And Ahab Said to Elijah, Hast Thou Found Me,
The sermon teaches that our actions and hearts determine whether we have a loving relationship with God or become His enemies.
F.B. Meyer explores the confrontation between Ahab and Elijah, emphasizing how Ahab's wrongful actions led to a haunting conscience that overshadowed his material gains. He illustrates that our perception of others, like Elijah, can shift based on the condition of our hearts, turning friends into enemies when we stray from righteousness. Meyer warns against the dangers of selling one's soul for temporary pleasures, likening it to Faust's tragic bargain, where the cost is ultimately death. The sermon highlights the internal struggle between light and darkness, urging listeners to examine their hearts and the true nature of their desires.
Text
And Ahab said to Elijah, hast thou found me,
O mine enemy? 1 Kings xxi. 20.
AHAB got his garden of herbs, but he had Elijah withal, who stood at the gate like an incarnate conscience. Men may get the prize on which they have set their heart; but if they have obtained it wrongfully, the conscience of the wrong done will haunt them, and take away the pleasure on which they counted, and ultimately bring them like a quarry to the ground.
We turn our best friends into enemies, as Ahab did Elijah. The cloud that lights Israel is darkness to Pharaoh; the angel that protects Jerusalem, slays the host of Sennacherib; the gentle love which anoints the Saviour, instigates in Judas a jealousy which ends in murder. The God who shows Himself merciful to the merciful is froward to the froward. The cause of the alteration is to be sought within ourselves. The sun that melts wax hardens clay, but the difference is in the clay. To the widow of Zarephath Elijah was an angel of light; whilst to Ahab he was an enemy. The difference lay in their hearts; the one being holy and loving, the other dark and turbid. What you are, determines whether Elijah will be your friend or your enemy.
This word "sold thyself" is very awful. It underlies Goethe's tragedy of Faust, in which the soul sells itself to the devil for so many years of worldly pleasure. A few promises which are never kept; a mirage that is dissipated in thin air when we approach it; a bribe of gold or silver that burns the hands which receive it ‑‑ such are the price for which men sell themselves. "They sell themselves for nought." Truly the devil drives a hard bargain. When he gets the soul into his power, he laughs at his former promises, and pays as wages, death.
Sermon Outline
- The Conscience of the Wrong Done
- The God Who Shows Mercy and Wrath
- The Price of Selling Oneself
- Men sell themselves for worldly pleasure, but it's a mirage that disappears when approached.
- The devil drives a hard bargain, and when he gets our soul, he laughs at his promises.
Key Quotes
“Men may get the prize on which they have set their heart; but if they have obtained it wrongfully, the conscience of the wrong done will haunt them, and take away the pleasure on which they counted, and ultimately bring them like a quarry to the ground.” — F.B. Meyer
“The God who shows Himself merciful to the merciful is froward to the froward.” — F.B. Meyer
“They sell themselves for nought.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- Be mindful of your actions and their consequences, as they can turn your friends into enemies.
- Your heart determines your relationship with God; if you're holy and loving, you'll have a loving relationship with Him.
- Don't sell yourself for worldly pleasure, as it's a mirage that disappears when approached.