Key Lesson: Evil influences are corrupting.

Ahab Blames Elijah

Ahab failed to realise that Elijah was the best friend Israel had at that time. Evil influences had turned his heart away from God. Elijah was willing to stand up for God and tell Ahab and all Israel the truth. Instead of appreciating the words of God’s preacher, Ahab hated both the preacher and his message. If God’s man is telling you clearly what God said in His Word, do not get angry with the preacher. The first words from Ahab’s mouth to Elijah are words of angry blame. He blamed Elijah for the drought. He was angry that it was so hot and dry. He was bitter that some of his precious horses and mules had died. Ultimately, he was angry with God. The 3 ½ years of drought had not changed Ahab’s wicked heart one bit. He was not the slightest humbled by God’s chastening. Ahab did not kill Elijah on the spot probably because deep within he knew that since Elijah started the drought only he could end it. Blaming others is never the answer to our problems. As long as we blame our sinful reactions on those who irritated us, we will never get to the root of the problem. A preacher told of a man who was having serious problems in his THIRD marriage. He told his pastor, “I cannot believe that I married the ‘same kind’ of woman all three times.” When confronted about his contribution to the problem, he was not willing to admit that his harsh, unloving spirit had turned all three women against him. We must not be a blame-shifter like Ahab!

Please see attached pdf for more notes