Elijah the Prophet - 1 Kings 17 and 18

For Starters...

Have you ever enjoyed a great victory or some sort only to have something terrible happen right on its heels? It takes the wind right out of your sails, doesnt it? It makes us sometimes indulge in a little self-pity or complain to God that nothing ever seems to go right!

Elijahs story is one that begins with the mighty power of God being shown through the prophet in three ways, but it ends in Elijahs pity-party.

What's the Story?

In the span of only about 150 years Israel had gone from the dynamic, prosperous, and glorious days of David and Solomon to division, idolatry, and becoming a nation of only mediocre influence. It was in these days that a prophet named Elijah1 from a town called Tishba2 came on the scene. He spoke for God and announced that, >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, NIV), and just as Elijah had said there was a severe drought and accompanying famine. For a while Elijah himself was provided food and water by the Lord3 at a brook near his native town named Cherith, but eventually even his Cherith Brook dried up and the Lord directed Elijah to journey to Zarephath, a gentile city 10 miles south of Sidon.

At Zarephath Elijah met a widow and asked her for some water and some bread. The widow seemed glad to provide the water, but explained that she had no bread at allãjust enough flour and oil to make her and her son one last meal, after which she expected to simply starve to death. Elijah prevailed on her, however, and because of her faithful obedience her flour and oil never ran out for the whole length of the drought/famine, so that she had enough to feed all three of them perpetually.

One day, however, during the time that Elijah stayed with the widow and her son, the son became gravely ill and died. The widow thought that Elijahs presence had somehow brought God a little too close and that the Lord was now reminded to punish some sin of hers. Elijah took the young man to his own room upstairs, prayed to the Lord, and lay on top of the young mans lifeless body. God heard Elijahs prayer and caused him to live again. The woman was understandably thrilled at this unheard of blessing, but also respectfully took note that Elijah was indeed a prophet of God.

After about three years of drought and famine, the Lord finally Elijah that it was time to put an end to Israels suffering. He was commanded to go show himself to King Ahab, who had looked everywhere for Elijah to end the drought. As Elijah was on his way to Samaria, he met a man named Obadiah, a high ranking official of King Ahabs court who was a devout worshiper of God4 , and told him to tell Ahab that he wanted to talk with him. At first Obadiah was afraid that Elijah might move from the spot and put his life at great risk5 , but Elijah promised to stay put until Ahab arrived.

>Is that you, you troubler of Israel?< Ahab said, when he saw Elijah6 Ahabs pride had blinded him to the real cause of Israels desperate situation. >I have not made trouble for Israel,< Elijah replied. >But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.< (1 Kings 18:18, NIV).

Then Elijah proposed a grand demonstration to emphatically show both Ahab and Israel who the true God was and who was not. Elijah commanded Ahab to bring an audience of all Israel along with 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah7 to Mount Carmel for a great contest. In a few days, after they had all been gathered, Elijah first challenged Israel to make a definitive decision to follow either Baal or the Lord, but not both. Then he set up the rules of the contest: two sacrificial offerings should be made without fire and the God that answers by fire is the true God of Israel. The prophets of Baal and Asherah built their altar, placed wood on it, slaughtered the ox, placed it on the altar, and prayedä and prayedä and prayedãwithout effect. As the day wore on and Baal didnt answer, the prophets of Baal began to slash themselves in a vain attempt to get their god to pay attention. They continued until late in the day.

Then Elijah drew the peoples attention to himself, built a twelve stone altar8 , dug a trench around the altar, put wood and the sacrificed animal on the altar, and then dowsed the whole thing with water three times ã enough that the trench around the altar was filled with water. Then Elijah prayed one prayer9 and God answered emphatically with fire from the heavens that was so powerful that it instantly consumed the sacrifice, wood, stones (!), and water that had been in the trenches. The people of Israel were quickly convinced that the Lord was God, not Baal. Elijah commanded that Jezebels prophets of Baal and Asherah be seized and executed, and they were.

Elijah then, as final proof of the Lord as God, told Ahab to go have something to eat and drink, because it was going rain soon. As Ahab left, Elijah and his servant climbed Mount Carmel and while Elijah prayed his servant watched for an answer from God. After looking seven times the servant finally reported seeing a small cloud in the sky. Elijah knew what this meant and descended the mountain. By the time he had gotten to the bottom of the mountain the sky had become black with rain clouds, wind, and finally heavy showers. Then, with Gods miraculous power, Elijah ran back to Jezreel and arrived before Ahab.

So What?

* What does the book of James try to teach us from the story of Elijah (James 5:17,18)?
* Although it has no always been the case in our country, we are quickly becoming a very religiously diverse nation. The contest on Mt. Carmel was a crystal clear declaration by the Lord that He is God. How can we today go about clearly proving the identity of the only true and living God?
* If you had been the widow of Zarephath, would you have fed Elijah? Why or why not? Why do you think she did? Are we called upon today to feed any Elijahs? Do we? Why or why not?
* Did King Ahab change his ways after Gods dramatic >statement< about who was the true God on Mt. Carmel? Why? What keeps people from changing their ways today even after answered prayers, dramatic rescues from God, near death experiences, etc.?

Notes of Interest

* When God told Elijah to leave the brook Cherith and go to Zarephath, He was taking him to within 10 miles or so of Jezebels hometownãa pretty good place to hide, dont you think?
* Jezebels name means >virgin<.
* Rather than the top of Mt Carmel, the context probably occured on one of the mountainsides in the chain of Mt. Carmel where it is quite near the river Kishon. This would allow for the copious amounts of water Elijah was able to pour on the altar, and the relatively easy accessibility of this spectacle for the people of Israel.
* Cutting and slashing of oneself was a common practice among heathen religious to get the gods to pay attention perhaps not unlike a child having a tantrum for his parents attention.
* The sons of the prophets were >schools< of prophets active in this period of time. Elijah and Elisha certainly had contact with them and may have led them.
* The righteous Obadiah in Ahabs court may have been the Obadiah who wrote the book of Obadiah.
* Pagan gods were thought to be very much like humans in that they hungered, had sexual relations, and slept. Thus, Elijah >encouraged< the prophets of Baal to shout louder to awaken the diety. The God of Israel, on the other hand, is differentiated from humans by, for instance, needing to have none of the human appetites satisfied, including sleep.
* The worship of pagan gods was rarely as exclusive as Israels religion. Although Jezebel tried to eradicate the worship of Jehovah from Israel, it probably is not because she didnt believe that He existed, but that her gods were superior. The God of Israel, however, made it very clear that He was not just superior, but the only Diety.