Week 3

9/21/2025

Fall 2025

• Central Passage: 1 Kings 17-22, Elijah and Ahab

• Check out the Middle School Sunday School Resources page for other books of the Bible resources. Note: the 1 Samuel-2 Kings handout will be available eventually.

Contents

1. The Story So Far

2. The Contest on Mount Carmel

   1. Elijah's Wilderness Preparation (1 Kings 17)

   2. The Contest

3. Elijah Flees and God Speaks Gently

   1. God Rebukes the Self-Pitying Prophet

   2. Ahab's End: Ahab Spares Ben-Hadab

   3. Ahab's End: Ahab Covets Naboth's Vineyard

   4. Ahab's End: God Sends a Lying Spirit

4. Remaining Faithful and Praying for Revival

5. Sources

6. Endnotes

The Story So Far

1-2 Samuel offered a more optimistic glimpse into God’s redemptive plans. Samuel was the first prophet in a long time, meaning the word of the Lord once again would come to His people. David’s kingship was a bright spot for humble, godly leadership. God’s covenant with David graciously preserved David’s family lineage to prepare the way for Christ, the new and better David, who will reign peaceably forever.

Though 1-2 Samuel largely points toward these joyous New Covenant realities, 1-2 Kings points toward exile and punishment by outlining the rocky history of Judah and the wicked downward spiral of Israel’s northern tribes. The book begins with Solomon’s reign, which ends in apostasy and punishment. The story progresses to tension and a split in the short-lived kingdom, and it ends with Jerusalem captured and the people of Judah sent into exile.^[1] These stories of Israel’s kings should remind us of Judges. Evil begets more evil. For several kings are noted to do more evil than all who come before, with Ahab being one of the highest exemplars of a wicked king.

Kings also reminds us that God’s way is better. Political assassination (which our country has grieved lately), conspiracy, power plays, and hatred characterize the northern kings. I am reminded of David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech for Kenyon College. He opens his speech with a “didactic little parable-ish story” about an older fish who swims by two younger fish. An older fish says to two younger fish, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The two younger fish swim for a little way and eventually look at each other to ask each other, “What is water?” In Wallace’s words, the point of the story is to show that “the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.”^[2] His speech dealt with our current social climate, and in the case of Kings, their social climate of evil and idolatry displaces any ability to discern the way things ought to be. Eventually, the Israelites could not conceive that their ways were wicked and foolish; they would simply respond with, “What is water?” In a continuous climate of wickedness, we would also no longer be able to discern it.

To make the story more complicated, a historian’s assessment of Ahab’s reign would declare it to be a success. He built a strong military, strategically moved the capital city, and allied with other kings to fight off the Assyrians.^[3] They appeared to be financially prosperous, prompting Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to make military (1 Kings 22) and marriage/political (2 Chron 18:1) alliances with Ahab. By other standards, Ahab would appear to be a successful king. But God applies a different standard and uses Elijah to demonstrate his folly.

The Contest on Mount Carmel

            Before the famous story of the contest with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, Elijah prophesies[4]  about an intense drought in Israel that will endure for three years.[5] Thus, Baal, as the storm god of fertility, already appears rather impotent. However, God sends Elijah to a desert where he will subsist each day on the Lord’s miraculous provision. He could not prudently store up resources to get him through the drought. Similar to the manna in the wilderness, Elijah receives his daily, needy provisions.

After the brook dries up, God sends him to a widow in the heartland of the Phoenicians, Jezebel’s homeland, where Baal worship is rampant. The drought and resulting famine had become so severe that the widow is prepared to eschew cultural norms of hospitality when Elijah requests food. But, while with the widow, Elijah multiplies flour and oil to make enough bread for Elijah, the widow, and her son. Once again, God is providing where Baal cannot.[6]

Finally, the widow’s son dies, and she blames Elijah for bringing her sin before Yahweh. She had come to understand Yahweh’s real power and feared him. However, God would demonstrate His lovingkindness by raising her son.[7] This final sign of resurrection confirms the word of God to the widow (1 Kings 17:24), just as Jesus’ resurrection established and sealed his testimony. Once again, Baal, the dying and rising god of the storm is silent and useless, while Yahweh alone provides.[8]

            All of this makes for an interesting and beautiful story. However, what about Ahab and Israel? The narrative seems to take a lengthy detour in a different direction. Elijah had just called out Ahab and prophesied against him, but now he seems to be on the sidelines for several years. Meanwhile, Israel was still descending further into idolatry. People were still sacrificing their children, trafficking their daughters into temple prostitution, mutilating their bodies, and mocking the God who brought them out of slavery. Does Elijah really have time for this aside?

However, these years were preparation for the contest with the prophets of Baal. Elijah was seeing and demonstrating God’s faithfulness. He will deliver Elijah from the prophets of Baal and vindicate Himself before Israel and Ahab. Many of us likewise have lengthy seasons where we feel like we are sitting on the sidelines waiting to be used by God. But these sideline stories produce the faith required. Gavin Ortlund said, “If we could see how productive the wilderness seasons that God leads us through are in our lives, we would rejoice in them, so to speak. We would kiss the sand and leap for joy.”[9]

            Finally, Elijah confronts Ahab, the real troubler of Israel (1 Kings 18:17-18), to put an end to the drought. He summons the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel, indicting Jezebel as the one who dines with them in close relationship.[10] Then the confrontation arrives. Elijah describes Israel’s syncretistic worship as “limping” (1 Kings 18:21), the same phrase used later to describe the rituals that the prophets of Baal use (1 Kings 18:26). Elijah gives a similar challenge to Joshua 24:14-15, asking the Israelites to choose who to follow. Though Israel responded positively and boldly to Joshua, Elijah’s challenge is met with silence. Their limping worship has crippled them with powerless worship, stripped them of the courage to stand for truth and righteousness, and brought on them covenantal curses for disobedience. And Baal has also proven to be a weak, limping god.

            So, Elijah proposes a contest of sacrificial fire. Fire has often accompanied God’s appearances throughout the Bible so far, so the appearance of fire will reveal the presence of God. Baal is also supposedly the storm god, already shown to be powerless over the drought. But now, his often-depicted lightning bolts and fire-causing abilities will be questioned. And finally, fire from heaven will indicate whose sacrifice was accepted and effective. Therefore, Yahweh will accept the sacrifice and send rain, not Baal. But the prophets ritually cut themselves to receive a response from Baal. In Canaanite mythology, the gods cut themselves in this fashion when Baal died. After this cutting, Baal was raised to life, once again sending the rain. Therefore, the prophets of Baal perform the same ritual, hoping that Baal would rise to send fire and rain once again. Tragically, their self-mutilation is met with silence from the heavens and Elijah’s mockery.[11]

            When Elijah takes his turn, the people finally come to him, and he reconstructs the altar they had destroyed.[12] Elijah reminds them of their history, choosing the twelve-stone altar to remind them of the patriarch, Abraham. He reminds them of their lineage through Jacob, the infamous trickster and final patriarch before the Egyptian sojourn between Genesis and Exodus. He reminds them of their covenant as he constructs the altar and soaks it with water. And then God sends His heavenly fire. The people respond by finally falling on their faces and confessing that Yahweh is God, not Baal.

            When I was a child, this story fascinated me. I often wondered whether I could do a similar test for God to silence my doubts and confirm Himself before me. After all, if God wants people to believe in Him, why would he not repeat the Mount Carmel event? In response to that, first, this was a non-repeatable prophetic event ordained by God under faithless circumstances. This is not a prescription to do likewise. Second, there is no happy ending to this story. The prophets of Baal were slaughtered afterward. This story of God sending fire ended with divine justice for scoffers and idolaters, a reality none should wish for (this was Jesus' point to Satan in Matt 4:5-7; cf Matt 27:39-43). Third, God has given us much more: His Spirit that testifies to the truth of His working in our lives, the lives of others in His church, and (most importantly) in His word. In our increasingly secular culture, I wonder whether we would simply explain away fire from heaven as a natural phenomenon (cf. Luke 16:27-31). We are prone to wander, even after such glory-displaying events. We need the sealing of the Holy Spirit more than we need an exterior sign. As this story ends in divine justice against the idolatrous prophets of Baal, it also does not end as expected for everyone else.

Elijah Flees and God Speaks Gently

After the contest on Mount Carmel, instead of mass repentance for the nation, Elijah flees from Jezebel. This flight, however, was not under God’s direction. Fear of Jezebel (instead of fear of Yahweh) drove him to despair and flight (1 Kings 19:3). But God provided cake/bread for Elijah that should have reminded him of God’s provision in 1 Kings 17:8-16. His fear of Jezebel should have been eclipsed by a right fear and trust in God to take care of him. Instead, Elijah sanctimoniously says that he is all that remains of those who are jealous for God (1 Kings 19:10, 14). Next, Elijah went to a cave on Mount Horeb, possibly the same cave in which Moses stood and beheld the passing presence of God (Exodus 33:19-23), contributing to the irony of Elijah’s fearful response. Once again forgetting the faithful prophets whom Obadiah had hidden in the caves (1 Kings 18:13), the self-pitying Elijah receives a sign from God. He sent a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but God was not found in these great, discernible phenomena. Instead, God comes to Elijah in a gentle whisper, a reminder that He does not always work in obvious ways. There might not be a discernible revival of faithfulness in Israel, but God works in subtle ways, even low whispers in dismal situations.  

The rebuke was lost on the self-pitying prophet, however, for he repeats the same complaint when God asks why Elijah had fled. However, God recommissions his prophet for a new task: anoint Hazael as king of Syria, replacing the antagonistic Ben-Hadad; anoint Jehu as Israel’s king; and anoint Elisha as the prophetic successor to Elijah. These three men would eventually eradicate Baal worship in Israel, answering Elijah's dismay. God then further assures Elijah that there are actually 7,000 Israelites who have not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18). Self-pity must not be allowed to blind us to the work of God in messy situations.

The end of Ahab’s story is similarly messy. First, he is twice given victory over Ben-Hadab in battle (1 Kings 21). But then Ahab covenants with Ben-Hadab, causing God to condemn him through a prophet (1 Kings 21:35-43).[13] Then Ahab throws a temper tantrum when Naboth refused to give the king his vineyard (1 Kings 21:4), so Jezebel conspires against Naboth to have him killed so that Ahab can take possession of it. Thus, Elijah delivers a final condemnation to Ahab for his wickedness, which would join Ahab and Jezebel to a legacy of evildoers being posthumously desecrated by wild, unclean dogs (1 Kings 14:11; 16:4). However, in God’s mercy, He allowed room for Ahab to repent, delaying his judgment to the days of his wicked son, Joram. Ahab’s repentance only appears to be temporary, for he still is not fond of God’s word from His prophets (1 Kings 22:7-8). So, God sends a deceiving spirit to lure Ahab into a bloody battle where he would finally meet his end.

It may be troubling to some that God would send a lying spirit into Ahab’s prophets to lead him to his death. However, when Micaiah first arrives, he mockingly repeats what his deceived prophets have been saying (1 Kings 22:14). Ahab detects his sarcasm, so Micaiah gives a true report of the vision from God, and this vision actually assures us of God’s sovereignty over all spirits, whether true or deceitful, in the same way that God is sovereign over both angels and demons. He permitted the deception to play out so that Ahab would receive his judgment: dying in battle (1 Kings 22:23, 28). Similarly, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart during the ten plagues. Pharaoh had already been hardened against God, just like Ahab had been for most of his life (except the very brief repentance in 1 Kings 21:25-29). God gives wicked men over to their folly. The presence of the deceiving spirit functions as God’s judicial punishment for Ahab’s idolatry (cf. Rom 1:24, 26, 28).

Remaining Faithful and Praying for Revival

            Many may assume that God’s clear demonstration of His presence and power over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel would have resulted in an immediate revival. Ahab would have repented of his folly, Jezebel would have either joined the repentance or retreated, and Elijah would be vindicated and welcomed back into the kingdom. However, Elijah fearfully fled, Jezebel breathed threats, and Ahab continued his covetous, bloody reign. The contest primarily functioned not to give faith to those who needed reassurance but to judge the wicked. Elijah was brought to despair because he expected God to act differently and Israel to repent. But revival doesn’t always arrive like we expect.

            I hope many of you have been praying for our country over the last few weeks. Charlie Kirk’s assassination shocked the world. Because of his influence, life of faith, and public proclamation of the gospel, many people have turned to churches, purchased Bibles, and began to pray for the first time in their lives. Churches have seen attendance increase in the past few weeks as these new seekers come looking for hope in the gospel Charlie proclaimed (whether you agree with him politically or not). This all seemed to culminate with his memorial service, which thousands attended in person and millions viewed online. My cynicism would have anticipated pandering politicians to dust off their Bibles and read a few verses out of context to justify a political cause. Instead, the audience listened for hours as several speakers preached the gospel to the largest audience in all of human history. In this audience were some of the most powerful people on the planet, from billionaires, politicians, and President Trump.

            So, what can we expect from this? Many are hoping for a great Christian revival to happen in our nation. I would not exclude this from the realm of possibility. However, I also caution God’s people to remember that revival does not always play out how we think it will. Our president (love him or hate him) may never receive the gospel with repentance and faith. Many who are flocking to churches may turn away like those with gospel seeds sown on rocky ground, who turn away from the faith after their initial joy departs. And we may be justifiably troubled. We may be tempted to run to the wilderness like Elijah. But God’s kingdom building and pruning of His people occurs uninhibited. We can and should pray for revival, but we must be humble and discerning enough to notice and rejoice in the ways God continues to faithfully build His kingdom on His sovereign terms. He may be speaking in a gentle whisper.

Sources

Annals of King Shalmaneser III: The Battle of Qarqar. https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1979/05/biblical-archeology

Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Edited by G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.

Ortlund, Gavin. “How to Persevere in Wilderness Seasons.” https://youtu.be/5LZxmKu624s?si=jf57iyec-dbCcd7z

Wallace, David Foster. “What Is Water?” Commencement Speech at Kenyon College. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCbGM4mqEVw&t=66s

Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2000.

Youngblood, Ronald F. and Richard D. Patterson. 1 Samuel ~ 2 Kings. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. General Editors: Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.