two years. Believe it or not, “Ahab did evil before the Lord, more than all who were before him” (I Kings 16:38)!! Ahab married Jezebel who was the daughter of the king of Sidon (in present-day Lebanon). She came to Samaria with many servants and an army of hundreds of priests of the religion of Baal (meaning “possessor of everything”) whom the Sidonians worshipped. She also brought along household gods which were soon being placed in homes and places where the God of Israel was worshipped. The implication was that Baal was an equal to Yahweh – the God of Israel. Jezebel’s priests began to teach the young in Israel to call upon the name of Baal as their fathers had been taught to call upon the name of the Lord. Little by little, the people were being taught, and swayed into believing, that Baal was indeed the true god.

Jezebel was determined to spread the religion of Baal across the kingdom. Her method of breaking down the opposition was either to murder or force into hiding the priests of the Lord who dared to resist the change in the religion of their land.

An alarming sense of apathy began to creep upon the people. What did it matter to adhere strictly to the religious traditions of their fathers?  They were willing to keep Ahab and Jezebel in power as long as bread and corn were plentiful and wine was flowing cheaply. Such was the situation when, it appears, that “God’s patience ran out”.

Seemingly, out of nowhere, there emerged on the scene a man who would profoundly impact the ongoing apostasy and turmoil in the leadership of Israel. He is simply identified as “Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead (present-day Jordan).     (I Kings 17:1) Somehow, he stood before King Ahab and, anointed with the power of God, exclaimed, “As the Lord God of Hosts lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand, there shall not be any dew nor rain during these years except by my word.” (I Kings 17:1).

Clearly, God had been very patient with Israel for these many years. In His great love for Israel, He gave time and opportunity for the leaders and the people to repent and return to their Lord. But now, things are about to change and the man chosen to bring it about is Elijah.

Let us be mindful of our lives and our time, seeking God and praying for Him to act. Who might be the Elijah(s) among us?

We shall look more closely at this giant among the prophets next time as we come to “Open the Old Wells”. God bless you.

Fr. Andrew