Christ-Light Connections: Ahab and Elijah & Naboth’s Vineyard

Being a believer in an unbelieving world is filled with challenges. The people of Israel were God’s chosen people, yet they were lead to reject the LORD and those who still believed faced constant uncertainty and fear under the rule of evil King Ahab.

The Christ-Light theme this week is dealing with unbelievers is often difficult.

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OT3 7A

Ahab and Elijah — 1 Kings 16:29-33; 17:1; 18:1,2,16 –19:3

Context

This was a desperate time for God’s people. They were ruled by King Ahab, who was credited with doing more evil than any king before him (1Kings 16:30). His wife, Jezebel, zealously promoted the worship of her gods, Baal and Asherah, to the point of hunting and persecuting believers.

Big Ideas

No Rain (1 Kings 17:1)

Our jealous God was not willing to ignore Israel’s unfaithfulness. Baal was the god who sent rain and Asherah, Baal’s sister/wife, was the goddess who caused the crops to grow. A three-year drought was meant to discredit the idols and was a judgment against those who worshipped them. This hardship affected both believers and unbelievers alike. In Chapter 17, the writer of Kings includes specific stories of God preserving the believers during the time of drought and famine.

Conversation Starters:

• Why is it comforting to know we have a jealous God?
• Does God use natural disasters as a judgment against sin today? What are some other purposes of natural disasters?
• Today, believers suffer alongside unbelievers too. How does God’s care in chapter 17 comfort us? How does Romans 8:28 comfort us?

The Showdown between God and Baal (1 Kings 18)

What a scene this must have been! There were 950 prophets for Baal and Asherah gathered around their altar with the people of Israel watching in anticipation. How weak the lone prophet, Elijah, must have looked next to the altar of the LORD that had been broken down years before.

Hour after hour, the false prophets begged Baal to be real. But Baal was not; he was nothing, so he was silent. As the prophets shed their own blood to attempt to gain Baal’s favor, we are reminded that blood certainly is demanded as a payment for sin. Yet, we have a God who was willing to meet those demands for us.

Conversation Starters:

• Elijah even has the nerve to mock the prophets and Baal. For which characteristics of our God does he remind you to be thankful?
• Why does Elijah soak the altar of the LORD?

Elijah Gives Up (1 Kings 19)

After the showdown, the people put to death the prophets of Baal, and the LORD finally sent rain. After such a great victory, we would expect change. We would expect Elijah to be rejoicing. Instead, we see the prophet of the LORD persecuted and on the run. He flees to the wilderness and asks God to take his life.

Elijah’s despair is understandable. The severe drought and the great showdown seem have come to nothing, and Elijah continued to lack fellowship with other believers. From his perspective, his work and ministry was a failure. In chapter 19, God tenderly cares for and teaches Elijah. God is still in control and whispering his message of grace to his children.

Conversation Starter:

• How do we hear God’s whispers today?

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides Law and Gospel points and discussion questions.

• God Provides for Elijah
• Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

OT3 7B

Naboth’s Vineyard — 1 Kings 21:1-27; 22:34-38; 2 Kings 9:30-37

Context

The famine was over, and Israel could expect the land to produce crops once again! Think back to the story of Ruth and what you learned about land ownership. When God gave Israel the promised land, it was divided up according to tribe, clan, and family. According to the law (Leviticus 25), the ownership of the property must remain in each family from one generation to the next.

Big Ideas

Coveting (1 Kings 21)

Coveting was Ahab’s first in a succession of sins. Coveting is wanting something that God does not want you to have. It is a unique sin because it is more of a condition of the heart rather than an action. A covetous heart is blinded by its own desires and cannot submit to the will of God.

Ahab is described as “sullen and angry.” The Hebrew would remind the reader of Deuteronomy 21:18-20. These verses describe a rebellious child who deserves to be stoned to death.

Conversation Starters:

• Why is coveting such a dangerous sin? What sins did it lead Ahab to commit?
• Is entitlement the same as coveting?
• Can you think of times you wanted something badly? What happened inside your heart?

Jezebel

As you read about wicked King Ahab, Jezebel seems to be behind most of his evil actions, influencing him as he rebels against the LORD. Jezebel never wavered in her unbelief and always led the people around her further from the LORD. You can read Revelation 2:20-23 for more about her reputation. This story is no exception as she reinforces the king’s sense of entitlement and hatches a plot of murder.

Both Ahab and Jezebel eventually die gruesome deaths as a punishment for their sins. The wages of sin is death. We sinners deserve the same outcome.

Conversation Starters:

• How would you help a believer who is struggling with coveting?
• How does this story remind us to choose our friends and spouses carefully?

The One who Never Coveted

This tragic story can leave us discouraged and fearful of the sins we have committed and may one day commit. Do not forget to talk about the one who was never entitled, the one who never coveted, the one who never considered taking what God did not want him to have. Jesus’ intentions and motives were always pure, and his actions were only motivated by love.

Conversation Starters:

• Read Philippians 2:5-11. How did Christ fulfill the law for us?
• Read Philippians 4:11-13. What is the secret to contentment?

Digging Deeper

The Seeds of Faith resource provides Law and Gospel points, context, and commentary.