1 Kings 16:33 – Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
We learn several things about Ahab throughout Scripture.
First, Ahab is a counterfeit of Jesus Christ, ruling over a completely demonic kingdom, fully devoted to evil.
Second, Ahab and his counterfeit religious leaders have supernatural powers, not unlike Pharoah in the days of Moses.
Third, people live either by the Spirit, flesh, or demonic according to the repeated teaching of the New Testament and the depth of evil in the life of Ahab is truly demonic.
Fourth, Ahab’s wife Jezebel is clearly demonically empowered, as we have already established, and so they are a demonic couple aligned for evil.
Fifth, in 1 Kings 16:29-33, we are told that Ahab, “did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him… took as his wife Jezebel…and served Baal, and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal…Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.” The word “evil” is the same word used to explain the spirit that tormented King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14,15,26, 23; 18:10, 19:9).
Sixth, Ahab (1 Kings 18:24) and his wife Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2) are clearly stated to have worshipped false gods.
Seventh, 1 Kings 21:25 says, “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab…” This language strongly indicates that Ahab made a proverbial “deal with the devil” and sold his soul into the service of Satan, much like Judas Iscariot would many years later.
In summary, Ahab is not just a man, but an evil man empowered by an unholy spirit. Continuing the story of Ahab, a theologian explains he was a godless king who allowed Jezebel, his wife, to usurp his authority saying, “The Ahab spirit causes men to be weak as leaders in the home and church (Isa. 3:12). This spirit works with fear of Jezebel to prevent God’s order in the home and the church. The result is the destruction of the family priesthood. This is a curse that must be broken before Ahab spirits can be driven out. The curse of Jezebel opens the door for these spirits to operate in a family.” (1)
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- Eckhardt, Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual, 208.