Elijah is known as the Prophet of Fire. He called down fire from heaven and He went to heaven in a whirlwind as a chariot of fire and horses of fire cut off Elisha from him. In the opening passage concerning Elijah (1 Kings 16:29-17:6) a contrast is set up between two men: king Ahab, who was both evil and sinful beyond measure, and Elijah, a man of God, a true servant of the Lord who walked in constant recognition of God’s presence and authority. So we have the ultimate example of good vs. evil.
The setting is given in 1 Kings 16: “In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years” (v. 29). It was a divided kingdom—Judah to the south and Israel to the north. At this time, Asa was king of Judah and he was a good king. He was the third king of Judah and the fifth king in the line of David. It is said that “Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David” (1 Kings 15:11).
Not so for Ahab. He was the seventh king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He reigned from about 874-853 B.C., and it is said that he “did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him" (v. 30). He took Jezebel, a foreigner, as his wife, and “he went and served Baal” (a false god) “and worshiped him” (v. 31). He even “set up an altar for Baal in the temple 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 who were before him” (v. 33).
Ahab was right down evil in many ways. He “made a wooden image” (v. 32). Asherah was the wooden image of a woman. As the moon-goddess, Asherah was often presented as the wife of Baal, the sun-god. Asherah was also worshiped as the goddess of love and war. The worship of Asherah was known for its sensuality and involved ritual prostitution. The priests and priestesses of Asherah would also practice divination and fortune-telling.
Ahab even violated the directives of God by having Jericho rebuilt. “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun” (v. 34). Note the prophecy of Joshua 6:26—“Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.’” Prophecy given; prophecy fulfilled!
The disbelief and disobedience of this evil king brought God’s wrath down on him, according to the Word. Deuteronomy 11:16-17 says: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the LORD’S anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.”
God’s punishment for idolatry is drought. The result of evil is drought. Enter Elijah—a godly man who confronts an evil king. 17:1 says: “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.’”
When Solomon built the temple, the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:11-14).
When a nation strays from God, He withholds the rains, brings destruction on the crops, or causes a plague or some sort of contagious disease to spread among the people for a purpose—to call them back to Himself. When God’s people humbly repent, pray, and seek after God, He forgives their sin.
The same can be said for individuals. When you fail to serve God and you stray from Him and sin, you will experience spiritual drought. Disobedience brings God’s wrath. Humbly repent of your sin, pray, and seek after God and He will hear you, forgive your sin, and restore your fellowship with Him.
James 5:17 says that “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” In that context, James says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (5:16). When a godly man or woman prays, a great deal of good occurs. Elijah was no different than you and me. Like him, when we are faithful our prayers accomplish much.
When Elijah confronted Ahab he began with these words: “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand” (v. 1). He knew who it was that he served. He stood before Ahab, but was ever conscience of the fact that it was God before whom he really stood.
After he delivered the message God gave him, that “there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (v. 1), God did something very interesting. He told Elijah, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there” (vs. 3-4). Ravens! The drought brought great famine to the land and God chose ravens, scavengers, to bring Elijah "bread and meat in the morning, and... in the evening" (vs. 5-6). The brook provided water at first, and God made the ravens, unclean birds who were scavengers and unlikely candidates for such a task, to bring him food. When you are obedient, God will take care of you.
The Lord met Elijah’s needs throughout the entire three and a half years of drought and famine across the land. No doubt this strengthened Elijah and prepared him for all that God would ask him to do when the three and a half years were past. He was in the “school of hard knocks,” you might say. He was learning to trust in the Lord, even with his most basic needs.
To walk with God we must trust Him and obey Him. As you learn to rely on God in all things, He builds your faith. As we look at the life and faith of Elijah, you see this principle in action. As Elijah obeyed and saw the river slowly dry up, he saw God meet his needs in new ways. With each bend in the road, his faith was made even stronger.
Walk with Jesus. Trust Him at all times and in all things. He will take care of you and build your faith. Amen.
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