The Days of Elijah!

I Kings 17-18

If you are at all familiar with the narrative of the Old Testament, you know the name Elijah. He is a prophet of whom much is said. The Spirit of God worked in him in such a way that it was prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of Elijah. We sing songs like "Elijah's God" and "Days of Elijah". Now, we get to read about this man Elijah.

When we left off in I Kings 16, we were introduced to King Ahab. The best thing recorded about Ahab is that he died. That sounds harsh and ungodly but he was that evil that the only good thing recorded about him was his death. Worse than him was his wife Jezebel. These two ruled Israel and led the people into evil practices and further into idolatry. Consider the following statements about Ahab that we ended chapter 16 with:

• Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him (v. 30)

• as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him (v. 31)

• And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria (v. 32)

• Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him (v. 33)

When chapter 17 begins, the first two words are "And Elijah". Enter the hero! Forgive my poor comparison for just a moment, but thing about a movie scene in which crime is rampant. Thugs are robbing a poor older store owner. They have knocked him down and are threatening to kill him if he does not give them all of his money. Just looking at them, you know they would not give a second thought to taking this man's life. Then, from the shadows, appearing behind them, we see Batman. That is the significance of those words "And Elijah". Here is this evil king, terrorizing the nation of Israel, leading them into evil practices, and the Elijah comes on the scene to stand against him.

With little in the way of introduction, Elijah comes on the scene and proclaims that there will be a drought in the land of Israel for three years. Then he leaves and goes into hiding. Just as he said, drought hit the land of Israel hard. God tells Elijah to hid by the brook Cherith and that ravens would feed him. Elijah obeyed God and for a while he was fed twice a day by the ravens (morning and evening) and he drank from the brook. After a while, the brook dried up because of the drought.

At this point, God told Elijah to go to a widow's house and she would take care of him. Elijah went and asked the widow for water. She went to get the water and he called out to her, "bring me a little bread to eat also." The woman turns around and says, "I don't have any bread. I have a handful of meal and a little oil. I am gathering sticks to cook a little cake (biscuit) which my son and I will split. Then we will die." Elijah tells her that God will make sure she does not run out of meal or oil for for the remainder of the drought but first prepare him a cake of meal. She trusts the prophet and does as he asks. Verse 15 tells us:

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And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

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Before the chapter ends, we read of one more story about Elijah's time with the widow. He returns to the widow's home to find that her son has been sick and has died. She is upset about this and like most any of us would do, questions Elijah "Is this the reward I get for obeying God and taking care of you? You recall my sins and judge me for them?" This grieves Elijah and he takes the boys body, who the mother is still holding in her arms at his arrival, and goes up to the loft he stayed in. The the prays to God and stretches himself over the boy's body three times. Verse 22 tells us that "the soul of the child came into him again".

In chapter 18, Elijah returns to seek King Ahab. We are introduced to his wife in this chapter. We learn that she has attempted to kill the prophets of God. There is probably a two-fold reason for this. Fist, because she worshiped Baal and wanted the worship of Jehovah removed from Israel. Second, because she wanted to kill Elijah because of the drought. Now, Elijah goes to them. He meets with Ahab and tells him to meet him on Mount Carmel with the 450 prophets of Baal.

They meet him on the mountain and Elijah issues a challenge. He tells them to pick two bulls. They pick the one they want and he will take the other. They are to build an altar to Baal and prepare the wood and bull for a sacrifice. They are not to light the wood on fire but to pray that Baal will provide the fire for his own sacrifice. They accept the challenge and begin praying to Baal. For hours they pray to him with no response. Elijah begins making fun of them and Baal. He tells them perhaps their god is talking to someone else, or busy, or on a journey, or asleep and they must wake him. They begin cutting themselves and crying out louder but to no avail.

At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah repairs to Altar of God and tells the people to take four barrels of water and pour on his sacrifice and wood. Then he tells them to do this two more times. He had dug a trench around his altar and the water soaked the wood and sacrifice and filled the trench. Then he prayed to God and God burned the sacrifice, wood, and evaporated all the water on the altar and in the trench. Then, Elijah had the people seize the prophets of Baal and take them to the brook Kishon where he killed them.

Elijah begins praying for rain. He sends his servant to look out over the sea for rain clouds. The servant goes and returns to tell Elijah that there are no clouds. Elijah tells him to go seven more times. On the seventh time, the servant returns and tells Elijah that there is a cloud the size of a man's hand. He then tells Ahab to go home quickly before he gets caught in the rain. Ahab leaves and goes to Jezreel in his chariot. The final verse tells us that the hand of the Lord cam upon Elijah and he ran (on foot) ahead of Ahab and got to the city before him.

In the midst of persecution and a very pagan society, Elijah was called to stand for God and against culture. While the stories that we focus on put Elijah in a very public setting, most of his days were not spent in the limelight. For the better part of three years he was in hiding. No doubt he prayed during this time. When he went to the widow he surely helped with chores and interacted with them. I doubt that he failed to take the opportunity to teach them about the true God while in their home. Most of our text occurs in four days out of 3 years.

This is what God has called most of us to as well. He wants us to live our lives faithfully serving him without incident. Yes, there will be troubles and trials along the way. Just like Elijah, the widow and her son lived through the drought, uncertainty of provision, sickness, and death, we too will face these things. The lesson we learn from them is to trust God in the midst of our struggles and trials. God will provide for us. It may not be what we would chose for ourselves, but we must trust him.

Remember these words of Jesus:

Matthew 6:25-34

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Don't worry about tomorrow. God will provide for you. If he takes care of the plants and animals, he will surely take care of you who were made in his image. He will surely take care of you who he sent his Son to die for (the one who spoke these words). He will surely take care of those he came to save. Trust him today!