Articles
A Few That Are Faithful
A Few That Are Faithful
In our reading of the kings, we watched as Asa first reformed Judah, and then turned a cold heart towards God. Fortunately for Judah, his son, Jehoshaphat, followed the heart of David rather than Asa/ Meanwhile, the northern kingdom has moved further and further away from the LORD. Jeroboam began by turning the people to a man-made form of religion and the worship of the golden calves. King after king would then 'walk in the ways of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin' (1 Kin 12:28; 14:16; 15:26). The dynasty of Omri was politically powerful and materially wealthy, but a complete disaster concerning faithfulness to the LORD.
This was followed by Ahab. He had married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians. Even as her father's name suggests (i.e., Ethbaal = 'with Baal'), she was a devoted worshiper of Baal. In fact, she was much stronger in her faith than Ahab and the Israelites were in theirs!
God reminded Elijah that He had 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal (1Kgs. 19:18). Seven thousand? Out of over a million people? This small number of faithful people would become known as 'a remnant', an apt description of their number. Isaiah would speak of this again and again, some 15 times.
God raised up Elijah and Elisha. God worked through them to show that there is no God but the LORD. Even this could not save the northern kingdom from destruction at the hand of God. What Jeroboam had started, had taken the hearts of the people. Generation after generation has had a heart for the idols and no love for the LORD.
God showed His longsuffering as he 'put up with' these people from 930 BC, the reign of Jeroboam, until 722 BC, when He raised up the Assyrians to overthrow and destroy the northern kingdom. For 200+ years God has been patient, but there comes a day when enough was enough.
The unfortunate truth is that in every generation of every society there will be a handful that will serve the Lord faithfully. This often leaves people discouraged and disheartened, even as it did Elijah. It is often discouraging because this remnant will always be not only a minority, but out of step with the rest of their society! It is NOT the remnant however who are out of step, it is the majority. It is often discouraging because the remnant is fighting a constant unrelenting war of ideas.
However, there is also the truth that there will always be such a remnant. There will be those who love God even when it brings pain, anguish, and persecution upon them. Like Elijah, these faithful will be labeled 'the troublemakers' (cp. 1Kgs. 18:17). Often those in charge of the unfaithful multitude will seek the very lives of these faithful ones, as did Jezebel. Yet, in the end, every society that has been built on worldly thoughts and ideas has self-destructed.
So it is today. The question is a personal one: are you part of that remnant that is faithful? Or will you be like Ahab and Jezebel?
Hugh DeLong
_._,_._,_
