The wicked king Ahab had to lead his people through a devastating drought for over three years.
To me, it’s pretty clear what Ahab was thinking the whole time when he finally met up with the prophet Elijah.
Because the first words he says to Elijah are found in 1 Kings 18:17:
“Are thou he that troubleth Israel?”
In other words, aren’t you the guy who has been making life miserable for everyone in Israel, including myself, for years?
Ahab was putting all the blame on Elijah.
Elijah’s response was so confident and faith-filled.
In the next verse 18, he responds:
“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 follows Baalim.”
Elijah makes it clear that the natural consequences of Ahab and all of his royal family turning away from the Lord were NOT Elijah’s fault.
They were their own faults!
Sometimes, we make poor choices, and we have to deal with the consequences.
Sometimes we gossip about someone, and then they don’t want to hang around us anymore.
Sometimes we make it really difficult to access personal revelation because we fill our lives with so many things that pull the Spirit away from us.
Sometimes we lose out on cool service or bonding opportunities because we tell ourselves we are “too busy”.
And it’s so easy to put the blame somewhere else!
To blame the other person, or to blame our busy schedule, or to even blame the Lord.
It’s not the most fun lesson to learn, but it is important to make sure we know who is responsible for our own actions.
Ahab wanted to put all that blame on Elijah.
But when we take ownership for what we should be doing, and when we are honest with ourselves on where we fall short, we are able to repent and move forward with hope instead of falling into the blame game, just like king Ahab.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
