1 Kings 16: 29-33, 17:1-6
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him….Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, 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.” Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Elijah comes on the scene in 1 Kings with a powerful and forceful message. There is not a lot of introduction or explanation, but there is a firm and clear command. It’s not Elijah’s command, but God’s. King Ahab has been a very bad man. In fact it says that he did more evil than any of his predecessors. And he didn’t do this alone. He found himself a bride that was equally wicked. Together, they were a dangerous, ruthless and frightful force. This was a couple that lived off of one another’s selfish desires and they craved power. Everyone was afraid of them. They were not the most reasonable people to deal with. We’ve got this crazy couple in power, and here comes Elijah. He’s not a warrior or soldier. He’s not geared up in leather and crossbows. He’s a prophet and usually prophets don’t pack a lot of heat. They do, however, pack some extremely powerful words. Elijah was singled out by God to single out this diabolical duo. And guess what? This duo singled out Elijah. They would want nothing more than to see him dead.
Elijah is completely alone and has been called by God to challenge this ungodly couple to stop their oppression. The first thing he does is tell Ahab that there is no rain coming unless God commands it. This not only affects the royal pair, but also the rest of the people. God is going to show everyone, including Elijah, His power and greatness. The next command Elijah is given is to hide now that he’s a fugitive. He is to go down in the ravine and he will be fed by birds. I think it’s fair to say that God has somewhat of a flare for the dramatic. But dramatic gets our attention, right? Elijah is a no nonsense guy, but he does the dramatic himself, which we’ll see later. He lives in the ravine until it dries up and then he’s instructed to live with a widow. Two years pass and the drought is pretty bad. During this drought, Jezebel is on a prophet killing mission. It is at this time that Elijah summons Ahab. To sum it up, Elijah calls him out on his ungodly behavior and his complete defiance of the Lord’s command. He has everyone gathered including about 400 of the pagan prophets. He challenges them to choose God, but there is no movement. They have been stuck in their idolatry together and words are not going to shake them. Now we see Elijah’s flare come out. He proposes a challenge to see whose God listens, theirs or his.
“Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire —he is God.” (1 Kings 18: 22-24)
Sounds pretty fair, right? The prophets call upon Baal from morning till noon. Bear in mind that Baal is worshipped as the god of the sun, hence fire! Nothing happens of course. Elijah encourages them with a little taunting. They are screaming, cutting themselves, and crying out to Baal. Still nothing happens. He calls them to his alter and has them pour gallons of water around in the trenches of the altar. Can’t really start a fire with all that water, right? Remember dramatic flare. So we’ve got over 400 prophets, Ahab, and all the people gathered around looking at this spectacle and here’s what they see.
“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18: 36-38)
Wow. I love that even the water was licked up from God’s fire. What happened to Baal? I thought he was in charge of the sun? Elijah’s prayer was extremely simple, but his faith was huge and firm. God answered and brought proof to these unbelieving people. Read the rest of the chapter; it’s amazing. Everyone either was in open idolatry or divided allegiance. Both are wrong. Staying neutral isn’t any better than worshipping idols. You must decide whom you serve. Elijah was a lone hero in this land. He didn’t possess special abilities, or wear a cape, or do cool tricks. He had the power of God. Elijah stood alone, yet his faith and obedience allowed him to stand up to idolatry and to be used in a mighty way. Yes, it is always easier when you have someone standing with you, but you may find yourself like Elijah. You may not confront a whole nation like he did, but what about a person? Would you be willing to stand alone and confront what is wrong? Maybe you already have. If you are walking in obedience and listening to His voice, you will definitely be asked to stand up. Especially in the state of our society where there is open idolatry and divided allegiance. Elijah was on a hit list and actively hunted, but God protected him. Our culture is in no better shape than Elijah’s. It might even be worse. God needs more Elijahs right now and He’s asking us to fill in.
“Elijah, this gaunt, rugged figure striding out of nowhere, suddenly stepping into the pages of history, is a clear witness of the value of one life completely committed to God. An unknown man from a backwater place, he was called to stand against evil in the moist turbulent and violent and decadent of times. Look around. The need is still great, and God is still searching.” -Charles Swindoll-
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him….Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, 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.” Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Elijah comes on the scene in 1 Kings with a powerful and forceful message. There is not a lot of introduction or explanation, but there is a firm and clear command. It’s not Elijah’s command, but God’s. King Ahab has been a very bad man. In fact it says that he did more evil than any of his predecessors. And he didn’t do this alone. He found himself a bride that was equally wicked. Together, they were a dangerous, ruthless and frightful force. This was a couple that lived off of one another’s selfish desires and they craved power. Everyone was afraid of them. They were not the most reasonable people to deal with. We’ve got this crazy couple in power, and here comes Elijah. He’s not a warrior or soldier. He’s not geared up in leather and crossbows. He’s a prophet and usually prophets don’t pack a lot of heat. They do, however, pack some extremely powerful words. Elijah was singled out by God to single out this diabolical duo. And guess what? This duo singled out Elijah. They would want nothing more than to see him dead.
Elijah is completely alone and has been called by God to challenge this ungodly couple to stop their oppression. The first thing he does is tell Ahab that there is no rain coming unless God commands it. This not only affects the royal pair, but also the rest of the people. God is going to show everyone, including Elijah, His power and greatness. The next command Elijah is given is to hide now that he’s a fugitive. He is to go down in the ravine and he will be fed by birds. I think it’s fair to say that God has somewhat of a flare for the dramatic. But dramatic gets our attention, right? Elijah is a no nonsense guy, but he does the dramatic himself, which we’ll see later. He lives in the ravine until it dries up and then he’s instructed to live with a widow. Two years pass and the drought is pretty bad. During this drought, Jezebel is on a prophet killing mission. It is at this time that Elijah summons Ahab. To sum it up, Elijah calls him out on his ungodly behavior and his complete defiance of the Lord’s command. He has everyone gathered including about 400 of the pagan prophets. He challenges them to choose God, but there is no movement. They have been stuck in their idolatry together and words are not going to shake them. Now we see Elijah’s flare come out. He proposes a challenge to see whose God listens, theirs or his.
“Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire —he is God.” (1 Kings 18: 22-24)
Sounds pretty fair, right? The prophets call upon Baal from morning till noon. Bear in mind that Baal is worshipped as the god of the sun, hence fire! Nothing happens of course. Elijah encourages them with a little taunting. They are screaming, cutting themselves, and crying out to Baal. Still nothing happens. He calls them to his alter and has them pour gallons of water around in the trenches of the altar. Can’t really start a fire with all that water, right? Remember dramatic flare. So we’ve got over 400 prophets, Ahab, and all the people gathered around looking at this spectacle and here’s what they see.
“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18: 36-38)
Wow. I love that even the water was licked up from God’s fire. What happened to Baal? I thought he was in charge of the sun? Elijah’s prayer was extremely simple, but his faith was huge and firm. God answered and brought proof to these unbelieving people. Read the rest of the chapter; it’s amazing. Everyone either was in open idolatry or divided allegiance. Both are wrong. Staying neutral isn’t any better than worshipping idols. You must decide whom you serve. Elijah was a lone hero in this land. He didn’t possess special abilities, or wear a cape, or do cool tricks. He had the power of God. Elijah stood alone, yet his faith and obedience allowed him to stand up to idolatry and to be used in a mighty way. Yes, it is always easier when you have someone standing with you, but you may find yourself like Elijah. You may not confront a whole nation like he did, but what about a person? Would you be willing to stand alone and confront what is wrong? Maybe you already have. If you are walking in obedience and listening to His voice, you will definitely be asked to stand up. Especially in the state of our society where there is open idolatry and divided allegiance. Elijah was on a hit list and actively hunted, but God protected him. Our culture is in no better shape than Elijah’s. It might even be worse. God needs more Elijahs right now and He’s asking us to fill in.
“Elijah, this gaunt, rugged figure striding out of nowhere, suddenly stepping into the pages of history, is a clear witness of the value of one life completely committed to God. An unknown man from a backwater place, he was called to stand against evil in the moist turbulent and violent and decadent of times. Look around. The need is still great, and God is still searching.” -Charles Swindoll-
