The prophet whose very presence was a message in itself.

Ahijah of Shiloh prophesied the breakup of Israel into two kingdoms. In the tenth part of our series on the relevance of the message and ministry of the non-writing prophets for today, Fred Wright considers the impact of Ahijah’s life on the times in which he lived.

The ministry of the non-writing prophets reached the highest expressions around the time of the demise of Solomon and the subsequent division of the kingdom. Tensions centred around the definition of the true Israel and the true worship of the Lord. Ahijah of Shiloh is a key figure in the tumultuous times leading to, and the institution of, the divided kingdoms. The story of Ahijah is an outstanding example of how a man can be a message in himself.

Solomon built high places for his foreign wives and although the practice may have commenced as ‘courtesy worship’, it soon became an established part of religion in Israel to worship foreign gods, notably:

• Ashtoreth/Astarte: the goddess of the Sidonians. A mother goddess of fertility and war, a common figure, rife in the time of the conquest and the time of Samuel's ministry (Judg 2:13, 10:6; 1 Sam 7:3-4; 12:10), of whom numerous naked female statues have been discovered. Female deities of this nature were invariably earth mothers. Today the New Age movement frequently use similar motifs.
• Molech: the detestable god of the Ammonites generally considered to have the meaning of 'king of shame’ because of the practice of child sacrifice in the fire (Lev 18:21, 20:2-5; Jer 32:35 cf. 2 Kings 17:31). The law of Moses demanded the death penalty for one offering his child to Molech but the practice constantly re-emerged, as in the case of King Ahaz (2 Chron 28:3) and King Manasseh. Although there was a rout of the cult by Josiah, Ezekiel still had occasion to protest against the practice.
• Chemosh: the detestable god of the Ammonites also contained the practice of child sacrifice. The notion of child sacrifice was to some extent to pacify the deity. Today child sacrifice through abortion is in a similar vein a sacrifice, in this case to appease the idol of felt needs of the individual.

Shiloh

The whole concept of monarchy and, to some degree, even the institution of the Temple was regarded by some as a foreign institution, alien to the covenant with God. God did not live in a Temple but was omnipresent. Israel's call was not to be like other nations, but to be free of idols and to be dedicated to the Lord alone. We find a primary expression of these tensions in Ahijah’s appellation ‘of Shiloh’.

It soon became an established part of religion in Israel to worship foreign gods.

Shiloh was situated on the north side of Bethel (Judg 21:19) and it was here, in the early days of conquest, that the tent of meeting was set up (Josh 18:1). We may reasonably assume that the establishment of the shrine was a prophetic action looking forward to the fulfilment of the Messianic ascription in Genesis 49:10. It was at Shiloh that the seven tribes who had not as yet received their inheritance tarried. We may understand Shiloh, therefore, as representing, in a primary sense, a symbol of awaiting of that which is yet to be fulfilled.

Although not directly mentioned in Scripture, it appears that Shiloh was destroyed c.1050 BC as an example of God's judgment against wickedness. The priesthood moved to Nob (Jer 7:12, 14; 26:6, 9). It would be reasonable to assume that a remnant of the cultus, of whom Ahijah was a part, remained and ministered out of Shiloh.

Separated Through Choice

Throughout the history of Israel there were always groups who considered that Israel had gone astray with the institution of the monarchy, the Temple and its worship. They preferred to remain outside of Jerusalem and the Temple environs. The Recabites (Jer 35) are an example of such a group from the time of Jeremiah while the Essenes are an example in the late Second Temple period.

John the Baptist may have belonged to such a group amongst whom such a notion was held, as witnessed by his preaching (Matt 3:9; Luke 3:8). Paul's ‘Israel of God' may also have this connotation (Gal 6:16). There can be little doubt that in the modern age the battle to preserve authentic devotion to the Lord is getting harder. We have seen over recent years many fashionable, often syncretic ideas come and go through the church.

A worrying trend, in recent times, is the sudden interest in Israel for the wrong motives. One charismatic stream has promoted prayer for the Jewish people on the grounds of Genesis 12:2-3 as part of a ‘prosperity’ doctrine. This has also included raising vast amounts of money for aliyah-related projects that have born little fruit.¹

Throughout the history of Israel there were always groups who considered that Israel had gone astray.

A Divided Kingdom

Ahiiah makes a dramatic entrance (1 Kings 11:29) encountering Jeroboam, who was at that time a petty official, on the road. He proceeded to pronounce the end of the united kingdom by rending his garment into 12 pieces and presenting 10 to Jeroboam. These pieces represented his forthcoming rule (1 Kings 11:31).

The deep loathing of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, is implied almost immediately. His mother’s name is given as Zeruah (leprous) – a widow. In the Septuagint translation she is described as a harlot (1 Kings 11:26). Jeroboam fled from Solomon, finding refuge in Egypt with Shishak, and returned upon the revolt of the ten northern tribes against Rehoboam. He was elevated to kingship by popular assent (c. 931 BC) and set about establishing a rule that would become a negative measuring stick for subsequent kings who are generally considered to have perpetuated his sins of idolatry.

One should understand that the prophet in ancient Israel fulfilled far more than a religious or cultic function. The prophet was involved in matters covering all the main areas of life, including both political and domestic matters. in the same way the role of the prophet today is not simply to pronounce blessing and encouragement to the church, but also to speak to the leaders of the nations.

Consequences of Idolatry

We next encounter Ahijah when Jeroboam’s son fell sick and he sent his wife in disguise (with the customary gifts) to the ageing prophet, who we are informed was poor of sight. However, the prophet immediately knew who she was and predicted the death of Jeroboam's son, the fall of his house and the future captivity of Israel (1 Kings 14:6-16). Idolatry, in all of its forms, is abhorrent to the Lord. In the New Testament, the aged John’s mature reflections and departing plea make this most clear (1 John 5:21).

The story of Ahijah of Shiloh is one of the many warnings in Scripture against idolatry in all of its forms. More than this, it also one of several instances where God shows that he will operate through a faithful remnant. Paul may have had this in mind when speaking of the last days in his letters to Timothy (1 Tim 1:3f) where he states that in the last days there will be times of great stress when many will follow deviant teachings. Israel's disasters were invariably caused by the forsaking of the Lord in favour of foreign gods and other idols.

The story of Ahijah is one of many warnings in Scripture against idolatry, and one of several instances where God shows he will operate through a faithful remnant.

Ahijah the Shilonite could possibly be styled ‘Ahijah the faithful’. We know little of Ahijah outside of the notices in 1 Kings but we may say with assurance that as a representative of a faithful remnant his mere presence had a prophetic significance that demanded attention - a quality sadly lacking today.

This article was first published in Prophecy Today in 1999, Vol 15(1).

Notes

1 This references 'prosperity gospel' movements operating in the late 1990s abusing aliyah for their own ends, rather than the principle of aliyah itself, to which Prophecy Today is fully committed.

The Government's propaganda may put people off, or it may deceive them - just as the nation was deceived in the 1975 EU Referendum.

British people dislike bullies. We have a strong sense of fair play and on big issues we like to weigh the evidence and make up our own minds. We are an island people and we value our independence. We do not like being bullied. This is why the huge pressure being put upon the electorate by the Government and their overseas friends, international leaders, big business corporations and bankers may prove to be counter-productive.

The Government promised to help the undecided by publishing the facts. Instead, they have spent £9 million on a blatant piece of propaganda trying to persuade us to stay in the European Union. The front page title of the booklet gives the game away. It says nothing about a presentation of the facts. Its title is "Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK". It then states "The UK has secured a special status in the reformed EU".

We should surely be entitled to ask, what 'special status'? And in what way is the EU 'reformed'? Are the British people once again being deceived by lies from powerful politicians - as we were 40 years ago?

More Deception?

What is happening today looks very similar to how we were tricked into entered the European Union. Ted Heath, the Prime Minister who did the original deal in 1973, readily admitted before he died that he had lied to Parliament and to the British people because he knew that we were not simply joining a trading group but that the intention was always to work towards the formation of a United States of Europe in which we would all lose our sovereign identity.¹

This fact was deliberately kept hidden from the British public when we voted at the 1975 referendum on whether or not we should stay in the 'European Economic Community' ('Common Market') as it was then described. In those days it was largely a trading group with nine member states, whereas today the EU is a very different beast, with 28 members in a tightly regulated organisation bound by treaties, such as Maastricht and Lisbon, and controlled by an unelected Commission backed by an enormous bureaucracy, with institutions such as the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice exercising enormous power over our own parliament and legal courts.

In 1975, we were asked to vote on whether we should stay in a small trading group of nine countries. Today, the EU is a very different beast.

When the Maastricht Treaty was being negotiated there were attempts by churches to get some reference to the Judaeo-Christian heritage of Europe but this was strongly resisted by secular humanists, who prevailed.² The resultant European Union is not only deliberately a godless - in fact, God-denying - organisation, but it is also systemically corrupt, as demonstrated by the fact that it has not been able to persuade the auditors to endorse its accounts for at least the past five years.³ In this country, if a company were in that situation they would not only be prosecuted but they would not be allowed to continue in business.

Miracles in the Past

So how should Christians decide on such an important issue? We surely have to recognise the moral and spiritual battle for the soul of Britain that is involved in the present referendum debate. Christians need to know what God is saying to us, not least by looking at the recent history of Britain in a biblical context. This enables us to understand the purposes of God and what he requires of a nation with a strong Judaeo-Christian heritage such as Britain's.

There are still many people in the older generation who remember that God worked a miracle at Dunkirk in 1940, saving our army from annihilation and giving us victory in the Battle of Britain in the skies. Even Churchill acknowledged in Parliament that it Dunkirk was a "miracle of deliverance".⁴ Those were days when the whole nation turned to prayer.

It was also at a time of national prayer that Hitler took the irrational decision not to invade Britain. It is now recognised that if the German invasion had taken place in 1940 nothing could have stopped them conquering Britain. Dad's Army would no doubt have fought valiantly but German Panzer tanks would have been rolling down Whitehall within days. 

When a nation puts its destiny in the hands of God it can expect miracles to happen. It has happened in the past and it can happen again today – if there is a sufficiently strong believing remnant in the country.

When a nation puts its destiny in the hands of God it can expect miracles to happen. It has happened in the past and it can happen again today.

Opportunity for the Remnant

Of course we know that as a nation we have spurned our spiritual heritage: we have passed many ungodly laws and we no longer deserve to be called a Christian nation. But there is undoubtedly a strong remnant of believers in the older generation and there are many indications of young people coming to faith in Jesus – possibly in reaction to the mess their unbelieving parents have made of the nation. It is the middle generation who are missing in many churches up and down the country today.

Believing Christians know that as a nation we deserve judgement but we also know the love and mercy of God who has given a solemn promise, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned" (Jer 18:7).

The Referendum debate is bringing believing Christians to prayer throughout the country. Many prayer meetings are organised for this weekend, St George's Day, 23 April, and many more are planned between now and 23 June. These prayer meetings give us a chance to seek the Lord and know what he is saying to the nation so that we can pray in line with God's will and vote accordingly.

Word on the EU, 2015

We have already nailed our colours to the mast in this magazine but we know many Christians who are still undecided. We respect their integrity and we therefore encourage them to join other Christians in prayer where they can spend time spreading the whole issue before the Lord who will surely answer in clarity.

If you have not yet decided which way to vote, we encourage you to join with others in prayer and spread the issue before the Lord.

Alongside this article we are printing a prophecy from David Noakes that has already been widely circulated. I was with him when he received this prophecy towards the end of last year. David and I have been close friends and colleagues since the early days of the old printed magazine, Prophecy Today.

We have shared a platform at hundreds of meetings over the years and I have heard him prophesy many times, but I have never heard him bring a word that is as directional as this. In publishing it today, please understand that we are not saying that this is a direct word from the Lord. We offer it in love and humility to our fellow believers for weighing and testing, and we offer it as part of the process of seeking the word of the Lord for Britain today.

References

1 E.g. Quote from PRO/FCO 30/789, Sub-committee of official committee on monetary aspects of UK entry to EEC, 1970. The Heath Government's positive response: PRO/CAB 164/771, Informal talks with the European Commission and the exchange of views with member countries during the negotiation period, 1970.

2 E.g. Anderson, MJ. Ungodly Ways: The Dark Side of the European Union. CRISIS Magazine, 1 June 2003.

3 Waterfield, B and Dominiczak, P. EU auditors refuse to sign off more than £100billion of its own spending. The Telegraph, 4 November 2014.

4 Speech to the House of Commons, 4 June 1940. Transcript available via The Churchill Society.