Strengthened by the bread prepared by God’s messenger, Ahab journeyed to Horeb, as instructed.

The Lord appeared to Elijah, as you will find in 1 Kings 19:9-18, Elijah told the Lord why he had fled from Jezebel’s wrath.

You might expect that God would send Elijah right back to Jezreel to confront Jezebel again.

Not a word about the woman. As far as we know, Elijah never met her.

God gave Elijah instructions that would bring his judgment on Ahab and Jezebel. First, God told Elijah to anoint  Hazael as king of Syria in place of Ben-Hadad. Second, Elijah was to anoint Ahab’s successor, and, third, a successor for himself.

The first two appointments seem logical enough, for they lead to Ahab’s eventual defeat and the end of the Omride Dynasty.  But why the third appointment?

I consider it a validation of Elijah’s life and ministry that he was permitted to anoint his successor, Elisha, a man who would follow him for a few more years and have a powerful prophetic witness of his own.

Ben-Hadad and Ahab had no say about their successors.

In any case, Elijah returns to Jezreel a few years later–after the affair of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16). Only then does God send Elijah back to Jezreel with a message for Ahab:

“‘This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood–yes, yours!’” (1 Kings 21:19).

For good measure, Elijah adds the same sentence for Jezebel (1 Kings 21:19),

God defers Ahab’s sentence after he repents (1 Kings 21:19), but the confrontation with Elijah has humbled him–albeit briefly. Nevertheless, blood soaks the ancient battle ground of Armageddon once more–the blood of Naboth and his sons and then Jezebel’s blood (2 Kings 9:30-36).  Ahab dies in battle at Jabesh Gilead, east of the Jordan, however. The washing of  his blood-soaked chariot occurs at the prostitutes’ pool in Samaria, where dogs licked Ahab’s blood.

Although Elijah’s second confrontation with Ahab lacks the drama of Mount Carmel, it shows us the nature of the emerging struggle between the Lord’s prophets and paganism. Their struggle focuses increasingly on matters of social justice, in which the aristocracy supports Baalism. Throughout, God intercedes for the weak and helpless against their faithless oppressors.