ELIJAH: CONFRONTING THE KING

“As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” (1 Kings 17:1).

Notice two things concerning Elijah’s declaration.

First, Elijah stood in the presence of Jehovah, the Living God! He spoke with boldness because he trusted God for direction and protection!

By contrast, Ahab sat in the presence of a dead god. Ahab’s god, Baal, was nothing more than a chunk of carved wood or tooled stone. Though the pagans taught that Baal was the god of fertility whose influence extended to agriculture, livestock, and human reproduction, he was lifeless, powerless, deaf and dumb! He was just a hand-carved figurine, an inanimate object. Baal worshippers might as well have prayed to a cast iron skillet or a soccer ball or a number-two-pencil.

Secondly, as Elijah came before the king, uninvited and unwelcomed, he spoke with limitless confidence! Why? Because he spoke God’s message, in God’s time, at God’s direction.

Generations earlier, Moses had recorded God’s Words. “Be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside, serve, and bow in worship to other gods. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut the sky, and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land the Lord is giving you” (Deuteronomy 11:16–17).

God said it. The prophet believed it, so he proclaimed it with absolute certainty!

Do you remember what happened?

No rain! No dew! Not a drop!

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).