1 Kings 18:17-19 Dethrone the God of Israel

 “Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Is that you, O troubler of Israel? Ahab was easily the worst, most ungodly king that Israel ever had. Yet he did not hesitate to blame the godly prophet Elijah for the problems of Israel. If Ahab would at least stop the active persecution of the people of God, God would relent in the drought. But the wicked king of Israel found it easier to blame the godly prophet.

i. According to his theology, it made sense for Ahab to blame Elijah. Ahab believed in Baal, so much so that his government promoted and supported Baal worship and persecuted the worshippers of Yahweh. Ahab believed that Elijah had angered the sky-god Baal and therefore Baal withheld rain. Ahab probably thought that Baal would hold back the rain until Elijah was caught and executed.

ii. Instead, Ahab should have turned to the Word of God. Deuteronomy 28:23-24promised that drought would come to a disobedient Israel.

b. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel: Elijah challenged King Ahab to gather the idol prophets of Baal and Asherah for this meeting at Mount Carmel.

i. “Gather to me all Israel, by their deputies, or heads, or representatives, that they may be witnesses of all our transactions.” (Poole)

ii. 1 Kings 18:36 makes it clear that Elijah did all this at the command of God. This wasn’t his clever idea or strategy. This was a God-inspired plan that Elijah obeyed.

iii. It was important to confront and eliminate these prophets of Baal before God sent rain to the land of Israel. It was crucial that everyone understand that the rain came from Yahweh, not from Baal.

c. Who eat at Jezebel’s table: This refers to the fact that these prophets of Baal and Asherah were sponsored and supported by the government of Israel, having a special patron in the wicked Queen Jezebel.

i. “Jezebel was not content with a private chapel, nor with her husband’s readiness to pay lip-service to Baal; she meant to dethrone the God of Israel, and make her Baal the chief deity and her faith in the official state religion.” (Payne) (Guzik)

Dethrone the God of Israel 

Many have tried and many have failed! Flash alert, I’ve read the Bible and God wins. Satan knows he has lost and it’s only a matter of time! 

Just like Ahab, you can deny the deity of God but He is still there and working behind the scenes.

What do you think will happen to the prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah?

Blessings 

God is working behind the scenes, Billy Graham

1 Kings 18:15-16 Legitimate Fears

 “Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.” So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. I will surely present myself to him today: Kindly and wisely, Elijah responded to Obadiah’s legitimate fears. He would not make Obadiah a martyr on Elijah’s behalf. (Guzik)

Legitimate Fears

People around the world have legitimate fears because they are killed and martyred on a daily basis for their faith in Christ.

The first Christian martyr, Stephen is recorded in Acts 6:8–7:53.

Then we have the Fox’s Book of martyrs:

“Fox's Book of Martyrs, Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant, Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs

Below is a link for a free copy of the Fox’s book of martyrs.”

Are you being persecuted or have any legitimate fears for your faith in Jesus Christ?

Blessings 

Fox’ Book of Martyrs

Christian Martyrdom

1 Kings 18:3-14 Obadiah

“And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.” So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my Lord Elijah?” And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ” So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here” ’! And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. Was it not reported to my Lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.” ’ He will kill me!”” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭3‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. While Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water: This man Obadiah was a brave man who stood for God and His prophets in a difficult time.

i. This may be the same Obadiah whose prophecy against Edom is recorded among the Minor Prophets. It is a little difficult to be certain, because there were 13 Obadiahs in the Old Testament. The Hebrew name Obadiah means “Worshipper of Yahweh” or “Servant of Yahweh.”

· An Obadiah was sent out by King Jehoshaphat of Judah to teach the law in the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7).

· An Obadiah was one of the overseers who helped repair the temple in the days of Josiah, King of Judah (2 Chronicles 34:12).

· An Obadiah was a priest in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:5).

ii. One hundred prophets: “Prophets: this name is not only given to such as are endowed with an extraordinary spirit of prophecy, but to such ministers as devoted themselves to the service of God in preaching, praying, praising God, and the like” (Poole).

iii. “Account for it how you may, it is a singular circumstance that in the center of rebellion against God there was one whose devotion to God was intense and distinguished. As it is horrible to find a Judas among the apostles, so it is grand to discover an Obadiah among Ahab’s courtiers. What grace must have been at work to maintain such a fire in the midst of the sea, such godliness in the midst of the vilest iniquity!” (Spurgeon)

iv. “That Obadiah would have little difficulty in finding caves for the sons of the prophets can be seen in that over two thousand caves have been counted in the Mount Carmel area.” (Patterson and Austel)

b. Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him: The drought was so severe that King Ahab himself and his trusted servant Obadiah were out searching for pastureland. God arranged this unexpected meeting between Obadiah and the prophet Elijah.

i. “We might have supposed that he would set himself to alleviate the miseries of his people; and, above all, that he would have turned back to God: but no - his one thought was about the horses and mules of his stud; his only care was to save some of them alive… What selfishness is here! Mules and asses before his people! Seeking for grass, instead of seeking for God!” (Meyer)

c. How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me: Obadiah knew that King Ahab conducted an exhaustive search for Elijah to punish him for the drought that his prayers imposed on Israel. Obadiah feared that if he announced that he met Elijah, and the prophet disappeared again, Ahab would punish Obadiah for letting Elijah get away.

(Guzik)

Obadiah 

Some parents choose names because they like the sound, some are chosen after a family member to carry on their family legacy, some are chosen after biblical prophets or kings and mine was chosen after king David.

Guzik explains to us that there were 13 Obadiahs in the Old Testament.

Our church administrator has a son named Obadiah that we cared for in the nursery, and I learned today that the “Hebrew name Obadiah means “Worshipper of Yahweh” or “Servant of Yahweh.””

What an interesting name!

Does your name have any significance or meaning?

Blessings 

Obadiah-in-the-Bible

1 Kings 18:1-2 Obeyed God’s Command!

“After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,” 1 Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭BSB‬‬

a. In the third year: This remarkable drought lasted three-and-one-half years by the fervent prayer of Elijah.

b. Go, present yourself to Ahab: Earlier, God told Elijah to hide himself. Now it was time to present himself. There is a time to hide and be alone with God, and there is also a time to present yourself to the world. Some wish to always remain hidden when they should step up and present themselves.

i. Elijah simply obeyed God’s command. Though it happened through the prayers of Elijah, his prayers were sensitive to the leading of God. The drought did not begin or end as a result of Elijah’s will, but at God’s will. (Guzik)

Obeyed God’s Command!

There are many places in the Bible where God gives us commands, like the Ten Commandments, and Jesus also gives us commands of what is expected of us as Christians.

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There have been times in my life that God has given me a command and I didn’t heed it fully. Like the time I walked out of a doctor’s office and saw two people unloading a truck. God spoke to my heart and told me to talk to one of the people about Jesus. I did talk to him about Jesus but when he told me he was having a bad day I should have stopped and prayed with him on the spot instead of saying I will pray for you and walking away. Later I realized I half heartedly obeyed God, instead of fully being all in for Him.

Have you obeyed any of God’s commands?

Blessings 

the-key-to-understanding-obeying-gods-commands/

1 Kings 17:21-24 God Answered This Prayer!

“And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”” I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD: This was an unusual prayer technique, but Elijah had no precedent for this. It was not because of his prayer technique, but because of his faith that God answered this prayer.

i. There is an almost irresistible desire to embellish on these wonderful accounts of the power of God. Patterson and Austel speak of one such attempt: “Syriac translation, followed by Jerome, that the lad was the prophet Jonah is totally unsatisfactory and historically impossible (cf. 2 Kings 14:25).”

b. O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him: “A prayer full of powerful arguments. Thou art the Lord, that canst revive the child; and my God, and therefore wilt not, do not, deny me. She is a widow; add not affliction to the afflicted; deprive her not of the great support and staff of her age. She hath given me kind entertainment; let her not fare the worse for her kindness to a prophet, whereby wicked men will take occasion to reproach both her and religion” (Poole).

c. Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah: The son was raised and God provided for the widow on every level, not only with the miraculous supply of food, but also with the resuscitation of her son.

i. “This first example in the Bible of revival from death cannot be explained away as contactual magic nor as the prophet’s life-force transmitted by the mouth-to-mouth method of resuscitation.” (Wiseman)

(Guzik)

God Answered This Prayer!

Don’t let this escape you, “because of his faith” God answered this prayer!

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you have faith as a mustard seed?

Blessings 

 https://faithisland.org/faith/mustard-seed-faith-matthew-17-20-explained/

1 Kings 17:19-20 Prayed With Great Heart and Intimacy!

 “And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He took him out of her arms: This vivid detail shows that the widow clutched the dead child tightly in her arms.

b. The upper room where he was staying: The term upper room “Refers to a temporary shelter or room on the roof, accessible from outside the house. Such structures are common in the Near East. This arrangement would allow the widow not only her needed privacy but would safeguard her reputation” (Patterson and Austel).

c. Then he cried out to the LORD: Elijah prayed with great heart and intimacy with God. He brought this seemingly unexplainable and irredeemable tragedy to God in prayer. Since he knew God led him to this widow, Elijah laid this tragedy on God and asked Him to remedy it. (Guzik)

Prayed With Great Heart and Intimacy!

I often reflect on how I pray and wonder if my prayers are from great heart and intimacy and does it matter if I kneel? We often pray at the dinner table and as pastor Robert would say, praying for the whole world while the food gets cold!

There are other times when someone or a situation comes to mind and I pray while I continue to do whatever it is I am doing. 

But I don’t have a prayer closet like in the movie and I don’t bow down facing Mecca like other religions. I am reminded when His disciples asked Jesus how to pray:

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

How do you pray?

Blessings 

1 Kings 17:17-18 Sickness and Death

 “Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”” I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬

a. After these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick: We can imagine the happy days of provision in the household of the widow. Their needs were supplied by a continuing miracle of God. Yet those happy days were eventually covered by a dark shadow – the sickness and death of the widow’s son.

i. The death of the son was a double blow to the widow. Not only did she suffer as any mother who loses a child, but she also suffered as one who lost her only hope for the future. The expectation was that her son would grow and provide for her in her old age. Now that expectation was shattered.

b. Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son: At the death of her son, the widow indirectly blamed Elijah. She more directly blamed herself and her unnamed sin. Whatever her sin was, the guilty memory of it was always close to her. (Guzik)

Sickness and Death

It’s a fact that one out of one person dies. But what if that person dies before having a full life and it’s cut short like this son?

I am reminded of a verse that the Lord put on my heart before waking out the door as a volunteer chaplain to the Arizona State Veterans Home. When I made my rounds and visited a certain veteran, the Lord put on my heart that this verse was for his family that was visiting him. He passed the following morning.

Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. Isaiah 57:1 NLT

God is sovereign and He loves you. He and only He knows the number of your days.

Are you prepared if He calls you home?

Blessings