1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,
In chapter 17, Elijah presented himself to Ahab and then was told to hide. But after 3 years of drought and famine (due to Israel’s disobedience to God), Elijah is told to once again present himself to Ahab. This is will end the famine, but Elijah must go in order to bring the end to Israel’s judgment. He must once again act in faith. This meeting is not on Elijah or Ahab’s terms, but on God’s. God wants us to listen on His terms, not our own.
3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. 7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?” 8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
The name Obadiah means Worshipper of Yahweh, and we understand that this is true of the man. He is a man of God. He is Ahab’s palace administrator. He is in a tough position. Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, has taken it upon herself to kill the prophets of God and in an act of defiance Obadiah has hidden 100 of them from her. He has also been tasked by Ahab to find something for their animals to eat. The situation in Israel has become so dire that they may have to kill off their livestock if they can’t find anything for them to eat.
So as they’re looking for moisture in the land, Obadiah, separated from Ahab, runs into Elijah. This has got to be a tough moment for Obadiah. He’s run into the man who Ahab will blame for the crisis. Elijah’s command is simple: go tell Ahab that I am here.
We have to acknowledge what the situation Obadiah is in. He can lose everything dependent on the way he swings. If he acts against Ahab his very life will be in jeopardy. If he denies Elijah, then his spiritual livelihood is in trouble. Why would God put him in such a situation? God’s mission for us is not easy; oftentimes it is difficult. He puts us in difficult positions so we can rise above difficult situations.
Our moments of greatest growth aren’t marked by comfort and success but by adversity and suffering. It’s where we find God and lean into Him. It’s where we realize what we are made of and who we are made by. The strength offered in the hard situations is where we draw our greatest lessons.
9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!” 15 Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”
Obadiah’s fear is legitimate. Ahab has been looking for Elijah. He has sworn others to a vow that if they lie about Elijah’s whereabouts they will die. With that pressure over him, Obadiah has one more concern: what if he goes to Ahab and tells him where Elijah is, brings him back and Elijah isn’t there? Then he will be killed.
Obadiah has to operate on faith. He has to operate on the word that Elijah will not run or be spirited away. We see Obadiah’s faith here, his trust in the Lord. But it isn’t easy. God places his servants in the places they need to be. As servants, we must serve God with integrity. Life isn’t just about survival. It’s about standing up when God needs you to stand up.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
When Ahab and Elijah meet again, Ahab blame Elijah for the trouble that has come on Israel. But is it Elijah’s fault? He may have believed that Elijah angered Baal who in turn withheld the rain. Nevertheless, Ahab is making the same mistake the Israelites had made for generations. In the book of Judges we see a cycle go through all of the major stories. The Israelites fall away from God, they are oppressed by an outside force, they eventually call out to God in repentance and God sends them a savior, called a Judge. The Israelites made the mistake of believing the outside oppressive force was the problem. But the problem was their own sinful nature. The oppressive outside force was in response to their sin. Much like the Israelites of old, Ahab has the same issue. He blames the oppressive force (Elijah) for their troubles and doesn’t address Israel’s sin nature.
Elijah reminds him of the real problem. It’s the abandoning of the Lord’s commands and the sinful act of following a false god (Baal). Because of this flagrant act of disobedience, Elijah must show them who the real God is. They are to meet on Mount Carmel in a showdown. 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah against one man of God.
Baal is the god of rain and thunder. He’s the god, as per beloved by Jezebel and other pagan followers, to grow the crops. Asherah is the primary fertility god of the Canaanites. Back in the book of Judges the Israelites were supposed to overtake the land of the Canaanites and strip the influence of these gods, but instead allowed some of the people to stay. This, as we can see, becomes a persistent blight on the Israelites.
Beyond the obvious evil in following Baal, there is another problem. The text tells us that these prophets eat at Jezebel’s table. What this means is the worship of these gods are state-sponsored in Israel. They have the backing of the ruling power and the people must worship them to be in compliance with the government. When this becomes apparent, it’s hard to imagine that Israel has fallen away this far and deep. But the problem starts with the leadership. Ahab was so far from God that he couldn’t even know, or understand, that God was still in control of this.
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
This again shows where the heart of Israel is at this moment. Elijah summons all the people of Israel to watch the showdown. They must be witness to God’s majesty. But the people themselves are ambivalent. Their culture tells them how they are to worship; dissidence is a death sentence. They’ve been humbled by a drought they can’t reverse and Elijah is the face of that drought. And finally, the people aren’t following God exclusively. They aren’t making a stand in their faith. The world’s culture can be overwhelming. To take it on, we must solely rely on God’s strength. 22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of yourgod, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
Elijah gives the prophets of Baal a test. Baal’s priests have the advantage in numbers but Elijah gives them another advantage. They can pick the bull they want, put it on the wood and wait. The god who answers by fire is the true god. The fire must be from God, not by physical means. After all, Baal is the sky God, the god of thunder.
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
The priests prepare the bull and begin rituals of calling on Baal, but he does not answer. They are zealous but haven’t the right knowledge. They prayed with passion, energy and activity- yet they weren’t praying to the real God. This brings mocking from Elijah meant to spur them on, become more active and zealous. Yet, Baal still does not come.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
After half a day of the Baal priests trying to summon their god, Elijah gets the attention of the people. They gather around. They watch him repair the altar he intends to use. He repairs it with 12 stones. These stones represent the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember, the number 12’s significance: governmental perfection. He then douses the wood with water. His movements are careful and precise and the people watch diligently. In our lives, if we want to observe God in action, we must pay attention.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
At the time of the evening sacrifice: Jeroboam, back in chapter 12, abolished the evening sacrifice, which was the proper sacrifice God ordained. We can see that Elijah’s clock is set spiritually to the proper moment of worship. It reveals that he is a true follower. He does this according not to his own purposes, but to the will of God. God, after all, orchestrated the challenge. In our own lives, we must approach and follow God with a servant’s heart. We must acknowledge it is for God’s will, not our own.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” 40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
God answers in a mighty display that exceeds what was expected. The ambivalent Israelites are once again energized. The choice is made clear. Elijah in an instant commands the people to attack the priests and drag them away, where they are executed. He gives them the punishment given to the prophets of God. In our own lives, we must make the relationship with God paramount. We must slay those other gods we allow in our life.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” 44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
The governmental worship of Baal is broken. Stripped of his religion, Ahab is told to go away. But as Ahab goes to eat, Elijah goes to pray. The purpose of the drought has been fulfilled. Even in this, Elijah goes to pray for rain and it takes 7 ( symbolic number for perfection) revolutions of prayer before storm clouds begin to roll in. The evidence of rain comes in small way at first. Prayer must be persistence and thoughtful. The full answer to the prayer may come in small ways at first.