Day #179

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1 Kings 17-19 - Audio
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I Kings 17-19

Chapter 17 – Elijah Predicts The Drought

The prophet Elijah suddenly appears to announce to Ahab that there will be no rain in Israel – a judgment God had had long ago revealed to Moses as the appropriate punishment for idolatry. (Deut. 11:16-17) Elijah goes into seclusion for a time of testing where he is prepared for his life as a prophet, learning to trust God for provision. While Israel suffers Elijah drinks water from the brook and receives food carried twice a day by ravens. The prophet then goes to Zarephath where he meets a widow who is preparing one last meal for her son before dying. By faith she receives a miraculous provision of flour and oil. The main spiritual lesson in these two miracle stories is that even in times of trouble God will provide for those who trust in His word. When the woman’s son becomes ill, Elijah works yet another miracle and brings him back to life. (Literary Bible)

v. 1 – Baal is a god of lightening and storms. He is considered responsible for the fertility of the land. By withholding rain, God is showing His power in the very area of nature over which Baal is thought to have jurisdiction.

v. 9 – Zarephath is a town between Tyre and Sidon – a harbor city, flourishing manufacturing and an industrial city. Its importance here is that it shows that God had also produced a drought in Baal’s own home territory.

v. 18-20 – The widow seems to have been convinced of the truth of Elijah’s religion by the demonstration of God’s power in v. 8-16. When her son dies, she assumes that it must be the Lord’s doing. She blames Elijah for reminding God of her sin.

v. 21-24 – Part of the profile of fertility gods was the dying and rising cycle that was related to vegetation to the seasons period. The deity would “die” during the winter months and descend to the netherworld. He would be brought back out of the netherworld and restored to life in the spring to bring fertility back to the land. His power to enable fertility extended beyond crops to animals and people as well. As a god who regularly returned from death, it was believed that these fertility gods also had the power to occasionally restore life to someone who had died. Therefore, by restoring the boy’s life, Yahweh is again showing his power in the realm considered Baal’s central arena. (IVP)

Chapter 18 – The Baal Prophets

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Wicked Queen Jezebel has threatened to kill all of God’s prophets, but faithful Obadiah has hidden them in caves and is secretly bringing them what little food he has left. Even King Ahab must be suffering from the famine, for he is out looking for a little grass and water for his animals. When Elijah comes looking for Ahab, Obadiah warns him to keep his distance because Ahab has put a bounty on the prophet’s head. But the prophet is on a mission from God and insists on seeing the king. When Ahab finally has the chance to confront Elijah about the famine, he accuses him of being the “troubler of Israel”. But who is the real troublemaker here? Elijah knows that the real trouble of Israel is the worship of Baal which Ahab and his fathers have promoted. So this preliminary encounter story ends with the prophet proposing a dual: he will challenge all 450 prophets of Baal, winner takes all. The stage is set for the most heroic of all Elijah’s hero stories. (Literary)

v. 3 – Obadiah is a God-fearing man, but not to be confused with the prophet Obadiah.

v. 5 – The drought jeopardized Ahab’s government because the military depended on these animals and its’ chariot forces. Ahab’s reaction to the drought was purely practical and did not get to the heart of the issue: Who is sovereign over nature and life itself?

v. 18-22 – Although other prophets of God still existed in Israel at this time, Elijah’s emphasis is on his belief that he is the only one willing to take a public stand against Baal.

v. 27 – Myths of Baal portray him traveling, fighting wars, visiting the underworld and even dying and coming back to life. Elijah knew their beliefs and taunted Baal’s followers.

v. 28-29 – Baal worshippers cut themselves sacrificially to manipulate Baal into answering them. Such cutting was prohibited under Mosaic Law, but still was practiced by some.

v. 31 – Elijah emphasized the solidarity of the people, despite the division of the kingdom. Elijah also emphasized that the contest at Mount Carmel was not merely significant for Israel, but also for Judah. The altar of 12 stones and the 12 dousings with water (4 jars each emptied 3 times) recall the 12 tribes and the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land.

v. 45 – Jezreel was a second city of residence for Ahab.

Chapter 19 – Elijah Still Has Work To Do

Elijah comes down from his famous victory on the mountain top and descends into the valley of despair. Running for his life to escape Jezebel’s threat, the prophet loses trust and asks God to take his life. Elijah is feeling more than a little sorry for himself thinking he is the only righteous man left. God reaches down to Elijah and gives him food and rest and whispers to him with a still, small voice. God still has work for Elijah to do – prophets and kings to anoint who will fulfill God’s plans for Israel. Nor is Elijah God’s only man left: there are still 7000 Israelites who still refuse to bow down to Baal.

v. 3 – Elijah has shown himself to be a man of faith and courage who trusts God for miracles and moves to locations only in response to God’s commands. But “the word of the Lord” is absent in v. 3 and does not reappear until v. 9, when it takes the form of a question, clarifying that Elijah’s journey on this occasion was not divinely initiated.

v. 8 – Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, where God first spoke the Ten Commandments (Ex. 19-20) to Israel. The forty days and forty nights of Elijah’s travels recall Israel’s own wandering in the wilderness (Num. 14) and Moses’ first journey on this same mountain. (Ex. 24)

v. 10 – Elijah seems to have forgotten his past: miraculous provision, raising of a dead child, and mighty acts of God on mountaintops. He mentions none of these, but only talks of Israel following other gods. Jezebel’s pursuit has turned massive victory into overwhelming defeat in Elijah’s mind. He is certainly not the only one left, but that is how he feels.

v. 20-21 – Elisha immediately leaves his normal job to follow Elijah. He kisses his parents goodbye and destroys his old means of sustenance (the 12 yoke of oxen).