More Evil than All Before

Scripture: Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. 1 Kings 16:30-31

Observation: The stage is being set for the destiny of Israel. Yes, Jeroboam started Israel on a path of rebellion against God, but it was Omri who is first said to have done more evil than all the kings before him and who built Samaria, and now Ahab his son arrives. Ahab marries Jezebel, who will guide Ahab into full Baal worship. Together, they will kill all the prophets, causing Yahweh to raise up the greatest prophet since Moses - Elijah - to directly contest and correct Ahab.

Ahab is so evil that the "sins of Jeroboam" - worshipping secondary gods like Asherah - are now "a trivial thing" compared to the acts of Ahab. Ahab and Jezebel are on a path to reject the Lord himself by fully rejecting him and adopting a completely different god as their national religion. Yes, God will directly confront this action ... not just with invading armies and lost land, but with the powerful words, confrontational actions, and nation-altering miracles of Elijah.

Application: I can't help but wonder where our nation is on the road of rejecting the Lord. Certainly we have fallen from the nation that once declared its entire hope was in the providence of the Lord, and who would partake in nationwide prayer and fasting in time of need. Today, our national leaders are more likely to view 'faith' as a point that may or may not sway votes. Local leaders are much more likely to scoff and degrade God and his will for mankind as if they are educated beyond such myths.

Is the Lord confronting us? Perhaps. I don't see a new Elijah, but of course he already did that in the form of John the Baptist, and thus it is that the good news of Jesus, communicated by the Church, that is to be the confronting force of our time.

And how are WE doing at that? Are we standing before the powers and speaking truth? Are we even aware that we are in a time where the evil being done is "more than all who were before" us?

Maybe we are doing all we can, and maybe just like with Israel it ultimately won't dissuade the nation from its path. But we are to try.

Prayer: Lord, I ask today that you give your universal Church the power, authority, and courage of Elijah. May we declare your love, your truth, and your ways before all earthly authority, be they heads of family or national leaders. We desire to see revival in the United States, and we know that is the only way to correct the issues before us. May it not be too late. Amen.