Elijah Confronts King Ahab

Transcript

GRS 2-96
1/27/2008
Elijah Confronts King Ahab
1 Kings 17-18
Gil Rugh

We will be picking up with the reign of Ahab under Israel’s kings. He is the eighth king, but as he assumes the throne we are still in the reign of Asa, only the third king in Judah who had a reign of some 41 years. You will note the total of the kings’ ends up to be 20 for both and that’s true even though Israel’s kingdom will end in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians carry the northern ten tribes into captivity. The southern will continue until 586 when the Babylonians carry them into captivity, but the number of kings is the same. So you can tuck those in your Bible so that you can refer to them as we mention the different kings and get an idea of where we are.

We are going to be at First Kings Chapter 17. Alexander Maclaren, the great Bible expositor from the 1800s begins his comments on Chapter 17 of First Kings with these comments, “The worse times need the best man.” The spiritual decadence of the northern ten tribes reaches its lowest point under the reign of Ahab and his wife Jezebel and it’s just like the grace of God Israel’s greatest prophet comes on the scene at that very time in history, Elijah the prophet conducts his ministry during that time period. Amazing at Israel’s low points spiritually God sends perhaps his greatest prophet, the Prophet Elijah.

The reign of Ahab begins in Chapter 16 Verse 29, we have already looked at this, but let me just remind you of some of the basics. Ahab was the son of Omri and if you look on Israel’s kings you can see where we are in the line of kings with Omri. He was the seventh, Ahab is the eighth. Omri had ruled for 12 years over Israel. According to Verse 23 of Chapter 16, Omri became king over Israel, reigned 12 years and he reigned half of time in Tirzah then he moved the capital to Samaria and that becomes the center of the northern ten tribes; their capital for the rest of their history. It will be contrasted with Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom.

Omri was a godless man, worse than his predecessors, but his son carries the kingdom to new lows in its depravity and false worship. Verse 30, we are told, Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. Sad digression here, descent we have with Israel’s kings. Each one outdoing his predecessor, you could see that would be because you establish false worship. Decadence becomes acceptable. The next person carries it to a lower level. The next king is building, but he is building down, not up if you will. Ahab reigns in Samaria as king of the northern kingdom for 22 years and you have the dates there 874 to 853 B.C.

Verse 31, “It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who was the first king of the divided kingdom in the north because remember he established a totally new worship system calf worship that was centered at Dan in the far north and then at Bethel in the southern part of the northern kingdom. He followed Jeroboam’s lead in that and promoted that worship. He adds to his sin by marrying a godless woman outside of Israel, a non-Jew, a Sidonian daughter of the king and its Jezebel whose name becomes infamous for wickedness and godlessness. And as we noted before they are the most notorious couple in all of Scripture who are the most infamous, godless couple; its Ahab and Jezebel. She adds to the false worship of Israel because she brings with her the worship of Baal and attempts to convert Israel to the worship of Baal because that was the worship of her hometown if you will. The kingdom of the Sidonians was over on the coast up by Tyre, that region of the sea over there.

So she builds an altar for Baal at Samaria. So we have now added to it another major worship system implemented because you have the queen establishing this and she will have the support of her husband who also promotes the worship of the calf established by Jeroboam. So you see Israel is going from bad to worse spiritually. Verse 33, “Ahab also made the Asherah.” So now you have Baal, Asherah is the female consort of Baal. So you have the whole system being implemented here. You have a temple for Baal; if that’s not bad enough you have the centers for calf worship at Bethel and Dan and now you have Samaria becoming a major center for the worship of Baal and a temple built to him and idol to his consort. It tells you something about the condition of the time because it is in these days that Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho and that’s why that’s verse is put in here. It seems like who cares who is building Jericho but we are reminded when he laid the foundations his first born son died. When he finished up and set the gates his youngest son died and that’s in accord with the prophecy given by Joshua in Joshua Chapter 6 verse 26 following the destruction of Jericho.

Joshua said anyone who builds this city will lay the foundations with their first born and set the gates with their youngest. What you have here is evidence of the over rebellion against the word of God, the known word of God and here it is recorded that Israel is in a state of open, flagrant rebellion against the Lord and false worship now permeates. The rest of First Kings is taken up with the reign of Ahab because the rest of First Kings is taken up with the ministry of Elijah the prophet which we will continue in the Second Kings Chapter 2, and it’s Elijah’s ministry that stands out to us in the greatest way which but if you understand it stands out in the stark contrast of the ten tribes of Israel being at their spiritual low point.

Elijah is perhaps more probably the greatest of Israel’s prophets. You know you compare him with Isaiah but Elijah was not a writing prophet so we don’t have a book written by him as we do Isaiah so we have a great appreciation for Isaiah usually being he is hugely considered the greatest of the writing prophets. But Elijah with a uniqueness of his ministry and prophecies relating to God sending Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord, he certainly stands out as unique among the prophets. The mighty miracles he will do and so on to mark his ministry out as unique.

So we begin Chapter 17, now Elijah the Tishbite who was of the settlers of Gilead said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives before whom I stand surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word.” Don’t you think where in the world did he come from, where has he been? Where haven’t we heard about him? Obviously he is a major prophet on the scene because he stands before Ahab and gives forth his prophecy but the Bible just brings him into the picture. It doesn’t tell you anything about him. It says he is the Tishbe probably from the city of Tishbe in Gilead since he is called a Gileadite and there was a city there named Tishbe so he would be called a Tishbite. Gilead on the eastern of the Jordan, remember. We are not given any other of his background.

Remember the prophets are sent to the nation during times of spiritual decadence. So anytime a prophet comes on to scene in Israel it is a sign they are in spiritual trouble, and that’s partly why the ministry of a prophet was always a hard ministry. Remember in Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus remarked about the suffering of the prophets. Blessed are you when men persecute you and revile you and say all manner of evil against you for my namesake. For so treated they the prophets before you. That was the character of a prophet. Jesus asked the people of his day which of the prophets did you persecute. There are no exceptions here. That was a prophetic ministry.

You came to a nation in spiritual decadence. So your message is not going to be well received, you are not going to be popular because you come to tell Israel whether it is the northern or the southern you are in sin. God is going to judge you for your sin. So they have a stern message to deliver. Elijah comes to Ahab and says there is not going to be any rain. In fact there is going to be such a lack of moisture there is not going to be even dew for the years until I give the word. Now Elijah is not claiming authority and power for himself because he began this as the Lord the God of Israel lives before whom I stand.

In other words I come representing the God of Israel. I come to give to you a word. There will be a consuming drought on the land and it will continue until I come with the word of God saying the drought was over. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah and tells him, “Go away from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Kerith.” That’s east of the Jordan. So he has come into Samaria, now he is going to go back to if you will his side of the Jordan. The region where this brook would be would be down toward the Dead Sea at least that’s what identified on the biblical maps on the other side of the Jordan.

He is getting away from where Ahab will have access to him because we are to find Ahab is going to do everything he can to find Elijah, but he won’t be able to find him. So God tells him to go and he will be save, “You will be able to drink of the brook,” and look at the last part of Verse 4, “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” Just the simpleness of the way that God can work; he commands the ravens, the birds of the air; they are going to fly in fresh food everyday. I mean we think we have got something. You know you see the sign fresh fish flown in everyday. You had nothing on Elijah. The whole land is descending into famine and he is sitting at the brook with water to drink and fresh food flown in everyday by the birds.

So he went in accordance with the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Kerith which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, bread and meat in the evening and he would drink from the brook. And it happened after awhile the brook dried up there was no rain in the land, so God’s provision for them. You see Elijah stands out. He lives almost a life of miracle, and yet within that he is going to have great trouble and it is going to weigh upon him tremendously. Just think about it he has gone and spoken the word of the Lord to the king. The land descends into drought and here he sits and sees the hand of God everyday having the birds fly in and drop off bread and meat. This is how he is living for this time until the drought gets so severe the water dries up.

Then the word of the Lord came to him in Verse 8 and Verses 8 to 24, Elijah has gone to Zarephath. Zarephath is down near the Dead Sea when we were at Kerith. Now we are going all the way up and over to the coast to where Tyre is and Sidon is, where interestingly Jezebel is from. And that’s where Elijah is going to go up into that region on the coast between Tyre and Sidon. There God says, “Arise, go to Zarephath,” Verse 9, “which belongs to Sidon.” Interesting he is going up where Jezebel’s father reigns in this territory. That’s where God sent him up there for safety. They wouldn’t look for him there and I have commanded a widow there to provide for you. Same thing he said about the ravens in Verse 4. God cares for his people. Who is going to bring him food if he is down in Kerith? That’s all right I will just send the birds in.

Now I am going to send you to Zarephath. Who is going to provide food for him there? That’s all right I have got a widow up there, she will take care of him. So he rose and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the city, behold a widow was there gathering sticks. You know when we are talking the providence of God and we talked about this earlier and we talked about God’s rule in the world. You know he controls everything. Here he comes into Zarephath and who happens to be there but a widow gathering sticks. Who has God commanded to care for Elijah up here? The widow. He calls to her and says please give a water, a little water in a jar that I may drink. As she was going to get it, he says while you are at it get me a piece of bread because I am hungry. But she says as your Lord your God lives I have no bread, only a handful of flour in a bowl. A little oil in the jar I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in prepare for me and my son that we may it and die. I mean the famine has spread and not just a localized just you know Samaria and surrounding regions. It is famine permeating the whole territory so others are being impacted by it as well obviously. This woman says you know I don’t even any bread, I have got a little flour, left a little bit of oil enough to make, that’s what I was doing at gathering sticks I could bake a little bit for my son and me to eat. When that’s gone we would sit and wait to die from the famine.

Elijah said to her, “Don’t fear, do as you have said. Go ahead and do what you are going to do but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me. Afterwards you make one for yourself and your son.” Now that sounds a little bit selfish on Elijah’s part. You think well first go ahead feed yourself and your son, I can wait. No, and it’s got to be matter of faith and Elijah is the prophet of God and you demonstrate your faith by listening to the prophet and his message from God. So you take what you have and use it to provide for me and in that you trust me that my word will come true afterwards you make one for yourself and for your son for thus says the Lord of the God of Israel the bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.

But you know God could have kept the brook Kerith flowing in a supernatural way for Elijah down there. I am going to keep wanting to call him Isaiah, if I do just you translate it to Elijah and we go on. But he chose to send him to the widow and do miraculous things up there for her and the first thing is you know that little bit of oil, that little bit of flour she is going to keep making, making cakes, making cakes, making cakes and it just doesn’t run out. The oil doesn’t run out, the flour doesn’t run out. Well, amazed that what I got just as much left when I made this; make another one I have got just this much left when I made it. God miraculously replenishes it. So the bowl of flour was not exhausted, the jar of oil did not become empty according to the word of the Lord which he spoke through Elijah. That’s key; it is not Elijah’s word, this is the word of the Lord through Elijah.

You think well now we have got a good comfortable setting. You will note here it is a further on the condition of the nation Israel that God has sent Elijah out of the nation to Sidon and has a gentile woman Sidonian one from Zarephath but in the Sidonian to take care of him. The Jews who would read this would see that as you know out of character, but it is a rebuke on their nation. I will send my prophet, my spokesman at this time to be cared for by a gentile widow. You think well what a great situation for the woman and yet tragedy comes into her life at this time because here is a widow obviously poverty stricken because all she had was about to be used up with one little meal for her son and her and then they were going to be ready to starve to death. So she has nothing; now she has Elijah the mighty prophet of God in her home and you know what happens her son dies. Now it came about these things the son of the woman the mistress of the house became sick. His sickness was so severe there was breathe left in him.

So she said to Elijah what have I to do with you O man of God. You have come to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death. She had the view that I must have sinned. It is something that God is now punishing me for and you came here to be God’s instrument to bring disaster on home with the death of my son to punish me for my sin. You know we happen to think that anything bad that happens to us it must be for sin. Sometimes it is just the hand of God at work and that will be the case here. This woman has been faithful. She did everything that Elijah told her to do. She has been the beneficiary of the miracle that God is doing and now tragedy comes. She has the sense that she is a sinner. She is guilty even though she has demonstrated faith here in responding the prophet’s message but she surmised you must have come to bring judgment on my home. But of course she would heartbroken.

Elijah’s response is, “Get me your son.” He took her; he carries her to the upper room of the house probably where he is staying and laid him on his own bed, unusual to stay on the upper of the house as a guest. He called the Lord and said, “O Lord my God have you also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying by causing her son to die.” How interesting there is no further communication here. Elijah takes and stretches himself upon the child three times and called the Lord and said, “O Lord my God I pray you let this child’s life return to him.” A remarkable prayer. I mean why didn’t he intervene and heal him before he died. I mean he had a severe illness before he died. You know we don’t have answers why God chooses to work the way he does but his ways are always right and best.

So Elijah stretches himself out three times on this young boy, prays to God to return life to him and he does. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah the life of the child returned to him and he revived. This is the first record of someone restored to life in Scripture, first resurrection from the dead back to physical life of course. The son will die as he grows old like everyone does but here you have the first account of a restoration to life of one who had died. Elijah takes the child brought him down to his mother and says, “See your son is alive.” The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God. The word of the Lord is in your mouth is truth.” This just confirms to her what she had accepted as true but it is an added conformation to her that Elijah is God’s spokesman.

Now these events are recorded not just for an interest; they tell us something about Elijah’s life and ministry but we are viewing God preparing Elijah for the greatest battles and the greatest conflicts of his life.

And so we come to Chapter 18 and it’s the very familiar account of Elijah’s conflict with the prophets of Baal. Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year saying, “Go show yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” Remember Elijah had told Ahab there wouldn’t be any rain until you have word from me. Now over three years have passed and it is an overwhelming disaster in Israel the drought and the famine that bring because with no water there is no crops. When no crops there is no way to feed the animals and the problem just continues to build up on itself.

So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab called to Obadiah who was over the household. Amazing! Here we are introduced to a man Obadiah who is over Ahab’s household and Obadiah is an extremely godly man. That’s why Elijah calls for Obadiah. He knows him. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hit by fifties in a cave, provided them with bread and water. Obviously he was in a position to siphon off food and water and sustained these prophets that he had hidden because he is over the king’s household. He would be in charge of the food supplies.

When the famine is great but the last one who is going to die of hunger of course is going to be the king in his family, in his household. There would be abundance of food for the king until you reach the end of everything. So Obadiah has shown, he has put his life on the line. Here you will get insight which the Scripture doesn’t develop otherwise. When Jezebel came into power first thing she does is try to execute all the prophets of the Lord in Israel so that there will be no competition for her prophets the prophets of Baal.

Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, all the springs of water, to all the valleys perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the cattle.” So here is what is going on, Ahab is going to take some of his people and go look for any where throughout the land there could be some possible pasture that has survived, some water maybe that is in hidden places. Obadiah is going to go a different direction and search out another area. So you see the closeness he has with Ahab in responsibility Ahab has given him. So they divided the land between them, Ahab went one way, Obadiah went another. As Obadiah was on his way behold Elijah met him; again the providence of God.

Elijah doesn’t have to think how am I going to get to Obadiah without getting caught by Ahab yet. It has to be in his plan according to God’s instruction. But here is Obadiah out all by himself and Elijah meets him. He said, “Is this you Elijah my master?” You see his recognition of Elijah and honoring of him. “It is I, go say to your master behold Elijah is here,” and Obadiah brave man that he is realizes this could be a death sentence. “What sin have I committed that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death. As the Lord lives, your Lord your God lives, there is nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you, and when they said he is not here he made the kingdom or nation swear they could not find you.”

Ahab is in a time of military power for Israel. And he has searched and used his power to go into other nations and challenged them. Do you have Elijah hiding there? And he made them swear he wasn’t there. So he has searched everywhere he could think of to find Elijah thinking that if he got a hold of Elijah he could make him bring rain. Isn’t it amazing? If Elijah has the power as God servant to stop the heavens, what is Ahab going to do with Elijah when he catches him? But Obadiah recognizes the intentions of his master are not good and his concern is he reminds Elijah you remember I spared a hundred prophets and took care of them, give me mercy. Because he thinks what is going to happen Verse 12, “When I leave you the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know and when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you he will kill me.”

So he believes if Elijah has been supernaturally hidden by God and he is right. He thinks I will go and tell. So you see the face of Obadiah he believes the Lord can pick Elijah up and move him to a different place just like that. Then I will be in trouble with Ahab because Ahab will think I am playing games here, and I may be head of his household but Ahab is not a man to be fooled with and Ahab would think nothing of executing me on the spot. So at Verse 15 Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand I will surely show myself to him today.” So, you don’t have to be afraid I am going to show myself to Ahab today. So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him. Ahab went to meet Elijah and this famous meeting between Ahab and Elijah.

Verse 17, “And when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” I love the response of Elijah. “I have not troubled Israel but you and your father’s house have because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed Baal.” I mean this takes remarkable courage and confidence. Obadiah knows Ahab would put him to death without a second thought. Elijah had nothing, thinks nothing of turning it back on Ahab. I haven’t been the cause of the trouble of Israel, you are the trouble of Israel, you and your family, and that's why we have drought.

“Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel,” we are going back over to coast to Mount Carmel and bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table, which means Jezebel supplied their food. They were under her provision, the prophets that were connected with the worship he established. So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow him, but if Baal follow him. “The people did not answer him a word.”

You know you get the idea here that Israel’s position was one, I don’t want to say blasé, they don’t want to make a choice, fine. If we have you know got the worship of Baal, we can mix that in; if we have got the worship of the calf, we can mix that in. We are not denying the God of Israel. We associate him in some ways with the calf worship. You know how long are you going to hesitate between two opinions, who are you going to worship? Dead quiet. You know the song neutral you cannot be and what Jesus said he who is not with me is against me. Amazing, they don’t answer him a word.

Who are you going to follow Baal or the God of Israel? They don’t answer him a word. They can’t decide. How are you going to part between two opinions? Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left of the prophet of the Lord. Baal’s prophets are 450.” He is the only one we know of Obadiah he would be a hundred. He is not going to say to Ahab the only prophets left in the land are me and the hundred that Obadiah hid. That wouldn’t be good for Obadiah and he is the only prophet here at this meeting to represent the Lord. So it’s me against the 450. We have not seen anything about the 400 prophets of Asherah. They evidently don’t stand on the same level here in this confrontation.

Let them give us two ox and let them choose one ox for themselves, cut it up place it on the wood but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other ox, lay them on the wood, I will not put fire under it. So we are going to build two altars and we are going to put up the wood, we are to lay an ox on this altar and ox on this later. One will be an altar for Baal; the other will be for the Lord. Then you will call the name of your God, I will call the name of the Lord and the God who answers by fire he is God. The people said that's a good idea. You know what they don’t know where they are. They don’t have any idea what’s going on.

We talked this morning about being like a drunk. How long do we hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God follow him, if Baal follow him. How am I going to decide who to worship? May we have a contest? Oh that's a good idea. You can’t light the wood. So we get these all ready, all we need is fire. And then we will call on our God. You call on Baal; I will call on the God of Israel. Whoever answers by fire and consumes the sacrifice he will be God. We will know he is God.

So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal choose one ox for yourselves, prepare it first for you are many. So you will be able to do it more quickly so you can do it. It will take me longer. There is only one of me. So you go ahead and get your preparations ready and do all we have agreed on but don’t light any fire. So they did that and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, “O Baal answer us.” There was no voice, no one answered. They leaped about the altar which they had made. So you got all these 450 prophets dancing around the altar, calling on Baal. It came about at noon Elijah, you know the prophet didn’t tend to be very politically correct and so he mocked them.

Something you just you know you don’t mock other people’s religion but Elijah didn’t know that. So he mocked them and said call out with a loud voice for he is a god. Either he is occupied, you know, he has got a lot on his mind being a god so maybe he is busy he didn’t hear you, call again. Or he has gone aside. He gets a little lower here. Maybe he took a restroom break. So if he is in the bathroom, he didn’t hear you. You know he is off to the cave or maybe he took a trip. You know gods have a lot to do; they need a break so maybe he went on vacation. So holler a little louder guys, you don’t know where he is maybe he didn’t hear you or maybe he has taken a nap. He is in deep sleep so you got to wake him up. So he worked on them now. So they are not only jumping around. You got to get his attention so they started to cut themselves with knives because you know as we see in pagan religions in other portions of the world today you get your god's attention by you know mutilating yourself, beating yourself with canes till you bleed or cutting yourself with knives.

So they are ranting and raving. Verse 29, “When midday was past they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. There was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention.” I love the way it is emphasized. Nothing because you know why there was no one there. They were talking to themselves because there is no God behind Baal. I know the Devil, what about the Devil but he is powerless in the presence of a living God. Then Elijah said to all the people come near to me. All the people came near to him. He repairs the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. He took 12 stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.

You know what Elijah is aware that in spite of the absolute spiritual decadence of the nation the 12 tribes still belong to God. In spite of the division of the nation the 12 tribes still belong to God. He takes one stone representing each of the 12 tribes. To whom the word of the Lord had come saying Israel shall be your name. He builds the altar. He digs a trench around the altar. Then he arranges the wood, cut the ox into pieces. Then he says fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burn offering and on the wood. Do it a second time, do it a third time. Someone had said that the poured out here would amount to about 36 gallons.

Where would the water come from? Remember Ahab the king is here. You don’t tell the king when he calls for water we don’t have any available. Ahab has plenty of water available for him. So the available water can be dumped here and you saturate the wood. You saturate the offering. The water runs down and fills the trench now. How are you going to get things started? I mean Baal couldn’t start the fire with the dry of the timber. Now you have got it soaked and wet so much water here that the trench is filled with water.

At the time of the evening offering, Verse 36, Elijah the prophet came near and he does not have to dance around and cut himself with knives, “O Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” Remember Jacob’s name changed to Israel and he wants to identify who the God of Israel is, the 12 tribes. “Today let it be known that you are God in Israel that I am your servant and I have done all these things at your word. Answer me O Lord, answer me that these people may know that you O Lord our God that you have turned their back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell, consumed the burn offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, licked up the water that was in the trench. I mean when God response he response with an exclamation point.

There is nothing left; even the dust got burned up. All the water is gone. I mean you talk about a God who consumed everything. We don't know that well, was that a real fire. Did I see something burnt there a little bit? It is all gone. When the people saw it they fell on their faces. They said the Lord he is God, the Lord he is God. Don’t think this is any major revival. It won’t last. But they are impressed. Elijah said to them seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let one of them escape. They seized them. Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, slew them there.

I mean this is serious business. It is not a game we are playing. This is a matter of life and death. There is no place in Israel for the prophets of Baal. Deuteronomy made it clear false prophets had to be executed. They weren’t allowed in Israel. So Elijah does here is not a matter of a personal vindictiveness. This is a matter of carrying out the word of the Lord. False prophets are to be executed. And all 450 are executed. Not an evangelism campaign. This is life and death.

Then he tells Ahab you are next. You bum, no. He is the king. He has divine authority if you will godless as he is. And it is not yet time to remove him. So he tells Ahab go up, eat and drink for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower. It is going to rain hard so get something to eat and then get on your way so you can get back to Samaria before your chariot won’t go because everything will be muddy. So he went up to eat and drink. Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He crouched down on the earth, put his face between his knees and he starts to pray. Then he tells his servants go look toward the sea. The servant goes look and comes back and Elijah said what did you see? He says nothing I don’t see anything. They do this seven times.

The seventh time when the servant comes back, he said I see I think a little cloud it is about the size of a man’s hand out there. He says go tell Ahab all right you are done eating, get in your chariot and make for home fast because it is going to rain hard and they didn’t paved road so if it starts pouring a torrential rain it will be soon impassable in a chariot. So he tells him to head for home. A little while the sky grew black with clouds, winds. There was a heavy shower. Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. So he stops off. Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. He girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.

So remarkable confrontation, at this point in time Ahab is permitted to live. But in due time when it is God’s appointed Ahab will be removed from the scene by dying in battle under divine prophetic announcement but this isn’t the time. And so the prophets die, Ahab goes on to oppose God another time. Nothing has changed in Israel. God has displayed his wonderful power. You think the nation Israel would be on its knees before their God, but that wouldn’t the case and Jezebel will be totally unimpressed. So that’s where we will go in Chapter 19.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your grace. Lord we are reminded that you are the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, the God of Elijah is our God. Not less powerful and just as completely in control today. Lord may we not forget the wonder of that truth, that you are our God and our father. All the events that take place in our city, in our nation and in this world are under your sovereign control, the details of our lives you care for us down to the food we eat, the provisions for us, the trails that confront us, the situations in which you place us. Lord you are the sovereign God. May our hearts never grow faint, may we never grow weary knowing that we are safe and secure in the care that you have for us. Use us in the days of the week before us as your faithful servants. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.