p. 10 | Two Apostasies by W. C. Hankins

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 26, 1906

Two Apostasies

By W. C. Hankins

W. C. HANKINS

In the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of First Kings we have an account of the apostasy of Israel, and how that nation was led, by her kings, to forsake the worship of the living God and to turn to the worship of idols; to turn away from the God-given plan of worship, which pointed to Christ and revealed the way of salvation from sin; to forsake all that was pure and true and uplifting, and turn to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, to that which was impure, untrue, and degrading, to the worship of the creature instead of the Creator.

In the sixteenth chapter, events come to a climax. Ahab, the son of Omri, ascends the throne, and of him it is recorded that he “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” Not content with following in the steps of the wicked kings who had preceded him, he chose for himself a wife from among the heathen, who led him into such depths of sin as had never been equaled in Israel. “And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.”

As Ethbaal was also king of Tyre, from a worldly standpoint this was a splendid match. But the Lord had given a plain command against intermarriage with the ungodly, and, like similar marriages to-day, it brought only disaster, ruin, and misery to him who disobeyed. Jezebel had been thoroughly trained from childhood by the priests of Baal, the sun-god, and of Ashtoreth, the goddess of the moon, and so, when she became Ahab’s wife, she determined to introduce the worship of these deities into the land of Israel. This she did, and a temple to Baal was soon built by Ahab. This was an immense building, with four hundred and fifty priests in attendance. Besides this, “Ahab made a grove” in honor of Ashtoreth, where four hundred priests ministered, who were fed at Jezebel’s own table at her private expense. Not content with introducing a false religion, Jezebel next started to persecute those who remained true to God, and so fierce did the fires of persecution burn, that in all the land of Israel there were only seven thousand who had not worshiped Baal.

What a cheerless outlook for the cause of God! To all appearances error had triumphed, and truth was dead. But man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and when the enemy of souls seemed to have everything his own way, the Lord raised up Elijah the Tishbite, and lo! the schemes of the enemy were brought to naught.

Now the theory of sun-worship was that the sun, in co-operation with the earth, was the source of life, and of course this was opposed to the worship of the true God, who was the creator of all things and the source of all life. So a terrible test was brought to the people of Israel which conclusively settled the question of who was God.

“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” The inspired record of this event nowhere tells us that the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab with this message. Where, then, did he obtain his authority for such an extraordinary statement? In Deut. 11:16, 17, the Lord warned his people against going after strange gods, and told them he would shut up the windows of heaven that there should be no rain, and that the land would not yield its fruit, if they served other gods and worshiped them. This scripture Elijah was evidently acquainted with, and, believing a famine was preferable to the great spiritual drought then prevailing, and being jealous for the glory of God, he prayed the Lord to fulfil this scripture. For in James 5:17 it is written, “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

He prayed earnestly that the Lord would fulfil his word, and then in simple faith, believing that God had heard his prayer, he went and proclaimed the news to Ahab that there might not be the least doubt as to the cause of the drought. And in the terrible time that followed, the children of Israel learned that the sun, in the hands of its Creator, could become an instrument of death as well as of life.

Now for Elijah, a prophet of God, to appear before Ahab, and boldly proclaim himself as such, and to appear with such a message, took no small amount of courage, especially when he knew that God’s people were being hunted and slain like wild beasts. Where did he obtain his courage? and what were some of the characteristics that led to the victory of Mt. Carmel and finally to his translation? Elijah was “a man subject to like passions” as we are, so his strength was not something inherent in himself, and the power that he had can be obtained by every believing child of God, who is willing to fulfil the necessary conditions.

Let us briefly notice a few of the reasons for his power. He was full of the Spirit of God; for John, who was full of the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb, came in the spirit and power of Elias. Luke 1:15, 17. He was ever conscious of being in the presence of God, so feared no earthly king. 1 Kings 17:1. He saw but one step at a time, and took that regardless of what the next one would be; for it was after he had delivered his message to Ahab that the word of the Lord came to him telling him where to go next. He was obedient, for he went where God told him to without question or complaint. He trusted God, for he stayed by the brook Cherith until it was dry. He looked upon himself as God’s servant, and so was humble. See 1 Kings 18:36. Notice the words “that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.” His presence brought conviction of sin. 1 Kings 17:18. He also was God’s instrument for bringing life and faith in God to those with whom he dwelt. 1 Kings 17:22-24. In prayer he was earnest, humble, persistent, and full of faith. 1 Kings 18:42-44.

As it was in Elijah’s time, so it is to-day. Men are leaving the God-given gospel of salvation from sin through faith in Christ the Son of God, to follow a man-made gospel which makes man his own savior. Many no longer believe in a personal God, the Creator of the universe, but, instead, believe in an all-pervading essence. In one way or another, many have turned from that which is pure, true, and uplifting, to that which is impure, untrue, and degrading.

And in this great crisis of the world’s history the Lord is calling for a people that he can entrust with “the spirit and power of Elijah,” who will lift up warning voices against the prevailing apostasy, and will faithfully warn the world of the judgments that are coming upon it. And this people he desires to lead to the victories of Mt. Carmel, and at last to translate them into his kingdom without having tasted death. So let us empty ourselves of self that God may fill us with his Holy Spirit, that all may know that we are his servants and have done all these things at his word.

Kulangsu, Amoy, China.