Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin

Introduction to Elijah's New Marching Orders and Redemptive History

0:03 Let's turn again this evening to 1 Kings, not to chapter 17, but we begin our studies tonight in chapter 18, as we continue through this portion of the Word of God, focusing upon the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah. 1 Kings, chapter 18, and in order to set the facts of the narrative before us, which will be the basis of our study tonight, I shall read the first 19 verses of this chapter.

0:41 And it came to pass, after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab, and there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his city. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, for it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.

1:18 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks. Peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and the mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land. Between them to pass throughout it, Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

1:45 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him. And he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my Lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am. Go, tell thy Lord, behold, Elijah is here.

2:04 And he said, What have I said? Sin, that thou wouldst deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom whither my Lord hath not sent to seek thee. And when they said, He is not there, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

2:26 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy Lord, behold, Elijah is here, and it shall come to pass as soon as I am gone from thee. The Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I may. Know not. And so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me.

2:44 But I, thy servant, fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my Lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord? How I hid an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy Lord, behold, Elijah is here, and he shall slay me.

3:08 And he shall slay me. And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

3:26 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 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 Balaam. Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

4:05 For the benefit of those visiting with us, we are constantly reminding ourselves in these studies and the life. and ministry of Elijah, that we are not simply zooming in, as it were, upon one segment of the history of Israel, and isolating it from the total spectrum of that history. God has purposed, through the nation of Israel, to bring Messiah as the Savior of sinners. Therefore, everything that touches the history of Israel, touches the history of redemption in a very peculiar way.

4:38 And so, as the nation has sunk under Ahab to an all-time low, of sin and absolute repudiation of Jehovah, and almost a formal wedding of itself to Baal and to the worship of foreign heathen idols, the purpose of God for the nation is such that he must vindicate his own name and cause. And so the prophet Elijah appears upon this scene for that specific purpose, that through his life and ministry, God will bring the nation back to espouse Jehovah as the true God, and to repudiate the worship of Baal. Then someone might ask, if that's so, why don't we move right from chapter 18, verse 1, the challenge that there'll be no dew, no rain, to the conflict upon Mount Carmel, where God actually vindicates his name and brings the nation to its face, crying out, Jehovah, he is God. Well, one of the reasons is that if God is to vindicate his name, he will do it through a man. And if he's to do it through a man, he must prepare the man for the day of judgment. And if he's to do it through a man, he must prepare the man for the day of judgment.

5:43 And he would perform the man for the task for which he would use him. And so we have the details of these personal incidents in the life of the prophet, and they are not unrelated. We must not isolate them from the total picture, so that we must continually be seeking to hang this together in order that we might catch the thrust of what the Spirit of God is saying to us. And so, as we've studied the 17th chapter, and seen Elijah by the brook, and then Elijah with the widow.

The Timing and Nature of God's Directives

6:12 have discovered very vital lessons which Elijah had to learn if he was to be, as we would say, God's man for that hour upon Mount Carmel. This is no less true of the incidents that are set before us in this first part of the 18th chapter of 1 Kings. Consider with me that we find in these first couple of verses what we might call new marching orders for the prophet. The sequences in the prophet's life are hung together with these fresh words of direction from the Lord. He makes his announcement in chapter 17 in verse 1 that there shall be no dew nor rain, and in verse 2 we read, the word of the Lord came to him, and off to the brook Kirith he goes. The brook dries up, then we find the word of the Lord coming to him, directing him to the widow of Zarephath. And now he's dwelling happily with the widow and the little son, and they've had this marriage. They've had this marriage, and they've had this marriage, and they've had this marriage.

7:08 They've had this unusual experience of seeing the son raised from the dead, and now the word of the Lord comes to him again with new marching orders. Consider with me in the first place, when did they come? Scripture records, it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year. After many days, a phrase used for an indefinite period of time, but apparently, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year.

7:39 Somewhere around two years after his sojourn to the widow at Zarephath. Now, two years in the lifetime of a full three score and ten is not much, but in terms of a visit to somebody's home, that's a long time. If I were to come and pay you a visit and ended up staying two years, I don't know how much you'd appreciate it. Well, the prophet has spent two years in this home. He's developed a very deep and satisfying relationship with the woman and her son, as is indicated in that passage. She has great respect for the prophet. Having seen him in all the different circumstances of domestic life, she acknowledges him to be a man of God. Through his life and witness, she has come to faith in Jehovah, God of Israel. And now, Elijah is just beginning

8:26 to, as someone prayed tonight, nestle in, and God's about to push him out of the nest and bring him before that conflict for which he has been preparing him these years. So, during the third year, after about a two-year sojourn with the widow in Zarephath, the word of the Lord comes to the prophet. As in each of the other instances, there is no indication that Elijah was flustered, that Elijah was flurrying about, trying to discover the will of God. He was taking each day as it came, living it to the hilt, sensitive to the voice of God. And in God's time, that word came to him. He didn't go out after it. It came to him. And in the same way, as we've emphasized in reading these other sections, God would direct us as his children. You young people, don't be in a tither about finding out the will of God for the future. Embrace the revealed will of God for the day and live it to the hilt. Keep yourself sensitive to the voice of God. And at the time when you need to know

9:29 the next directive, the word of the Lord will come to you. Whether that word will come through a passage of scripture, through a circumstantial providence, or through a passage of the Bible, whatever it be, you'll know it to be the word of the Lord if your ear is kept sensitive to his voice. You see, that's your great responsibility, to cultivate sensitivity to the voice of God so that when he speaks, you hear. For when men don't have that sensitivity, though God speaks from heaven, they don't hear.

9:56 The Lord said to the rich man in hell, Abraham said, though one should go back from the dead, they won't hear. If they haven't cultivated a sensitivity to the voice of God in scripture, even having a man standing in the midst of the world, they won't hear. If they haven't cultivated a sensitivity to the voice of God in scripture, even having a man standing in there raised from the dead, it won't do a thing for them. And so, you young people especially, I plead with you, don't let yourself get caught in that terrible whirlpool of frenzy. I've got to know the will of God about my life's work, my life's partner, my this, my that. No, no. The will of God for you today, as we considered this morning, is enough for you to be bothered about. Do your own things now. Learn to cultivate a proper attitude to your parents, to your studies, to your work. Learn to cultivate normal, wholesome relationships in all of these areas, and seek in that circle to be God's young woman, God's young man. And in God's time and in God's way, His word will come to you, and you'll know what He would have you to do. Now, what was the essence of these new marching orders? Well, you see, they came, as did the

The Command to Confront Ahab and Elijah's Obedience

11:00 others, with a clear command and a promise. And it's this pattern that we find all the way through the directions. When God said, go down there and see what I've got for you, go down there to the brook Kirith, there was the promise, I'll feed you with the ravens. When God commanded him to go to the widow of Zarephath, there was the promise, I'm going to take care of you and sustain you by the widow. Now we have the same basic pattern, go, show thyself to Ahab, the word of direction, and I will send rain upon the earth, the word of promise. Here the purpose of God was going to be vindicated, or the name of God was going to be vindicated. Now, we might ask the question, why does he have to appear before Ahab? Why does God say, go, show thyself to Ahab, this man who was the mortal enemy of the prophet? It's

11:53 obvious from what Obadiah says later that the king was not about to sit down and have afternoon tea with the prophet when he came and just chit-chat about the past couple of years. If he'd get his hands on him, he'd do exactly what his wickedness had him do. The wicked, venomous heart directed him to do. And yet God says, go, show thyself to Ahab. Why? Well, the basic reason is clear when we look at the pronouncement of chapter 17 and verse 1. As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain, but according to my word, Ahab, I've got the key to the heavens in my pocket. And the heavens won't be open until I say they're going to be open. Now, how do we know whether or not he's just going to be open? He's going to be open. He's going

12:39 to be just somebody pretending to be a prophet. Maybe that rugged appearance and all the rest is just for stage effect. How do we know he's a true prophet? Well, the heavens have been shut up. But suppose God were now to open the heavens. What would Ahab reason? What would the nation reason? They'd say, oh, finally, Baal has heard us. For it's obvious they've still gone on in the worship of Baal during this entire period. And no doubt their priests were praying for rain day after day. And if the heavens had been opened without a clear indication, an outward, demonstrable indication that the prophet Elijah stuck the key into the heavens and opened them again, they would have misconstrued the open heavens. And rather than vindicate his cause, they would have been sunk even further in the delusion of idolatry. For God had said that one of the marks of a true prophet in Deuteronomy 18, 21, and 22 is this. Deuteronomy 18, verses 21, and 22. And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath

13:48 spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken. But the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. So Elijah has spoken big, as we would say. No rain till I speak again. And if there was rain, they'd have every ground scripturally to call him a false prophet. He's no more to be listened to than the prophets of Baal. And so God must send him before the very man to whom he made this pronouncement in order to vindicate his place as a true prophet of the living God. Now, how did the prophet respond to these new marching orders? As he did to

14:34 all the other marching orders, and the account of Scripture is beautiful in its simplicity, and Elijah went. Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. Now we read that and say, oh sure, Elijah went to... Do you see what that's saying? Remember, he was a man of what? Of like passions. He had as much natural regard for his skin as you have for yours. And if you know of all the people in the earth that a certain man would kill you if he'd get your hands on you, and of all the people in the world, God says, go stand before him. What would your first reaction be? Well, Elijah was a man of like passions. And though there would be the natural temptation to show himself unto Ahab, he was a man of like passions. And if you know of the temptation to fear, the natural temptation to wonder what will happen to me and all the rest, here's a man who can say the words of Saul of Tarsus made Paul the apostle long before Paul uttered them, I count not my life as dear unto myself that I may accomplish my ministry. Acts 20 and verse 24. You remember when Paul was about to go up to Jerusalem and they were saying, ah, but you're going to be killed. He said, what in the world is

15:43 wrong with you people having a little pity party here? Why mean ye to weep? Why mean you to weep? And to break my heart, I'm not only ready to go up there and suffer, but to die. I don't count my life dear to myself. I don't look upon my life as some precious jewel to be preserved in a casket. I look upon it as capital to be spent in the cause of Jesus Christ. That's the spirit of Elijah. May I say that's the spirit of all virile Christianity. If the command of God leads us into the jaws of death, we say hallelujah to the jaws we go. The whole concept of self-preservation, is entirely foreign to the spirit of biblical Christianity. And here's a man who breathes of that spirit, go stand before Ahab. And so scripture records that he went to show himself unto Ahab.

The Famine in Samaria and the Prophet's Perspective

16:38 And then will you notice this little addition of scripture, and there was a sore famine in Samaria, or the famine was sore in Samaria. God takes note of the fact that though the effects, of the famine had reached all of Israel and out, even to the fringes of those Gentile areas, such as Zarephath, there was a peculiar manifestation of the ravaging effects of famine in Samaria. That is the area that was allotted to the 10 Northern tribes, the area over which Ahab ruled as king. God's frown was particularly directed to the area where Ahab presided as king.

17:21 And though the effect of this frown was particularly directed to the area where Ahab presided as king, And though the effect of this frown was particularly directed to the area where Ahab presided as king, extended in many places. It was obvious to people when you went through that area, well, it's bad here and bad there, but it's terrible in Samaria. And so the prophet of God, if I had a map here of Israel, sort of like this, would have to leave the coast, Zarephath, up by the coast and make his way down through the worst part of the area that was affected by that famine. Now can you sort of put yourself into the skin of the prophet? You're walking along the road and you begin to see the effects of famine. Most of us have never seen it except in pictures, and that's usually enough to cause us to turn away. But there's a man who couldn't turn away. And there he sees all of the effects of that famine. One author has described it so graphically, I want to read just a paragraph.

18:13 In very deed, the famine was sore in the land. No waving cornfields or leafy vineyards could be anywhere perceived, not even in the land of Israel. And so the prophet of God, Zarephath, a patch of green appeared to rest his eye with its refreshing verdure. Nor was there any dwelling in the barnyard with its store of plenty as of yore. All was brown and barren desolation. No sounds of joy fell upon his ear. The harp of nature was for the time unstrung. The babbling of brooks, the carol of birds, the lowing of cattle were heard no more. The song of the reaper, the mirth of the vintage, and the joy of harvest, were things for the time unknown. And every time the prophet saw an indication of it,

19:00 he said to himself, my prayers did this. Well, remember, scripture says he prayed that it might not rain, and it rained not for the space of three years. He was looking at the fruits of his prayers. Now, when we get the fruit of our prayers, generally it causes rejoicing, doesn't it?

19:23 I don't think it caused rejoicing in the heart of the prophet.

19:28 He saw the signs of death, of desolation and barrenness. And he knew that this was the fruit of his prayers. How did he keep saying, how did he keep from just saying, I must be deluded? Can it be the God of all compassion and grace who has brought this to pass in answer to prayer?

19:47 Ah, you see, the prophet regarded one thing as more vital in the preservation and sustenance of human life. The honor and the glory of Jehovah, God of Israel. And the thing that sustained the prophet was keeping that principle before him as he indicates later on when he says I have been very jealous for the God of Israel the only thing that could keep him as he makes his way from Zarephath down to stand before the king as he sees all of the picture of absolute desolation is this if this is what's necessary for the nation to be brought on its knees to once again magnify God then though it slays me and kills me and pains me within oh God so be it amen beloved we need for God to give us that kind of a spirit as we pray for our families for our nation for unsaved people for God may have to bring the blast and the blight of famine to bring them to their knees to acknowledge that he is God we must not be swayed by a selfish sentiment but we must be moved by the principle of divine love that's willing to see at some point the very desolation produced by our prayers in order that the name of God might be vindicated thinking like

21:16 that's far into us in our day hmm we don't think that way we think instinctively sparing our own and everybody else but not this prophet he longed to see the name of God revered once more the altars of adrenaline the lightning of the thunder of death and the dawn of the coming of the reading chapter going to be written and read in the book of félicitas and on the day of orc of hoopled glory and Abu Bis few of these shepherds, Zarephath ezekiel and the earliest shepherds to bail, cast down. And if this kind of desolation must come to pass to bring it, so be it. I say that that's the only true spirit of nationalism that has any place in the breast of a Christian. This idea, oh God, spare our nation, no matter what. I can't pray that way. I hope you can.

Ahab as an Object Lesson of Sin's Exceeding Sinfulness

21:56 Your prayer should be, Lord, vindicate your name and your cause in our nation. And if it's got to be a calamity as deep and as extensive as this famine, Lord, bring it. We may have to stand aside and be pained as we see the fruit of our prayers in national desolation, if that's what it will take. And so the prophet makes his way in obedience to the directive of God, his new marching orders. And at this point, God then introduces what to us seems like filler. He gives us all of this information about this man Obadiah and about Ahab. And yet it's not here just as filler. For in this chapter, we confront perhaps the clearest description of the terrible depravity of Ahab, and then this very interesting character called Obadiah. And as we work through the

22:55 chapter, I want us to consider the character studies that come to light as the prophet makes his way to Ahab. Tonight, we'll only have time to consider what this portion I have read to you is. The chapter tonight reveals about the prophet Ahab. And I'm convinced that God has put it here as an object lesson, as a picture of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. As we have noticed in previous studies, it's one thing for God to state a proposition in what we would say theological jargon. But then God puts that proposition in the flesh and blood of human experience, and we see it come to life in people and in circumstances. Ephesians 1.11 says God works all things after the counsel of his will. When you see

23:47 ravens, contrary to their nature, dropping a hunk of flesh and some bread for the prophet morning and evening, somehow that truth that he works all things comes to life in those ravens with flesh in their beak and bread in their beaks, you see. Now in the same way, Scripture gives us propositional truth concerning the terrible sinfulness of man. Passages like Romans 1.18-3.19 pile adjective upon adjective and description upon description to state the exceeding sinfulness of sin. But when you come to a chapter like this and see that embodied in a man called Ahab, suddenly the thing is no longer just abstract theological jargon. We see sin, as it were, breaking out in its seething ugliness in the life of this man. The general statement of this man's condition we studied in chapter 16 and the last few verses where it speaks of him sinning more than all of the kings that had preceded him.

Ahab's Attitude to God's Prophets

24:54 But in the passage before us, will you consider the indications of the exceeding sinfulness of sin in the life of Ahab? First of all, in his attitude to the prophet or prophets of God. This chapter records two things about his attitude to the prophet. In the first place, an attitude in general, he consented apparently, for Ed Jezebel didn't go out and do it herself. She had to employ the king's soldiers and the power of the court to slay all of the prophets except the one hundred that were spared by Obadiah. And so Ahab revealed something about his attitude to the prophets of God by consenting to the death of all but the hundred, and that was through no fault of his own that they weren't slain. And then in particular, when we see him consenting to the death of all but the hundred, and that was confronting Elijah, he gives us some indication of his attitude to this particular prophet of God. Now you say, what does that reveal about the exceeding sinfulness of Ahab? Well, if you

25:56 understand the peculiar function and place of a prophet, you'll see that his attitude to the prophets is one of the clearest indications of the state of his heart. And by way of application, your attitude to the present counterpart of a prophet is the clearest indication of his state of your heart before God. Now what was the basic function of the prophet? I find it most helpful to isolate it when I contrast it with the function of a priest. The basic function of a priest was to come before God on behalf of men. In that sense, if we picture a priest, we picture a man with his back to the people and his face in his hands toward God. For it was the priesthood of the prophet that was the most important function of the prophet. It was the priest who took the blood of the sacrifice that the people brought, and he would bring it in with his back to the people and offer it up in the presence of God. Scripture says of our Lord Jesus, who functions as a priest, he appears in the

27:00 presence of God for us. The posture of a priest is standing between men and God, bringing

27:09 the petitions and confessions of men unto God, making intercession for the holy man. session forth. Then he comes forth with his hands raised in blessing, but the basic posture of a priest is, you see his back, you see his face uplifted, his hands uplifted, he's there before God on our behalf. Now, what's the posture of a prophet? His face toward you, and his eyes toward you, and his mouth open. He's received something from God, and now he stands to announce it on behalf of God. So that whenever you think of the prophet, you must never think of anything in terms of his basic function, but the burning eye and the open mouth. The priest, the turned back and the uplifted hands. The prophet,

28:03 the burning eye and the open mouth. And in that sense, God's verbal representation on earth was the prophet. For we read in Hebrews, Hebrews chapter one, that it was God who spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, but God spake. God spake. Therefore, one of the most tangible indications of a man's attitude to the unseen God was his reaction to the visible mouthpiece of God. And what men did with the prophet was simply a reflection of what they were doing in their hearts with the God whom the prophet represented. Now, that's not just a conclusion I've concocted by logic. It's the explicit statement of the words of Scripture. Reading from Matthew 10

28:59 and verses 40 and 41, the Lord Jesus said, Matthew 10, verses 40 and 41, He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. I'm sorry, verse 40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. Here our Lord had commissioned these apostles to go out as his representatives. He gave them power to speak his words and to exercise authority over death and demons and sickness. Now he says, how men receive you is in reality what they're doing with me. And what they do with me is what they do with my father.

29:56 Why? I came as the final prophetic voice. God who spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us in his son. And now he says, I confer my final prophetic authority upon you, my apostles. Therefore, what men do to you, they're doing to me.

30:14 And what they do to me, they're doing to my father. Now the folly of the Jews was they thought they could embrace the father from the heart, but reject his prophets. And Jesus was unasking them and saying, what you do with my prophets is what you do with me. You find essentially the same thing in Luke chapter 10 and verse 16. And if we don't get anything else tonight, this principle has come home with such power to my own heart this week that I feel it. Be worth our study together if we just grasp this. Notice what he says in verse 15, pronouncing judgment upon Capernaum. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell. He that heareth you, heareth me. He's talking now to the 70 that he appointed,

31:10 chapter 10 and verse 1. And he that despiseth you, despiseth me. And he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. And then John 13, 20, the last reference that we want to look at along this line, John 13 and verse 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me. And he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. Now do you see the inseparable connection there between a validly commissioned mouthpiece of Jesus Christ? If he is received as he speaks the word of Christ, Christ himself is received. And if

31:55 he is received, the Father is received. Now if that's so, what does Ahab's attitude to the prophets reveal about his hard attitude to God? Well, he thinks so much of God that he consents to have his wicked consort, Jezebel, utterly silence the mouths of all the prophets in but for this unusual purpose. And he thinks so much of God's providence of God in having a godly man in a wicked king's court who runs the risk of his own neck to preserve a hundred prophets. For all he knows, he's utterly silenced the prophetic voice. And there's some indication in the narrative that this is what happened after Elijah makes the pronouncement. And he's so angered with this word that has come from God, the heavens will be shut up and he can't get Elijah. And the picture seems to be that he says, all right, I'll do the next vex thing. I'll get

32:51 everyone who stands where he stands, looking with the burning eye in the open, and we'll kill them. And so he consents as Jezebel slays the prophets. That's his general attitude toward the whole matter of the prophetic voice of God. One of absolute disregard and open animosity and hatred. Now notice how it comes to light in particular when he meets this particular prophet of God. We read in 1 Kings 18, And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? He shows in this word absolutely no respect for the man of God. When Obadiah saw Elijah, what does he do? He knew him. He fell on his face, and said, Art thou that,

33:54 my lord Elijah? And Obadiah was revealing what Scripture says about him earlier, that he feared the Lord greatly, and the proof of it was, he feared his mouthpiece. He feared the Lord greatly. Here's the mouthpiece of that Lord. He falls down in reverence and respect. Ahab stands up and shoots his chin out and says, You're the one that's troubleth Israel. Do I recognize you? No respect for his person? And not only that. He shows an absolute lack of respect for the man of God.

34:27 an absolute disrespect for the prophet's function and an indifference to his own sin and heaps upon the prophet the accusation that he has been the one who has brought this trouble to Israel. So he shows no respect either to his person or to his mission. And that's a revelation of the exceeding sinfulness of the heart of man. Sinful man has turned his back upon God. He's bent upon destroying himself. And God, who's not obligated to do so, says, I will seek him. But God seeks men. How? By his word. How shall they call upon him when they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? And so the very presence of the prophetic ministry is a token of God's kindness and his long-suffering and his grace. And now what does this man

35:26 do? He turns around long enough to say, God, I don't want your grace. Leave me alone, slays the prophets. He shows no respect to this mighty servant of God. Now, you say that's all well and good, but that was back in those days when people were nasty. But we're culture, 20th century Americans. We don't act that way, don't we? The prophetic ministry, dear ones, is still active today, not in the sense that Elijah stood as the direct mouthpiece of God. All the words of God are now embodied in the Bible.

36:01 In that book, all scripture is God-breathed. And the prophetic ministry is now carried on through every person who rightly expounds and applies the word of God to the heart and consciences of men. In that sense, every true believer is a prophet. But in a peculiar sense, the prophetic ministry, if I understand 1 Corinthians 14 aright and Romans 12, is carried on in a particular way. And that's why I say, God, I don't want your grace. I don't want a particular way by those whom God has gifted to expound and apply his word in a close and searching manner. Now, what is your attitude to the close, searching application of the word of God? That's a revelation of your attitude to God. You say you love God. You

37:07 say you respect him and you honor him. Here's the proof. What's your attitude to the close, searching, close application of his truth to your conscience? Is it the attitude of an Ahab? I wish God would leave me alone. Or is it the attitude of an Obadiah? Oh, speak.

37:30 What is it? The exceeding sinfulness of sin comes to light in the life of Ahab by his attitude to the prophets of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude of men to the contentment of God. And it comes to light nonetheless clearly in our own day in the attitude very obvious in the unconverted, but I think it's also valid to say that perhaps one of the most valid barometers of the spiritual life, one of the most accurate thermometers of our spiritual temperature is, what is my attitude to prophetic ministry? I'm not

38:22 talking about prophecy in the sense that it's going to tell you what the beast is and the tail is and Daniel's toes and fingernails and all the rest. But what is my attitude to the ministry of the Word of God? To me, in my own heart, when I come to scriptures, if your soul is in a healthy state, you delight to come to the Word of God, even though you know it may blister you and burn you. You're welcome the sweet pain of the searching of the Word of God. When you come to this assembly or wherever you go, your attitude is not, well, I hope no arrows will find their mark today. I hope the preacher's aim is poor. I hope his...

39:02 arrows are unfeathered, or if they're feathered, I hope they're blunt. No, the attitude of a healthy soul is oh, God, speak. Speak with clarity. Speak with power. Speak, Lord, that I'll know what you're saying and that by your grace I might obey. It's a terrible thing, isn't it, dear ones, that the very word that has sought us and cracked us down and brought us to salvation, at times we despise that word and refuse it. Isn't that a terrible thing? That's a revelation of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that though the word of God has tracked you down and found you, there are times when the remains of your own corruption will rise up and you don't want that word. Oh, when you see that attitude coming, cry to God that he would have mercy upon you and by the Spirit do a fresh work in your heart. Well, let's hurry on to the second indication. This is not a pretty picture, but God put it here for our admonition, so we must consider it. We see the exceeding sinfulness of sin as indicated in Ahab's attitude to the severe judgments of God.

Ahab's Attitude to God's Severe Judgments

40:12 His attitude to the prophets of God reveals something of his sinfulness, but in the second place, his attitude to the severe judgments of God. The passage that is before us records how that Ahab, along with Obadiah, went out into all of the regions of Samaria trying to find some pools, some fountains, some brooks, somewhere that he might be able to water his remaining beasts, his mules and his horses. He saw exactly what the prophets saw. All of the desolation of the famine.

40:52 He heard the cries of starving children. He heard the sob of mothers who had to lay their little ones in the earth long before their years had been spent. He saw everything that Elijah saw of the devastation, that was brought about by this terrible famine as a result of the shut heavens. And what has it done? It's left him absolutely untouched and has hardened in him his sinful impudence that when he meets the prophet he says, are you the one causing all this trouble? Apparently his conscience has become so seared that he doesn't see any connection between all the signs of the terrible judgments of God and his own sin. And when he sees the prophet, he's ready to heap upon his head the accusation of the entire thing. God who had spoken to the prophet by his kindness and his goodness and found that it was simply hardening him in his sins, now seeks to speak by severe judgments and yet he does

42:01 not hear. Isaiah 26 verses 9 and 10 are an accurate commentary upon this passage. Isaiah 26 verses 9 and 10 With my soul's soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early for when thy judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness let favor be shown to the wicked yea will he not yet will he not learn righteousness in the land of the upright will he deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. You see the prophet is saying that the judgments of God teach men lessons that the goodness of God apparently does not teach them. When God shows rebel sinners his goodness they misinterpret it. They say oh well since God is so good to me and I live and I'm not judged maybe he's not true. You see they use the occasion of his goodness to question his truthfulness. Isn't that

43:08 what men do? God has said the way of a transgressor's heart. Be sure your sin will find you out. And the man goes on sinning. The young woman, the fellow, the girl and said well it hadn't caught up with me.

43:22 God is long suffering. Yes he said that sin will find you out. The way of a transgressor's heart. What keeps those promises from being fulfilled in the life of an impenitent sinner?

43:32 It's the goodness, the long suffering the patience of God which should lead them to repentance which according to Romans 2.4 should cause them to say hey what kind of a creature am I? Look I spit in God's face day after day and instead of sending thunderbolts out of heaven he showers blessing upon me sends his rain upon me, fills my tummy with good, clothes my back covers my head, surrounds me with a thousand joys of life. What a miserable wretch I am. You see his goodness ought to lead us to repentance but instead what does it do? Because of the sinfulness of sin well God really can't be the God he says he is. He says he'll judge. He says sin will find me out. He says that the wages of sin is death. Doesn't seem to be happening with me. Maybe he's not true and men pervert the expressions of his goodness to question his truthfulness. It's apparently what they have at them. God had said

44:27 if the nation goes after idols God had promised in Deuteronomy 10 and 11 that I'll shut up the heavens. Everything was going fine they joined themselves to Baal, nothing happened. So God said alright since they won't learn from my goodness I'll bring my judgments maybe then they'll learn. But this man has become so obdurate and so obstinate that even the judgments of God screaming at him he has no ears to hear. Stone death. And he has a gall that when he sees the prophet of God, this one man who has the burden of the nation upon his heart and who's willing to undergo all of the pain of the suffering in order to see the nation brought to its knees and back into the way of blessing. And he said art thou he the trouble of Israel? You see the attitudes of this man to the severe judgments of God there's only one answer for it. The exceeding

45:22 sinfulness of sin.

45:28 One does not live long in the ministry before he sees the history of Ahab repeated over and over again. One sees the judgments of God upon families, upon individuals and you'd say certainly Lord they'll hear your voice now.

45:45 They look for the answer everywhere but in the sin of their own hearts. What's the explanation for that? I don't know of any except the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Tremendous lesson here for a child of God. You see the only reason you are a child of God today is that God gave you ears where you had none for hell itself won't even produce grief over sin. This is the core of the fallacy of Romanism in its teaching on purgatory as though somehow the judgments of hell will make men better.

46:31 Judgments never make men better. Look at Ahab. The judgments of God upon men's heads without the powerful working of the spirit of God upon men's hearts simply harden them.

46:47 All you good can't suspect. What happens when you take that soft clay and put it in that fiery kiln? K-I-L-N. What happens to it? Does it melt it? Doesn't melt it. What's it do? It hardens it to the place where when you prick it with your finger it rings. That's all hell will do to sinners.

47:12 It will harden them in their rebellion against God. There's a picture of it right here.

47:20 Hear this man who would not be softened by the goodness of God. He's placed with his nation into a crucible of the fiery judgments of God. Parched lands on every hand. The burning eastern sun day after day never blotted out with a cloud.

47:41 It acts upon him like the kill upon the clay. Hardens him in his sin.

47:49 Oh child of God how full your heart should be tonight for grace that either used goodness or in the context of the goodness of God led you to repentance or brought some severe stroke upon you. Don't think that that stroke of God's judgment had any power of itself to bring you to him. His judgment upon your head had to be joined with the work of his grace and spirit in your heart or you'd have been just as bad as him. So we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin in his attitude to the severe judgments of God and then in the last place we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin in his attitude to his subjects.

Ahab's Attitude to His Subjects

48:37 Here was a king brought by the sovereign hand of God to a place of responsibility and leadership and whether we like it or not in our terribly individualistic American society we don't live to ourselves. No matter how small our circle of responsibility, whatever that responsibility is, we stand as the door, as it were, of blessing or cursing to others. Are you a father? Then in that sense you are the door that either opens to blessing or cursing upon your entire household. Are you a boss, a foreman in a shop, or do you have people under you? A good boss, a good foreman, a good plant manager, a good sergeant, a good major in the service, a good whatever he be in a place of responsibility, a good teacher, whatever it be. That person stands in a very real sense as the door that swings open to bring in blessing not only for himself but all whom he touches from that place of responsibility or opens the door and brings in cursing. Now here's a king who stands as the door to an entire nation for blessing or for cursing.

50:02 And here's the man whose sin opened the gates and now a whole nation wallows in the fields of idolatry. And I was trying to think of what could illustrate this and the thing that came to my mind was if I had a herd of swine in this building tonight and they were penned up by these walls and there was no mud for them to get into and all the rest, with a little bit of domestic care we could keep them relatively clean and keep this place relatively clean. These walls would act as a barrier to that which their swinish nature would love. But now if one of the ushers, Mr. Mitchell, went to the door back there, opened them wide went out there and stirred around in a good deep mud hole and it slopped and perked so they could hear it. Well you see the more many would do that their swinish natures would respond and out they'd go snorting for joy.

51:00 Now whose fault is it that they're in the mud?

51:05 Well it's their own swinish nature's fault. They've got an affinity for mud. If they didn't, they wouldn't be invited. But in a real, real sense, it's Mr. Mitchell's fault for opening the door. You see?

51:20 Why was the nation of Israel wedded to Baal worship? Well because of their own swinish hearts. They had hearts that were unregenerate and polluted. Therefore, their hearts could respond to Baal worship. But listen, a godly king acted like the walls of this room to pen up in common grace the people of God from going into idol worship.

51:43 And in the same sense, every place of leadership in which a child of God stands, he can exercise by his godly principles the walls of common grace a godly parent with standards for that child, even though this child may be unregenerate and has a swinish heart. Parents will know where their children are and why they're there and who they're with and when they're back. They set up walls to keep that child from wallowing in the mud, you see? This is true of a boss in a shop.

52:14 This is true of a man in the service. Whatever the relationship be, I want you to see that principle because when we do and we reflect upon it in the life of Ahab, we see another manifestation of the exceeding sinfulness of his sin. Here he is, appointed as the head of a nation that is to stand as a bright light amidst the darkness of the paganism and idolatry of Canaan, and show by precept and example the pure worship of Jehovah. And according to chapter 16, the last few verses, the king himself has taken the lead in leading the nation into idol worship. It would have been bad enough if others instigated it and he stood by with his arms folded for the sake of expediency. But he, as it were, took the banner and stood at the front of the march and said, come, let's join ourselves today. Now the nation of God smarts beneath the judgment of God because he opened the doors. Oh yes, because of their own sin, but because he opened the doors. Now what's he concerned

53:18 about? Well, will you look close? Look closely at the text. We read in 1 Kings chapter 18 that in the midst of this terrible judgment of God, the thing that is filling his mind with deep concern and agitation is this, verse 5.

53:36 They have said to Obadiah, go into the land unto all fountains of water and unto all brooks perventure. We may find grass to save the horses and the mules that we lose not the beasts.

53:54 Think of it. Little children, mothers, and everything in between, smarting beneath the hand of divine judgment, a frowning God in heaven. And all he's concerned about is finding something for his horses and his mules. Why his horses and mules? Well, I think because the horse and mule was the symbol of worldly power and status. God had said in Deuteronomy 17, 17, when Israel was to get a king, none of those kings was to multiply horses or go down into Egypt to get horses. Nor were they to multiply wives. And you remember that horses and women were the downfall of Solomon.

54:46 And God speaks several times in Scripture about not trusting in horses. The horse was the symbol of military might and power and self-sufficiency. Do you see what the prophet is doing? He's showing that in the midst of the judgments of God, rather than having concern for his subjects, those over whom he exerts this tremendous influence for good or for evil, his mind is just completely preoccupied with preserving his status before the nations and preserving that which is a symbol of the arm of the flesh.

55:23 If that isn't a revelation of the corruption and pollution that's possible in the human heart, I don't know what is. Utterly blind to his own sin.

55:36 Does that have anything to say to us?

55:40 I'll tell you one of the things that will break your heart in the ministry is to see parents who profess to know the Lord get concerned if their kids don't make the honor roll, get concerned about the temporal needs of their children if they aren't met. The status symbols of attainment and achievement that the same parents who by their very lives are standing as a door to bring in cursing or to shut out blessings, spiritual and eternal, and all they're concerned about is the temporal interests preserving status before the neighbors. What explanation is there for this? None but the exceeding sinfulness of sin. One of the clear revelations again of our basic relationship to the Lord is how seriously and how deeply we feel the sense of responsibility to those over whom God has given us some charge as parents or workers or whatever it be. And when Ahab as a king goes out to find water for his mules,

56:53 he is set forth as a living monument of the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

57:00 Listen, Father, God has made you a father not to provide fodder for your little mules, but to be a priest unto God for that family. Mother, He has and put you there just to be a glorified servant girl, to put meals on the table and clothes on the back and creases in the trousers.

57:29 He's put you there to be a priestess, that by life and example and fervent prayer you may provide the bread of God for your children.

Conclusion: God's Grace Abounds More Than Sin

57:40 And how you face those sobering responsibilities concerning those who are legitimately your subjects is a great revelation of the extent to which the grace of God has or has not been operative in your life. I close tonight by giving a little word of encouragement. This is a dark picture. Doesn't it make you heavy to study a passage like this?

58:04 This hasn't been joyous. Some passages you study and you find it difficult not to jump out of your seat when you study. There are some of them that make you want to get on your face and say, God, can it be true that this is what I'm like if left to myself? But as I was thinking about the sin of Ahab, I thought, well, is there any other king in Israel who's shown to be wicked? And I immediately thought of Manasseh. And we don't have time tonight, but you read in 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33 that it says that Manasseh came around and resurrected all the sins of Ahab. There had been a temporary revival. And this man, Manasseh, as it were, takes Ahab as the pattern of his life and descends to the depths of Ahab's sin.

58:51 And yet Scripture records in 2 Chronicles 33.10 that after he did all of this, in his latter days, he sought the Lord. And God forgave that wretch and put his sin away.

59:07 That's the tremendous note on which I want to close tonight. Is Ahab a revelation of the exceeding sinfulness of sin? Then I cover that statement with the statement of Romans that where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. And if you've seen yourself tonight in Ahab, insensitive to the judgments of God,

59:34 hostile to the prophets of God, indifferent to the subjects over which God has placed you, you don't need to go out in despair. This is the God who has said to men like Ahab, Manasseh, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. And dear child of God, let me remind you that everything that came to its fullest expression in Ahab did because there was no check of the grace of God. And the only reason you're different from him is because God has been pleased by his grace to work in you.

60:20 And the seeds of all that corruption are yet within you. And how you need to jealously guard that pearl of great price. God's gracious work in your own heart by the Spirit. For you may be shocked at some of the Ahab actions and attitudes that will break out of your own bosom.

60:42 May I commend for your study this unique person, Obadiah. God willing, we shall look at him next week. And I'm not much for sermon titles, but as I thought of Obadiah, one flashed into my mind. God's jewels are found in strange places.

60:57 And that'll be our study, the Lord willing, on the life of Obadiah. May we look to the Lord in prayer, to thank him for his abundant grace. Pray that that grace will be operative in us to keep us from the exceeding sinfulness of our own sin.