The events described in 1 Kings 18:1-21 actually took place in Israel, the chosen nation of God. So we can actually say that this event actually took place in the Church. Though it was in Israel, the Bible says the Jezebel and some of her followers were worshipping Baal.
This tells us straightaway that there are idol-worshippers in the church. While some people are worshipping God, some are worshipping idols and some are combining both. Even in our Pentecostal churches today, you will be surprised to know that there are people who are combining both.
I know the story of a certain Reverend who was in charge of a particular church. Whenever anybody sent to replace him sat on his seat, he would take ill and die. About three people were brought in quick succession and all of them died.
Then they brought a young man to the church. This young man, before taking up his new seat, prostrated before the Reverend and begged him that he was a young man and he had only been sent on an errand. He asked this man to forgive him whatever the problem may be, that he didn’t want to die like those other people. Then this Reverend said, “Okay don’t worry, everything is going to be okay. You are a wise one.” The young man survived.
Another story is told of a bishop who had an accident and died. By the time he was taken to the morgue and stripped of his cassock, they found all sorts of strange things around his waist and body. So, you see, some people come to church in the morning and, in the evening, they go to a soothsayer or whatever it is that supports them at night. As a matter of fact, some people think that you need to combine both; so that if one doesn’t work, the other will.
The other thing that happened in Jerusalem was that there was a drought. It is possible to have a drought in church. Ahab and the children of Israel were having a drought in their lives because Ahab was a wicked king and they had not decided which god or God they wanted to serve. If there is wickedness in the church, then there will be a drought.
From time to time, you find out that the cause of your problem is bad leadership, or because you yourself are undecided, or it might just be pure disobedience. Most of the time, people tend to blame everyone else for their problems, except themselves. Ahab blamed Elijah for his problems. He called Elijah the trouble of Israel. The first thing you should do when having problems is to do a self-check and ask yourself where you have gone wrong. There is something you can learn, if only you would stop and ask yourself: What is the Lord trying to tell me in this situation?”
Perhaps, it might be relevant to examine the character of Ahab further. Ahab means ‘father’s brother’. It means, therefore, that Ahab is an uncle. From one perspective, an uncle is somebody who tries to be your father, but is not actually your father. Ahab is a pretender; he is not the real thing. You will find that, most times, uncles do not do a successful job of fathering; they try their best, but are not always successful.
Ahab is described as a wicked king who married Jezebel and introduced idol worship into the church. Uncles tend to introduce something slightly different to your situation. You will find, therefore, that in most churches and situations, Ahabs are people who have made a mistake or who usually make mistakes. They make grave mistakes in marriages, careers, businesses, and circumstances they find themselves.
Ahab was an Israelite who made a grave mistake in marriage by marrying a Canaanite. The time when Samson was after Delilah all over the place, he had the spirit of Ahab all over him. So when you go all over the place making grave unpardonable mistakes, especially with the opposite sex, then you have the spirit of Ahab over you. Ahabs have this spirit over them because they see mainly in the flesh and in the physical. When Lot was with Abraham and they were choosing their inheritances, Lot had the spirit of Ahab upon him. He couldn’t see beyond the physical because what he saw was the well-watered land of Jordan. He made a grave mistake of a business location, which came back to haunt him. So you find out that when you make a grave mistake as a Bible-believing Christian, you have the spirit of Ahab working in your life.
Ahab was a king. You will find that Ahabs are people who are strong and have been successful in the secular. They are familiar with money and success. In a lot of churches, you therefore find Ahabs, and what they try to do is to take over the churches. They try to be influential in the church. Because they have been leaders in the physical, they try to be leaders in the spiritual. As they are not equipped to be spiritual leaders, they end up introducing witchcraft into the church.
In some of our orthodox churches, you therefore find some pews with the names of the donors written on them. You see the altar all done in marble and written on it is “donated by the family of ….” That is the spirit of Ahab at work. Every soul is equal in the sight of God. It doesn’t matter how much you have in your bank account or whosoever you may be. When you see a dead body, it is a dead body. It doesn’t matter whose it was or what it was or what will become of it. It is the soul of that body that is important.
