Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20030817.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XXI: Discerning To Handle False Guilt Charges From Those In Spiritual Darkness
(1 Kings 18:16-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. It can be both painful and confusing to face a sudden, sharp charge that we are guilty of sin for a stand we take for the sake of conscience and the Word of God. We may be left wondering if we are guilty of sin for allegedly ("legalistically") creating unjust pain for others when we may not be sure we are in the wrong!
    2. Elijah faced this trial in meeting an infuriated Ahab 3 years into the nation's prophesied drought, and viewing Elijah's response to Ahab's charge of abusing Israel reveals God's path to blessing in such trials:
  2. Discerning To Handle False Guilt Charges From Those In Spiritual Darkness, 1 Kings 18:16-21.
    1. When Elijah met an infuriated Ahab 3 years into the drought that Elijah had predicted in God's name (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25), Ahab immediately criticized Elijah for troubling Israel, 1 Kings 18:16-17.
    2. Elijah discerned that Ahab was the truly guilty one, that he was practicing psychological transference to hide his own culpability of advanced apostasy in charging Elijah with sin (as follows):
      1. Elijah pointed to the historical precedents of his encounter with Ahab to expose it was Ahab and not Elijah who was guilty of the trouble caused by the current drought:
        1. Elijah responded to Ahab's charge against him by reminding Ahab that it was the departure of Ahab's father, Omri followed by Ahab's own adoption of Baalism that had led the nation to the state of current judgment by God, 1 Kings 18:18 with 1 Kings 16:25-26, 29-33.
        2. Elijah's reasoning was accurate in view of the precedent of written Scripture: (a) God had promised back in Moses' era He would send rain on the land if Israel heeded His Law, but extensive drought for disobeying it, cf. Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 12 and 28:15, 23-24. (b) Thus, the current extensive drought fit precisely God's predicted judgment for Israel's departing from Him to turn toward Baal!
      2. In vindication of Elijah's historical summary of the situation, his words in the passage to Ahab as well as to the sinful people of Israel expose the STAGES of apostasy which Ahab had taken (as follows):
        1. First, 1 Kings 18:21 shows Israel had first mixed God's truth with Baalism, forming a syncretism: (a) Elijah charged Israel with (lit.) "limping" between two paths, 1 Kings 18:21 ESV. [The KJV word, "halt" is pasach, or "limp" as in a pagan dance, B.D.B., Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O.T., p. 820.] (b) This verb is used in 1 Kings 18:26 as "leaped" (KJV), so Elijah held Israel had mixed the truth with Baalism in a theological syncretism, Ibid.; Ryr. St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to 1 Kings 18:21.
        2. Second, Ahab had actually forsaken God's Word, a step beyond syncretism, 18:18b (2 Tim. 4:3a).
        3. Third, to fill the vacuum of rejecting Scripture, Ahab fully adopted Baalism, 18:18c (2 Tim. 4:3b-4)
        4. Fourth, in standing so contrary to God's prophet, Elijah, Ahab felt he needed to counter Elijah's credibility by charging him with sin to hide his own apostasy! (18:16-17 with John 3:20; 15:20, 22)
      3. Then, in examining Ahab's charge itself, we note how unreasonable is his charge in view of the events leading up to the drought crisis, a fact that exposes the spiritual darkness of Ahab -- not Elijah!
        1. The absence of rain from the time Elijah had predicted the drought in God's name, and that against the efforts of Ahab's false prophets to elicit rain from his rain god, Baal meant that Ahab's god, Baal was at least not as great as Israel's God Whom Elijah worshipped, cf. 1 Kings 17:1; 18:5-6.
        2. For Ahab then to continue to hold to Baal and not God 3 years into the drought that GOD'S prophet, Elijah had predicted made Ahab's charge illogical, exposing Ahab's darkness!
Lesson: When SHARPLY CHARGED with SIN by Ahab, God's prophet, Elijah (1) used (a) Scriptural precedents (b) coupled with the HISTORY of events that ALIGNED with Scripture's precedents to expose the development of apostasy in AHAB -- NOT ELIJAH! [(c) We also note the illogical nature of Ahab's charge to see it was Ahab who was in darkness!] (2) Accordingly, Elijah was able to RESIST feeling guilty of sin from Ahab's charge, and lay the blame for Israel's severe drought at Ahab's feet.

Application: (1) If CHARGED with SIN by a critic in a way that leaves us feeling CONFUSED or HURT, like Elijah, we can (a) line up the HISTORICAL events that LED to the charge (b) beside what Scripture teaches, and also (c) check the DEGREE of LOGIC in the charge ITSELF (d) to discern if WE or the CRITIC is guilty! (2) Then we can adjust accordingly!