**The Reign of Ahab and the Rise of Evil in Israel**
In the days when the kingdom of Israel was divided, and the people had turned away from the Lord, a new king arose in Samaria. His name was Ahab, the son of Omri, and he did more to provoke the Lord to anger than all the kings of Israel who had come before him. But to understand the depth of Ahab’s wickedness, we must first look back at the events that led to his reign.
Omri, Ahab’s father, had become king after a time of great turmoil in Israel. The people were divided, and the land was in chaos. Omri was a man of ambition and strength, and he established Samaria as the capital of Israel, building it into a mighty city. Yet, despite his accomplishments, Omri walked in the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin by setting up golden calves in Bethel and Dan. Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and his sins were passed down to his son, Ahab.
When Ahab ascended to the throne, he did not seek the Lord or turn away from the sins of his father. Instead, he embraced wickedness and multiplied it. He took as his wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Jezebel was a woman of great influence and determination, but she was also a devoted worshiper of Baal, the false god of the Canaanites. Under her guidance, Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria and erected an altar for him. He also made an Asherah pole, a symbol of the fertility goddess Asherah, further provoking the Lord to anger.
The people of Israel, already prone to idolatry, followed their king into deeper sin. They abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. They bowed down to Baal and Asherah, offering sacrifices and burning incense to these lifeless idols. The land, once blessed by the presence of the Lord, was now filled with corruption and spiritual decay.
But the Lord, in His mercy, did not remain silent. He sent prophets to warn Ahab and the people of Israel, calling them to repentance. One such prophet was Elijah the Tishbite, a man of great faith and boldness. Elijah stood before Ahab and declared, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” This proclamation was a direct challenge to Baal, who was believed to control the weather and bring fertility to the land. The Lord was demonstrating His sovereignty over all creation, even as His people turned to false gods.
The drought that followed was severe. The skies were like bronze, and the earth became as iron. Crops withered, rivers dried up, and famine spread throughout the land. Yet, even in the midst of this judgment, Ahab did not repent. Instead, he blamed Elijah for the calamity and sought to kill him. Jezebel, too, was relentless in her pursuit of the Lord’s prophets, putting many of them to death. Only a faithful few, like Obadiah, the steward of Ahab’s household, risked their lives to hide and protect the prophets of the Lord.
As the drought persisted, the Lord provided for Elijah in miraculous ways. He was fed by ravens at the brook Cherith, and later, he stayed with a widow in Zarephath, where the Lord multiplied her flour and oil so that she and her son never went hungry. These acts of provision were a testament to the Lord’s faithfulness, even in a time of judgment.
After three years, the Lord instructed Elijah to return to Ahab. The prophet obeyed, and when he met the king, he challenged him to gather all Israel, along with the prophets of Baal and Asherah, at Mount Carmel. There, Elijah confronted the people, saying, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people were silent, for they had no answer.
Elijah proposed a test: two altars would be built, one for Baal and one for the Lord. The prophets of Baal would call on their god, and Elijah would call on the Lord. The god who answered by fire would be recognized as the true God. The people agreed, and the prophets of Baal prepared their altar. They cried out to Baal from morning until noon, cutting themselves and dancing around the altar, but there was no response. Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
When it was Elijah’s turn, he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been broken down. He placed the wood and the sacrifice on the altar and then had water poured over it three times, filling the trench around it. Then Elijah prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back.”
Immediately, fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and even the water in the trench. When the people saw this, they fell on their faces and cried out, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” Elijah then commanded the people to seize the prophets of Baal, and he put them to death at the brook Kishon.
Despite this dramatic demonstration of the Lord’s power, Ahab’s heart remained hardened. He returned to Jezebel and told her what had happened, and she vowed to kill Elijah. The prophet fled to the wilderness, where the Lord met him in a still, small voice, reassuring him that he was not alone and that there were still seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal.
The story of Ahab’s reign is a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from the Lord. It shows the depths of human rebellion and the lengths to which God will go to call His people back to Himself. Yet, even in the darkest times, the Lord remains faithful, preserving a remnant for Himself and demonstrating His power and glory to all who will listen.
