To establish justice, we often must overcome denial, anger, bargaining and depression to get the sweeping, permanent changes accepted that must be made to end injustices and to establish justice.

Sometimes we must overcome denial, anger, bargaining and depression in our own lives. Sometimes we must overcome denial, anger, bargaining and depression in the lives of others. And sometimes we must overcome denial, anger, bargaining, and depression in an entire civilization.

From the experiences of Elijah, we can see how prayer and the word of the LORD sustain us when we face denial and anger from people who oppose ending injustices and establishing justice.

Ahab (the king of Israel) was acting in ways that denied the Law and the Way of Moses.

Ahab married a foreigner, Jezebel. She worshipped Baal. Ahab also “began to serve Baal and worship him.” (1 Kings 16:32). Ahab even dared “to set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built” (1 Kings 16:32).

By serving and worshipping any god except the LORD God, Ahab broke the Law. He failed to follow the Way of Moses.

At Mount Sinai (when Moses explained the Ten Commandments), Israel agreed to have no other god, except the LORD God who freed them from slavery in Egypt. (Exodus 20:1-6).

In the Law, Moses explained what it means to have no other god than the LORD God.

Moses said, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6).

These commandments to love the one LORD God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength did not apply solely to those who heard Moses speak physically (more than 3,000 years ago). These commandments apply to this very day to all those who hear Moses speak spiritually.

In the Law, Moses explained his Way to keep the Law on people’s hearts throughout all generations: “Impress [these commandments] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

In this Way of Moses, the LORD God would “show[ ] love to a thousand generations of those who love [him] and keep [his] commandments.” (Deuteronomy 5:10).

Ahab did not keep the Law on his heart. He did not love the LORD his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength. He worshipped Baal. He built a temple for Baal.

Baal was a fertility God. He supposedly controlled the dew and the rain.

By worshipping him and building him a temple, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel expected Israel would receive more dew and rain, increasing their power and their wealth.

The Prophet Elijah warned them that exactly the opposite would happen.

Elijah “said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1).

Breaking the Law leads to a spiritual drought. Failing to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength leads to a spiritual famine.

In a letter that is preserved in the New Testament, James (who is probably the brother of Jesus) reminded “the twelve tribes [of Israel] scattered among the nations” about this prayer of Elijah (James 1:1).

James described himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:2). He used Elijah’s experiences to show that “[t]he prayer of a righteousness person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16).

He said, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” (James 5:17).

After three and a half years, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel could no longer deny that something was rotten in Israel. But they denied that they and Baal were the rotten ones.

Instead, their denial turned to anger!

Their angered burned against all the prophets of the LORD. Jezebel did her best to kill off all of the LORD’s prophets. (1 Kings 18:4,13,22).

Above all, their anger burned against Elijah, who they considered the chief trouble maker. (1 Kings 18:10,17).

Nevertheless, Elijah survived their anger and their death threats. How? He fled. He hid. He prayed. He followed “the word of the LORD”. (1 Kings 17:2-24).

All those who seek to end injustices and establish justice will also have to endure anger and death threats. How? By prayer. And by following the word of the LORD.

This was true of Moses when he challenged Pharaoh more than 3,000 years ago.

This was true of Elijah when he challenged Ahab and Jezebel more than 2,500 years ago.

This was true of Jesus when he came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets 2,000 years ago. (Matthew 5:17).

And it will be true of anyone today who tries to get the sweeping, permanent changes accepted that must be made to end injustices and to establish justice.

That is why, in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).

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To read more about how Elijah opposed Ahab and Jezebel in order to end injustices and establish justice, please read my blog “Jezebel and Ahab: Greed, Lies and Violence”.

To read how ending injustice is like dieting—overcoming denial, anger, bargaining, and depression to accept the sweeping, permanent changes that must be made in ourselves and in our civilization, please read my blog “Establishing Justice: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance”.

To read more about Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel, please read my book Healing the Promised Land, at 213-233.