I Kings Chapter 18
Please read: I Kings 18 –
It certainly would have been a difficult time to be a follower of God with Ahab and Jezebel on the throne. They literally persecuted and killed those who did not worship Baal. They had convinced almost all of Israel, mostly by scare tactics, to be followers of this false god. But there were still a small number of people who feared God more than any rule of a king or a queen. The Bible says that one such man was Obadiah, a prophet of God. He had been instrumental in hiding other prophets in a cave and kept them alive supplying them with bread and water.
“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].
“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]
Elijah had been gone for some time. For three very long years it had not rained in Israel. Water was very scarce. God sent Elijah back to speak to Ahab because he had an important message, he wanted Ahab to hear, see, and feel in a most extraordinary way. Ahab and Israel were going to be reminded that God is God!
Let's Reflect
1. You know that life was very difficult for Israel since there had been no rain for three years. Evidence of how bad it was is found in verses 5-6. What did the king order Obadiah to do and he himself would do? Notice that Ahab was so desperate that he is completing this task himself, not a servant.
2. Obadiah happened to come across Elijah. These two men knew each other. What did Elijah ask of Obadiah?
3. Obadiah was afraid to do what Elijah was asking of him. Why?
4. When Ahab came face to face with Elijah, he of course blamed Elijah for all the trouble in the land. What did Elijah tell him was the reason that there had been no rain for so long?
5. It is interesting to read that Ahab did what Elijah instructed and gathered the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the people of Israel at Mount Carmel. Perhaps Ahab thought he would have opportunity to take out Elijah in a grand fashion. What did Elijah propose to the prophets of Baal?
6. What did the people of Israel think of this proposition? See verse 24.
7. Elijah allowed the prophets of Baal to go first in attempting to get an answer from their god. No voice nor fire came from their god for hours while they danced and cried out to their make believe god. They even went to the extreme of doing what to get his attention?
8. According to verse 31 what reminder did Elijah use when he built his altar?
9. Elijah had said that his God speaks through the power of consuming fire. What unusual thing did he do to the altar that would in the natural have been counterproductive?
10. What did the people of Israel do when they saw the fire from heaven come down and burned the altar that Elijah had built?
11. Elijah instructed the people to seize the prophets of Baal and they were executed. Then Elijah said to go home and celebrate because something was about to happen. What was Elijah referring to?
12. There was a little cloud that was seen by a servant of Elijah that looked like a hand. Elijah stayed on the mountain praying and sent his servant to see if God had answered. On the 7th check of the servant there was that one little cloud. And so, Ahab was told he should get down from the mountain because God was about to answer the prayer of Elijah in a big way and his chariot would get stuck since the ground had been so dry. What is described as happening to the sky?
