What I Noticed Today (1 Kings 17-19)
1 Kings 17
1 Kings 17 provides some welcome relief from the warring kings!
In verses 1-7, Elijah the Tishbite, a prophet, suddenly appeared to Ahab proclaiming a three-year drought.
- The Lord told Elisha to leave Samaria and go to the Wadi Kerith.
Note: A wadi is a ravine in which a stream would run during the rainy season.
- During that time, God miraculously cared for Elijah, feeding him and providing a source of water.
In verses 8-16, when the brook dried up, the Lord told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where he lived with a Gentile widow and her son.
- God miraculously provided for them through oil and flour that never ran out.
In verses 17-24, when the woman’s son died, Elijah cried out to the Lord and was able to bring the boy back to life.
- The woman declared that Elijah was a man of God and that what Elijah spoke was the truth.
1 Kings 18
Elijah brings a message to Ahab.
In verses 1-19, at the end of the three years, God told Elijah to go to Ahab.
- Elijah’s message to Ahab was that the Lord was about to send rain upon the land of Samaria.
Note: It is likely that the account in verses 2b-6 precedes verses 1-2.
- Ahab called for Obadiah who was in charge of the palace. Ahab and Obadiah went throughout the land looking for water.
- Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, had tried to kill off all of the prophets of God but Obadiah had hidden 100 of them and cared for them in caves.
Note: Jezebel was a Baal worshiper who with Ahab had outlawed the worship of God.
- Obadiah encountered Elijah on the road while he was out looking for water.
- Elijah told Obadiah to return to Ahab and tell him that Elijah would present himself to Ahab that day.
- Obadiah went and told Ahab about Elijah, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.
- When Ahab saw Elijah, he called him the “destroyer of Israel.”
- Elijah told Ahab it was he and his household who had destroyed Israel.
- Then Elijah ordered Ahab to bring all the prophets of Baal and Asherah and meet him at Mount Carmel.
In verses 20-46, Elijah invited Ahab and the prophets of Baal and Asherah to Mt Carmel (the most important site for Baal worship).
- Elijah challenged them not to have divided loyalty, either worship Baal or God.
- He set up a contest to see which god really was God.
- The Baals killed a bull and placed it on the altar and called out to Baal all day to bring down fire but nothing happened.
- Eventually, Elijah prepared a bull on God’s altar. He dug a trench around the altar and had water poured on the wood, so much that it filled the trench.
- Elijah called on God to send fire. The fire that God sent burned the entire offering, the wood, the stones, and consume the water in the trench.
- The people fell face down worshipping the Lord.
- Then Elijah ordered the people to seize the prophets of Baal. They were taken to the Wadi Kishon where Elijah killed them all.
Note: The Wadi Kishon runs parallel to the Mount Carmel range on the north side.
- After that, God sent rain to the land.
- Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel (about 25 miles).
- Elijah ran ahead of Ahab to Jezreel.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- Ahab had allowed Baal worship to take over in the land, and despite the three-year drought, he never repented and returned to God. Ahab even refused to repent after the contest between Baal and God. The widow and her son witnessed the miracle of the flour and oil, yet she did not recognize Elijah as an honorable man of God until he brought her son back to life.
- How stubborn our hearts can be! We can be so set in our ways and false beliefs that we do not recognize the truth of God and His miracles when they are right before us. My prayer is that we will have open hearts to see and understand God’s truth!
1 Kings 19
In verses 1-9, Ahab gets home and tells his wife, Jezebel everything that had happened on Mount Carmel, including how Elijah had killed all the prophets of Baal.
- Elijah is coming off of this incredible high of the victory over the Baals, when suddenly Jezebel sends him a message that says, “I’m going to have you killed.”
- Elijah was afraid of Jezebel and her threat, so he ran and hid in the wilderness under a broom tree. He prayed that he would die.
Note: This is the same Elijah who God cared for miraculously during the three years of drought and sent fire from heaven, and suddenly he is living in fear of Jezebel instead of in faith that God will be with him.
- An angel of the Lord appeared to Elijah twice commanded him to eat and drink some water.
- The angel encouraged him, and on the strength of that encouragement, Elijah traveled 40 days to Mt. Horeb (Sinai) where God had originally made a covenant with Moses (Exodus 24:18).
Note: A direct route from Beersheba to Mount Horeb would be about 200 miles and take about 14 days walking on foot.
In verses 9b-18, Elijah has an encounter with God on Mount Horeb:
- God demonstrated his power to Elijah on Mt. Horeb first in the form of a great wind, then an earthquake, and finally in a fire.
- But then the Lord spoke to Elijah in a small still voice.
- God let Elijah know that he was still in control.
- Elijah was directed to anoint Hazael king over Syria (Arameans), Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha as a prophet to replace him.
- The Lord said Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha would put to death all those who had bowed to Baal. A remnant of 7,000 would be left in Israel.
In verses 19-21, Elijah left the wilderness and went and found Elisha (Elisha means “My God is Salvation”). Elijah threw his cloak over Elisha (symbolizing a transfer of authority). Elisha slaughtered his oxen, burned his plows, had a farewell banquet, and left to follow Elijah.
