And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
1 Kings 18:4
After Elijah’s first encounter with Ahab, he left for three years. Finally, God decided that it was time for an encounter with Ahab. He told Elijah to reveal himself to Ahab.
When Elijah and Ahab finally meet again, the first words out of the mouth of Ahab are, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”
There is something I deeply enjoy about the framing of this question. Ahab feels as if he is personally a victim of Elijah; despite Jezebel slaying the prophets of God and Ahab actively pursuing idolatry.
In the mind of Ahab, it was not his own actions that caused the drought. Rather, it was simply Elijah’s fault.
Elijah was an inconvenience to evil. He was a hinderance to evil. He frustrated the evil intentions of others, and arose resentment in them.
He was the one who troubled Israel. He was representative of the judgement of God. He was there to bring Israel back again under the fold of God.
I pray that in my life that I can cause trouble for those who desire to do evil. I pray that my relationship with God is strong enough to be hinderance against those who aspire to do evil. My relationship with God should be able to tear down spiritual strongholds in my life, in my city, and in those people with whom I interact.