Voice of Stern Rebuke
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he lift up his hand against the messenger of God. And so, accompanied
by a bodyguard of soldiers, the trembling monarch went to meet the
prophet.
The king and the prophet stand face to face. Though Ahab is
filled with passionate hatred, yet in the presence of Elijah he seems
unmanned, powerless. In his first faltering words, “Art thou he that
troubleth Israel?” he unconsciously reveals the inmost feelings of his
heart. Ahab knew that it was by the word of God that the heavens had
become as brass, yet he sought to cast upon the prophet the blame for
the heavy judgments resting on the land.
It is natural for the wrongdoer to hold the messengers of God
responsible for the calamities that come as the sure result of a departure
from the way of righteousness. Those who place themselves in Satan’s
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power are unable to see things as God sees them. When the mirror of
truth is held up before them, they become indignant at the thought of
receiving reproof. Blinded by sin, they refuse to repent; they feel that
God’s servants have turned against them and are worthy of severest
censure.
Standing in conscious innocence before Ahab, Elijah makes no
attempt to excuse himself or to flatter the king. Nor does he seek to
evade the king’s wrath by the good news that the drought is almost
over. He has no apology to offer. Indignant, and jealous for the honor
of God, he casts back the imputation of Ahab, fearlessly declaring
to the king that it is his sins, and the sins of his fathers, that have
brought upon Israel this terrible calamity. “I have not troubled Israel,”
Elijah boldly asserts, “but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye
have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed
Baalim.”
Today there is need of the voice of stern rebuke; for grievous
sins have separated the people from God. Infidelity is fast becoming
fashionable. “We will not have this man to reign over us,” is the
language of thousands.
Luke 19:14
. The smooth sermons so often
preached make no lasting impression; the trumpet does not give a
certain sound. Men are not cut to the heart by the plain, sharp truths
of God’s word.
There are many professed Christians who, if they should express
their real feelings, would say, What need is there of speaking so
plainly? They might as well ask, Why need John the Baptist have