1 Kings 16:32-33 Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
If Ahab lived today, he would be a celebrity. He was a master politician and an excellent administrator, motivated more than any previous king. The world exalts people who show these traits, even when their personality flaws are glaring. Ahab was a man who got things done and had a wife who was even fiercer than he was. Unfortunately for Israel, Ahab led them in the wrong direction. He forsook God and led the people to worship Baal.
1 Kings 16:30 tells us that Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. He wasn’t a lazy man, and the world looked at him as a strong leader. In reality, he was a weak man. Underneath that veneer was a man who was a coward, didn’t take responsibility, and blamed others for his failures. Weak men aren’t the ones who can’t bench press their body weight, grow a beard, or shoot a gun. They are men who are selfish, lead others into sin, and don’t protect the weak.
Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than all the kings of Israel. Still, to this day, Ahab is considered the worst king in their history. His wife Jezebel has become a verb for evil and manipulative women. Over the next two weeks, we will look at this man and not only learn what not to do, but also develop a model of a Godly, strong man. One who embraces who God created him to be.
Ahab didn’t have a good role model. His Dad and every previous king of the split kingdom of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and led the people away from worshipping God. Ahab just took it to a whole other level by setting up an altar and temple to Baal, whom his wife worshipped. We could easily blame Jezebel, but as a man and king of Israel, this all fell on him.
Israel was supposed to worship Yahweh, and if it did, it would be blessed. If it didn’t, it would be judged. To bring in Baal, a god of the weather, was blasphemy. What made Baal so attractive? The worship was all about pleasuring yourself. Many foreign gods required worship at the temple that included sleeping with temple priestesses and other crude acts. Worshipping Yahweh required holiness and adhering to the law. Weak men always look to their own interests and don’t consider the ramifications it might have on other people.
God didn’t let Ahab get away with it. He brought famine through Elijah, a Baal priest beat down on Mount Carmel, and had him looted by a foreign king. God doesn’t let our wanderings and brazen sin go without consequences. If we are going to forsake God, He is going to try to bring us to repentance. So many men try to forge their own way and celebrate it as the ultimate manliness, when in reality it is all a scam. I read an article today saying Andrew Tate’s lawyers admitted in court papers that all the wealth he showed on social media was completely fake. That’s the picture I get of Ahab.
Real men don’t do their own thing. Independence and being self-made isn’t only a myth; it is selfish. Real men understand that they were made for more. They take responsibility at home, work, church, and in the community. Godly men do the right thing personally and for others. They embrace the standards God’s Word lays out for them and willingly take on the role they play in their family.
The world needs fewer weak men and more Godly men. The church needs to wage war on weak men, not against those who are struggling or full of fear, but against those men who exude fake manliness when, in reality, they are selfish and sinful. The church needs to celebrate men who are good husbands, fathers, and leaders. For the rest, we need to disciple them into their role as overseers in their home and church.
