Reflections on 1 Kings 18

1 Kings 18 (Contemporary English Version)

1. For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere. The LORD said to Elijah, "Go and meet with King Ahab. I will soon make it rain." So Elijah went to see Ahab.
   
2. (SEE 18:1)
   
3. At that time Obadiah was in charge of Ahab's palace, but he faithfully worshiped the LORD. In fact, when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets, Obadiah hid one hundred of them in two caves and gave them food and water. Ahab sent for Obadiah
   
4. (SEE 18:3)
   
5. and said, "We have to find something for our horses and mules to eat. If we don't, we will have to kill them. Let's look around every creek and spring in the country for some grass.
   
6. You go one way, and I'll go the other." Then they left in separate directions.
   
7. As Obadiah was walking along, he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down, and asked, "Elijah, is it really you?"
   
8. "Yes. Go tell Ahab I'm here."
   
9. Obadiah replied: King Ahab would kill me if I told him that. And I haven't even done anything wrong.
   
10. I swear to you in the name of the living LORD your God that the king has looked everywhere for you. He sent people to look in every country, and when they couldn't find you, he made the leader of each country swear that you were not in that country.
    
11. Do you really want me to tell him you're here?
    
12. What if the LORD's Spirit takes you away as soon as I leave? When Ahab comes to get you, he won't find you. Then he will surely kill me. I have worshiped the LORD since I was a boy.
    
13. I even hid one hundred of the LORD's prophets in caves when Jezebel was trying to kill them. I also gave them food and water.
    
14. Do you really want me to tell Ahab you're here? He will kill me!
    
15. Elijah said, "I'm a servant of the living LORD All-Powerful, and I swear in his name that I will meet with Ahab today."
    
16. Obadiah left and told Ahab where to find Elijah. Ahab went to meet Elijah,
    
17. and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, "There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!"
    
18. Elijah answered: You're the troublemaker--not me! You and your family have disobeyed the LORD's commands by worshiping Baal.
    
19. Call together everyone from Israel and have them meet me on Mount Carmel. Be sure to bring along the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
    
20. Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel.
    
21. Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!" The people did not say a word.
    
22. Then Elijah continued: I am the LORD's only prophet, but Baal has four hundred fifty prophets.
    
23. Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either.
    
24. The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the LORD. The one who answers by starting the fire is God. "That's a good idea," everyone agreed.
    
25. Elijah said to Baal's prophets, "There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god."
    
26. They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no answer.
    
27. At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. "Pray louder!" he said. "Baal must be a god. Maybe he's day-dreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up."
    
28. The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped,
    
29. and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind.
    
30. Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the LORD's altar.
    
31. Then he used twelve stones to build an altar in honor of the LORD. Each stone stood for one of the tribes of Israel, which was the name the LORD had given to their ancestor Jacob. Elijah dug a ditch around the altar, large enough to hold about thirteen quarts.
    
32. (SEE 18:31)
    
33. He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood. He told the people, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood." After they did this,
    
34. he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said
    
35. until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch.
    
36. When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed: Our LORD, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Now, prove that you are the God of this nation, and that I, your servant, have done this at your command.
    
37. Please answer me, so these people will know that you are the LORD God, and that you will turn their hearts back to you.
    
38. The LORD immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch.
    
39. When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
    
40. Just then, Elijah said, "Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away." So the people captured the prophets and took them to Kishon River, where Elijah killed every one of them.
    
41. Elijah told Ahab, "Get something to eat and drink. I hear a heavy rain coming."
    
42. Ahab left, but Elijah climbed back to the top of Mount Carmel. Then he stooped down with his face almost to the ground
    
43. and said to his servant, "Look toward the sea." The servant left. And when he came back, he said, "I looked, but I didn't see anything." Elijah told him to look seven more times.
    
44. After the seventh time the servant replied, "I see a small cloud coming this way. But it's no bigger than a fist." Elijah told him, "Tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and start home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him."
    
45. A few minutes later, it got very cloudy and windy, and rain started pouring down. So Elijah wrapped his coat around himself, and the LORD gave him strength to run all the way to Jezreel. Ahab followed him.
    
46. (SEE 18:45)
    

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After 3 1/2 years of drought and that long that Elijah had been in hiding from Ahab, God told Elijah it was time to present himself to the king. It was also time for God to send rain once again. The drought was a great challenge to Baal worship since Baal was thought to be the god of rain. We are not told if there was any faltering of the people in their fervor for Baal worship during this time. There must have been some rather drastic measures take place, however, as they called upon Baal to send rain.  It was the practice of Baal worshipers to make human sacrifices, usually the first-born child, in order to appease Baal's anger in time of a plague or drought or other trouble.

As Elijah went to present himself to Ahab, he first met up with Obadiah, Ahab's steward. He and Ahab had gone out searching for grass for their donkeys. Obadiah was a follower of the Lord and had hid 100 prophets of the Lord when Jezebel tried to kill all of them. It must have been a great challenge to remain loyal to the Lord and yet hide it from Jezebel. Elijah told Obadiah to go announce to Ahab that "Elijah is here!" But Obadiah was reluctant to do so for fear the Spirit of the Lord would carry him off again and he would not show himself. Then Ahab would likely kill Obadiah for tricking him. Elijah assured him that he would indeed show himself to Ahab that very day.

When Elijah presented himself to Ahab he told the king to "summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table." (18:19) Elijah planned a showdown between Baal and the Lord and he would do so in view of all Israel.  The plan was for two bulls to be selected - one for the prophets of Baal and another for Elijah. The bulls would be prepared for sacrifice and placed on separate altars without lighting a fire. Then the prophets of Baal would call upon Baal to send down fire to burn their sacrifice and Elijah would call upon God to do the same. As the god of rain, Baal was also considered the god of lightning. So both the drought and the showdown were aimed at fully discrediting Baal.

The prophets of Baal called upon him throughout the morning and nothing happened. At noon Elijah mocked them saying, "Shout loudly, for he's a god! Maybe he's thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he's on the road. Perhaps he's sleeping and will wake up!" (18:27) But the prophets of Baal stepped up their fervor beginning to cut themselves, as was their custom, to get Baal's attention. By evening still nothing had happened. Then Elijah called to the people to gather around him closely. He repaired the altar of the Lord which was in disrepair and ordered that wood be arranged on the altar and the bull cut up and placed on the altar. Then he ordered that four water pots be filled with water and poured over the sacrifice and altar and then had this repeated two more times, thoroughly soaking the sacrifice and wood of the altar. Then he simply spoke to the Lord as to a person asking that the Lord, "Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back." (18:37) With no further ceremony, the Lord sent down fire that "consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench." (18:38)

After this showdown with fire it was time to demonstrate God's power not only to stop the rain but to send it once again. Elijah instructed Ahab to go eat and prepare for rain. Then Elijah took his servant with him and went to pray for rain. After praying and sending his servant seven times to look for evidence of approaching clouds, finally a tiny cloud appeared which quickly grew until the sky "grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour." (18:45) The drought had ended by the hand of the Lord.