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.