Bible Reading: 1Kings 16-18; John 1:29-51
Memory verse: “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 Baalin” 1 Kings 18:18 (KJV)
Elijah, the Tishbite, was a prophet who stood for God in a period where evil has taken over the whole of Israel such that the true people of God have gone into hiding because of the wicked government of the day. Ahab was King and married to an evil woman named Jezebel who gave her support to worshippers of Baalim against the true God of Israel. The worshippers believe Baal controlled rain and was responsible for abundant crop.
Elijah, therefore, prayed that there be no rain to draw the attention of Ahab to the evils going on in the land. Surprisingly, Ahab after hearing the reason why there hadn’t been rain went to look for Elijah, “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 1 Kings 18:17 (KJV). Elijah’s response was full of courage, “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 Baalin” 1 Kings 18:18 (KJV)
Sometimes, it takes confrontations like this to bring to the attention of the authorities the evil going on in the land. Evil had so prevail that King Ahab was not even aware of what service to the true God is all about anymore. Successive kings in his lineage have increased in their evil over the years making Ahab not to know the true God anymore. All he cares about is food for the land. But Elijah was sent to restore order.
Have you noticed any evil going on around you? There is a popular saying that men use these days; ‘if you can’t beat them you join them.’ This saying is not of God. He is not looking for everybody. He is looking for that one man who would uphold his righteousness in the face of opposition. Ezekiel 22:30 (KJV) “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
Learn to take a stand against evil. Remember, God is watching and His support for you like He did for Elijah is unwavering.
Prayer: Father, give me the courage to, not only resist evil, but to speak against it.
Bro. Worthmore Aghanenu