Assignment
Leadership Project 2
Over the last two (2) weeks, you have read four (4) new chapters in the course text (pages 132 – 221).
Each chapter reveals to the reader both history and God’s hand in it. The chapters tell of both formal
leadership (those in a position of power based on organizational structure) and informal leadership
(those who have power based on their ability to demonstrate influence without being in a formal
organizational structure).
In this assignment, the student is required to write an APA formatted 900 word paper with Abstract that
expands on a theme from one of the chapters. Why was this information so important that Merida
included it in the text? How is this theme relevant today? Why is this theme important to you in your
current or future leadership endeavors? Support your research with five (5) scholarly sources. Limit
your literature search to the last five (5) years and select only sources that are full text – PDF.
As part of this project, prepare an annotated bibliography. The bibliography will be structured as
follows: APA formatted reference (minimum 250 words per reference) followed by summary of key
points, evaluation of the quality of the publication, evaluation of the quality of the author(s), where this
fits into the assignment, and the library database in which you found the article. A traditional APA
reference page and the annotated bibliography will be turned in with the associated paper.
Criteria
Levels of Achievement
Advanced
Proficient
Developing
Not
Present
Length of
Paper
5 points
Word count is up to
+/- 10% of
requirement
4 points
Word count is
between +/- 10-15%
of requirement
1 to 3 points
Word count is more
than +/- 15 % of
requirement
0 points
Did not
submit
Content of
Paper -
30 to 32 points
Paper contains all of
the required content
and analyses
27 to 29 points
Paper mostly
contains all of the
required content and
analyses
1 to 28 points
Paper contains little
of the required
content and analyses
0 points
Did not
submit
Annotated
Bibliography
19 to 20 points
Each entry contains
all of the required
elements
16 to 18 points
Each entry contains
most of the required
elements
1 to 15 points
Each entry contains
less than most of the
required elements or
some entries are
complete while
others are not
0 points
Did not
submit
Quality of
Writing;
APA Format
17 to 18 points
No notable spelling
and/or grammar
errors; the format is
easy to follow;
proper APA format
14 to 16 points
Minimal spelling
and/or grammar
errors; the format is
generally easy to
follow; generally
proper APA format
1 to 13 points
Significant spelling
and/or grammar
errors; the format is
not easy to follow;
proper APA format
not used
0 points
Did not
submit
Kings of Judah
1 Kings 14:21–15:24
1: Rehoboam, “The Conformer” (14:21-31)
After a note on Rehoboam’s famous dad (Solomon), Rehoboam’s age, and his 17-year reign, we
read of Solomon’s folly: namely, his marriage to Naamah the Ammonite. The writer of Kings
finds this so important that he bookends this section with a note about this Ammonite mother (v.
31). Bookends are significant in the Bible. They provide a lens by which we can read everything
in the middle. Why is it that Rehoboam conformed to the culture and began to worship idols? It
was partially due to the influence of his mother, whom Solomon should have never married in
the first place.
Rehoboam didn’t have to follow his mother, but he did. We will see that all of these kings have a
choice to make. Rehoboam made the wrong choice. The Chronicler puts the blame on
Rehoboam, saying, “He did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chr 12:14).
Rehoboam didn’t curb the idolatry. The sin introduced by Solomon and his foreign wives
worsens in Rehoboam’s reign.
Next, we read about the entire community of Israel. The writer says, “Judah did what was evil in
the Lord’s eyes” (1 Kgs 14:22). Even though we’re examining kings, God’s people remain in
view. They identify with the king. The writer says the people provoked God to “jealous anger.”
Modern readers may have trouble with this concept of jealousy, but this is holy jealousy. God
isn’t careless about His people. Like a husband who wants to protect his wife with a righteous
jealousy, God wants to protect His people. God is jealous for His bride and jealous for His glory.
The evil committed by the nation was “more than all that their ancestors had done.” It was a dark
day in Israel. The writer then outlines some of the dark practices: “They also built for themselves
high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree; there
were even male cult prostitutes in the land” (vv. 23-24). High places were altars to pagan deities,
often located on hilltops. Asherah poles were wooden representations of a female deity. Such
idols were supposed to be destroyed (Deut 12:3-4). Asherah was often seen as the partner of a
male god, Baal (more on Baal in 1 Kgs 17), giving an obvious sexual message. In light of the
sexual nature of his cult, the presence of prostitutes was common at the shrines. Worshipers
would fulfill their obligations to the fertility gods (House, 1, 2 Kings, 194). The reference to
“male cult prostitutes” means ritual sodomy was practiced (Deut 23:17).
These practices were the reasons God drove out the other nations in the first place, but now
Judah conformed to their customs. Instead of exclusive allegiance to Yahweh, they adopted
Canaanite idolatry.
How could this be? What would attract anyone to male cult prostitution? Rehoboam is simply
conforming to the surrounding culture. Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom
12:2 ESV), and John says, “Do not love the world” (1 John 2:15). Just because culture deems
something acceptable doesn’t mean God approves of it. Some say, “We have progressed. The
Bible was written a long time ago.” No, God was opposed to these sinful practices then, and He
still opposes them now.
The bottom line is, God’s people are to live differently. Jesus said that we are “the salt of the
earth,” and we are no good if we lose our saltiness (Matt 5:13). We’re all susceptible to popular
sins of the culture like greed, racism, and laziness. But we’re supposed to be different.
In verses 25-28 idolatry led to political problems. The nation encountered an enemy from Egypt:
Shishak. The Chronicler says this attack was because Rehoboam “abandoned the law of the
Lord,” which is affirmed by the prophet Shemaiah (2 Chr 12:1,5). Then the Chronicler says the
people humbled themselves and God promised to “grant them a little deliverance” (2 Chr 12:6-
7). But Rehoboam had to give up treasures from the temple to pay him off. The king then
replaced the gold shields he lost with bronze shields. This signifies the fading splendor of the
nation.
Besides the idolatry and the political weakness, we also read of Rehoboam’s lack of peace.
Unlike David he couldn’t defeat his enemies, and unlike Solomon he couldn’t establish peace
(House, 1, 2 Kings, 195). Rehoboam was at war with Jeroboam “throughout their reigns” (1 Kgs
14:30). In every way the kingdom was in decline because Rehoboam “did what was evil, because
he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chr 12:14).
But even in the midst of decline, we read, “His son Abijam became king in his place” (1 Kgs
14:31). You can read about this genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel as he introduces Jesus (Matt 1:7-
8). In the midst of darkness, God preserves a light. A lamp continues to burn in Jerusalem. That’s
grace!
2: Abijam, “A Lamp for David’s Sake” (15:1-8)
In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s rule, we see that Abijam (aka Abijah) reigned in Judah, and
he apparently married within the faith. The writer says he married “Maacah daughter of
Abishalom [Absalom]” (v. 2). However, he “walked in all the sins his father before him had
committed” (v. 3). What does this mean? It means “he was not completely devoted to the Lord
his God as his ancestor David had been” (v. 3). Literally, “his heart was not whole with Yahweh
his God, like the heart of David his father.”
God is after the heart. He wants you to be true to Him. Like the other kings Abijam is compared
to David, and the writer says he falls short.
In 2 Chronicles 13 we read a bit more positive story about him. Abijam opposed Jeroboam in
Ephraim, and because the men of Judah actually “cried out to the Lord,” they prevailed (2 Chr
13:14). Judah took Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, with their dependent villages. Compared to
David, Abijam was less faithful. Compared to Jeroboam, he was better. But the Chronicler still
agrees with the assessment in Kings since he too notes the idolatrous practice; the Chronicler
simply neglects to give an explicit comment on his personal godliness.
Abijam does provide some relief from the north, but he still walked in the sins of his father. Why
does God not wipe him out? “But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in
Jerusalem to raise up his son after him” (vv. 4-5; cf. 1 Kgs 11:36; 2 Kgs 8:19).
Lamps are common symbols of God’s continuing presence (1 Sam 3:3) and of a ruler’s
continuity (2 Sam 21:17; also of ancient Near Eastern practice). A burning coal symbolizes
family continuity (2 Sam 14:7). Today we can visit the “eternal flame” at Arlington National
Cemetery commemorating John F. Kennedy. In our homes the presence of light means someone
is home. In Psalm 132:17 God promises to prepare “a lamp for My anointed one.” All of these
images provide a stunning backdrop to statements made in Revelation: “Its lamp is the Lamb”
(Rev 21:23).
The Lord is gracious, and the Lord keeps His promises. God promised to continue David’s
dynasty. David wasn’t perfect, for he sinned in “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kgs 15:5), but
he was repentant. Though the kings don’t keep their promises, God does. Sacrifices continue to
be offered for sins. Lambs are slaughtered. Atonement is provided. The light continues to burn as
all of this prepares the way for the Savior. Despite the sins of these kings, God was faithful, and
consequently we have forgiveness of sins.
3: Asa, “A Seeker of the Lord (for the Majority of His Life)” (15:9-14)
The writer tells of Asa’s unusually long reign (41 years) and presents this king as a breath of
fresh air. Rehoboam was a conformer, but Asa was a reformer. We read of his personal
reformation, as the writer says, “Asa did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, as his ancestor David
had done” (v. 11). Only Hezekiah and Josiah receive higher praise than Asa.
This is what matters in life: personal godliness. Are you living before the eyes of God with
loving faithfulness to Him? You see, Asa chose to live differently from his fathers. Perhaps you
grew up in a hard family. Don’t let this reality keep you from living for the glory of God. Kings
doesn’t promote fatalism. God is sovereign, but you’re responsible.
The next positive statement refers to his worship reform. Asa puts away the “male cult
prostitutes” and “the idols” (v. 12). Asa does physically what we must do spiritually, that is,
destroy the idols of our hearts. He opposes Asherah poles so much that he gets rid of his
grandmother, Maacah, “the queen mother,” because she possessed one of these idols. Asa
destroyed it. Asa’s reform cost him. And following Jesus will cost us too. You might have to
break ties with family members in order to follow Jesus (Luke 12:52-53). While you should be
gracious and patient with your family, you must realize that not everyone will approve of your
walking in the ways of Christ.
Asa also collects some gold and silver for the temple. He gives attention to this holy place. The
only negative point is that he didn’t remove the high places completely, indicating some
inconsistency. However, in 2 Chronicles we read that the high places were destroyed (14:3-5), at
least in Judah. It appears that he destroyed them in the southern kingdom, but those in the north
still had non-Jerusalem places for worship. Nevertheless, the text says his heart was true to the
Lord (1 Kgs 15:14).
Besides the idolatry and the political weakness, we also read of Rehoboam’s lack of peace.
Unlike David he couldn’t defeat his enemies, and unlike Solomon he couldn’t establish peace
(House, 1, 2 Kings, 195). Rehoboam was at war with Jeroboam “throughout their reigns” (1 Kgs
14:30). In every way the kingdom was in decline because Rehoboam “did what was evil, because
he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chr 12:14).
But even in the midst of decline, we read, “His son Abijam became king in his place” (1 Kgs
14:31). You can read about this genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel as he introduces Jesus (Matt 1:7-
8). In the midst of darkness, God preserves a light. A lamp continues to burn in Jerusalem. That’s
grace!
2: Abijam, “A Lamp for David’s Sake” (15:1-8)
In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s rule, we see that Abijam (aka Abijah) reigned in Judah, and
he apparently married within the faith. The writer says he married “Maacah daughter of
Abishalom [Absalom]” (v. 2). However, he “walked in all the sins his father before him had
committed” (v. 3). What does this mean? It means “he was not completely devoted to the Lord
his God as his ancestor David had been” (v. 3). Literally, “his heart was not whole with Yahweh
his God, like the heart of David his father.”
God is after the heart. He wants you to be true to Him. Like the other kings Abijam is compared
to David, and the writer says he falls short.
In 2 Chronicles 13 we read a bit more positive story about him. Abijam opposed Jeroboam in
Ephraim, and because the men of Judah actually “cried out to the Lord,” they prevailed (2 Chr
13:14). Judah took Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, with their dependent villages. Compared to
David, Abijam was less faithful. Compared to Jeroboam, he was better. But the Chronicler still
agrees with the assessment in Kings since he too notes the idolatrous practice; the Chronicler
simply neglects to give an explicit comment on his personal godliness.
Abijam does provide some relief from the north, but he still walked in the sins of his father. Why
does God not wipe him out? “But because of David, the Lord his God gave him a lamp in
Jerusalem to raise up his son after him” (vv. 4-5; cf. 1 Kgs 11:36; 2 Kgs 8:19).
Lamps are common symbols of God’s continuing presence (1 Sam 3:3) and of a ruler’s
continuity (2 Sam 21:17; also of ancient Near Eastern practice). A burning coal symbolizes
family continuity (2 Sam 14:7). Today we can visit the “eternal flame” at Arlington National
Cemetery commemorating John F. Kennedy. In our homes the presence of light means someone
is home. In Psalm 132:17 God promises to prepare “a lamp for My anointed one.” All of these
images provide a stunning backdrop to statements made in Revelation: “Its lamp is the Lamb”
(Rev 21:23).
The Lord is gracious, and the Lord keeps His promises. God promised to continue David’s
dynasty. David wasn’t perfect, for he sinned in “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kgs 15:5), but
he was repentant. Though the kings don’t keep their promises, God does. Sacrifices continue to
be offered for sins. Lambs are slaughtered. Atonement is provided. The light continues to burn as
all of this prepares the way for the Savior. Despite the sins of these kings, God was faithful, and
consequently we have forgiveness of sins.
3: Asa, “A Seeker of the Lord (for the Majority of His Life)” (15:9-14)
The writer tells of Asa’s unusually long reign (41 years) and presents this king as a breath of
fresh air. Rehoboam was a conformer, but Asa was a reformer. We read of his personal
reformation, as the writer says, “Asa did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, as his ancestor David
had done” (v. 11). Only Hezekiah and Josiah receive higher praise than Asa.
This is what matters in life: personal godliness. Are you living before the eyes of God with
loving faithfulness to Him? You see, Asa chose to live differently from his fathers. Perhaps you
grew up in a hard family. Don’t let this reality keep you from living for the glory of God. Kings
doesn’t promote fatalism. God is sovereign, but you’re responsible.
The next positive statement refers to his worship reform. Asa puts away the “male cult
prostitutes” and “the idols” (v. 12). Asa does physically what we must do spiritually, that is,
destroy the idols of our hearts. He opposes Asherah poles so much that he gets rid of his
grandmother, Maacah, “the queen mother,” because she possessed one of these idols. Asa
destroyed it. Asa’s reform cost him. And following Jesus will cost us too. You might have to
break ties with family members in order to follow Jesus (Luke 12:52-53). While you should be
gracious and patient with your family, you must realize that not everyone will approve of your
walking in the ways of Christ.
Asa also collects some gold and silver for the temple. He gives attention to this holy place. The
only negative point is that he didn’t remove the high places completely, indicating some
inconsistency. However, in 2 Chronicles we read that the high places were destroyed (14:3-5), at
least in Judah. It appears that he destroyed them in the southern kingdom, but those in the north
still had non-Jerusalem places for worship. Nevertheless, the text says his heart was true to the
Lord (1 Kgs 15:14).
Thus, the sins of Jeroboam affected his descendants. House rightly notes, “Persons who lead a
nation to embrace empty religious and ethical systems often create an environment of violence,
greed, and oppression” (1, 2 Kings, 198).
5: Baasha, “The Basher” (15:33–16:7)
Baasha rules for 24 years after he assassinates Nadab. (He isn’t the only king that comes into
power by killing another king.) He is the first king to reign in Tirzah (although it was previously
mentioned as Jeroboam’s base; 14:17). Tirzah remained the capital until Omri moved it to
Samaria. Tirzah was rich with gardens and groves and abundant water. Reference to Tirzah is
made in Song of Songs 6:4: “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling.” But Baasha “did what
was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam” (1 Kgs 15:34),
demonstrating that some people, in the midst of beauty, don’t worship its Creator. We see plenty
of examples of this in our own day—people worshiping creation instead of Creator (see Rom 1).
In 16:1-4 we read of another prophet—Jehu. He comes to bring a word against Baasha. He
basically says the Lord gave the king an opportunity to change things, but he acted like
Jeroboam, and consequently Baasha will share Jeroboam’s fate. It was pretty simple: you live
like Jeroboam, you will die like Jeroboam.
In verse 7 a curious statement is made. We read that he will suffer the fate of Jeroboam because
of “all the evil he had done in the Lord’s sight.” Understandable. But then the writer says, “And
because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.” In 1 Kings 15:29 we read that when
Baasha took out Nadab and all of Jeroboam’s family that it was “according to the word of the
Lord.” So wasn’t Baasha acting as an agent of God’s judgment? Yes. We see this tension
elsewhere (1 Kgs 21:21-24; 2 Kgs 9–10). God accomplishes His purposes through wicked men,
but their actions don’t remove their moral responsibility. When Peter preached at Pentecost, he
said a similar thing: lawless men killed Jesus, yet it happened according to God’s plan (Acts
2:22-23).
The problem with these Jeroboam-like kings is their lack of obedience to God’s word, not lack of
information about God’s word. They could never plead, “I didn’t know how to rule.” God wants
His people to obey His Word. Simple, childlike obedience to God’s Word is what makes a
faithful believer.
6: Elah, “The (Drunken) Frat Boy” (16:8-10)
Still in Asa’s era, we read of another king, Elah, who reigned for two years. He isn’t viewed
positively either. We read that he gets drunk at the home of one of his officials and is killed by
Zimri. Up to this point we have read nothing about alcohol abuse, so Elah appears to add to the
sins of the previous kings.
His drunken stupor took place while Zimri, his servant, was conspiring against him and
apparently while Elah’s army was in Philistia (16:15). But Elah wasn’t with his army. He was
getting drunk. Zimri struck Elah down and killed him. Thus, Zimri follows Baasha’s example of
assassination to secure the throne. While Nadab died in the context of war, Elah dies a
completely dishonorable death.
Next we read that Zimri went on to wipe out the house of Baasha (vv. 11-14). This too fulfilled
prophecy (v. 12). Jehu told Baasha, Elah’s father, that his house would be like the house of
Jeroboam (v. 7).
A few applications emerge from this story, particularly the sin of drunkenness and the problem
of diversion. Drunkenness is prohibited in Scripture (Eph 5:18). It also carries several practical
dangers, like impairing one’s judgment and diverting one’s time and energy away from what
matters. In Elah’s case it was even more problematic since kings were to set an example of
responsibility and maturity (Prov 31:4-5). Instead, Elah is reigning like a frat boy, getting
hammered and neglecting his responsibility.
Elah reminds me of what Darrin Patrick calls a “Ban” (Church Planter, 10–12). Patrick describes
the problem we have with prolonged adolescence among males in our culture. We have guys
who are neither boys nor men. They live suspended between childhood and adulthood; thus he
says they are a hybrid of boy and man, a “Ban.”
Remember, David told the future King Solomon to “be courageous like a man” (1 Kgs 2:2). We
pointed out that what makes a man is obedience to Gods’ Word (1 Kgs 2:3; Ps 1). Elah isn’t
showing himself a man.
Unfortunately, a great number of Bans exist today. We need young men that will grow up, be
men. We need men who will get serious about Jesus, study the Bible, serve others, keep their
pants on, stop looking at porn, fight injustice, serve the poor, and take the gospel to hard places.
Young dudes, don’t waste your life playing World of Warcraft or inventing drinking games.
You’re only young once, but immaturity can last a lifetime.
Finally, before we get self-righteous, let’s remember that we also can have our attention diverted
away from what’s important in other ways, with other vices. For some the problem may not be
with Jack Daniels but with their favorite sports team. I know some who can name starting
lineups of their favorite college team for the past 10 years but have never taught their kids the
basic doctrines of the faith. Elah gets diverted. Let’s pray for grace that we don’t get diverted.
Let’s stay focused on the kingdom of God.
7: Zimri, “The Weeklong Warrior” (16:10-20)
Zimri reigns for only seven days. When the pro-Omri army hears of the assassination of Elah,
they declare that Omri, the military leader, should be king. Zimri carried out a conspiracy
without the army’s support, and now he will pay. Omri and the people besiege Tirzah, and when
Zimri sees that the city has been taken, he “entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it
down over himself” (v. 18). The writer than tells why he did this: “Because of the sin he
committed by doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and by following the example of Jeroboam
and the sin he caused Israel to commit” (v. 19). He was just as bad as the previous kings.
What’s striking about this comment is that God held him just as responsible for not making
appropriate changes, even though he reigned only seven days (Davis, 1 Kings, 188)! Idolatry
needs to be dealt with aggressively and immediately. But Zimri, like the other kings, was more
interested in power than in faithfulness to God.
Another lesson we might draw here is about the fleeting nature of success. Zimri probably
thought he was on top of the world as he washed Elah’s blood off his hands. He had taken out
the king and was reigning in the beautiful land of Tirzah. And he was indeed the king—for seven
days. But how fleeting his success was. Our life is a vapor; let’s make the most of it.
8: Omri, “The Seashell Collector” (16:21-28)
Omri was an important ruler. He reigned for 12 years. He had several challenges, like dealing
with division in Israel because some were devoted to Tibni, his rival for the throne. However,
Omri takes over after Tibni dies. We don’t know how he died. Old age? Illness? Murder? All we
know is Tibni had a funeral, and Omri had a coronation (Davis, 1 Kings, 189).
Omri also had the challenge of dealing with the ruins of Tirzah, which Zimri burned. We read
that he reigned for six years there, but then he “bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 150
pounds of silver” and called it Samaria, after the previous owner (v. 24). Establishing Samaria as
the new capital city of the northern kingdom was one of his most significant achievements. It
was a strategic place militarily and economically, overlooking important trade routes. It
remained Israel’s capital until Assyria plundered it in 722 BC.
Unlike the drunken Elah and the shooting star Zimri, Omri was a real leader. He brought stability
to the north. From a worldly perspective, he was an effective king. Foreign armies were kept out,
he gave the people the religion they wanted, he made foreign alliances through marriages, and
Israel stopped fighting Judah during his reign (House, 1, 2 Kings, 203). Outsiders recognized
him as a great king, for the Assyrian documents refer to Israel as “the land of Omri” (ibid.).
But the biblical writer is unimpressed with his political and military achievements. One can
imagine him being praised by the modern media. Surely he would get book deals and be on
magazine covers. But the writer of Kings says, “Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he
did more evil than all who were before him” (v. 25). He too walked in the ways of Jeroboam.
The writer would simply put something like this on his tombstone: “He reigned; he bought a hill;
he did evil; he was buried. If you want to know more, watch the documentary.” It all amounts to
a hill of beans if the leader isn’t pursuing faithfulness to God.
Davis points out, “The writer isn’t saying he is ignorant of Omri’s achievements—he is saying
they don’t matter” (1 Kings, 191). “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
forfeits his soul?” (Matt 16:26 ESV). At the end of the day, he was playing Trivial Pursuit,
wasting his life and his influence. Don’t go the way of Omri. Others may admire you, but if you
don’t love God and neighbor, it doesn’t matter. Assyrians had his name in their books, but his
name was not in the Book of Life. Let that serve as a warning to us. What may look like success
to others may actually be a tragedy in the making.
John Piper has a now famous illustration about collecting seashells, which is where I get Omri’s
tag line. Piper contrasts the life of a successful American couple with the life of two female
missionaries serving in Cameroon. Ruby, over 80 years old, single her whole life, and Laura, a
widowed medical doctor, pushing 80 years old, gave their whole lives to make Christ known.
Their lives were taken in a car accident. Piper asked, “Was that a tragedy?” Two lives driven by
a passion to make Christ known among the poor, even in their old age? Piper says, “No, that isn’t
a tragedy. That is glory. These lives were not wasted.” He goes on to say, “I will tell you what a
tragedy is.” He then describes an article about a couple who took early retirement to move to
Florida where they “cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball, and collect shells.” He says,
“Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgment: ‘Look, Lord. See my shells.’ That is a
tragedy” (Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life, 45–46; emphasis in original).
Take a vacation? Yes. Enjoy creation? Of course. Make this your ambition? Absolutely not!
Don’t waste your life on things that don’t matter. Invest in the kingdom. Don’t go the way of
Omri.
At this point you might be crying, “This is boring!” All of these kings, these confusing names,
and these different dates that are impossible to keep track of! Ryken says, “Maybe this is part of
the point. These stories of these bad kings show the monotony of idolatry” (1 Kings, 429;
emphasis added). He adds, “The people who live the most interesting lives are the ones who live
for God and not themselves” (ibid.).
9: Ahab, “The Atrocious King” (16:29-34)
Ahab actually inherits a relatively stable kingdom. His rule continues for 22 years. While we
don’t read of any crazy coups, his reign was atrocious. He was the worst of the kings during
Asa’s reign in Judah. The writer says that Ahab did more evil than anyone before him.
Not only does he walk in the sins of Jeroboam, but he also marries a wicked woman, Jezebel of
Tyre. She was a Baal worshiper; her father’s name was “Ethbaal” (“Baal is with him”). Baal was
an appealing and influential god in Israel, as we read about him throughout the Old Testament.
Some believed Asherah was his female consort. Baal was known as the god of the storm who
granted fertility. He was a popular alternative to Yahweh since people were so dependent on the
rain. “Holy prostitutes” were given to worshipers in hopes of bringing about fertility in the land
and among people.
Atrocious Ahab sets up an altar for Baal in a temple he built in Samaria. He is also the first
Israelite king to serve Baal himself. Solomon gave his wives some places to worship; Jeroboam
made altars for bulls; Ahab gives official endorsement to Baal worship. What is more, Jezebel,
who wore the pants in the house, oversaw 400 prophets for Baal. She evangelized for this false
god. She also persecuted and killed God’s prophets (18:4,13).
The writer concludes this section by providing a few interesting notes about the rebuilding of
Jericho. First, two children die in the process, either because there was a vile religious practice of
child sacrifice or as an act of judgment. This happened “in Ahab’s day,” implying that he
endorsed this vile religious practice and that he sponsored the rebuilding of Jericho as a fortress.
This brings us to the second note: Joshua had pronounced a curse on anyone who rebuilt Jericho
(Josh 6:26). The writer refers to this pronouncement in the last half of the verse. Who would ever
want to defy God’s word and rebuild Jericho? Ahab, the atrocious king. God promised through
Joshua that anyone who sought to rebuild it would lose his or her children, yet Ahab disregarded
this word.
What characterizes Ahab’s leadership? It’s a total disregard for God and His Word. The stage is
set for Elijah, God’s prophet in the following chapters, to confront him and exalt the true and
living God.
Final Applications
How can we sum up all of this history? Let me try to do so by making two final points of
application.
See the Sinfulness of Sin
Recognize that sin has short-term and long-term effects. Sin affects you and others, both now
and in the future. It leads you into stupidity and bondage. Sin never sleeps. You cannot let your
guard down. You never get to an age where temptation isn’t a problem. Don’t think you will ever
reach an age where you can cease fighting sin. Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and seek the King afresh every day.
See the Faithfulness of God
In the mist of this dark period of history, we can step back and see that God is faithful. Despite
the sin, folly, and rebellion we read of in Kings, God kept a lamp in Jerusalem (15:4). “All of
these people are a mess” and so are we, “except this one guy,” Jesus. Praise God, we have a King
who always did right in the eyes of the Father, then died on our behalf—for us who have done
evil in God’s sight. There is one way to be saved, forgiven, redeemed, and made part of the
eternal kingdom: through Jesus Christ, the ultimate Son of David. Embrace Him as your Lord.
Then you can know the power of the resurrection that enables us grow in godliness. We don’t
have to remain stuck in our own sin, doomed to repeat the sins of our ancestors. Through Christ,
by the power of the Spirit, we can be made right with God and given strength to live a life that
matters. So rejoice in the faithfulness of God, who kept His word, leaving a lamp burning until
Christ came. This King has a title I don’t need to make up: King of kings and Lord of lords.
Reflect and Discuss
1. How do the pressures of culture lead believers astray?
2. Why do people long to be like those around them?
3. What sort of spiritual compromises do some believers make in order to fit in with their culture?
4. Why is sin so offensive to God?
5. Asa removed his own mother from a position of authority because of her idolatry. What costs
might believers pay today to be faithful?
6. How might the sins of one person affect others?
7. How might the faithfulness of one person affect others?
8. How was God faithful to His people while many of these kings went astray?
9. Describe how God’s steadfast love has been manifested in your life.
10. In what ways does Jesus show Himself a good king in contrast to Israel’s evil kings?
Elijah: A Man like Us
1 Kings 17:1-24
Main Idea: The writer introduces a central figure in the Kings narrative, the prophet Elijah,
whose life of prayer and faith inspires and challenges us.
I. Meet Elijah.
A. A spiritual giant
B. A man like Moses and John the Baptist
C. A man like us
II. Learn from Elijah.
A. Believe what God has said (17:1).
1. Elijah’s context: national apostasy
2. Elijah’s background: total obscurity
3. Because Elijah believes what God has said, he proclaims it.
4. Because Elijah believes what God has said, he prays it.
5. Because Elijah believes what God has said, he obeys it.
B. Trust God for daily bread (17:2-16).
1. God provides through an unclean raven in the Cherith Ravine (vv. 2-6).
2. God provides through an unknown Gentile widow in Baal’s territory (vv. 7-16).
C. Rely on the God who raises the dead (17:17-24).
III. One Greater than Elijah Is Here.
Two things have me thinking about my personal prayer life: “Insanity” and Elijah. I just finished
my seventh week of the max interval workout called “Insanity”. Every morning around 5:45, I
head to my garage, roll out my mat, turn on my computer, and proceed to “dig deeper.” I haven’t
sweated like this in a long time. My face has been on my garage floor praying for the second
coming more than once!
But that isn’t the only reason this exercise program has made me think of prayer. My pastor
friend, Greg Breazeale, finished the program before I did and sent me an e-mail to instruct and
inspire me, both physically and spiritually. He challenged me with this honest admission: “I wish
I could pray 45 minutes a day for nine weeks straight. I’m working on that.” Ouch. Paul put it
this way: “The training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every
way” (1 Tim 4:8). Exercise is important, but spiritual exercise is more important.
If you’re like me, you will admit that you could and should be spending more time in prayer.
What most of us need isn’t this reminder but inspiration. That is what we have in Elijah. While
Shawn T inspires me to do better switch kicks and plank punches, Elijah’s example inspires me
in the exercises of faith and prayer. In the Kings narrative we find some wonderful examples of
Elijah’s courage and his “insane” prayer life. Spurgeon notes, “What a mighty master of the art
of prayer was Elijah the Tishbite!” (“God’s Care of Elijah”).
Meet Elijah
A Spiritual Giant
Who is Elijah? His name means “my God is Yahweh,” an appropriate title for this spiritual giant.
His ministry occupies a large section of the Kings narrative (1 Kgs 17–19; 21; 2 Kgs 1–2), and
he remains one of the most important characters throughout Scripture. He carries on the
prophetic-intermediary tradition of Moses, confronting a Pharaoh-like ruler in Ahab and bringing
another exodus-like judgment on the land.
Elijah’s ministry dazzles us. Ravens bring him food. God uses a widow to provide daily bread
for him in Baal’s territory. Elijah prays, and God raises the widow’s son from the dead. Elijah
wins the showdown against the prophets of Baal at Carmel. He calls down fire from heaven, and
he strikes down 450 false prophets. Plus, he was an athlete! He ran 17 miles from Carmel down
to Jezreel, outrunning horses and chariots.
God raised up prophets to address rebellious kings early in the narrative (14:7-11; 15:29-30;
16:1-2,12). Ahab, “The Atrocious King,” was the worst of all of the kings in Israel and, with his
wife, was a big booster of Baal worship. He will meet Elijah, the greatest of all the prophets,
during this era.
Elijah performs many miracles, which often troubles modern readers. Liberal theologians are
often embarrassed by such stories and seek to explain them away. Should we avoid taking these
stories seriously? Should we treat them like McDonald’s happy meals—only cherishing them as
children but not as adults? Of course not! If you strip away the stories of the Bible and try to hold
on to the faith, you have a building with no foundation. These miracles, which often occur during
particularly dark periods of redemptive history, validate the ministry of the true prophets.
Elijah’s stories demonstrate that he was a true prophet, like Moses, who came along in a period
of kingdom decline. He performed miracles, had a remarkable prayer life, and spoke God’s word
accurately and boldly. Further, these miracles point the way to understanding the greater Prophet,
Jesus, who would also carry on this tradition in a much greater way (Luke 7–9). And Jesus’
miracles were little foretastes of the new heavens and new earth, where there will be no death,
starvation, or tears. If you don’t take the stories of Elijah seriously, then you shouldn’t take the
ministry of Jesus seriously. Moreover, Jesus took them as truth, not fiction! He refers to miracles
in the lives of Jonah, Elijah, Elisha, and more.
Now, we don’t have prophets like Elijah today because the true and greater Prophet Jesus has
come, but that doesn’t mean these stories aren’t true or that they have no relevance. We may not
have ravens feed us or serve a poor widow with an inexhaustible barrel of flour, and we may not
see the dead raised in this life, but that doesn’t mean these stories aren’t for our spiritual
nourishment. God still takes care of His people, normally through prayer and providence and (at
times) miracles. An example of how God normally provides through providence rather than
miracles is in the story of how God cared for his prophets in chapter 18. He used an
administrator named Obadiah to take food to the suffering prophets (18:4). God miraculously
provided for Elijah, but He used ordinary means of providence for 100 prophets. In both cases
God is providing.
Further, while God doesn’t always save His people on earth from calamity, we know He will
ultimately save them and bring them into glory, which is made possible by the miracle of new
birth. We who are believers have not been overlooked in the working of miracles. We have
received a new heart and will one day be raised forever.
A Man like Moses and John the Baptist
Elijah was like Moses, with whom he later appeared at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt 17:3).
Like Moses, Elijah went eastward for a season after he had confronted a wrathful king (Exod
2:15; 1 Kgs 17:2-6). Moses challenged Pharaoh; Elijah challenges Ahab. Like Moses, Elijah
lived on God’s abundant provision of bread, meat, and water (Exod 16; 1 Kgs 17:2-6). Like
Moses, Elijah goes to Mount Horeb for 40 days and 40 nights to appear before God (1 Kgs
19:8,11). Like Moses, he needs and receives assurance of God’s presence to finish his mission
(Exod 33:18-23; 1 Kgs 19:13-17). And like Moses, Elijah feels the burden of the failure of the
people so much that he desires death (Num 11:14-15; 1 Kgs 19:3-4). Elijah is the prophet like
Moses that God raises up to preserve a remnant who won’t bow down to Baal (Konkel, Exodus,
308–9).
Elijah was also like John the Baptist, with whom he is associated in the New Testament (Luke
1:13-17). Jesus affirms the identity of John the Baptist as the last prophet, the messenger Elijah
who was to come (Matt 11:7-15; Luke 7:24-28). Elijah didn’t reappear literally as John the
Baptist, for that would be something like reincarnation. But their lives and ministry were similar.
They both came from obscure places, they dressed similarly (Matt 3:4; 2 Kgs 1:8), both called
people to repentance, and both were forerunners to Messiah (Mal 3:1-3; 4:5).
Elijah continues to play an important role in Judaism. At meals he is mentioned in prayer: “May
God in his mercy send us the prophet Elijah.” He is mentioned at the circumcision of children.
He also gets a seat at the Passover meal (Konkel, Exodus, 310).
A Man like Us
My brother-in-law, David, currently serves in the army. He and three other soldiers made the
team for the baseball Hall of Fame Classic, a game played in Cooperstown, New York,
comprising living Hall of Famers. In an effort to honor the military, nearby soldiers were invited
to try out for the team, and David was one of the four selected. I was so envious! It was so cool
to see his name listed beside Ricky Henderson, Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers, and more
legends. His association with these men fascinated our family because, even though David is a
tremendous athlete, he isn’t a Hall of Famer! He would say that he is far distant from these Hall
of Famers in regards to baseball talent, but in reality he isn’t that distant from them because he
has a human nature just like them.
We may also try to distance ourselves from Elijah, who is in the Hall of Faith (Heb 11:35), but
we must remember James’ extraordinary statement: Elijah was a “man with a nature like ours” or
“a man like us.” We can relate to him. We can look to him.
The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a man with a
nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months
it didn’t rain on the land. (Jas 5:16-17)
The language James uses is the language Paul and Barnabas used in Lystra, when the people
wanted to worship them as gods: “We are men also, with the same nature as you” (Acts 14:15,
emphasis added). While Elijah holds a special place in redemptive history, James wants us to
know that every believer, dressed in the righteousness of Jesus, pursuing likeness to Jesus, can
have an effective prayer life like Elijah.
So Elijah is like us, and we should seek to be like him. How so? In the next three chapters of
Kings, Elijah teaches us about great faith and effective prayer. We find him standing up boldly in
the face of opposition, and we find him praying for God to act on His word (1 Kgs 17:1), for God
to raise the dead (17:21), and for God’s glory to be known and people to repent (18:36-38). In
this particular chapter, I want to suggest three lessons on prayer and faith that Elijah teaches us.
Learn from Elijah
Believe What God Has Said (17:1)
As we consider the opening verse of chapter 17, it’s important to note a bit of background that
highlights the rarity of Elijah’s belief in God’s word. A physical famine was coming, but there
was first a spiritual famine, for the word of God was absent.
Elijah’s context: national apostasy. We will read a lot about not only Elijah but also Ahab (1 Kgs
16:29-34), whose family’s story continues for many chapters. The unfolding drama of Ahab and
Elijah highlights two mega themes: the righteousness of God and the glory of God. Concerning
righteousness, we will have no doubt whether the exile was a righteous judgment after reading of
Ahab’s evil influence. Concerning God’s glory, Ahab’s story shows us that God alone deserves
exclusive worship and God is passionate about His glory.
With Ahab’s reign Baal worship was now state sponsored. Baal was known as the “rider on the
clouds,” the god of rain and fertility, and because of this, the god of riches. As mentioned, Ahab
married Jezebel who “evangelized” for Baal. Baal’s followers believed he restored life after the
death of summer. In contrast to Baal, the Elijah narratives highlight that God alone gives life and
death and controls fertility and infertility. The psalmist portrays Yahweh as the “rider on the
clouds” who alone gives rain and provides for creation (Ps 104:3-4).
If there was no rain, Baal followers believed Baal was submitting to the god of death, Mot, until
a later date when Baal would be revived. So Baal was not the only god worshiped. In this
polytheistic culture, people wanted a little bit of everything—a little goddess worship, a little
Baal worship, a little Yahweh worship, and more. Exclusive worship of God was absent in most
places. Indeed, Elijah thought he was the only real worshiper left (1 Kgs 19:10).
We live in a similar time, in which people worship a little bit of everything but not the living
God exclusively—a little God, a little horoscope, a little TBN, a little pop psychology, a few
conspiracy theories, aliens, zombies, New Ageism, naturalism, and more. They may want God at
their death, but they live every day as functional naturalists or materialists. As a result of twisted
theology, immorality is normalized in our day just like in the days of Elijah. He lived in a day
like ours where people call evil “good” and good “evil.”
Elijah’s background: total obscurity. Immediately after reading of Ahab and Jezebel, we are
introduced to Elijah—with no warm-up! We read about all these kings, and then boom! Elijah.
Who is this guy? The writer tells us that Elijah was the “Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead” (17:1).
Where is this? No one knows where Tishbe is, though some have tried to identify it. Perhaps he
is simply a settler in the wild, forested area east of the Jordan in Gilead. God chooses this man
from nowhere it seems. Unlike the kings, we don’t know who his family is, and we don’t know if
he has a wife and kids. Does he have any hobbies? We don’t know. It reminds me of Paul’s
words:
Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many
powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame
the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. (1 Cor 1:26-27)
Elijah grew up in obscurity (like many of us). Even so, God chose him out of obscurity in order
to confront apostasy. That should encourage you. Your family background, or whether you are
from Bunn, Dunn, Pumpkin Run, or London, doesn’t determine your usefulness to God. God
loves to use nobodies.
God proclaims His message to King Ahab through this hillbilly from Tishbe. Can you picture
this? Don’t think of a suited-up pastor or a “clergy-fied” minister. Picture Braveheart! This guy
Elijah is rough around the edges, entering the presence of the king. And then he says, “As the
Lord God of Israel lives, I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years
except by my command!” (17:1). Here we read Elijah’s view of God—Yahweh lives! Because
he knows Yahweh alone is the living God, he is able to stand fearlessly before Ahab, for
standing before Yahweh puts this mere mortal in his place. Elijah has great faith because he has a
great God.
Because Elijah believes what God has said, he proclaims it. God keeps His word. We have seen
this repeatedly in Kings. Here we see that God will keep His word of judgment that He speaks
through Elijah. The drought we read about in chapter 17 was a promise fulfilled. According to
God’s law, drought was the punishment for pagan idolatry:
Be careful that you aren’t enticed to turn aside, worship, and bow down to other gods. Then the
Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will close 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.
(Deut 11:16-17; cf. Deut 28:23-24)
This makes sense. God’s people were to trust God alone for rain. If they turned to another god,
then God would withhold rain. This specific judgment is fitting since Baal was supposed to give
rain. Not only will it not rain, but also there will not even be dew. No one could claim “bad luck”
or a “bad break.” No rain and no dew clearly demonstrated God’s judgment.
Elijah boldly stands up and proclaims what God has already said. God is still looking for
courageous prophets who will herald His truth.
Because Elijah believes what God has said, he prays it. Remember what James said? He said
Elijah prayed fervently that it would not rain for three-and-a-half years. Although 1 Kings 17
never says Elijah prayed for a drought, we do find Elijah praying in 1 Kings 18:42 for the
drought to end. Other examples of his insane prayer life exist in the Kings narrative, but James
focuses on the famine. Douglas Moo is surely right in saying, “It is a legitimate inference to
think that he prayed for its onset as well” (James, 248; emphasis added).
I think the prayers of Elijah preceded his proclamation to Ahab. Elijah had been before God in
the prayer closet prior to being before Ahab in the palace (Ryken, 1 Kings, 439).
What do we learn from Elijah’s prayer for this drought? Surely there are many lessons about
faithfulness, persistence, and passion, but I would like to underline one important lesson. Elijah
teaches us to pray according to God’s Word. Elijah is simply claiming the promise of God’s
word. Why a drought? It was because this came directly from Scripture.
Elijah knew his Bible. He knew the punishment for idolatry was famine. Elijah’s prayers were
not rooted in his own imagination. He wasn’t asking God to perform neat tricks. He was boldly
asking God to act on His own word.
Some think since God has promised something, we shouldn’t ask Him. No, the promise should
inspire us to pray. Andrew Murray said, “It is on prayer that the promises wait for their
fulfillment, the kingdom for its coming, the glory of God for its full revelation” (With Christ in
the School of Prayer, ii). It’s as if the promise awaits a prayer. An example of praying the
promises is found in Daniel 9:1-19. The prophet Daniel was reading Jeremiah concerning the end
of the exile after 70 years, and he realized it was near. He didn’t go dancing into the streets;
instead we read, “So I turned my attention to the Lord God” (Dan 9:3).
Here is one of the first ways Elijah schools us in prayer: pray Scripture. How do you pray for 45
minutes (and more!)? Read, pray. Read, pray. Fill your prayers with the Word of God. James
says in his epistle, “You have not, because you ask not” (Jas 4:2 KJV). Jesus said, “If you remain
in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John
15:7). As you abide in the Word, ask and keep on asking your Father to act on His Word. Ask
Him for provision and the Spirit’s power, for wisdom, boldness, and illumination—these things
and more are in line with His Word. Let’s not fall into prayerlessness or unbelief, but let us cry
out to God with passion and understanding of His Word, believing He hears the prayers of His
children and loves to answer.
Because Elijah believes what God has said, he obeys it. The word of the Lord came to Elijah and
he submitted to it: “So he did what the Lord commanded” (1 Kgs 17:5). “So Elijah got up and
went to Zarephath” (17:10). “So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab” (18:2). His life was
consumed with obedience to God’s word, even though it called for radical actions like “drink
from a brook and let the ravens feed you.” It sounds simple, but his sensitivity to God’s word
sets him apart from his culture. He lived by God’s word in a culture that rejected it.
Elijah is like us; let’s be like him. Elijah teaches us to believe what God has said. God is the
living God, and we must be a people who speak, pray, and obey His living Word because we
believe it.
Trust God for Daily Bread (17:2-16)
God provides through an unclean raven in the Cherith Ravine (vv. 2-6). Like Moses, Elijah flees
to the East after an initial confrontation since he needs protection from Ahab. He goes to this
inhospitable area east of the Jordan. While he may be spared from Ahab, it looks like he cannot
be spared from death, for there is no food. However, Elijah drinks from the brook and gets fed by
a raven.
Notice a few interesting features about this story. First, God controls not only the rain but also
the whole natural order (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 133). He even controls the ravens, ceremonially
unclean creatures now used for God’s purposes of sustaining the prophet’s life. We know God
provides for the birds of the air, and here He uses the birds of the air to provide for His prophet.
Elijah is looking ultimately to the God who reigns over nature for daily food and water, not to
the raven or the brook.
Second, the bread and meat are brought in every morning and evening, thus Elijah has a replay
of the wilderness meal plan (Ryken, 1 Kings, 438). God provides “daily bread” (cf. Matt 6:11)
and actually provides it more abundantly than in the wilderness, for Elijah eats both bread and
meat twice a day (cf. Exod 16:8,12-13).
All of this should encourage us. God controls the natural order. Jesus reminds us to “look at the
birds of the sky” and consider how God provides for them; He asks, “Aren’t you worth more
than they?” (Matt 6:26). He teaches us not to worry about “what [we] will eat or what [we] will
drink” (Matt 6:25). You can trust in God to provide for your daily needs. He may not supply you
with the finest of meats every day, and He may not provide in such a miraculous way as He did
with Elijah, but God provides. No doubt the false prophets of Jezebel ate better than Elijah
during this period, but God still provided for him. That too is a good lesson. Even the prophet is
suffering from this famine; he isn’t immune to suffering. But he has the presence of God and the
provision of God, and that is enough. We who receive such daily bread should be grateful and
content. Paul reminds us: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these”
(1 Tim 6:8). In Charles Spurgeon’s sermon “God’s Care of Elijah,” he reminds us to be grateful
for such provision:
Remember, too, the prayer which I quoted just now—“Give us this day our daily bread.” Not,
“our weekly bread,” not, “our monthly bread,” not “our annual stores”—but, “give us our daily
bread.” God is pleased to give some of His servants in the bulk, but there are many others who
only “live from hand to mouth”—and perhaps though not best for the flesh, it is best for faith, for
we are apt, when mercies come regularly, to forget from whence they flow! (“God’s Care of
Elijah”)
Let’s praise God from whom our daily bread flows! We see His provision in how He provides
for Elijah through an unclean raven in the Cherith Ravine.
God provides through an unknown Gentile widow in Baal’s territory (vv. 7-16). When the brook
dries up, God’s provision for Elijah gets more dramatic. He now goes to a little Phoenician town
of Zarephath, which is Baal’s territory (Jezebel’s stomping grounds). Here, God promises to use
an unnamed widow to provide for Elijah. Not only can Baal not stop the drought, but Yahweh’s
provision also extends right into Baal’s home turf. God has prepared a table for Elijah in the
presence of his enemies. Elijah goes to “stay there” (v. 9) and experience God’s power and
grace.
It seems that each experience prepared Elijah for the next challenge. We see this in the life of
David, who killed a lion with his bare hands and then boldly faced Goliath. We also see this in
the life of Jesus, who endured the wilderness test and then faced a more difficult challenge in the
garden. Every trial and test prepares us for what is next.
Widows were poor and vulnerable during this period. When Elijah approaches this particular
lady, he first asks her for some water. After her favorable response he also asks her
for “a piece of bread” (v. 11). Even though she isn’t an Israelite, she answers in the name of
Elijah’s God—“As the Lord your God lives”—and then tells him that all she has is a handful of
flour and a little jug of oil, which she planned on using for the last meal before she and her son
die (v. 12). Not exactly the best time to show up for dinner!
Elijah tests her faith and asks her to provide for him first, then for herself and her son. He assures
her that there will be enough for her and her son and that her flour and oil will last through the
drought. She trusts in this promise, acts accordingly, and God provides. Elijah’s word is
confirmed through this miracle.
Can you imagine this scene? Every day the widow goes over to her barrel of flour and jar of oil
and had just enough bread to bake for one more day. Elijah could have testified with the
psalmist, “You who are His holy ones, fear Yahweh, for those who fear Him lack nothing” (Ps
34:9).
This passage teaches us some important lessons about the nature of God. It teaches us about
God’s extraordinary providence. It highlights God’s exclusivity, for only the true and living God
could provide. Observe also God’s sovereignty. God chooses this one, unnamed widow to
provide for Elijah. God tells Elijah, “I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for
you there” (v. 9). But we don’t read that God ever speaks to her. Even though she has no prophet
to tell her this news, God can ordain it to be so because He is the only sovereign. Proverbs tells
us, “A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He
chooses” (21:1), but here we see that God also works sovereignly in the lives of the least of
these.
Additionally, we should marvel at God’s compassion. God shows amazing concern for this weak
widow and her son. We know that God is a “father of the fatherless and a champion of widows”
(Ps 68:5). Here is just one example of such mercy and care.
We should also underline God’s saving grace to outsiders. When she says, “As the Lord your
God lives,” this doesn’t seem to be her confession of faith yet. She calls God “your God” but not
yet “my God” (Ryken, 1 Kings, 449). But here Elijah is an example of a messenger taking the
good news to the nations (and later she believes—1 Kgs 17:24). Jesus refers to this widow in
Luke’s Gospel (a Gospel that has numerous allusions to Elijah):
He also said, “I assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. But I say to you, there were
certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and
six months while a great famine came over all the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them—
but to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. (Luke 4:24-26)
After Jesus expounds Isaiah, claiming that His ministry is about bringing good news to the poor
and proclaiming liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18), His hometown rejects Him (4:22,28-30). In
response Jesus uses this story of the widow of Zarephath, an outsider, to warn them. While there
were many poor widows during the three-and-a-half-year drought in Elijah’s day, he wasn’t sent
inside Israel but outside Israel to this widow. (“Three-and-a-half years” is a more specific figure
than the rounded “three years” in Kings. Perhaps the figure is used because of its symbolic
associations with a period of judgment, as in Dan 7:25; Rev 11:12; 12:14; see Moo, James, 248.)
A foreign lady, by faith, accepted the word of Elijah and trusted in Elijah’s God (1 Kgs 17:24).
Jesus is saying that while not everyone in His hometown will accept Him, other outsiders will.
He compares those in Nazareth to the apostates in Ahab’s day. As for the widow, Bock says it
well: “Salvation will open up to all kinds of people” (Luke, 418). Jesus then tells how God uses
Elisha to heal an Aramean Gentile leper, Naaman (Luke 4:27). God again worked outside of
Israel.
We have noted this already: God isn’t a tribal deity. He is the God of the nations (cf. Acts 10:45).
He will have a people from every tribe and tongue. Let us remember this and rejoice that we
have received His grace, and let us proclaim the good news to everyone. The most unexpected
people may find saving faith in the most unexpected places.
God graciously provides daily bread to satisfy our physical hunger, and He has provided the
bread of life in Jesus, who satisfies our spiritual hunger. Let us, as His beggars, tell other beggars
where to find bread.
Rely on the God Who Raises the Dead (17:17-24)
So far the threat of death has been removed by these two miracles, but now a third and more
dramatic miracle takes place. The widow’s son becomes ill and dies. In response the widow
blames Elijah for the tragedy. Elijah, however, takes the boy in his arms and cries out to God,
“My Lord God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her
son?” (v. 20). Both attribute this event to the Lord, but the difference is that the woman
apparently thinks this is the end of the matter, while Elijah will not let it rest (Provan, 1 and 2
Kings, 134).
Notice in passing another lesson on prayer: the prayer of a righteous person doesn’t mean always
having the right answers or always understanding God’s purposes. Elijah took his anxieties and
concerns to God in prayer. He prays in faith and desperation (Heb 11:35). Once again he gives us
an inspiring example for prayer. Pour out your heart to the living God in faith.
The writer says, “Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the
Lord and said, ‘My Lord God, please let this boy’s life return to him!’” (v. 21). Elijah prays
fervently and desperately. As a result we read, “So the Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the
boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (v. 22).
Remember Baal wasn’t the only god worshiped. Mot, the god of death, was also recognized.
Elijah isn’t only in Baal’s territory, but he’s also in Mot’s territory. Does Yahweh have to submit
to Mot like Baal does? Of course not—God alone reigns over life and death! You can have a
dynamic prayer life because our God is the true and living God.
After the boy is raised, Elijah took the child and “gave him to his mother” and said, “Look, your
son is alive” (v. 23). The woman then confesses that she believes that the word of God is in
Elijah’s mouth. At last she believes in the living God. Ryken notes,
The widow of Zarephath shows how faith in the living God is grounded in the factuality of the
resurrection. Belief in the resurrection of the body isn’t just for super-Christians; it is the
foundation for true faith. Resurrection is the proof of the promise of God. (1 Kings, 460)
We’re reminded of the reality and pain of death in this story. Stories of death are all around us.
At any moment, a loved one could breathe his last breath. As in this story, just when things seem
to be working out wonderfully, death takes someone. In this case it’s a precious child. But there
is hope beyond the grave for every grieving believer: God raises the dead. God gives us a little
sign of His resurrection power in this Old Testament story.
We should ask God to do what only He can do: most importantly, raise spiritually dead people to
life (Eph 2:4-5). This young boy eventually died again. What everyone needs is to be raised up
forever by the resurrection power of God.
Paul reminds us that in our present suffering we should also remember the resurrection power of
God. He writes,
For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were
completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life. Indeed, we
personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in
God who raises the dead. (2 Cor 1:8-9)
In your trials and in your weaknesses, cast yourself on the mercy of God and plead for His
strength and His power. Resurrection truth is truth not only to die on but also to live on.
The writer says, “Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the
Lord and said, ‘My Lord God, please let this boy’s life return to him!’” (v. 21). Elijah prays
fervently and desperately. As a result we read, “So the Lord listened to Elijah’s voice, and the
boy’s life returned to him, and he lived” (v. 22).
Remember Baal wasn’t the only god worshiped. Mot, the god of death, was also recognized.
Elijah isn’t only in Baal’s territory, but he’s also in Mot’s territory. Does Yahweh have to submit
to Mot like Baal does? Of course not—God alone reigns over life and death! You can have a
dynamic prayer life because our God is the true and living God.
After the boy is raised, Elijah took the child and “gave him to his mother” and said, “Look, your
son is alive” (v. 23). The woman then confesses that she believes that the word of God is in
Elijah’s mouth. At last she believes in the living God. Ryken notes,
The widow of Zarephath shows how faith in the living God is grounded in the factuality of the
resurrection. Belief in the resurrection of the body isn’t just for super-Christians; it is the
foundation for true faith. Resurrection is the proof of the promise of God. (1 Kings, 460)
We’re reminded of the reality and pain of death in this story. Stories of death are all around us.
At any moment, a loved one could breathe his last breath. As in this story, just when things seem
to be working out wonderfully, death takes someone. In this case it’s a precious child. But there
is hope beyond the grave for every grieving believer: God raises the dead. God gives us a little
sign of His resurrection power in this Old Testament story.
We should ask God to do what only He can do: most importantly, raise spiritually dead people to
life (Eph 2:4-5). This young boy eventually died again. What everyone needs is to be raised up
forever by the resurrection power of God.
Paul reminds us that in our present suffering we should also remember the resurrection power of
God. He writes,
For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were
completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life. Indeed, we
personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in
God who raises the dead. (2 Cor 1:8-9)
In your trials and in your weaknesses, cast yourself on the mercy of God and plead for His
strength and His power. Resurrection truth is truth not only to die on but also to live on.
God’s power to raise the dead was demonstrated once for all in the resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor
15:4). He has swallowed up death in victory (1 Cor 15:55-56). Now God gives life to spiritually
dead people (Eph 2:1-10), and in the future we await the glorious, final resurrection, when the
dead in Christ will rise (1 Thess 4:16-18). We will hear something like this: “Arise, Tony,” or
“Arise, Kimberly.” Jesus has made the grave like a bed and the resurrection like waking up.
Elijah was like Moses. He was like John the Baptist. He was like us. And He was like Jesus. The
greater Elijah knew what it was like to live on every word that proceeded out of the mouth of
God (Matt 4), He was called out of obscurity to confront unbelief (John 1:46), He cared for the
widow (Luke 7:11-17), He raised the dead (John 11:25), His prayers were effectual (John 17),
and He fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Some even thought Jesus was Elijah (Matt 16), and one can
see why. Elijah was an end-time figure and a miracle-working prophet. Jesus was too, but He
was more than that.
Jesus, unlike Elijah, never sinned. Jesus lived and died, finishing His course, taking judgment on
Himself instead of pouring it out on those that deserved it. He was raised from the dead and is
now interceding for us (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25).
Yes, Elijah prayed. Yes, we should have an “insane” prayer life like Elijah. But what saves us is
Jesus’ insane work, and what sustains us now is Jesus’ insane prayer life.
May the life of Elijah inspire us to pray biblically and faithfully, and may his life point us to our
great source of hope: the true and better prophet, the ultimate mediator, the King of kings, Jesus.
Reflect and Discuss
1. Why might God have sent a famine on the land?
2. Have you ever experienced God’s provision in unexpected ways?
3. Have you ever experienced God’s blessing through unexpected people?
4. Are there any ways God might bless His people that His people might consider to be beneath
them?
5. Why does God choose to use the lowly things of this earth?
6. Why is it difficult to take God at His word during times of difficulty?
7. Elijah rises out of obscurity, and God essentially sends him into the wilderness. Would he have
been more productive if God had sent him to a city center? Why or why not?
8. How can Elijah’s prayers instruct believers today?
9. God raises people from the dead at various points in Scripture. What can this teach us about
God?
10. How is Jesus’ ministry similar to Elijah’s ministry?
11. The Showdown at Mount Carmel
12. 1 Kings 18:1-46
13. Main Idea: The spectacular showdown between Elijah and the false prophets
demonstrates that the God of Elijah is the true and living God.
14. I. Elijah and Obadiah: The Preparation for the Showdown (18:1-16)
15. II. Elijah and Ahab: The Proposal for the Showdown (18:17-19)
16. III. Elijah and the People: The Purpose of the Showdown (18:20-25)
17. IV. Elijah and the Prophets: The Prayer-Answering Champion of the Showdown (18:26-
46)
18. A. The emptiness of false religion (vv. 26-29)
19. B. The power of the living God (vv. 30-46)
20. C. A mighty master of the art of prayer
21. I love movies with showdowns. I own a bunch of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood films,
and some more modern Westerns like Tombstone and Open Range. I grew up watching
many of these classics with my dad. Many of these Westerns climax with a dramatic
gunfight. Sometimes the outnumbered guy or group wins the battle. Sports movies are
similar. For example, Hoosiers is a classic story of an underdog victory, in which a most
unlikely team wins the state championship in Indiana.
22. The Bible also contains showdowns, and in many cases an underdog triumphs. For
example, Moses, a sheepherder, goes up against mighty Pharaoh and triumphs over the
evil empire by God’s power. When the people cross the Red Sea, they sing, “I will sing to
the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea”
(Exod 15:1). Other battles occur as history progresses into the story of Joshua’s conquest
and then into the reign of the judges. Perhaps the greatest underdog story is of Gideon,
who with an army of 300 wins a battle over the Midianites because the Lord was with
him. The most famous of the showdowns in the Old Testament is David and Goliath.
Sportswriters and filmmakers refer to this classic underdog battle all the time. In each of
these biblical stories, God raises a leader, a mediator, who represents the people and God
and who goes up against the enemies of darkness. Of course, none of these are truly
underdog
23. stories since God was with them and for them! But from a human perspective, they were
underdogs.
24. In 1 Kings 18 we have another story of a mediator-leader that God raised up to combat
evil: Elijah. After an initial meeting with King Ahab, Elijah went away and was
preserved by God’s miraculous supply of daily bread during a famine. Now after three
years he appears before Ahab again. In this meeting Elijah arranges one of the great
showdowns of Scripture. It’s a firefight on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the false
prophets to prove once and for all who the real God is. Elijah is outnumbered, but he is
confident because he is the prophet of the living God. Once again he serves as a mighty
example of prayer and faith (Jas 5:17-18). In fact, the whole showdown at Mount Carmel
was essentially about whose God actually answered prayer.
25. Let’s trace our way through this narrative with four headings: (1) Elijah and Obadiah:
The Preparation for the Showdown (18:1-16); (2) Elijah and Ahab: The Proposal for the
Showdown (18:17-19); (3) Elijah and the People: The Purpose of the Showdown (18:20-
24); and (4) Elijah and the Prophets: The Prayer-Answering Champion of the Showdown
(18:25-46).
26. Elijah and Obadiah: The Preparation for the Showdown
27. 1 Kings 18:1-16
28. After the three-year drought, God speaks to Elijah again and says, “Go and present
yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land” (v. 1). Once again Elijah
follows God’s instructions obediently. The writer reminds us, “The famine was severe in
Samaria” (v. 2). We can only imagine how bad this drought was. No doubt the people of
Israel were drained. Under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel, they had put their hope in
the storm god, Baal, yet they were famished and desperate. They should have looked to
Yahweh who alone controls the rain, for He, not Baal, “covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth, and causes grass to grow on the hills” (Ps 147:8; cf. Pss 68:4;
104:3). Ahab, presumably living royally still, along with his prophets, apparently cares
more for his horses than for his people, and in his pride he refuses to turn the people’s
eyes to the true and living God.
29. In verse 3 we’re introduced to a new character: Obadiah. He serves in Ahab’s court as an
administrator. We are told that he “greatly feared the Lord.” This comment is striking.
Why is Obadiah serving wicked king Ahab if he fears the Lord? Some have argued that
Obadiah isn’t an example to be followed, claiming he lacked courage, that he was a
compromiser, that he had divided loyalties, or that he was an ungodly troublemaker (see
Wiersbe, Be Responsible, 318; and Ryken on Meyer, Elijah, n.p.). However, I’m inclined
to say that Obadiah is an example worthy of admiration (albeit imperfect like us). I
believe he was a risk-taking servant of Yahweh.
30. Why should we have a positive assessment of Obadiah? Twice he—at great risk to his
own life—provided for the prophets of Yahweh when Jezebel was killing them. Obadiah
“took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and
water” (vv. 4,13). Obadiah clearly loved Yahweh and His servants.
31. Obadiah saves prophets, but Ahab saves horses (Davis, 1 Kings, 229). While Obadiah
was fulfilling Ahab’s request to look for water for the horses, he meets Elijah. Obadiah
calls Elijah “lord” (vv. 7,13), but Elijah apparently takes a negative view of Obadiah,
saying Ahab is his “lord” (vv. 8,11,14). Elijah tells Obadiah to tell Ahab that “Elijah is
here” (v. 8). Remember Elijah’s name: “My God is Yahweh.” Tell them “My God is
Yahweh” is here. Obadiah waffles at this demand since he fears for his life. Obadiah’s
allegiance to Yahweh has been quiet, and perhaps he thinks Elijah’s confrontational style
will end his life and the lives of those he has been protecting.
32. Obadiah goes on to tell Elijah that Ahab has searched the world over to find the prophet.
Obadiah wrongly assumes that if he relays Elijah’s message to Ahab, then Elijah will
disappear again, and Ahab will kill him. Here Obadiah displays a lack of trust in God’s
sovereign care. Elijah responds by saying, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I
stand, today I will present myself to Ahab” (v. 15; cf. 17:1). Elijah will do what he came
to do. He will take his stand before Ahab, not fearing the king, because he knows he
ultimately stands before Someone who is more awesome. In verse 16 we read that
Obadiah obeyed Elijah’s instructions and told Ahab, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah.
While Obadiah was fearful at first, he did obey (cf. Matt 21:28-31).
33. Before we move to the conversation with Ahab and Elijah, I think it’s worth noting that
Obadiah and Elijah provide two ways to serve God. Not everyone will be called to formal
ministry like Elijah, but many will be called to serve as “secular saints” like Obadiah.
Davis says,
34. Elijah’s ministry is more public and confrontational; Obadiah works quietly in behind-
the-scenes fashion and yet is faithful in the sphere where God placed him. The Bible
never tells us that there is only one kind of faithful servant (1 Cor 12:4-6); it never
demands that you must be an Elijah clone. (1 Kings, 231)
35. Obadiah is like the man or woman working for an unbelieving boss. How should you
work in such an environment? Obadiah teaches us to do good work. He was elevated to
his position because he apparently did a good job. Christians should be known for good
work. Paul says, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord
and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the
Lord” (Col 3:23-24). Obadiah also illustrates how one should use one’s influence and
resources. Obadiah had access to provisions and made them available to these persecuted
prophets. Those who work in professions that allow them to have good salaries and
benefits should consider how to use such blessings to advance the kingdom. One might
object, claiming that Obadiah was being deceptive, but nothing in the text says that he
lied or did anything unethical. He knew about suffering believers, and he used his
resources to provide for them. Finally, Obadiah teaches us to be courageous. He
ultimately followed Elijah’s instructions at great risk to his own life. The lesson here is
that if you are ever in a position where it’s either obedience to God or obedience to man,
choose God (Acts 5:29), even if it might cost you your job—or your life.
36. Elijah and Ahab: The Proposal for the Showdown
37. 1 Kings 18:17-19
38. Ahab meets Elijah and blames the prophet for bringing the trouble on Israel: “Is that you,
you destroyer of Israel?” (v. 17). I don’t think he simply couldn’t recognize Elijah
(though his appearance had probably changed over the three-year drought). No, Ahab
was making an accusation. He had to blame someone, so why not Elijah? The blame
game is as old as the garden. Ahab doesn’t want to accept responsibility. God plainly told
His people that famine would result if they worshiped idols (Deut 28:22-24). Ahab
disregarded God’s word and received God’s judgment. After three years Ahab still won’t
change his mind and heart. Instead of repenting, he blames Elijah. For what we don’t
know. Is he saying Elijah’s belief in only one God has aroused the wrath of Baal? Is he
blaming Elijah for the criticism he has received from others who are upset by the drought,
pointing their fingers at the king? Or has Ahab just grown weary of the drought and
wants to blame someone, and Elijah seems like the best candidate? It doesn’t really
matter. He definitely doesn’t welcome Elijah but instead accuses him.
39. This shouldn’t surprise the Bible reader. Prophets are persecuted. Jesus said in the final
beatitude,
40. You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil
against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven.
For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:11-12)
41. Paul was accused of stirring up riots (Acts 24:5). James encouraged his suffering
believers by saying, “Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an
example of suffering and patience” (Jas 5:10). So don’t be surprised if the world hates
you, for they hated the true and better prophet, Jesus, as well (John 15:18-20; cf. Luke
23:3,5). We don’t live for the applause of people but for the glory of God, and such
allegiance to King Jesus will bring accusations from men of earth.
42. Elijah retorts by telling Ahab, “I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father’s
house have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals”
(18:18). The prophet is clear as to why Ahab is the real troubler. He points out Ahab’s
sin. Ahab has committed sins of omission and sins of commission (Ryken, 1 Kings, 477).
Did you catch them? Sins of omission: “abandoning the commands”; and sins of
commission: “followed the Baals.” He reminds Ahab that it isn’t just Israel that has
sinned, but “you have.” Yahweh, not Baal, must be feared. And nothing here indicates
that Ahab has any true fear of God. He apparently cares for his horses because he trusts in
his ability through them to protect and provide more than he trusts in Yahweh (cf. Pss
20:7; 33:17).
43. Next, Elijah proposes the showdown. He says, “Now summon all Israel to meet me at
Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who
eat at Jezebel’s table” (v. 19). Elijah wants to settle the question of who is God. He offers
to meet these prophets at Mount Carmel, if they could get up from Jezebel’s dinner table.
Mount Carmel is a mountain range of limestone and flint, containing many caves, off the
Mediterranean coast, which at its highest point is 525 meters (1,724 feet). It sits near
modern-day Haifa. It’s a beautiful place to visit today. Davis tells us of its mention in
historical documents. In Egyptian records it was called “Holy Head,” suggesting it was a
sanctuary. An Assyrian king dubbed it “the mountain of Baal of the promontory.” In our
day we might call it “Baal’s Bluff” (Davis, 1 Kings, 234). Therefore, this site is the
selected battleground, not because it was just a great place to watch a fight but because it
was a location of Baal worship. Olley summarizes,
44. Its location is favorable to the worship of Baal and Asherah with lush vegetation due to
the headland encouraging rainfall. It was also the site of a broken down altar of the Lord
(30). (Message of Kings, 172)
45. Yahweh’s altar had been pulled down, and Baal was celebrated there in His place.
46. It was a good place to decide who should be worshiped. Elijah was going to be playing a
“road game” since Baal worship was being practiced there. Elijah offered to meet the
prophets on their turf. In so doing he wanted there to be no doubt who the real God was.
He was not going to be accused of rigging the contest by having people meet on his turf.
In the other corner Ahab surely liked the odds. He had 850 prophets playing at home.
Those who follow sports know the home team always has the upper hand. I just watched
game seven of the 2014 NBA playoffs between the Heat and the Pacers. Since the game
was at Miami, the odds were with them. They have great home-court fans, and they
showed up with excitement, rallying the Heat to an impressive victory. How would
Elijah, the roughneck prophet, do against an army of prophets at their place?
47. Elijah and the People: The Purpose of the Showdown
48. 1 Kings 18:20-25
49. The meeting at Mount Carmel wasn’t a circus. The purpose wasn’t to entertain but to
demand a choice between Yahweh and Baal. Elijah’s desire is expressed later in his
prayer: “So that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God” (v. 37). Before we
read of this prayer, we see him explaining this purpose in verses 21-24.
50. Ahab summons all the people to Mount Carmel, where Elijah meets everyone. We can
only imagine the scene, but I can picture the rugged Elijah standing there, atop the
limestone mountain overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, with his beard and
robe waving in the wind. Israel was there in attendance as well, filled with anticipation
and curiosity. There were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, arrayed in
their cultic attire, ready to perform their rituals, salivating at the opportunity to defeat
Elijah. Ahab surely rolled up to the scene in style, with an entourage in their chariots,
arriving to take their special seats.
51. Elijah addresses the people atop the mount, saying, “How long will you hesitate between
two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him” (v. 21). Elijah’s
message is plain and simple. You cannot worship Yahweh and Baal or Yahweh and
Asherah. This isn’t an academic matter detached from real life. He basically says,
“Theology leads to discipleship. Commitments have consequences” (Davis, 1 Kings,
233). He calls the people actually to follow God, not merely assent to an idea or discuss a
topic.
52. Elijah throws down the gauntlet like Moses, who had passionately addressed the golden-
calf-worshiping Israelites: “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me” (Exod 32:26); and like
Joshua, who had said, “Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates
River and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. . . . choose for yourselves today the one you
will worship” (Josh 24:14-15). Elijah tells them to get off the fence. Jesus said something
similar: “No one can be a slave of two masters” (Matt 6:24). If you are still on the fence,
you are saying you aren’t following Him. Jesus said that if we aren’t for Him, then we are
against Him (Matt 12:30).
53. “But the people didn’t answer him a word” (v. 21). Not a word! Why? Was it because
they were shocked by his message? Surely not. Surely they had heard that Elijah only
worshiped Yahweh and rejected all idols. Why silence? Silence is the easiest way to be
noncommittal. When I confront my kids over an issue, their default response is stone-
faced silence. They try to find a neutral zone. The Israelites couldn’t respond because
they weren’t committed to Yahweh alone. They knew of Yahweh and the Red Sea and
the law, but their functional trust had been in Baal, the storm god. Elijah urges them to
make a decision. A real decision to follow the living God will lead to people boldly
confessing their faith in Him.
54. In many ways the multitude reflects the postmodern times in which we live. For example,
uncertainty is held up as a virtue. One of my unbelieving neighbors recently told a
seminary student friend of mine, “My job is to try to get people to question everything.” I
heard of one schoolteacher who said her agenda is to “lead the students into the wonders
of uncertainty.” However, the faith of God’s people is expressed in confidence. The
psalmist says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my
mountain where I seek refuge” (18:2). That doesn’t sound like uncertainty. There is only
one rock, only one God, who alone provides security and comfort.
55. Others in our culture want to worship on a Sunday, but when it comes to business,
politics, or international conflict, they’re tempted to defer to conventional wisdom and
what’s in keeping with the times. Some believe economics and God, or politics and God,
should remain separate. Elijah challenged his generation who believed the same thing.
They acknowledged Yahweh but believed following Baal was a more practical way for
farmers and merchants to live. However, if God is God, then we must submit to Him and
surrender every area of our lives to His lordship.
56. Israel was “hesitating” or “limping” or “wavering” between Baal and Yahweh (v. 21).
Ryken says they were like Little League baseball players, who “step in the bucket” when
they’re afraid of the ball (1 Kings, 483). I see this vividly as a coach for the “Coaches
Pitch League.” A lot of my kids bail out. They have one foot going to the dugout while
part of their body tries to stay in the batter’s box to hit the ball. Bucket steppers waver
between two opinions just like the people in verse 21. They partially want to serve
Yahweh, but they also want to embrace false gods. Elijah, however, will not allow it
because Elijah’s God is the exclusive God who will not share His glory with another.
57. Elijah breaks the silence in verses 22-24, explaining the rules of the contest and basically
giving every advantage to the home team. He reminded everyone that he was greatly
outnumbered. He then displayed good sportsmanship by letting the prophets of Baal
choose first. They got first pick of the bulls to put on the wood for the sacrifice. Not only
does he let them choose first, but Elijah also lets the prophets of Baal go first. He says,
“Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God
who answers with fire, He is God” (v. 24).
58. Further, the entire contest played into Baal’s strength. Baal was supposedly the god of the
sun, so fire should be no problem. He was also the god of the storm, pictured in ancient
paintings with a thunderbolt as his arrow (cf. 2 Sam 22:15; Pss 18:14; 77:17; 144:6; Hab
3:11). Surely he can burn up some wood and a bull on top of the hill. The people finally
speak: “That sounds good” (v. 24). “Bring it on,” they say. “We like this.”
59. Thus, the contest was really about whose God could answer prayer. The God who
answered was the real God. That was the purpose of the showdown. Though the story is
spectacular and miraculous, the application is common and simple. The God of the Bible
hears and answers prayer. We have a relationship with a God, by grace through faith in
Christ, who invites us to call on Him and promises to answer. While demonic powers are
present and people may feel something in a false cult or religion, it doesn’t mean their
god hears prayer like our God. No, the test is the same. The only God who answers
prayer is the God of the Bible, and He is the true and living God.
60. Elijah and the Prophets: The Prayer-Answering Champion of the Showdown
61. 1 Kings 18:26-40
62. Who is the real God: Baal or Yahweh? The people are about to find out. The prophets of
Baal go first, no doubt in dramatic attire and with cultic liturgical practices. There is a
stark contrast between how they try to call on Baal and how Elijah calls on Yahweh. We
will look at three parts of the prophets’ attempt to get “the storm god” to throw a
lightning bolt their way to burn up their bull. Then we will see how Elijah approaches
God. The story as a whole shows us the emptiness of false religion and the power of the
living God.
63. The Emptiness of False Religion (vv. 26-29)
64. First, they called on Baal, but no one answered. They cried out, but the writer emphasizes
the emptiness of their petition. He says, “There was no sound; no one answered” (v. 26).
He says it again emphatically in verse 29: “There was no sound; no one answered, no one
paid attention.” The lack of response from Baal illustrates the truth of the psalmist’s
statement:
65. The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
66. made by human hands.
67. They have mouths but cannot speak,
68. eyes, but cannot see.
69. They have ears but cannot hear;
70. indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. (Ps 135:15-17)
71. It reminds me of the cell phone commercial, “Can you hear me now?” In this case they
never had a connection in the first place. Baal was not on the line because he doesn’t
exist! They were like kids playing with a banana pretending it’s a phone. Folly.
72. Not only did they call on Baal to no avail, but also they cried out from “morning until
noon” (v. 26). Let us be reminded that a long worship service doesn’t necessarily imply a
powerful worship service. These prophets went on for hours but were wasting their breath
and their time. The same is true for prayer. A long prayer doesn’t mean a better prayer,
especially if you are praying to the wrong god! You can pray nine times a day facing any
direction you want, be dressed with religious garb, and have incense and candles and
more, but if you aren’t praying to the God of Elijah, you are engaging in spiritual futility.
73. Second, they danced, but they were only burning calories. The writer says, “They danced,
hobbling around the altar they had made” (v. 26). While dancing and celebration are
fitting in response to the grace of Jesus, the type of cultic ritual going on here is once
again empty. Leaping around this altar may have provided an entertaining show, but it
accomplished nothing spiritually.
74. Elijah responds to their lengthy prayers and ritual dances with some holy sarcasm. He
mocks them in order to draw attention to the folly of following Baal. He wants everyone
to know that Yahweh has no rivals. So he says, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s
thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s
sleeping and will wake up!” (v. 27). In pagan mythology gods actually performed many
human activities, so Elijah uses such silliness to show the vanity of their religion. He
says, maybe your “god” had to wander to the restroom! Maybe he went on a journey.
Elijah was actually referring to common beliefs. Some believed Baal made journeys,
went to sleep, and performed other human activities, including dying. One ancient
document says his sister could not find him one day because he had gone hunting (Davis,
1 Kings, 236)! The prophetic sarcasm is meant to expose the uselessness of Baal worship.
75. Elijah’s sarcasm draws attention to the opposite of these remarks. Yahweh “is God.”
Yahweh never sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). He needs no air or food, and He is never “away.”
God’s people can always reach their Father. Elijah exposes Baal’s impotence by allowing
them to go first and attempt to get an answer from Baal. Soon, Elijah will display the
omnipotence of Yahweh.
76. Third, they cut themselves and raved, but their frenzy produced no fire. The prophets “cut
themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over
them” (v. 28). Then he adds, “They kept on raving until the offering of the evening
sacrifice” (v. 29). House states, “Baalists cut themselves and practice frenzied
prophesying, not unlike self-hypnosis” (1, 2 Kings, 220).
77. Here’s an illustration of some common activities in false religions. Some religions
engage in activities that bring bodily harm. They may slap themselves with whips while
walking through the streets, cut their flesh during a ritual, or abstain from certain
pleasures, adopting an ascetic lifestyle. All of these actions are intended to get their god’s
attention and rid themselves of guilt and shame. It was useless for these worshipers, and
it’s still useless. Masochism has no place in Christian worship.
78. While many Americans are more civil than this, the thought is present. People still try to
perform religious activities to merit God’s approval and blessing. They want to do
something to absolve the guilt. Praise God, we don’t have to cut ourselves, beat
ourselves, or deny ourselves food and drink and marriage in order to get God’s attention.
Blood has already been spilled: Jesus’ blood. His blood and His activity alone allow us to
come into God’s presence. By His work, not our work, we’re able to commune with God
and be free from condemnation. That news should make you dance and sing and pray!
79. Regarding “raving,” the Baalists remind us that we don’t need to “check our brains at the
door” in worship. While emotion definitely is important in worship, mindless
emotionalism isn’t part of true Christian worship. We bring our minds with us when we
become Christians. True worship involves mind and heart, “light and heat.” We must
respond to God’s revealed truth in worship. We must be earnest, but we don’t need to be
frantic, and we must not substitute actions for spiritual life.
80. Clearly in these four short verses we see the emptiness of false religion. In contrast to this
emptiness, in the verses that follow we will see the power of the living God.
81. The Power of the Living God (vv. 30-46)
82. In this section we find Elijah, “a man like us,” teaching us about our “prayer-answering
God.”
83. Elijah’s preparation (vv. 30-35). Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people to him. He
then repairs the altar, which actually signified Israel’s spiritual condition (vv. 30-32). He
built the altar properly (cf. Exod 20:25; Lev 1:6-8) with 12 stones. He was reminding
them of the faith of their fathers and saying he isn’t proposing something new. Elijah was
calling them to return in repentance to the covenant God. He then prepared the altar with
the wood and the bull.
84. Then Elijah shocks everyone. Three times he has them pour four jars of water on the
offering and on the wood. It was enough water that it “ran all around the altar; he even
filled the trench with water” (v. 35). Elijah wants everyone to know for sure that what is
about to happen can only be explained by the power of God. He wants them to know that
this handicap is no problem to the living God.
85. Elijah’s petition (vv. 36-37). Elijah prays that God would burn the wet wood and the
sacrifice. In contrast to the lengthy prayers of Baal’s prophets, consider how short
Elijah’s prayer is! Take out your watch, and time it. Ready? Here it is:
86. Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in
Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer
me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that
You have turned their hearts back.
87. It takes less than 30 seconds! The prophets of Baal had ranted and raved from morning to
noon. Here is another lesson from the “mighty master of the art of prayer.” Prayer isn’t
about the length, volume, or eloquence. It’s about praying to the right God with sincerity.
88. Later the greater Prophet-Mediator, Jesus, teaches us the same truth about prayer:
89. When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for
their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need
before you ask Him. (Matt 6:7-8)
90. Jesus goes on to describe in the model prayer how one might pray God-centered,
comprehensive prayers to the Father.
91. The differences in Elijah’s prayer and those of the false prophets are obvious. “Baal’s
boys” had home-field advantage, but that didn’t matter, for God isn’t bound to a place.
They prayed longer prayers, but that was of no consequence either. God responded
instead to a 30-second, heartfelt prayer. They “worked themselves into a feverish pitch in
a cacophony of noise and a trail of blood” (House, 1, 2 Kings, 237), but God was not
impressed by this bedlam. You cannot manipulate God with gimmicks. He was drawn
instead to the humble, heartfelt prayer of Elijah. Don’t buy into the practices of Baal’s
boys. Believe that God really does hear the prayers of His children when they pray in
sincere faith.
92. Let me summarize some application points from Elijah’s prayer. First, have a relationship
with the living God. Elijah prays to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel/Jacob. God had a relationship with these individuals. He called Abraham
“God’s friend” (Jas 2:23). We can call on God and even call him “Father” (Mark 14:36)
if we know Him by grace through faith in Christ. If you have a relationship with the
Father, you can be sure He hears you.
93. Second, seek the Glory of God. Elijah’s prayer is blatantly God centered. He wants
people to recognize the glory of God. Pray like this! Jesus taught us this type of praying
in the model prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your
kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). Before He
taught us to pray for things like bread, holiness, and forgiveness, He taught us to long for
God’s name to be glorified and God’s kingdom to cover the earth. Are you praying for
God’s glory to be made known?
94. Third, pray for rebels to turn to God. Elijah prayed that God would turn the people’s
hearts back to the living God. He prayed that they would know truth (that “I am Your
servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things,” v. 36), and respond to it with
repentance and faith. Are you praying for conversions? C. S. Lewis said,
95. I have two lists of names in my prayers, those for whose conversions I pray and those for
whose conversions I give thanks. The little trickle of transferences from List A to List B
is a great comfort. (Collected Letters, 2:948, quoted in Ryken, 1 Kings 513)
96. Let us pray for God to turn idol worshipers into Christ worshipers (1 Thess 1:9-10).
97. Elijah’s brief, God-centered prayer stands in great contrast to the empty prayers of Baal’s
boys. Let us follow Elijah’s example.
98. God’s power and grace (vv. 38-40). In verse 38 we read of how God answered Elijah’s
prayer: “Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones,
99. promiser, that he had divided loyalties, or that he was an ungodly troublemaker (see
Wiersbe, Be Responsible, 318; and Ryken on Meyer, Elijah, n.p.). However, I’m inclined
to say that Obadiah is an example worthy of admiration (albeit imperfect like us). I
believe he was a risk-taking servant of Yahweh.
Why should we have a positive assessment of Obadiah? Twice he—at great risk to his own
life—provided for the prophets of Yahweh when Jezebel was killing them. Obadiah “took
prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water” (vv. 4,13).
Obadiah clearly loved Yahweh and His servants.
Obadiah saves prophets, but Ahab saves horses (Davis, 1 Kings, 229). While Obadiah was
fulfilling Ahab’s request to look for water for the horses, he meets Elijah. Obadiah calls
Elijah “lord” (vv. 7,13), but Elijah apparently takes a negative view of Obadiah, saying Ahab
is his “lord” (vv. 8,11,14). Elijah tells Obadiah to tell Ahab that “Elijah is here” (v. 8).
Remember Elijah’s name: “My God is Yahweh.” Tell them “My God is Yahweh” is here.
Obadiah waffles at this demand since he fears for his life. Obadiah’s allegiance to Yahweh
has been quiet, and perhaps he thinks Elijah’s confrontational style will end his life and the
lives of those he has been protecting.
Obadiah goes on to tell Elijah that Ahab has searched the world over to find the prophet.
Obadiah wrongly assumes that if he relays Elijah’s message to Ahab, then Elijah will
disappear again, and Ahab will kill him. Here Obadiah displays a lack of trust in God’s
sovereign care. Elijah responds by saying, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand,
today I will present myself to Ahab” (v. 15; cf. 17:1). Elijah will do what he came to do. He
will take his stand before Ahab, not fearing the king, because he knows he ultimately stands
before Someone who is more awesome. In verse 16 we read that Obadiah obeyed Elijah’s
instructions and told Ahab, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. While Obadiah was fearful at
first, he did obey (cf. Matt 21:28-31).
Before we move to the conversation with Ahab and Elijah, I think it’s worth noting that
Obadiah and Elijah provide two ways to serve God. Not everyone will be called to formal
ministry like Elijah, but many will be called to serve as “secular saints” like Obadiah. Davis
says,
Elijah’s ministry is more public and confrontational; Obadiah works quietly in behind-the-
scenes fashion and yet is faithful in the sphere where God placed him. The Bible never tells
us that there is only one kind of faithful servant (1 Cor 12:4-6); it never demands that you
must be an Elijah clone. (1 Kings, 231)
Obadiah is like the man or woman working for an unbelieving boss. How should you work in
such an environment? Obadiah teaches us to do good work. He was elevated to his position
because he apparently did a good job. Christians should be known for good work. Paul says,
“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord” (Col 3:23-24).
Obadiah also illustrates how one should use one’s influence and resources. Obadiah had access
to provisions and made them available to these persecuted prophets. Those who work in
professions that allow them to have good salaries and benefits should consider how to use such
blessings to advance the kingdom. One might object, claiming that Obadiah was being deceptive,
but nothing in the text says that he lied or did anything unethical. He knew about suffering
believers, and he used his resources to provide for them. Finally, Obadiah teaches us to be
courageous. He ultimately followed Elijah’s instructions at great risk to his own life. The lesson
here is that if you are ever in a position where it’s either obedience to God or obedience to man,
choose God (Acts 5:29), even if it might cost you your job—or your life.
Elijah and Ahab: The Proposal for the Showdown
1 Kings 18:17-19
Ahab meets Elijah and blames the prophet for bringing the trouble on Israel: “Is that you, you
destroyer of Israel?” (v. 17). I don’t think he simply couldn’t recognize Elijah (though his
appearance had probably changed over the three-year drought). No, Ahab was making an
accusation. He had to blame someone, so why not Elijah? The blame game is as old as the
garden. Ahab doesn’t want to accept responsibility. God plainly told His people that famine
would result if they worshiped idols (Deut 28:22-24). Ahab disregarded God’s word and
received God’s judgment. After three years Ahab still won’t change his mind and heart. Instead
of repenting, he blames Elijah. For what we don’t know. Is he saying Elijah’s belief in only one
God has aroused the wrath of Baal? Is he blaming Elijah for the criticism he has received from
others who are upset by the drought, pointing their fingers at the king? Or has Ahab just grown
weary of the drought and wants to blame someone, and Elijah seems like the best candidate? It
doesn’t really matter. He definitely doesn’t welcome Elijah but instead accuses him.
This shouldn’t surprise the Bible reader. Prophets are persecuted. Jesus said in the final
beatitude,
You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against
you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how
they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:11-12)
Paul was accused of stirring up riots (Acts 24:5). James encouraged his suffering believers by
saying, “Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering
and patience” (Jas 5:10). So don’t be surprised if the world hates you, for they hated the true and
better prophet, Jesus, as well (John 15:18-20; cf. Luke 23:3,5). We don’t live for the applause of
people but for the glory of God, and such allegiance to King Jesus will bring accusations from
men of earth.
Elijah retorts by telling Ahab, “I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father’s house have,
because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals” (18:18). The
prophet is clear as to why Ahab is the real troubler. He points out Ahab’s sin. Ahab has
committed sins of omission and sins of commission (Ryken, 1 Kings, 477). Did you catch them?
Sins of omission: “abandoning the commands”; and sins of commission: “followed the Baals.”
He reminds Ahab that it isn’t just Israel that has sinned, but “you have.” Yahweh, not Baal, must
be feared. And nothing here indicates that Ahab has any true fear of God. He apparently cares for
his horses because he trusts in his ability through them to protect and provide more than he trusts
in Yahweh (cf. Pss 20:7; 33:17).
Next, Elijah proposes the showdown. He says, “Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount
Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at
Jezebel’s table” (v. 19). Elijah wants to settle the question of who is God. He offers to meet these
prophets at Mount Carmel, if they could get up from Jezebel’s dinner table. Mount Carmel is a
mountain range of limestone and flint, containing many caves, off the Mediterranean coast,
which at its highest point is 525 meters (1,724 feet). It sits near modern-day Haifa. It’s a
beautiful place to visit today. Davis tells us of its mention in historical documents. In Egyptian
records it was called “Holy Head,” suggesting it was a sanctuary. An Assyrian king dubbed it
“the mountain of Baal of the promontory.” In our day we might call it “Baal’s Bluff” (Davis, 1
Kings, 234). Therefore, this site is the selected battleground, not because it was just a great place
to watch a fight but because it was a location of Baal worship. Olley summarizes,
Its location is favorable to the worship of Baal and Asherah with lush vegetation due to the
headland encouraging rainfall. It was also the site of a broken down altar of the Lord (30).
(Message of Kings, 172)
Yahweh’s altar had been pulled down, and Baal was celebrated there in His place.
It was a good place to decide who should be worshiped. Elijah was going to be playing a “road
game” since Baal worship was being practiced there. Elijah offered to meet the prophets on their
turf. In so doing he wanted there to be no doubt who the real God was. He was not going to be
accused of rigging the contest by having people meet on his turf. In the other corner Ahab surely
liked the odds. He had 850 prophets playing at home. Those who follow sports know the home
team always has the upper hand. I just watched game seven of the 2014 NBA playoffs between
the Heat and the Pacers. Since the game was at Miami, the odds were with them. They have great
home-court fans, and they showed up with excitement, rallying the Heat to an impressive
victory. How would Elijah, the roughneck prophet, do against an army of prophets at their place?
Elijah and the People: The Purpose of the Showdown
1 Kings 18:20-25
The meeting at Mount Carmel wasn’t a circus. The purpose wasn’t to entertain but to demand a
choice between Yahweh and Baal. Elijah’s desire is expressed later in his prayer: “So that this
people will know that You, Yahweh, are God” (v. 37). Before we read of this prayer, we see him
explaining this purpose in verses 21-24.
Ahab summons all the people to Mount Carmel, where Elijah meets everyone. We can only
imagine the scene, but I can picture the rugged Elijah standing there, atop the limestone
mountain overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, with his beard and robe waving in the
wind. Israel was there in attendance as well, filled with anticipation and curiosity. There were
450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, arrayed in their cultic attire, ready to perform
their rituals, salivating at the opportunity to defeat Elijah. Ahab surely rolled up to the scene in
style, with an entourage in their chariots, arriving to take their special seats.
Elijah addresses the people atop the mount, saying, “How long will you hesitate between two
opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him” (v. 21). Elijah’s message is
plain and simple. You cannot worship Yahweh and Baal or Yahweh and Asherah. This isn’t an
academic matter detached from real life. He basically says, “Theology leads to discipleship.
Commitments have consequences” (Davis, 1 Kings, 233). He calls the people actually to follow
God, not merely assent to an idea or discuss a topic.
Elijah throws down the gauntlet like Moses, who had passionately addressed the golden-calf-
worshiping Israelites: “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me” (Exod 32:26); and like Joshua,
who had said, “Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in
Egypt, and worship Yahweh. . . . choose for yourselves today the one you will worship” (Josh
24:14-15). Elijah tells them to get off the fence. Jesus said something similar: “No one can be a
slave of two masters” (Matt 6:24). If you are still on the fence, you are saying you aren’t
following Him. Jesus said that if we aren’t for Him, then we are against Him (Matt 12:30).
“But the people didn’t answer him a word” (v. 21). Not a word! Why? Was it because they were
shocked by his message? Surely not. Surely they had heard that Elijah only worshiped Yahweh
and rejected all idols. Why silence? Silence is the easiest way to be noncommittal. When I
confront my kids over an issue, their default response is stone-faced silence. They try to find a
neutral zone. The Israelites couldn’t respond because they weren’t committed to Yahweh alone.
They knew of Yahweh and the Red Sea and the law, but their functional trust had been in Baal,
the storm god. Elijah urges them to make a decision. A real decision to follow the living God
will lead to people boldly confessing their faith in Him.
In many ways the multitude reflects the postmodern times in which we live. For example,
uncertainty is held up as a virtue. One of my unbelieving neighbors recently told a seminary
student friend of mine, “My job is to try to get people to question everything.” I heard of one
schoolteacher who said her agenda is to “lead the students into the wonders of uncertainty.”
However, the faith of God’s people is expressed in confidence. The psalmist says, “The Lord is
my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge” (18:2). That
doesn’t sound like uncertainty. There is only one rock, only one God, who alone provides
security and comfort.
Others in our culture want to worship on a Sunday, but when it comes to business, politics, or
international conflict, they’re tempted to defer to conventional wisdom and what’s in keeping
with the times. Some believe economics and God, or politics and God, should remain separate.
Elijah challenged his generation who believed the same thing. They acknowledged Yahweh but
believed following Baal was a more practical way for farmers and merchants to live. However, if
God is God, then we must submit to Him and surrender every area of our lives to His lordship.
Israel was “hesitating” or “limping” or “wavering” between Baal and Yahweh (v. 21). Ryken
says they were like Little League baseball players, who “step in the bucket” when they’re afraid
of the ball (1 Kings, 483). I see this vividly as a coach for the “Coaches Pitch League.” A lot of
my kids bail out. They have one foot going to the dugout while part of their body tries to stay in
the batter’s box to hit the ball. Bucket steppers waver between two opinions just like the people
in verse 21. They partially want to serve Yahweh, but they also want to embrace false gods.
Elijah, however, will not allow it because Elijah’s God is the exclusive God who will not share
His glory with another.
Elijah breaks the silence in verses 22-24, explaining the rules of the contest and basically giving
every advantage to the home team. He reminded everyone that he was greatly outnumbered. He
then displayed good sportsmanship by letting the prophets of Baal choose first. They got first
pick of the bulls to put on the wood for the sacrifice. Not only does he let them choose first, but
Elijah also lets the prophets of Baal go first. He says, “Then you call on the name of your god,
and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God” (v. 24).
Further, the entire contest played into Baal’s strength. Baal was supposedly the god of the sun, so
fire should be no problem. He was also the god of the storm, pictured in ancient paintings with a
thunderbolt as his arrow (cf. 2 Sam 22:15; Pss 18:14; 77:17; 144:6; Hab 3:11). Surely he can
burn up some wood and a bull on top of the hill. The people finally speak: “That sounds good”
(v. 24). “Bring it on,” they say. “We like this.”
Thus, the contest was really about whose God could answer prayer. The God who answered was
the real God. That was the purpose of the showdown. Though the story is spectacular and
miraculous, the application is common and simple. The God of the Bible hears and answers
prayer. We have a relationship with a God, by grace through faith in Christ, who invites us to
call on Him and promises to answer. While demonic powers are present and people may feel
something in a false cult or religion, it doesn’t mean their god hears prayer like our God. No, the
test is the same. The only God who answers prayer is the God of the Bible, and He is the true and
living God.
Elijah and the Prophets: The Prayer-Answering Champion of the Showdown
1 Kings 18:26-40
Who is the real God: Baal or Yahweh? The people are about to find out. The prophets of Baal go
first, no doubt in dramatic attire and with cultic liturgical practices. There is a stark contrast
between how they try to call on Baal and how Elijah calls on Yahweh. We will look at three
parts of the prophets’ attempt to get “the storm god” to throw a lightning bolt their way to burn
up their bull. Then we will see how Elijah approaches God. The story as a whole shows us the
emptiness of false religion and the power of the living God.
The Emptiness of False Religion (vv. 26-29)
First, they called on Baal, but no one answered. They cried out, but the writer emphasizes the
emptiness of their petition. He says, “There was no sound; no one answered” (v. 26). He says it
again emphatically in verse 29: “There was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.”
The lack of response from Baal illustrates the truth of the psalmist’s statement:
The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. (Ps 135:15-17)
It reminds me of the cell phone commercial, “Can you hear me now?” In this case they never had
a connection in the first place. Baal was not on the line because he doesn’t exist! They were like
kids playing with a banana pretending it’s a phone. Folly.
Not only did they call on Baal to no avail, but also they cried out from “morning until noon” (v.
26). Let us be reminded that a long worship service doesn’t necessarily imply a powerful
worship service. These prophets went on for hours but were wasting their breath and their time.
The same is true for prayer. A long prayer doesn’t mean a better prayer, especially if you are
praying to the wrong god! You can pray nine times a day facing any direction you want, be
dressed with religious garb, and have incense and candles and more, but if you aren’t praying to
the God of Elijah, you are engaging in spiritual futility.
Second, they danced, but they were only burning calories. The writer says, “They danced,
hobbling around the altar they had made” (v. 26). While dancing and celebration are fitting in
response to the grace of Jesus, the type of cultic ritual going on here is once again empty.
Leaping around this altar may have provided an entertaining show, but it accomplished nothing
spiritually.
Elijah responds to their lengthy prayers and ritual dances with some holy sarcasm. He mocks
them in order to draw attention to the folly of following Baal. He wants everyone to know that
Yahweh has no rivals. So he says, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over;
maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake
up!” (v. 27). In pagan mythology gods actually performed many human activities, so Elijah uses
such silliness to show the vanity of their religion. He says, maybe your “god” had to wander to
the restroom! Maybe he went on a journey. Elijah was actually referring to common beliefs.
Some believed Baal made journeys, went to sleep, and performed other human activities,
including dying. One ancient document says his sister could not find him one day because he had
gone hunting (Davis, 1 Kings, 236)! The prophetic sarcasm is meant to expose the uselessness of
Baal worship.
Elijah’s sarcasm draws attention to the opposite of these remarks. Yahweh “is God.” Yahweh
never sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). He needs no air or food, and He is never “away.” God’s people can
always reach their Father. Elijah exposes Baal’s impotence by allowing them to go first and
attempt to get an answer from Baal. Soon, Elijah will display the omnipotence of Yahweh.
Third, they cut themselves and raved, but their frenzy produced no fire. The prophets “cut
themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them” (v.
28). Then he adds, “They kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice” (v. 29).
House states, “Baalists cut themselves and practice frenzied prophesying, not unlike self-
hypnosis” (1, 2 Kings, 220).
Here’s an illustration of some common activities in false religions. Some religions engage in
activities that bring bodily harm. They may slap themselves with whips while walking through
the streets, cut their flesh during a ritual, or abstain from certain pleasures, adopting an ascetic
lifestyle. All of these actions are intended to get their god’s attention and rid themselves of guilt
and shame. It was useless for these worshipers, and it’s still useless. Masochism has no place in
Christian worship.
While many Americans are more civil than this, the thought is present. People still try to perform
religious activities to merit God’s approval and blessing. They want to do something to absolve
the guilt. Praise God, we don’t have to cut ourselves, beat ourselves, or deny ourselves food and
drink and marriage in order to get God’s attention. Blood has already been spilled: Jesus’ blood.
His blood and His activity alone allow us to come into God’s presence. By His work, not our
work, we’re able to commune with God and be free from condemnation. That news should make
you dance and sing and pray!
Regarding “raving,” the Baalists remind us that we don’t need to “check our brains at the door”
in worship. While emotion definitely is important in worship, mindless emotionalism isn’t part
of true Christian worship. We bring our minds with us when we become Christians. True
worship involves mind and heart, “light and heat.” We must respond to God’s revealed truth in
worship. We must be earnest, but we don’t need to be frantic, and we must not substitute actions
for spiritual life.
Clearly in these four short verses we see the emptiness of false religion. In contrast to this
emptiness, in the verses that follow we will see the power of the living God.
The Power of the Living God (vv. 30-46)
In this section we find Elijah, “a man like us,” teaching us about our “prayer-answering God.”
Elijah’s preparation (vv. 30-35). Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people to him. He then
repairs the altar, which actually signified Israel’s spiritual condition (vv. 30-32). He built the
altar properly (cf. Exod 20:25; Lev 1:6-8) with 12 stones. He was reminding them of the faith of
their fathers and saying he isn’t proposing something new. Elijah was calling them to return in
repentance to the covenant God. He then prepared the altar with the wood and the bull.
Then Elijah shocks everyone. Three times he has them pour four jars of water on the offering and
on the wood. It was enough water that it “ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with
water” (v. 35). Elijah wants everyone to know for sure that what is about to happen can only be
explained by the power of God. He wants them to know that this handicap is no problem to the
living God.
Elijah’s petition (vv. 36-37). Elijah prays that God would burn the wet wood and the sacrifice. In
contrast to the lengthy prayers of Baal’s prophets, consider how short Elijah’s prayer is! Take out
your watch, and time it. Ready? Here it is:
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and
I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer
me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their
hearts back.
It takes less than 30 seconds! The prophets of Baal had ranted and raved from morning to noon.
Here is another lesson from the “mighty master of the art of prayer.” Prayer isn’t about the
length, volume, or eloquence. It’s about praying to the right God with sincerity.
Later the greater Prophet-Mediator, Jesus, teaches us the same truth about prayer:
When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their
many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask
Him. (Matt 6:7-8)
Jesus goes on to describe in the model prayer how one might pray God-centered, comprehensive
prayers to the Father.
The differences in Elijah’s prayer and those of the false prophets are obvious. “Baal’s boys” had
home-field advantage, but that didn’t matter, for God isn’t bound to a place. They prayed longer
prayers, but that was of no consequence either. God responded instead to a 30-second, heartfelt
prayer. They “worked themselves into a feverish pitch in a cacophony of noise and a trail of
blood” (House, 1, 2 Kings, 237), but God was not impressed by this bedlam. You cannot
manipulate God with gimmicks. He was drawn instead to the humble, heartfelt prayer of Elijah.
Don’t buy into the practices of Baal’s boys. Believe that God really does hear the prayers of His
children when they pray in sincere faith.
Let me summarize some application points from Elijah’s prayer. First, have a relationship with
the living God. Elijah prays to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel/Jacob. God had a relationship with these individuals. He called Abraham “God’s friend”
(Jas 2:23). We can call on God and even call him “Father” (Mark 14:36) if we know Him by
grace through faith in Christ. If you have a relationship with the Father, you can be sure He hears
you.
Second, seek the Glory of God. Elijah’s prayer is blatantly God centered. He wants people to
recognize the glory of God. Pray like this! Jesus taught us this type of praying in the model
prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). Before He taught us to pray for
things like bread, holiness, and forgiveness, He taught us to long for God’s name to be glorified
and God’s kingdom to cover the earth. Are you praying for God’s glory to be made known?
Third, pray for rebels to turn to God. Elijah prayed that God would turn the people’s hearts back
to the living God. He prayed that they would know truth (that “I am Your servant, and that at
Your word I have done all these things,” v. 36), and respond to it with repentance and faith. Are
you praying for conversions? C. S. Lewis said,
I have two lists of names in my prayers, those for whose conversions I pray and those for whose
conversions I give thanks. The little trickle of transferences from List A to List B is a great
comfort. (Collected Letters, 2:948, quoted in Ryken, 1 Kings 513)
Let us pray for God to turn idol worshipers into Christ worshipers (1 Thess 1:9-10).
Elijah’s brief, God-centered prayer stands in great contrast to the empty prayers of Baal’s boys.
Let us follow Elijah’s example.
God’s power and grace (vv. 38-40). In verse 38 we read of how God answered Elijah’s prayer:
“Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones,
You are blessed when they insult and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against
you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how
they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:11-12)
Paul was accused of stirring up riots (Acts 24:5). James encouraged his suffering believers by
saying, “Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering
and patience” (Jas 5:10). So don’t be surprised if the world hates you, for they hated the true and
better prophet, Jesus, as well (John 15:18-20; cf. Luke 23:3,5). We don’t live for the applause of
people but for the glory of God, and such allegiance to King Jesus will bring accusations from
men of earth.
Elijah retorts by telling Ahab, “I have not destroyed Israel, but you and your father’s house have,
because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals” (18:18). The
prophet is clear as to why Ahab is the real troubler. He points out Ahab’s sin. Ahab has
committed sins of omission and sins of commission (Ryken, 1 Kings, 477). Did you catch them?
Sins of omission: “abandoning the commands”; and sins of commission: “followed the Baals.”
He reminds Ahab that it isn’t just Israel that has sinned, but “you have.” Yahweh, not Baal, must
be feared. And nothing here indicates that Ahab has any true fear of God. He apparently cares for
his horses because he trusts in his ability through them to protect and provide more than he trusts
in Yahweh (cf. Pss 20:7; 33:17).
Next, Elijah proposes the showdown. He says, “Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount
Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at
Jezebel’s table” (v. 19). Elijah wants to settle the question of who is God. He offers to meet these
prophets at Mount Carmel, if they could get up from Jezebel’s dinner table. Mount Carmel is a
mountain range of limestone and flint, containing many caves, off the Mediterranean coast,
which at its highest point is 525 meters (1,724 feet). It sits near modern-day Haifa. It’s a
beautiful place to visit today. Davis tells us of its mention in historical documents. In Egyptian
records it was called “Holy Head,” suggesting it was a sanctuary. An Assyrian king dubbed it
“the mountain of Baal of the promontory.” In our day we might call it “Baal’s Bluff” (Davis, 1
Kings, 234). Therefore, this site is the selected battleground, not because it was just a great place
to watch a fight but because it was a location of Baal worship. Olley summarizes,
Its location is favorable to the worship of Baal and Asherah with lush vegetation due to the
headland encouraging rainfall. It was also the site of a broken down altar of the Lord (30).
(Message of Kings, 172)
Yahweh’s altar had been pulled down, and Baal was celebrated there in His place.
It was a good place to decide who should be worshiped. Elijah was going to be playing a “road
game” since Baal worship was being practiced there. Elijah offered to meet the prophets on their
turf. In so doing he wanted there to be no doubt who the real God was. He was not going to be
accused of rigging the contest by having people meet on his turf. In the other corner Ahab surely
liked the odds. He had 850 prophets playing at home. Those who follow sports know the home
team always has the upper hand. I just watched game seven of the 2014 NBA playoffs between
the Heat and the Pacers. Since the game was at Miami, the odds were with them. They have great
home-court fans, and they showed up with excitement, rallying the Heat to an impressive
victory. How would Elijah, the roughneck prophet, do against an army of prophets at their place?
Elijah and the People: The Purpose of the Showdown
1 Kings 18:20-25
The meeting at Mount Carmel wasn’t a circus. The purpose wasn’t to entertain but to demand a
choice between Yahweh and Baal. Elijah’s desire is expressed later in his prayer: “So that this
people will know that You, Yahweh, are God” (v. 37). Before we read of this prayer, we see him
explaining this purpose in verses 21-24.
Ahab summons all the people to Mount Carmel, where Elijah meets everyone. We can only
imagine the scene, but I can picture the rugged Elijah standing there, atop the limestone
mountain overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, with his beard and robe waving in the
wind. Israel was there in attendance as well, filled with anticipation and curiosity. There were
450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, arrayed in their cultic attire, ready to perform
their rituals, salivating at the opportunity to defeat Elijah. Ahab surely rolled up to the scene in
style, with an entourage in their chariots, arriving to take their special seats.
Elijah addresses the people atop the mount, saying, “How long will you hesitate between two
opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him” (v. 21). Elijah’s message is
plain and simple. You cannot worship Yahweh and Baal or Yahweh and Asherah. This isn’t an
academic matter detached from real life. He basically says, “Theology leads to discipleship.
Commitments have consequences” (Davis, 1 Kings, 233). He calls the people actually to follow
God, not merely assent to an idea or discuss a topic.
Elijah throws down the gauntlet like Moses, who had passionately addressed the golden-calf-
worshiping Israelites: “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me” (Exod 32:26); and like
Joshua, who had said, “Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River
and in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. . . . choose for yourselves today the one you will worship”
(Josh 24:14-15). Elijah tells them to get off the fence. Jesus said something similar: “No one can
be a slave of two masters” (Matt 6:24). If you are still on the fence, you are saying you aren’t
following Him. Jesus said that if we aren’t for Him, then we are against Him (Matt 12:30).
“But the people didn’t answer him a word” (v. 21). Not a word! Why? Was it because they were
shocked by his message? Surely not. Surely they had heard that Elijah only worshiped Yahweh
and rejected all idols. Why silence? Silence is the easiest way to be noncommittal. When I
confront my kids over an issue, their default response is stone-faced silence. They try to find a
neutral zone. The Israelites couldn’t respond because they weren’t committed to Yahweh alone.
They knew of Yahweh and the Red Sea and the law, but their functional trust had been in Baal,
the storm god. Elijah urges them to make a decision. A real decision to follow the living God
will lead to people boldly confessing their faith in Him.
In many ways the multitude reflects the postmodern times in which we live. For example,
uncertainty is held up as a virtue. One of my unbelieving neighbors recently told a seminary
student friend of mine, “My job is to try to get people to question everything.” I heard of one
schoolteacher who said her agenda is to “lead the students into the wonders of uncertainty.”
However, the faith of God’s people is expressed in confidence. The psalmist says, “The Lord is
my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge” (18:2). That
doesn’t sound like uncertainty. There is only one rock, only one God, who alone provides
security and comfort.
Others in our culture want to worship on a Sunday, but when it comes to business, politics, or
international conflict, they’re tempted to defer to conventional wisdom and what’s in keeping
with the times. Some believe economics and God, or politics and God, should remain separate.
Elijah challenged his generation who believed the same thing. They acknowledged Yahweh but
believed following Baal was a more practical way for farmers and merchants to live. However, if
God is God, then we must submit to Him and surrender every area of our lives to His lordship.
Israel was “hesitating” or “limping” or “wavering” between Baal and Yahweh (v. 21). Ryken
says they were like Little League baseball players, who “step in the bucket” when they’re afraid
of the ball (1 Kings, 483). I see this vividly as a coach for the “Coaches Pitch League.” A lot of
my kids bail out. They have one foot going to the dugout while part of
their body tries to stay in the batter’s box to hit the ball. Bucket steppers waver between two
opinions just like the people in verse 21. They partially want to serve Yahweh, but they also
want to embrace false gods. Elijah, however, will not allow it because Elijah’s God is the
exclusive God who will not share His glory with another.
Elijah breaks the silence in verses 22-24, explaining the rules of the contest and basically giving
every advantage to the home team. He reminded everyone that he was greatly outnumbered. He
then displayed good sportsmanship by letting the prophets of Baal choose first. They got first
pick of the bulls to put on the wood for the sacrifice. Not only does he let them choose first, but
Elijah also lets the prophets of Baal go first. He says, “Then you call on the name of your god,
and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God” (v. 24).
Further, the entire contest played into Baal’s strength. Baal was supposedly the god of the sun, so
fire should be no problem. He was also the god of the storm, pictured in ancient paintings with a
thunderbolt as his arrow (cf. 2 Sam 22:15; Pss 18:14; 77:17; 144:6; Hab 3:11). Surely he can
burn up some wood and a bull on top of the hill. The people finally speak: “That sounds good”
(v. 24). “Bring it on,” they say. “We like this.”
Thus, the contest was really about whose God could answer prayer. The God who answered was
the real God. That was the purpose of the showdown. Though the story is spectacular and
miraculous, the application is common and simple. The God of the Bible hears and answers
prayer. We have a relationship with a God, by grace through faith in Christ, who invites us to
call on Him and promises to answer. While demonic powers are present and people may feel
something in a false cult or religion, it doesn’t mean their god hears prayer like our God. No, the
test is the same. The only God who answers prayer is the God of the Bible, and He is the true and
living God.
Elijah and the Prophets: The Prayer-Answering Champion of the Showdown
1 Kings 18:26-40
Who is the real God: Baal or Yahweh? The people are about to find out. The prophets of Baal go
first, no doubt in dramatic attire and with cultic liturgical practices. There is a stark contrast
between how they try to call on Baal and how Elijah calls on Yahweh. We will look at three
parts of the prophets’ attempt to get “the storm god” to throw a lightning bolt their way to burn
up their bull. Then we will see how Elijah approaches God. The story as a whole shows us the
emptiness of false religion and the power of the living God.
The Emptiness of False Religion (vv. 26-29)
First, they called on Baal, but no one answered. They cried out, but the writer emphasizes the
emptiness of their petition. He says, “There was no sound; no one answered” (v. 26). He says it
again emphatically in verse 29: “There was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.”
The lack of response from Baal illustrates the truth of the psalmist’s statement:
The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. (Ps 135:15-17)
It reminds me of the cell phone commercial, “Can you hear me now?” In this case they never had
a connection in the first place. Baal was not on the line because he doesn’t exist! They were like
kids playing with a banana pretending it’s a phone. Folly.
Not only did they call on Baal to no avail, but also they cried out from “morning until noon” (v.
26). Let us be reminded that a long worship service doesn’t necessarily imply a powerful
worship service. These prophets went on for hours but were wasting their breath and their time.
The same is true for prayer. A long prayer doesn’t mean a better prayer, especially if you are
praying to the wrong god! You can pray nine times a day facing any direction you want, be
dressed with religious garb, and have incense and candles and more, but if you aren’t praying to
the God of Elijah, you are engaging in spiritual futility.
Second, they danced, but they were only burning calories. The writer says, “They danced,
hobbling around the altar they had made” (v. 26). While dancing and celebration are fitting in
response to the grace of Jesus, the type of cultic ritual going on here is once again empty.
Leaping around this altar may have provided an entertaining show, but it accomplished nothing
spiritually.
Elijah responds to their lengthy prayers and ritual dances with some holy sarcasm. He mocks
them in order to draw attention to the folly of following Baal. He wants everyone to know that
Yahweh has no rivals. So he says, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over;
maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake
up!” (v. 27). In pagan mythology gods actually performed many human activities, so Elijah uses
such silliness to show the vanity of their religion. He says, maybe your “god” had to wander to
the restroom! Maybe he went on a journey. Elijah was actually referring to common beliefs.
Some believed Baal made journeys, went to sleep, and performed other human activities,
including dying. One ancient document says his sister could not find him one day because he had
gone hunting (Davis, 1 Kings, 236)! The prophetic sarcasm is meant to expose the uselessness of
Baal worship.
Elijah’s sarcasm draws attention to the opposite of these remarks. Yahweh “is God.” Yahweh
never sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). He needs no air or food, and He is never “away.” God’s people can
always reach their Father. Elijah exposes Baal’s impotence by allowing them to go first and
attempt to get an answer from Baal. Soon, Elijah will display the omnipotence of Yahweh.
Third, they cut themselves and raved, but their frenzy produced no fire. The prophets “cut
themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them” (v.
28). Then he adds, “They kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice” (v. 29).
House states, “Baalists cut themselves and practice frenzied prophesying, not unlike self-
hypnosis” (1, 2 Kings, 220).
Here’s an illustration of some common activities in false religions. Some religions engage in
activities that bring bodily harm. They may slap themselves with whips while walking through
the streets, cut their flesh during a ritual, or abstain from certain pleasures, adopting an ascetic
lifestyle. All of these actions are intended to get their god’s attention and rid themselves of guilt
and shame. It was useless for these worshipers, and it’s still useless. Masochism has no place in
Christian worship.
While many Americans are more civil than this, the thought is present. People still try to perform
religious activities to merit God’s approval and blessing. They want to do something to absolve
the guilt. Praise God, we don’t have to cut ourselves, beat ourselves, or deny ourselves food and
drink and marriage in order to get God’s attention. Blood has already been spilled: Jesus’ blood.
His blood and His activity alone allow us to come into God’s presence. By His work, not our
work, we’re able to commune with God and be free from condemnation. That news should make
you dance and sing and pray!
Regarding “raving,” the Baalists remind us that we don’t need to “check our brains at the door”
in worship. While emotion definitely is important in worship, mindless emotionalism isn’t part
of true Christian worship. We bring our minds with us when we become Christians. True
worship involves mind and heart, “light and heat.” We must respond to God’s revealed truth in
worship. We must be earnest, but we don’t need to be frantic, and we must not substitute actions
for spiritual life.
Clearly in these four short verses we see the emptiness of false religion. In contrast to this
emptiness, in the verses that follow we will see the power of the living God.
The Power of the Living God (vv. 30-46)
In this section we find Elijah, “a man like us,” teaching us about our “prayer-answering God.”
Elijah’s preparation (vv. 30-35). Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people to him. He then
repairs the altar, which actually signified Israel’s spiritual condition (vv. 30-32). He built the
altar properly (cf. Exod 20:25; Lev 1:6-8) with 12 stones. He was reminding them of the faith of
their fathers and saying he isn’t proposing something new. Elijah was calling them to return in
repentance to the covenant God. He then prepared the altar with the wood and the bull.
Then Elijah shocks everyone. Three times he has them pour four jars of water on the offering and
on the wood. It was enough water that it “ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with
water” (v. 35). Elijah wants everyone to know for sure that what is about to happen can only be
explained by the power of God. He wants them to know that this handicap is no problem to the
living God.
Elijah’s petition (vv. 36-37). Elijah prays that God would burn the wet wood and the sacrifice. In
contrast to the lengthy prayers of Baal’s prophets, consider how short Elijah’s prayer is! Take out
your watch, and time it. Ready? Here it is:
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and
I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer
me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their
hearts back.
It takes less than 30 seconds! The prophets of Baal had ranted and raved from morning to noon.
Here is another lesson from the “mighty master of the art of prayer.” Prayer isn’t about the
length, volume, or eloquence. It’s about praying to the right God with sincerity.
Later the greater Prophet-Mediator, Jesus, teaches us the same truth about prayer:
When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their
many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask
Him. (Matt 6:7-8)
Jesus goes on to describe in the model prayer how one might pray God-centered, comprehensive
prayers to the Father.
The differences in Elijah’s prayer and those of the false prophets are obvious. “Baal’s boys” had
home-field advantage, but that didn’t matter, for God isn’t bound to a place. They prayed longer
prayers, but that was of no consequence either. God responded instead to a 30-second, heartfelt
prayer. They “worked themselves into a feverish pitch in a cacophony of noise and a trail of
blood” (House, 1, 2 Kings, 237), but God was not impressed by this bedlam. You cannot
manipulate God with gimmicks. He was drawn instead to the humble, heartfelt prayer of Elijah.
Don’t buy into the practices of Baal’s boys. Believe that God really does hear the prayers of His
children when they pray in sincere faith.
Let me summarize some application points from Elijah’s prayer. First, have a relationship with
the living God. Elijah prays to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel/Jacob. God had a relationship with these individuals. He called Abraham “God’s friend”
(Jas 2:23). We can call on God and even call him “Father” (Mark 14:36) if we know Him by
grace through faith in Christ. If you have a relationship with the Father, you can be sure He hears
you.
Second, seek the Glory of God. Elijah’s prayer is blatantly God centered. He wants people to
recognize the glory of God. Pray like this! Jesus taught us this type of praying in the model
prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). Before He taught us to pray for
things like bread, holiness, and forgiveness, He taught us to long for God’s name to be glorified
and God’s kingdom to cover the earth. Are you praying for God’s glory to be made known?
Third, pray for rebels to turn to God. Elijah prayed that God would turn the people’s hearts back
to the living God. He prayed that they would know truth (that “I am Your servant, and that at
Your word I have done all these things,” v. 36), and respond to it with repentance and faith. Are
you praying for conversions? C. S. Lewis said,
I have two lists of names in my prayers, those for whose conversions I pray and those for whose
conversions I give thanks. The little trickle of transferences from List A to List B is a great
comfort. (Collected Letters, 2:948, quoted in Ryken, 1 Kings 513)
Let us pray for God to turn idol worshipers into Christ worshipers (1 Thess 1:9-10).
Elijah’s brief, God-centered prayer stands in great contrast to the empty prayers of Baal’s boys.
Let us follow Elijah’s example.
God’s power and grace (vv. 38-40). In verse 38 we read of how God answered Elijah’s prayer:
“Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, First, they
called on Baal, but no one answered. They cried out, but the writer emphasizes the emptiness of
their petition. He says, “There was no sound; no one answered” (v. 26). He says it again
emphatically in verse 29: “There was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.” The
lack of response from Baal illustrates the truth of the psalmist’s statement:
The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. (Ps 135:15-17)
It reminds me of the cell phone commercial, “Can you hear me now?” In this case they never had
a connection in the first place. Baal was not on the line because he doesn’t exist! They were like
kids playing with a banana pretending it’s a phone. Folly.
Not only did they call on Baal to no avail, but also they cried out from “morning until noon” (v.
26). Let us be reminded that a long worship service doesn’t necessarily imply a powerful
worship service. These prophets went on for hours but were wasting their breath and their time.
The same is true for prayer. A long prayer doesn’t mean a better prayer, especially if you are
praying to the wrong god! You can pray nine times a day facing any direction you want, be
dressed with religious garb, and have incense and candles and more, but if you aren’t praying to
the God of Elijah, you are engaging in spiritual futility.
Second, they danced, but they were only burning calories. The writer says, “They danced,
hobbling around the altar they had made” (v. 26). While dancing and celebration are fitting in
response to the grace of Jesus, the type of cultic ritual going on here is once again empty.
Leaping around this altar may have provided an entertaining show, but it accomplished nothing
spiritually.
Elijah responds to their lengthy prayers and ritual dances with some holy sarcasm. He mocks
them in order to draw attention to the folly of following Baal. He wants everyone to know that
Yahweh has no rivals. So he says, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over;
maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake
up!” (v. 27). In pagan mythology gods actually performed many human activities, so Elijah uses
such silliness to show the vanity of their religion. He says, maybe your “god” had to wander to
the restroom! Maybe he went on a journey. Elijah was actually referring to common beliefs.
Some believed Baal made journeys, went to sleep, and performed other human activities,
including dying. One ancient document says his sister could not find him one day because he had
gone hunting (Davis, 1 Kings, 236)! The prophetic sarcasm is meant to expose the uselessness of
Baal worship.
Elijah’s sarcasm draws attention to the opposite of these remarks. Yahweh “is God.” Yahweh
never sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). He needs no air or food, and He is never “away.” God’s people can
always reach their Father. Elijah exposes Baal’s impotence by allowing them to go first and
attempt to get an answer from Baal. Soon, Elijah will display the omnipotence of Yahweh.
Third, they cut themselves and raved, but their frenzy produced no fire. The prophets “cut
themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them” (v.
28). Then he adds, “They kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice” (v. 29).
House states, “Baalists cut themselves and practice frenzied prophesying, not unlike self-
hypnosis” (1, 2 Kings, 220).
Here’s an illustration of some common activities in false religions. Some religions engage in
activities that bring bodily harm. They may slap themselves with whips while walking through
the streets, cut their flesh during a ritual, or abstain from certain pleasures, adopting an ascetic
lifestyle. All of these actions are intended to get their god’s attention and rid themselves of guilt
and shame. It was useless for these worshipers, and it’s still useless. Masochism has no place in
Christian worship.
While many Americans are more civil than this, the thought is present. People still try to perform
religious activities to merit God’s approval and blessing. They want to do something to absolve
the guilt. Praise God, we don’t have to cut ourselves, beat ourselves, or deny ourselves food and
drink and marriage in order to get God’s attention. Blood has already been spilled: Jesus’ blood.
His blood and His activity alone allow us to come into God’s presence. By His work, not our
work, we’re able to commune with God and be free from condemnation. That news should make
you dance and sing and pray!
Regarding “raving,” the Baalists remind us that we don’t need to “check our brains at the door”
in worship. While emotion definitely is important in worship, mindless emotionalism isn’t part
of true Christian worship. We bring our minds with us when we become Christians. True
worship involves mind and heart, “light and heat.” We must respond to God’s revealed truth in
worship. We must be earnest, but we don’t need to be frantic, and we must not substitute actions
for spiritual life.
Clearly in these four short verses we see the emptiness of false religion. In contrast to this
emptiness, in the verses that follow we will see the power of the living God.
The Power of the Living God (vv. 30-46)
In this section we find Elijah, “a man like us,” teaching us about our “prayer-answering God.”
Elijah’s preparation (vv. 30-35). Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people to him. He then
repairs the altar, which actually signified Israel’s spiritual condition (vv. 30-32). He built the
altar properly (cf. Exod 20:25; Lev 1:6-8) with 12 stones. He was reminding them of the faith of
their fathers and saying he isn’t proposing something new. Elijah was calling them to return in
repentance to the covenant God. He then prepared the altar with the wood and the bull.
Then Elijah shocks everyone. Three times he has them pour four jars of water on the offering and
on the wood. It was enough water that it “ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with
water” (v. 35). Elijah wants everyone to know for sure that what is about to happen can only be
explained by the power of God. He wants them to know that this handicap is no problem to the
living God.
Elijah’s petition (vv. 36-37). Elijah prays that God would burn the wet wood and the sacrifice. In
contrast to the lengthy prayers of Baal’s prophets, consider how short Elijah’s prayer is! Take out
your watch, and time it. Ready? Here it is:
Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and
I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer
me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their
hearts back.
It takes less than 30 seconds! The prophets of Baal had ranted and raved from morning to noon.
Here is another lesson from the “mighty master of the art of prayer.” Prayer isn’t about the
length, volume, or eloquence. It’s about praying to the right God with sincerity.
Later the greater Prophet-Mediator, Jesus, teaches us the same truth about prayer:
When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their
many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask
Him. (Matt 6:7-8)
Jesus goes on to describe in the model prayer how one might pray God-centered, comprehensive
prayers to the Father.
The differences in Elijah’s prayer and those of the false prophets are obvious. “Baal’s boys” had
home-field advantage, but that didn’t matter, for God isn’t bound to a place. They prayed longer
prayers, but that was of no consequence either. God responded instead to a 30-second, heartfelt
prayer. They “worked themselves into a feverish pitch in a cacophony of noise and a trail of
blood” (House, 1, 2 Kings, 237), but God was not impressed by this bedlam. You cannot
manipulate God with gimmicks. He was drawn instead to the humble, heartfelt prayer of Elijah.
Don’t buy into the practices of Baal’s boys. Believe that God really does hear the prayers of His
children when they pray in sincere faith.
Let me summarize some application points from Elijah’s prayer. First, have a relationship with
the living God. Elijah prays to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel/Jacob. God had a relationship with these individuals. He called Abraham “God’s friend”
(Jas 2:23). We can call on God and even call him “Father” (Mark 14:36) if we know Him by
grace through faith in Christ. If you have a relationship with the Father, you can be sure He hears
you.
Second, seek the Glory of God. Elijah’s prayer is blatantly God centered. He wants people to
recognize the glory of God. Pray like this! Jesus taught us this type of praying in the model
prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). Before He taught us to pray for
things like bread, holiness, and forgiveness, He taught us to long for God’s name to be glorified
and God’s kingdom to cover the earth. Are you praying for God’s glory to be made known?
Third, pray for rebels to turn to God. Elijah prayed that God would turn the people’s hearts back
to the living God. He prayed that they would know truth (that “I am Your servant, and that at
Your word I have done all these things,” v. 36), and respond to it with repentance and faith. Are
you praying for conversions? C. S. Lewis said,
I have two lists of names in my prayers, those for whose conversions I pray and those for whose
conversions I give thanks. The little trickle of transferences from List A to List B is a great
comfort. (Collected Letters, 2:948, quoted in Ryken, 1 Kings 513)
Let us pray for God to turn idol worshipers into Christ worshipers (1 Thess 1:9-10).
Elijah’s brief, God-centered prayer stands in great contrast to the empty prayers of Baal’s boys.
Let us follow Elijah’s example.
God’s power and grace (vv. 38-40). In verse 38 we read of how God answered Elijah’s prayer:
“Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones,
and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (v. 38). The fire fell. Despite the soggy
wood, God consumed everything. It was no problem for the God who is “a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24;
Heb 12:29). God can light wet wood!
Previously in Israel’s history, God sent fire at the inauguration of the tabernacle worship (Lev
9:24). It signified Yahweh’s acceptance of the sacrificial system. Later, David sacrificed as
ordered by God at Ornan’s threshing floor, and Yahweh answered with fire, signifying His
acceptance of the offering (1 Chr 21:26). David then said that this particular spot would be the
place for the future temple (1 Chr 22:1). Finally, when Solomon completed and dedicated the
temple, fire again fell, showing God’s acceptance of their worship.
Here in our story, the fire from heaven is a sure sign that God accepted Elijah’s sacrifice. God
proved to everyone that He alone answers prayer, and He must be approached in a particular
way. Yahweh provided a way for the people to approach Him, but the people abandoned “the old
rugged altar” (Davis, 1 Kings, 240). Therefore, this story shows us not only God’s power in
answering prayer but also God’s grace for inviting us to approach Him through blood. Praise
God, today we get to approach Him through a better means, through the “old rugged cross,” by
the perfect sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. God reconciles sinful rebels to
Himself, forgives their sin, and invites them to call on Him by the blood of Jesus. Let’s never
stop thanking God for the cross.
In verse 39 we read of the proper response to God’s power and grace: “When all the people saw
it, they fell facedown and said, ‘Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!’” True worship isn’t
about doing religious aerobics and slicing an artery; it looks more like this: prostration. The
people bow before this awesome God, confessing their belief in Him. To be clear, many postures
are appropriate for worship, but this is certainly an appropriate posture for those in awe of God.
Those who limp between two opinions never fall on their knees in humble adoration of Yahweh.
Uncertainty will never lead you to deep intimacy. Divided affections will never lead you into
devoted worship to God. Who is God? If Yahweh is God, then worship Him.
Based on the next action, it seems that Israel finally decided they would follow Yahweh. Their
action seems severe to some readers. Then Elijah ordered them,
“Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and
Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there. (v. 40)
Some think Elijah acted wrongly here. Was this an act of vicious revenge? No. The reason we
don’t understand it is because we forget that Israel was a theocracy. Elijah was calling
the people to act in accordance with Deuteronomy 13:12-15. God said that if someone led Israel
into idolatry, then that person should be put to death with the sword. Don’t forget how seriously
God took idolatry. It was the great danger to Israel. God was preserving Israel, through whom
God would ultimately bring forth the Messiah. When you understand this, then you can see how
this judgment on the false prophets was actually an act of God’s love for the world that shows us
both the severity and grace of God. Because God wouldn’t allow idolatry to persist, Messiah
came, and we who are believers will be raised from the dead.
The church today is not a theocracy, and God doesn’t call us to kill others who worship false
gods. Instead, we are called to put to death idolatry in our own hearts. Don’t waver between two
opinions! “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Paul says (Rom 8:13). Don’t allow functional
saviors to rule your heart—money, success, pleasure, peer approval, beauty, politics, control, or
sex. These counterfeit gods cannot satisfy your heart, and they cannot answer prayer. Let your
heart say, “Yahweh, He is God!” in humble, heartfelt adoration, and live your life out of the
overflow of that confession.
True and vibrant worship is possible because there was another showdown on another hillside.
Jesus Christ crushed the enemies—Satan, sin, and death—through His cross and resurrection. He
was the ultimate Prophet, Mediator, and Victor, showing us once and for all who the real God is.
We marvel at Elijah and learn from his prayer and faith, but we realize that what save us and
sustain us are the power and grace of Jesus. One greater than Elijah has come.
God’s provision and grace (vv. 41-46). Following the fire, God graciously provides the rain.
Elijah tells Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” This command to
go up and eat is probably an exhortation to celebrate the passing of the drought. Elijah
confidently expects the rain to fall. Then Ahab actually does something positive when he listens
to Elijah and “went to eat and drink.”
Prior to reading of the ensuing rain, we find Elijah praying again. He gets alone on the mountain
and bows down. What was Elijah doing on his knees? The posture suggests intense prayer.
Remember when James said Elijah prayed that first it would not rain, and then he prayed that it
would rain (Jas 5:17-18). Here we seem to find the second part of that verse: Elijah praying for
God to end the drought with rain. We’re reminded that Elijah wasn’t a superhero or a magician;
he was a helpless man like us, who desperately sought the living God.
Elijah prayed in line with the living God’s promises, for God promised to send rain on the earth
(see the specific promise in 18:1 and a general promise in 8:35-36). Elijah realized that God’s
promises are invitations to prayer (see the previous section). Elijah could hear the rain: “Elijah
said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm’” (v. 41), but he didn’t
stop praying until the promise was fulfilled.
God still works through the prayers of His people. And He invites us to pray according to His
Word, for He delights to answer such prayers (John 15:7). However, God doesn’t always act
immediately when we pray. Elijah’s prayer for fire was answered immediately, but his prayer for
rain required persistent prayer. Elijah told his servant to go look for the rain seven times, until a
cloud was visible. Then the heavens grew black, and a “downpour” came on the earth. Ahab
went down to Jezreel as Elijah had ordered, which seemed like a step in the right direction for
this wicked king.
God sends the fire, bringing people to faith in Him, and now God sends the rain, providing food
and drink. God alone stands as Creator and Redeemer. Stop and thank Him for His amazing
provisions of grace.
Verse 46 reminds us of the secret to Elijah’s ministry: “The power of the Lord was on Elijah.”
This phrase also describes God’s rescuing Israel from the clutches of Egypt (Deut 4:34; 5:15; Ps
136:12) and Ezekiel’s being transported from place to place (Ezek 3:22; 33:22; 37:1). While
recognizing that there are differences between us and these prophets, my heart still longs for
God’s hand on my life. We need His grace and favor as we labor!
Elijah was a man of great passion, power, and faith-filled prayer, but verse 46 also illustrates his
humility. Elijah “tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of
Jezreel.” What should we make of this verse? It seems strange to the modern reader, though we
find it interesting that Elijah was the Vince Coleman of the prophets (super fast)! He runs some
17 miles to Jezreel out in front of Ahab’s chariot. Why? Ralph Davis puts it this way:
We should consider Elijah and Ahab here primarily in terms of their respective offices, i.e., as
prophet and king. . . . The fact that Elijah runs before Ahab suggests that Yahweh’s prophet may
be a servant rather than an opponent to the king. The kings and the prophet could work together
in ongoing reform. . . . The king could have the prophet as his willing servant instead of his
glowering adversary. (1 Kings, 250)
Ryken agrees, saying that Elijah ran ahead of the king to “identify himself as one of Ahab’s
servants . . . one of the king’s footmen, or heralds” (1 Kings, 518). Such a practice was
common. Near Eastern kings had heralds go before them to announce their approach (Esth 6:11;
2 Sam 15:1; 1 Kgs 1:5). Elijah’s joining of the royal escort demonstrates remarkable humility.
He submitted to the authority of the king by going before him.
But such an act of humility on Elijah’s part was also an invitation to king Ahab. Would Ahab
submit to God’s word? Would he repent and lead the nation back to repentance? It seems Elijah
thought the king and the people were turning their hearts back (v. 37), but his hopes were soon
crushed (see ch. 19). Nevertheless, one stands amazed at God’s grace to Ahab. God still hasn’t
destroyed him but has instead given him a gospel opportunity. Davis says, “Ahab has an offer of
grace in his hand, but his feet will soon stand in the devil’s bedroom” (1 Kings, 252).
A Mighty Master of the Art of Prayer
Before concluding, let’s collect some application from this prayer warrior, Elijah. We have
already noted some from his “fire prayer.” We need to (1) have a relationship with the living
God, (2) seek the glory of God, and (3) pray for rebels to turn to God. Now, in verses 41-46, we
may add the need to (4) get alone with God, (5) pray with the promises of God, and (6) keep on
asking to receive from God.
Elijah gets alone on Mount Carmel with no one except his servant. When he prayed for the fire
to fall, he prayed in the presence of many others, but here Elijah illustrates for us Jesus’ words:
“When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:6). Do you have a place
where you can get alone with the Father and cry out to him?
His specific prayer for rain once again is tied to the promise of God. Fill your prayers with
Scripture as you ask God to meet specific needs.
Finally, he persists in prayer until the rain falls, reminding us of Jesus’ words, “Keep asking”
(Matt 7:7-10). Pray persistently! Paul says to pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17). Don’t stop praying
for your lost friend or family member. Don’t stop praying for the fire of revival to fall on your
city. Don’t stop praying for God to grant you wisdom, boldness, and faith. Sometimes God
answers immediately, but often we must persist in prayer until we see the clouds forming.
How this chapter should encourage our souls! God answers prayer! We see the living God
responding to the prayers of His people throughout the Bible until the very end. In Revelation we
see a final example of this “promise-prayer” dynamic. Jesus makes this
promise: “Yes, I am coming quickly.” And then John writes the following prayer based on that
promise: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20; emphasis added).
John then concludes with a final note, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen”
(Rev 22:21). Yes! May the One greater than Elijah come quickly, and may He give us grace to
live faithfully until we see this promise fulfilled.
Reflect and Discuss
1. Obadiah protected God’s prophets during times of persecution. How might God’s people
protect one another today?
2. How can God’s people honor those who preach God’s Word?
3. How do people today despise those who preach God’s Word?
4. What are some of the Baals of your culture?
5. Elijah admonishes the people to choose between Baal and Yahweh and then “follow Him.” What
can this logic teach us about discipleship?
6. In what ways is Elijah bold before the prophets of Baal?
7. Why did Elijah command so much water to be poured on the altar?
8. In what ways are you tempted to doubt God’s faithfulness in your life?
9. Does God answer prayers today like He did Elijah’s prayers?
10. Is it significant that God defeated the “storm god,” then sent rain immediately afterward? Why
or why not?
God’s Grace for a Depressed Servant
1 Kings 19:1-21
Main Idea: Following the events at Mount Carmel, Elijah gets extremely discouraged, but God
graciously renews His servant.
I. Elijah’s Spiritual Depression (19:1-4)
A. The course
B. The causes
II. God’s Gracious Response (19:5-21)
A. Bread in the wilderness (vv. 5-8)
B. A voice on the mountain (vv. 9-13a)
C. A vision for the future (vv. 13b-21)
I’m going to Disney World!” Phil Simms, the quarterback of the Super Bowl champions, the
New York Giants, first uttered this advertising phrase in 1987. Other famous athletes (and some
winners of nonsporting events) have appeared on commercials echoing Simms. The phrase is so
popular that you can hear Little League coaches jokingly say after a win, “We’re going to Disney
World!” Champions normally celebrate but normally not at Disney World, which makes this
expression funny and memorable. We’re used to seeing champagne poured on heads in the
locker room, parades in the city, and much more.
Elijah just won the “Super Bowl” at Carmel. He would make a great candidate for a Disney
World commercial! But we don’t see him going to Disney World, having a parade, or riding off
into the sunset in triumph.
Chapter 19 doesn’t begin the way we expect at all. We expect to see Israel turning their hearts
back to God (18:37). After all, in response to God’s burning up the soggy altar, they fell on their
faces and confessed, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” (18:39). But do we see national
revival? Nope. We hope to find wicked King Ahab returning to the palace to remove Jezebel for
her idolatrous influence in the land. After all, we left him in chapter 18 obeying Elijah’s word
(vv. 42,45). But is that what Ahab does? No, he doesn’t. His repentance was false, and his spine
was like a jellyfish. He runs back and tattles on Elijah to the Baal-promoting Phoenician queen.
We wonder if Jezebel will surrender her false theology and repent. Instead, she seeks to put
Elijah to death. We at least expect to find “Mr. My God is Yahweh” standing tall in the midst of
this rebellion. After all, “the power of the Lord was on Elijah” (18:46). But is that what happens?
No, it doesn’t. We find our brother Elijah depressed, throwing a pity party, running from Jezebel,
and asking God to take his life.
We have read of Elijah’s mountaintop experience at Mount Carmel, but now we see Elijah down
in the valley under a broom tree. He previously ministered to others but now is focused on
himself. Elijah confronted Ahab and the false prophets courageously, but here we find him
running like a coward from a lady. Previously, Elijah moved at God’s word, but now we see him
fleeing apart from God’s word. In the previous chapters we see him praying for rain and fire, but
now we find him praying for God to take his life.
Elijah’s faith and prayer life have challenged us, but now Elijah’s spiritual collapse serves as a
warning and provides wise counsel.
Elijah was a man like us (Jas 5:17), which means he experienced the same temptations and
struggles we face, including spiritual discouragement and despair. I have struggled with what to
call his condition here. Alistair Begg’s exposition is called “Down in the Valley,” Charles
Spurgeon titled his exposition “Faintness and Refreshing,” Sinclair Ferguson’s exposition is
titled “Experiencing Spiritual Depression,” and Steve Brown also called this condition “Spiritual
Depression” (each sermon found online). Paul House calls Elijah a “prophet drained of strength”
in a “pit of fear and depression” (1, 2 Kings, 224). Faucett and Brown call this “an extraordinary
depression of mind” (Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Logos Software). Provan says
Elijah is a man who “has had enough” (1 and 2 Kings, 144). Hughes and Laney call it
“discouragement and deep despair” (Tyndale, 136). Phil Ryken says Elijah “has descended into
the blackness of spiritual despair” (1 Kings, 516). Bimson says, “In the depths of depression and
despair, he prayed that he might die” (“1 and 2 Kings,” 360). “Spiritual depression” seems to be
a good description of Elijah’s condition.
My hero, Spurgeon, knew of spiritual depression. In his classic book, Lectures to My Students,
he has a chapter titled “The Minister’s Fainting Fits,” in which he addresses this matter:
Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals
be cast down. The strong aren’t always so vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not
always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. I know by most painful experience what
deep depression in spirit means. (Lectures, 154)
Others in church history have suffered periods of discouragement and despair. D. Martyn Lloyd-
Jones, Martin Luther, William Cowper, Mother Theresa, Henry Nouwen, Martin Luther King Jr.,
and many others experienced what some call “The Dark Night of the Soul.”
After Hurricane Katrina, I myself suffered, trying to deal with my despair with four scoops of
Moose Tracks ice cream every night! Of course, many pastors feel despair every Monday! That’s
why many counsel pastors to mow their yard or steam clean their carpet on Monday, for at least
they will have some sense of accomplishment after feeling like a failure from the previous day.
I heard Mark Driscoll use the phrase “Bread Truck Mondays” to describe the Monday blues. He
reported that sometimes he dreams on Mondays about what he could do other than pastor, like
driving a bread truck. He said he imagines the bliss of only being responsible for bread, not
people. Bread doesn’t commit adultery, lie, have unpredictable giving patterns, or gossip.
Driscoll liked the idea of driving around listening to sports talk radio instead of enduring the
mental strain that goes along with pastoring. I’ve never forgotten that illustration because I have
had my own Bread Truck Mondays.
So we can understand a person’s struggle in this area. We shouldn’t be surprised by spiritual
depression, but we shouldn’t want to remain there either. Why? Lloyd-Jones says, “It is very sad
that anyone should remain in such a condition . . . and such people are very poor representatives
of the Christian faith” (Spiritual Depression, 23). Yes! We need to learn from Elijah’s struggle so
we may avoid it or at least not become mired in it. And we need to consider this subject so that
we may present the gospel in a way that is compelling and makes Jesus look glorious. It’s hard to
communicate this way when we are downcast. It’s like we are saying, “My life stinks. Do you
want to be a Christian too?” We believe that a fruit of the Spirit is joy! When you read Acts, you
find a happy group of witnesses. Their joy was attractive and contagious.
Before moving on, let me qualify the matter. I don’t mean that we should go around smiling all
the time. There are many psalms of lament in the Bible. Not all brokenness is negative; indeed,
it’s often appropriate. We should grieve over our lost neighbors, injustice, poverty, and other
effects of this fallen world. Further, sometimes being down is a natural, physical experience.
Spurgeon said,
Certain bodily maladies, especially those with the digestive organs, the liver, and the spleen, are
the fruitful fountains of despondency. . . . As to mental maladies, is any man altogether sane?
Are we not all a little off balance? (Lectures, 155)
Indeed we are! Sometimes the reason many pastors are down on Monday is simply a matter of
adrenaline depletion. You only have so much, and you must rest and be restored. You cannot
keep stretching the rubber band, using adrenaline when you don’t need it, never taking a break.
Eventually the rubber band will break. You will inevitably pay for not resting.
However, sometimes we’re down for no good reason, and we must look away from ourselves to
the finished work of Jesus in order to be free from this downcast demeanor and to commend the
gospel to others. Derek Thomas puts it this way:
There are various kinds of depression, to be sure, and some are the result of complex physical
and psychological disorders. But there are times when we are spiritually depressed for no good
reason. There are times when the best thing to do with our feelings is to challenge them: “Why
are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall
again praise Him, my salvation and my God” (Ps 42:11). (“A Light in Dark Places”)
This passage reveals some of the causes of Elijah’s spiritual depression and how God tenderly
responded to him. My goal isn’t to address all of the complicated matters related to depression
but instead to attempt to talk about the spiritual dynamics associated with it (recognizing that we
are complex creatures, with the physical and spiritual always affecting each other). Olley
summarizes the overarching application well:
Depression has been known for years; “burn-out” is a recently named phenomenon. The
narrative is brief, but it provides encouragement to people experiencing such, and is an example
of God’s compassionate, understanding response. Throughout, Yahweh meets Elijah’s
depression and resignation with gentle and patient understanding and quiet revelation, and an
expression of trust in giving a task that is new. (Message, 181)
Let us find encouragement from this chapter by considering it under two headings: Elijah’s
spiritual depression and God’s restoring grace.
Elijah’s Spiritual Depression
1 Kings 19:1-4
Before we note the causes of Elijah’s despair, consider its course, that is, what actually happened
in the story. We can trace the course in five sections.
The Course
Elijah lost perspective. He lost sight of the fact that a short-term victory doesn’t mean the war is
over. He had been triumphant at Carmel, but he would be engaged in a battle until his life was
over. He had a relentless foe in Jezebel. She was not just a lady with an attitude. She had
tremendous resources at her disposal, and she was angry at the defeat. When this Baal-promoting
queen saw the rain, she was probably ready to attribute that to her “storm god.” However, Ahab
comes back to relay the news and tells her that not only did Yahweh send the rain but also Elijah
slew Baal’s prophets (17:1). A poor loser can be vicious. Jezebel is determined to take out Elijah.
For the believer the battle never ends. Yesterday’s victory doesn’t ensure today’s success. Every
day we must rely on God’s power to overcome our challenges. Without God’s strength Elijah
was a weak man. In the words of Jesus, “You can do nothing without Me” (John 15:5). We must
take the long view on the Christian life. Until you see Jesus, you are engaged in a war.
Elijah lost his commitment to follow God’s word. Elijah didn’t allow God’s word to direct his
path. After Jezebel’s threat, “Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he
came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there” (v. 3). In chapters 17–18,
“the word of the Lord came to Elijah,” and “he went” (17:2,5,8,10; 18:1-2). But now there is no
word from the Lord, and Elijah seemingly departs on his own. The “word of the Lord” doesn’t
appear again until verse 9. Elijah seems to put God’s word behind his back and lives as his own
master. He has lost his spiritual bearings and drifted from his routine of depending on God’s
word to determine his steps. He is AWOL.
We will face the same temptation. Will we order our lives by God’s authority, or will we do what
we want, when we want, how we want? When we get away from the simple discipline of
regularly reading and applying God’s Word, we will drift into ungodliness and spiritual
darkness. If you aren’t in God’s Word, the question isn’t whether you will drift away from God’s
will, but when, and how far will you wander?
Elijah lost his vision of the greatness of God. Elijah “became afraid” (v. 3). The word can be
translated “saw.” He saw and ran for his life. How could the mighty Elijah be afraid? He was
gripped by fear because he took his eyes off the greatness of God. We previously read of how
Elijah stood before Ahab declaring, “As the Lord God of Israel lives” (17:1). But here he drops
his elevated concept of God and panics.
Some argue that he didn’t leave out of fear of his own life but as a purposeful withdrawal as a
judgment on Israel and as an intentional journey to the mountain where Yahweh first made the
covenant with Israel. I find this hard to believe. I see a more human, frail picture of Elijah
running for his life. House says, “For whatever reason—fatigue, lack of faith, or a sense of
resignation at the prospect of never having peace—Elijah flees” (1, 2 Kings, 222). I think all
three conditions probably contributed to Elijah’s flight, but the purpose was not to allow
judgment to fall on Israel. His fleeing in chapter 17 appears to be a different experience from that
here in chapter 19. The first was positive, but this one is negative. I agree with Provan who
writes that Elijah runs “as far away from Jezebel as he can get.” He adds, “The journey south
was certainly not on God’s agenda” (1 and 2 Kings, 144).
We must maintain a high view of God as we journey through the challenges of this life. Even the
best of saints, like Elijah, can lose sight of who He is and what He can do.
He lost his fight. This results from his losing perspective, bearings, and vision. He fled. But
notice where he flees. He goes all the way to Beer-sheba! As you read through the Old
Testament, you will see the phrase “from Dan to Beer-sheba” representing the northern and
southern extremities of the promised land. Elijah heads to the deep South, abandons his servant,
and then goes “a day’s journey into the wilderness” (v. 4). When faced with the question of
“fight or flight,” Elijah had previously responded to conflict with “fight.” But now he runs away.
While we may not have a lady named Jezebel who wants to kill us, we’re engaged in a spiritual
battle. We must address those issues that are threatening the kingdom of God in our lives. When
we fail to tackle the most pressing spiritual issues before us, we discover that we are unable
address smaller matters well. You cannot work around your challenges for long. You have to
fight them.
Elijah lost his desire to live. We are stunned by the writer’s words: he “prayed that he might die.
He said, ‘I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers” (v. 4). Elijah
was not the first person to despair of life, and he was not the last. Moses told God, “Kill me right
now” (Num 11:15). Job wished that he would have never been born (Job 10:18-19). Jeremiah
cursed the day of his birth (Jer 20:14). Jonah asked God to take away his life because death was
better than life (Jonah 4:3). These men longed for death, but they didn’t actually take their lives.
Instead, God sustained and restored them. The good news for Elijah is that God brought him out
of it. We should consider it a good sign that we have this story. There was no eyewitness other
than Elijah who could have reported it. God brought him through it. And interestingly, he was
the one prophet who never died at all but was instead taken up into heaven (2 Kgs 2:11).
Have you ever said, “I’ve had enough, Lord”? If so, then you can identify with this struggling
saint. Whether you are tempted to leave your spouse, your job, or this life, there is hope in this
story. God deals with Elijah with amazing grace and patience.
The Causes
But what led to this course? How did Elijah despair of life itself? Surely there are numerous
factors leading to this situation. As noted, there were natural and spiritual factors, and these two
aren’t unrelated. Let’s consider them in four categories. Some are plainer in the text than the
others.
Elijah was drained. This is clear. Physically, he had been a man on the run for three years, living
by God’s miraculous provision of bread. When he sent Ahab to Carmel to eat and drink (18:41-
42), Elijah went to pray. Then he ran 17 miles ahead of Ahab to Jezreel. But he wasn’t done
running. The distance from the top of Mount Carmel to Beer-sheba is about 120 miles. It would
take a traveler about six days unless he ran part of the way. Then we read that he went another
day into the wilderness. Later he would travel all the way to Mount Horeb (v. 8). That all adds up
to about 300 miles! When we’re physically tired, we’re spiritually vulnerable as well.
Emotionally, he was also drained. He presumably had a letdown after his victory at Carmel. We
can relate to this. We are vulnerable after a victory. We need manna every day. We cannot live
on yesterday’s victories.
Sometimes God wants to humble us with trials to teach us to depend on Him. After describing
his great experiences, including being caught up into the third heaven, Paul says, “Therefore, so
that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to
torment me so I would not exalt myself” (2 Cor 12:7). Twice Paul says he was afflicted with this
irrevocable thorn in the flesh (v. 8) in order to humble him, and he goes on to say that it taught
him to rely on God’s sufficient grace and power (vv. 9-10). In other words, Paul couldn’t stay up
on the mountain continuously, and God in His infinite wisdom chose to humble him through
trials. When afflicted, we must follow Paul’s lead and not slip into depression but rather rely on
God’s grace and power.
Spiritually, Elijah was drained. He was the object of intense spiritual opposition. Surely, this
drained him. Evil opposition takes its toll on us, and we will be tempted to give in and not rely
on God’s strength.
Ministerially, he may have felt like he had nothing left to give. He was a worn-out servant. In his
book Leading on Empty, Wayne Cordeiro says, “Those whose vocation is all about giving out
are wearing out” (24). He tells the story of how he went for a run before a leadership conference
in California and later found himself on a curb weeping uncontrollably (ibid., 13). He asked,
“What in the world is happening to me?” He learned that he had been leading on empty.
Cordeiro writes, “The only way to finish strong will be to first replenish your system. If you
don’t, prepare for a crash” (ibid., 26).
I have learned that replenishing is a spiritual discipline. I was on a panel recently with some
other pastors. The question was asked, “What do you do to recover?” Two of the three said they
take Monday off. Another had a different answer but still had a plan for personal renewal. I told
them, “I’m working on it. I think I’ll give Monday a try this fall.” The fact is I have always
struggled to do this. But I don’t want to cry on a curb someday because I have not taken care of
myself. Beside that, I believe we’re best with a combination of work, rest, and play. I need to
execute my own philosophy and rest!
As I have been doing the “Insanity” workouts, I have noticed how much they promote recovery.
We have a recovery day each week and a recovery week in the middle of the nine-week workout.
We also have “recovery formula” that is recommended. Gatorade also has a drink now, to go
along with their pre-workout and workout drink, that is a recovery drink. We have to allow our
bodies and souls to recover and be replenished. Elijah needed to recover, and so do we.
Elijah was disappointed. Though we don’t read this explicitly in the text, I think it’s a safe
assumption that the “result at Carmel was not what Elijah expects” (Olley, Message, 178). Elijah
probably thought revival would come to the land as people turned their hearts back to God, and
even king Ahab would repent. His hopes were sky high, but then they were dashed when he
heard Jezebel’s threat. This dejection had to crush him.
Elijah was isolated. We have followed Elijah in chapters 17–18, and he has been a man virtually
alone. If he is indeed “a man like us,” that means he needs fellowship. In chapter 19 Elijah leaves
his servant behind and departs by himself, not for prayer but for a pity party in which he is the
host and the only guest.
Ryken notes, “Depression isn’t only caused by the absence of community; it also perpetuates it”
(1 Kings, 523). If you are tired and discouraged, isolation isn’t what you need. You need others
to encourage you and lift your spirits. We cannot go without human relationships very long. We
are made for community. This reality was illustrated in the movie Castaway, in which Tom
Hanks is alone on an island, and after a while he invents a friend out of a volleyball, whom he
names “Wilson.” We weren’t made to be on an island by ourselves; we were made to be in
community. And God has met that need physically in family and spiritually in the church.
Elijah believed half-truths that triggered feelings of self-righteousness, self-pity, and self-
importance (Ryken, 533–34). Elijah mentions that he isn’t any better than his fathers (v. 4). This
is a self-righteous attitude. Did he previously think he was the best of all time? Sure, he had been
a great prophet, but what was he currently doing? He was running away. He also states,
I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your
covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and
they are looking for me to take my life. (v. 10)
Part of this statement was true. The majority of the people did forsake the Lord, but it seems
some turned back. What of the altar? It was rebuilt. What of the prophets? Was it not the
prophets of Baal who were destroyed in the previous chapter? In mixing truth and falsehood, he
goes on to note that he was zealous for the Lord. True, but look at him now. What is he doing?
He is running from Jezebel. Did he have reason to boast? No. The Lord has to question him,
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Instead of repenting and asking for grace, Elijah turns to the comparison game to make himself
superior. That’s what self-righteous people do. They compare themselves to other people, just
like the Pharisee with the tax collector praying in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:11). “Lord, I’m glad
I’m not like this man” is the way their self-righteous prayers begin. Do you think you are
superior to others? Do you think you are the only zealous one out there? Be careful of the
blinding sin of self-righteousness. Only One is totally righteous, and that person isn’t you.
Notice also his feeling of self-importance. He stated that he was the only one serving God
presently (vv. 10,14). He says, “I alone am left” (v. 10). In the age-old battle between the seed of
the woman and the seed of the servant, Elijah thought he was the last in the line, and if he throws
in the towel, then God loses. He has forgotten some things about the line of David, and he has
forgotten some other things. Like what about the 100 prophets Obadiah was serving? Sure, they
were hiding in a cave, but look at Elijah! Further, God tells him that He has “7,000 in Israel” (v.
18). What is Elijah doing? He is exaggerating how important he is. Was he important? Most
definitely, but he was not the only servant in Israel.
This feeling of self-importance can easily arise in our hearts. You might think you are the only
one who cares about prayer, justice, discipleship, or evangelism, or that you are
the only one ever preparing the fellowship, or giving to missions. If that is your feeling, your
pride will eventually turn to despair. You must keep a sober assessment of yourself.
Next consider Elijah’s self-pity. He stated that others wanted to take his life. This was simply
inaccurate. Jezebel wanted to take his life, but we don’t read that the whole nation of Israel was
trying to do so. What do you call this? It’s called self-pity. Self-pity happens when you
exaggerate the problem. Depressed people do that; they make things sound worse than they
really are.
Believing half-truths is a temptation for us all. Exaggerating our righteousness, our importance,
and our problems feeds our flesh, and we must fight it. How? Quite simply, we must believe the
pure truth of the gospel. Spurgeon said,
I find myself frequently depressed—perhaps more so than any other person here. And I find no
better cure for that depression than to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and seek to realize
afresh the power of the peace-speaking blood of Jesus, and His infinite love in dying upon the
cross to put away all my transgressions. (“The Secret of Happiness”)
Similarly, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick writes,
The depressed don’t simply need to feel better. They need a Redeemer who says, “Take heart,
my son, my daughter; what you really need has been supplied. Life no longer need be about your
goodness, success, righteousness, or failure. I’ve given you something infinitely more valuable
than good feelings: your sins are forgiven.” (“The Gospel Cure”)
In the words of Lloyd-Jones, we spend too much time “listening to ourselves” and not enough
time “talking to ourselves” (Spiritual Depression, 20). What does it look like to preach to
yourself? He writes,
Would you like to be rid of this spiritual depression? The first thing you have to do is to say
farewell now once and for ever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in
Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: “It is finished; it is covered by the Blood of
Christ.” That is your first step. Take that and finish with yourself and all this talk about
goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are
possible for you. What you need isn’t to make resolutions to live a better life, to start fasting and
sweating and praying. No! You just begin to say: “I rest my faith on Him alone who died for my
transgressions to atone.” (Spiritual Depression, 35)
Are you drained? Are you disappointed? Are you isolated? Are you believing half-truths that
trigger feelings of self-righteousness, self-pity, and self-importance? What we need is this: heavy
doses of grace and truth that are in Jesus.
God’s Gracious Response
1 Kings 19:5-21
How did God minister to His depressed servant? He ministered to him with patient grace and
tender compassion. The three means of grace God used for Elijah were bread in the wilderness, a
voice on the mountain, and a vision for the future.
There are several echoes of the story of Moses and the wilderness journey here. These parallels
highlight God’s faithfulness, patience, and grace. Such faithfulness and grace and patience
should encourage us also.
Bread in the Wilderness (vv. 5-8)
God’s first response to Elijah wasn’t rebuke. It was “eat.” He had fed him with a raven and with
a widow, and now He uses an angel to feed him. After Elijah slept under the broom tree, he
awoke to an angel who touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” Elijah looked and there was “a
loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water.” Elijah “ate and drank and lay down
again.” This happened a second time, and then “on the strength from that food, he walked 40
days and 40 nights to Horeb.” That’s some good bread! (It actually reminds us of another
mediator in the wilderness besides Moses who could go 40 days and 40 nights: Jesus; see Matt 4;
Luke 4.)
How encouraging is it that God feeds His runaway prophet instead of actually answering Elijah’s
prayer for death? I find this remarkably encouraging. John Piper has written a deeply edifying
poem on Elijah. In part three of it, he says,
Elijah fled to Judah, then
Beyond Beersheba’s well full ten
More miles, and fell exhausted there
Beneath a spreading broom tree where
He sat and asked the Lord that he
Might die. Instead he slept. The tree
God made to give him shade, then sent
An angel down with food, who went
And woke the prophet thus: “Awake!”
Instead of death, God gives you cake.
By this you will walk forty days
And forty nights until you gaze
Like Moses on the majesty
Of God. Nor am I sure that He
Will ever grant your wish to die.
Come now, Elijah, eat and fly. (“Elijah, Part 3”)
Instead of death God gave him cake. Oh, the tenderness of God here! He will rebuke him later,
but first we find gentleness and care.
Are you drained and dejected like Elijah? Consider also the ministry of Jesus, who tells us,
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest . . . because I am
gentle” (Matt 11:28-29). What you need is spiritual rest in Christ, the bread of life (John 6:35).
There we find forgiveness and joy, knowing that “no condemnation now exists for those in
Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). When you have had enough and you look to Him, you find He is
enough.
Perhaps you also need physical rest. Good food and good sleep are wonderful cures to spiritual
depression. Sleep and food, after all, are gifts of God (Pss 104:14-15; 127:2). Look at what kind
of God you have. When you run away like Elijah, He says, “Have breakfast.” Remember when
Peter denied Jesus, Jesus made him breakfast (John 21)! He renewed him physically and
spiritually.
Elijah is being renewed by the grace of God. The scene here illustrates Isaiah’s words, which say
we must trust in the Lord and renew our strength, then we shall “run and not grow weary . . .
walk and not faint” (Isa 40:31).
It may be a stretch, but I wonder if the angel didn’t also provide some companionship for this
lonely servant. Elijah needed a companion, and he received a fresh touch from this angel. Later
he will receive a wonderful companion in Elisha. Elijah is a man like us, and that involves the
need for company. Maybe you need some companionship. Don’t run from this need. Seek a local
body of believers with whom you can fellowship. Perhaps God wants to use you to minister to
lonely, depressed servants. Take them a cake and spend some time with them.
A Voice on the Mountain (vv. 9-13a)
Now Elijah goes to the mount of God. What will happen here? Will we find him still wallowing
in self-pity and complaining, or will he respond with fresh vigor?
We find him railing against the Israelites. Elijah’s memory is selective (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings,
145), as demonstrated when he says the Israelites “have abandoned Your covenant, torn down
Your altars, and killed Your prophets” (v. 10). Again, he believes half-truths and wallows in pity.
With the bread in the wilderness, God reminded him of the past. But Elijah is still depressed, so
God will now remind him of His power once again. This time Elijah will hear God’s voice at the
mount. At this mount Israel met with the Lord and discovered what God required of them (Exod
19–20). Now God’s presence and God’s voice will awaken Elijah and sustain him.
In verses 11-12 Elijah stood before the Lord, and the Lord “passed by,” and a great wind tore
through the mountains. Then there was an earthquake, then a fire. But the Lord was not in these
powerful displays. Instead, after a fire, Elijah heard a “soft whisper.” On hearing this, Elijah
“wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave” (v. 13).
Previously, God showed up with fire, consuming the drenched altar. People marveled. But this
passage emphasizes God’s quiet ways. God often appears not in the spectacular but in the gentle
whisper. Provan says, “Elijah needs to remember the past, but he also needs to realize that there
is more to the Lord than fire” (1 and 2 Kings, 146).
This phrase “a soft whisper” only appears two others times. It appears in Job 4:16 and Psalm
107:29. It is used in both passages in the context of rest and refreshment in the midst of pain,
distress, and fear.
Let’s remember that God often works in quiet ways. David wrote, “Your gentleness made me
great” (Ps 18:35 ESV). Sometimes the fire does fall in corporate gatherings, but God also works
quietly through His written Word and His Spirit in the hearts of His people. Don’t always seek
controversy and drama or major conferences. Seek the God of grace in the quiet place. Get alone
with Him and listen to His Word. Think on His gospel.
A Vision for the Future (vv. 13b-21)
Ryken notes, “Spiritual depression is hard to shake. It isn’t a twenty-four hour virus. Getting
over it takes more than a pastor saying, ‘Take two Bible verses and call me in the morning’” (1
Kings, 530). After bread from an angel and the quiet voice of God on the mountain, Elijah is still
rehearsing his speech when God asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” It’s as if God
says, “Let’s try this again.” But Elijah is inflexible. He responds
with his same rehearsed speech. He’s slow to understand and change, perhaps because he doesn’t
want to understand and change.
But in the midst of his depression, Elijah is at least talking to God. If you ever sink this low,
remember to keep speaking to God.
We see here that God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love” (Ps
103:8). God’s mercy is demonstrated here in that He gave Elijah a new vision for the future. This
vision involves an assignment and a word of assurance.
His assignment is to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha (vv. 15-17). This may in fact be what the
gentle whisper was about (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 146). The ultimate victory over Baal worship
will not be solved by the victory at Carmel, instead it will come through a slow political process
that will extend beyond Elijah’s life. The defeat of Baal will not happen by Elijah alone, nor will
it happen in his lifetime.
Elijah’s job wasn’t just to fight well in the present but to prepare others for the future. We will
read of Elijah’s instructions being lived out for many chapters to come (2 Kgs 8:7-15; 9–10).
God teaches Elijah (and us) that no one is indispensible.
A new assignment often lifts us from the ashes. Such an assignment may involve preparing
others for service. We must fight well in the present, but we must also prepare others for the
future, as did Jesus, who fought victoriously and trained up others to take the good news to the
nations after His ascension.
We read of Elijah anointing Elisha, God’s chosen prophet, in verses 19-21 (Provan thinks Elijah
is not enthused about this assignment [1 and 2 Kings, 147]; I’m not sure). Who was Elisha? His
name means, “God saves.” He was a farmer and apparently a wealthy one since he had “twelve
teams of oxen” (v. 19). Elijah put his mantle on him, symbolizing the transference of prophetic
power. Elisha’s commitment is evidenced in what follows: “He left the oxen, ran to follow
Elijah” (v. 20). But then Elisha requests, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I
will follow you.” Elijah permits him to do so. Then we read of Elisha’s total abandonment of all
things for God’s will. Elisha not only kisses his family good-bye but also kisses the world good-
bye. He destroyed all of his old means of sustenance in verse 21. He tells everyone publically
that he’s following God’s will. What’s more, he seems to be throwing a party to tell everyone.
He isn’t reluctant; he’s excited. Here’s a picture of one saying, “You can take the world, but give
me Jesus!”
Elisha’s devotion to God’s call gets echoed in Jesus’ call to discipleship. In Luke 9 Jesus calls a
man to follow Him, and the man says, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-
bye to those at my house” (Luke 9:61). He seems to say the same thing Elisha says, but instead
of allowing it like Elijah did, Jesus says, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back
is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). The reference to the plow sounds like 1 Kings, and
so does this call. But Jesus doesn’t grant this request. Why? Jesus is greater than Elijah, and His
call takes precedence over everyone and everything. Jesus demands immediate obedience and
wholehearted allegiance. Elisha is being asked to follow a prophet, but we have been called to
follow the Son of God. Follow Him at once, and then deal with these other details later.
So God gives Elijah a fresh vision, which includes an assignment. Part of Elijah’s assignment
involved a new partner. Notice the last sentence of the chapter, “Then he left, followed Elijah,
and served him” (v. 21). Here God not only gives Elijah an assignment but also gives him
companionship. How this young apprentice must have given Elijah fresh strength! In 2 Kings
2:12 Elisha calls Elijah “father,” indicating the intimacy the two shared. Elisha was like an intern
who apparently did some menial tasks like washing Elijah’s hands (2 Kgs 3:11).
God’s vision included not only a new assignment but also a word of assurance. We skipped over
it. In verse 18 God tells Elijah, “But I will leave 7,000 in Israel—every knee that has not bowed
to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” Paul recalled this principle of God’s sovereign
grace:
God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says
in the passage about Elijah? . . . I have left 7,000 men for Myself who have not bowed down to
Baal. In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace. (Rom
11:2,4-5)
In the words of Paul, “God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord
knows those who are His” (2 Tim 2:19). The doctrine of God’s electing grace should give
encouragement to depressed servants.
Elijah wasn’t the only one left in Israel following the living God. He wasn’t the only seed to
survive. God had a remnant. And God preserved His people until the ultimate seed, Jesus,
appeared. Jesus was the slain seed, who was put into the ground, lying there silently, only to rise
again triumphantly. Now Jesus has a people, not just from Israel but also of every tribe, who
have been chosen by grace. God’s saving grace was a word of assurance to Elijah, and it should
be a wonderful word of assurance to us as well. Look away from yourself and look to Jesus, who
said, “It is finished.”
Elijah would stand on a mountain again. And he would stand there with Moses. We read of it in
the Gospels. This time it isn’t Mount Horeb but the Mount of Transfiguration
tion. Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John. They saw Jesus talking with them as the
dazzling glory of Christ was unveiled for a moment. A voice from heaven was heard, “This is
My Son, the Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35). Until we gaze on the face of Jesus, let’s
feast on the Bread of Life, let’s listen to His voice, and let’s be spurred on by a glorious future
that awaits all of His suffering saints.
Reflect and Discuss
1. Why might Jezebel have disbelieved Yahweh after such an extraordinary display of His power?
2. Is it surprising that Elijah doesn’t remain steadfast when Jezebel threatens his life, especially
after Baal’s defeat at Mount Carmel? Why or why not?
3. Elijah says he is no better than his fathers. Is this a true statement? Did God choose Elijah
because he was better or worse than his fathers?
4. How is God compassionate toward Elijah?
5. Has God ever shown you compassion in dark moments?
6. Has God ever sustained you through nearly impossible situations?
7. What do the strong wind, earthquake, fire, and whisper teach us about God?
8. Do you ever feel like you are the only faithful one left? Explain.
9. In what ways can fellow believers and gospel laborers encourage one another in the faith?
10. Why is fellowship important in the Christian life?
1
Analysis of Autocratic Leadership in the Assigned Reading – Outline
I. Abstract
II. Autocratic leadership
III. The disadvantages of the leadership style
IV. The advantages of the leadership approach
V. Relevance to contemporary leaders
VI. Conclusion
Running head: ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 1
Analysis of Autocratic Leadership in the Assigned Reading
Name
Institution
ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 2
Abstract
The autocratic leadership style is considered as one of the bad approaches for leading groups
towards the attainment of shared goals. The analysis of the leadership of Rehoboam and Asa, as
described in 1Kings, revealed the pros and cons of this approach. Aside from the need for
contemporary leaders to understand its relevance to certain situations, the findings of the
examinations of its impact on the decision-making process and success of the kingships of the
two leaders showed that the style should be used tactically. Therefore, we conclude that its
application to future leadership roles in contemporary organizations should be limited to the
implementation of change management plans when cultural factors are the major causes of
performance or system problems.
ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 3
Analysis of Autocratic Leadership in the Assigned Reading
Autocracy is one of the leadership styles that is condemned by management scholars
because of its role in the development and sustenance of a system where the leader has absolute
control over the group, relies on personal judgment to make decisions, and resentments that
result in the destruction of the group. It is the central theme that resulted from the analysis of the
biblical information in 1Kings on the kingship of Solomon's successors after his death. While the
leadership some of the actions of these leaders appeared courageous and aligned with God's
commandment to his people and his role in their sustenance and survival, the case analysis of
these leaders revealed the demerits of the autocratic leadership, including the lessons for
contemporary religious leaders. Hence, the analysis of the leadership style in the assigned
reading showed that leaders who start well in their roles but finish poorly adopted the autocratic
style that promoted their emphasis on their judgment, resentments within the group, and
disloyalty to God, which are traits that should be avoided to lead successfully in all future
endeavors.
Rehoboam's decision to continue with the culture of idolatry created the political
problems that he believed he could solve without following God's commandment and continued
war with Jeroboam. The analysis of the actions and decisions that this king made during his
seventeen-year reign illustrated the narcissistic nature of the autocratic leader and how it is used
to create internal and external organizational issues that prevent the attainment of goals.
According to Dame and Gedmin (2013), autocratic leaders used narcissism to exaggerate their
capabilities, satisfy their need for affirmation and praise, which creates problems within the
system. Although Rehoboam became the leader of a nation that was prosperous, his autocratic
leadership style resulted in the decline of the nation and subjected the people to more hardship
ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 4
than the ones that they sought to end after Solomon's death. Therefore, the failure of the
autocratic leader to seek advice from others results in the wrong decision that causes the failure
of the group to achieve the level of success that sustains the system or nation.
Meanwhile, Asa's reformative approach provides an example of the benefits of the
autocratic leadership style and its application to specific situations, including chaotic ones and
major organizational changes. Cunningham, Salomone, and Wielgus (2015) write that autocratic
leaders have the advantage of solving identified problems by giving clear and specific
instructions to their subordinates on the expectations and when it should be achieved. The
analysis of the test showed that Asa demonstrated this trait by chasing the away from the male
cult prostitutes, destroying the idols, including those possessed by his grandmother, Maacah.
Also, the decision to make these reforms during the initial period of his leadership reign
represented the courageous nature of the autocratic leader and one of its strengths in making
major changes to the organization or system. As a result, the analysis of Asa's leadership
approach provides evidence of the positive trait of the autocratic method of leading that is useful
for managing certain situations.
Furthermore, the autocratic leadership approach is relevant for the contemporary
organization when the goal is to address cultural issues that result in poor performance or
unethical behavior. However, Dyczkowska and Dyczkowski (2018) noted that the potential of
the negative effects of this leadership style to create other problems within the organization
makes it imperative for the company to limit its use for implement tactical solutions that entails
discipline and new processes. Also, Friedman and Friedman (2019) corroborated this perspective
when they stated that the lessons from the Biblical information in 1 King illustrates the need for
religious leaders to make the tough decisions regarding their group's obedience to God's
ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 5
command despite the difficulties that are associated with the decision and potential for resistance
from other senior members who are comfortable with the status quo despite its non-alignment
with Biblical principles. Consequently, today's leaders who are giving the responsibility of
implementing major changes to their organizational system should consider the positive aspect of
an autocratic leadership style that is relevant to their objectives and apply to the resolution of the
problems.
Finally, the reflection on the benefits and disadvantages of their autocratic leaders and
how they impact the success of an organization from the assigned readings, I realized that this
theme would provide guidance on the practices and methods that should be avoidable. It is a
perspective that is supported by Cafferky and Collegedale (2010) when they wrote that
successful leaders are those who understand their strengths and weaknesses and endeavor to
maintain a balance when applying them to all aspects of their roles. Also, this perspective would
be useful for me in my future leadership role, especially when there is a need to make tough
decisions on the directions that the group requires to follow God's commandments. In other
words, the lesson learned from the analysis of this theme would be highly useful in my efforts to
act as a change agent during crisis periods in the organization.
ANALYSIS OF AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP 6
References
Cafferky, M. E., & Collegedale, T. N. (2010). Biblical Kingship: A Model for Contemporary
Leaders.
Cunningham, J., Salomone, J., & Wielgus, N. (2015). Project Management Leadership Style: A
Team Member Perspective. International Journal of Global Business, 8(2).
Dame, J., & Gedmin, J. (2013). Six principles for developing humility as a leader. Harvard
Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/09/six-principles-for-developing
Dyczkowska, J., & Dyczkowski, T. (2018). Democratic or autocratic leadership style?
Participative management and its links to rewarding strategies and job satisfaction in
SMEs. Athens journal of business and economics, 4(2), 193-218.
Friedman, H. H., & Friedman, L. W. (2019). What went wrong? Lessons in leadership from
Solomon, the Bible’s wisest and worst ruler. Journal of Values-Based Leadership 12(1),
1-20.
Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1
Analysis of Autocratic Leadership in the Assigned Reading
Name
Institution
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 2
Annotated Bibliography
Cafferky, M. E., & Collegedale, T. N. (2010). Biblical Kingship: A Model for
Contemporary Leaders.
In this article titled, Biblical kingship: A model for contemporary leaders and retrieved
from the ResearchGate database, Cafferky and Collegedale (2010) examined the connection
between the principles of charismatic leadership theory and the biblical concept of kingship.
Although this article was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, it is a scholarly one because
the authors are professors of business and management at Southern Adventist University and
possess the expertise and experience to discuss the concept of leadership in the context of
biblical perspectives. Hence, the article is an authoritative source of information on how
contemporary leaders can develop models from the kingship principles in the Bible to achieve
success in their positions.
Additionally, the scholars' perspective that the approaches that the heavenly King uses to
govern and lead His people towards righteousness are an effective framework that earthly kings
can utilize in their endeavor to achieve the same objective. According to Cafferky et al. (2010),
their findings from this examination revealed that David's leadership provided some of the
models that contemporary leaders can utilize as examples from the one recommended by God
despite the servant's shortcomings. In this regard, the authors concluded that modern religious
leaders should align their personal traits and relationships with the goals of the communities that
they lead to accomplishing the goals of the position. Therefore, the contents of this article would
be useful for providing the use of themes from the assigned reading in my future endeavors,
including those that require the use of unique approaches to leading the people or making
changes.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 3
Cunningham, J., Salomone, J., & Wielgus, N. (2015). Project Management Leadership
Style: A Team Member Perspective. International Journal of Global Business, 8(2).
In this article titled, project management leadership style: a team member perspective, the
authors examined the potential differences that influenced the use of six popular project
management leadership styles in three industries to determine the uniqueness. Specifically, the
researchers investigated how these six leadership styles, including autocracy, are utilized by
project managers in the healthcare, finance, and pharmaceutical industries through the conduct of
a survey of 61 employees. As leadership study scholars, the evaluation of the credibility and
authority of these researchers revealed that they are capable of providing an unbiased perspective
on the relevant aspect of the concepts and topics that informed this study. Also, the review
showed that the source of publication is peer-reviewed and included as part of the records in the
EBSCO database. Hence, the article is a scholarly reference material that contains the findings
from the study on the usage of the six leadership styles that project managers use for leading
their team to success.
Furthermore, the explanation of the findings on the leadership preferences of leaders in
these industries indicated that the strategic approach is most preferred across these sectors of the
economy for delivering project outcomes. Also, the relevance of the article as one of the
secondary reference material for the paper exists in the description of how the autocratic style
was unsuitable for the attainment of organizational objectives for the leaders. Finally, the
inclusion of this article in the list of references is its potential to provide additional evidence on
the advantages and disadvantages of autocratic leadership style and why it is part of the least
preferred method for leading people toward shared goals.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 4
Dame, J., & Gedmin, J. (2013). Six principles for developing humility as a leader. Harvard
Business Review
The quest to gain insights into the factors that influence the rise of many incompetent
people over competent ones to leadership positions informed the examination of the perspective
that a professor of business psychology provided on the subject. While the title of this article is
six principles for developing humility as a leader, the discussion in this Harvard Business
Review publication reflected the experience of the authors as the leaders of their respective
companies. Also, their credibility and authority to discuss this topic and provide on the core
areas that leaders require to improve their performance is unquestionable since they have
encountered or utilized some of the principles that the psychology professor recommended in
this article, Therefore, it is essential to describe how the information from the analysis of the
content of this article would strengthen some of the perspectives that were expressed on the
implications of autocratic leadership style.
Similarly, the author's description of the traits of bad leaders, including narcissism and
how it affects the performance and stability of the group, provided evidence that was used to
support the perspectives on the relevance of the theme from the reading to the contemporary
organization. Although the focus of this article was to provide the principle that earthly kings can
use to control their group and inspire them to deliver performance outcomes, its information
completed those that the authors of the biblical articles presented on the topic. In other words, the
contents of this article contain relevant information on the principles for avoiding the toxic traits
of some leadership approach.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 5
Dyczkowska, J., & Dyczkowski, T. (2018). Democratic or autocratic leadership style?
Participative management and its links to rewarding strategies and job satisfaction
in SMEs. Athens Journal of Business and Economics, 4(2), 193-218.
In this article titled, Democratic or Autocratic Leadership Style? Participative
Management and its Links to rewarding Strategies and Job Satisfaction in SMEs by Dyczkowska
and Dyczkowski (2018) examined the relationship between leadership styles and employee
satisfaction. As peer-reviewed articles that were retrieved from the ResearchGate database, the
outcome of the analysis of its contents demonstrated the author's expertise in leadership studies
and their credibility in presenting the findings of the empirical study on the topic. Also, the
publication of this two-year study by an international business journal provided insights into the
extent of the authority and knowledge that the authors possess on this topic. Therefore, the
inclusion of its content as evidence to support the perspectives on the various domains of
autocratic leadership was essential to the maintenance of its quality.
Meanwhile, the researchers' performance of the empirical study revealed an autocratic
leadership style prevents employees from participating in the decision-making processes of their
organization, which is one of the factors that are responsible for the low rate of job satisfaction.
Also, the information from this article on the effectiveness of the democratic leadership style in
achieving the same objective provided the perspective on how the theme would be useful in my
future endeavors. As a result, this article contains information that is highly valuable to my goal
of aligning the biblical explanation on the right leadership style with those provided by the
theoretical frameworks on democratic and autocratic strategies. Hence, the information from this
article was used to describe the suitable ways that contemporary leaders can be autocratic and
achieve the result in their respective organizations.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 6
Friedman, H. H., & Friedman, L. W. (2019). What went wrong? Lessons in leadership
from Solomon, the Bible’s wisest and worst ruler. Journal of Values-Based
Leadership 12(1), 1-20.
In this article, Friedman and Friedman (2019) described how Solomon's leadership style
made the wisest and worst ruler in the Bible and the lessons that contemporary religious and
earthly leaders can derive from his success and failure. As leadership scholars who study the
methods for delivering value-based leadership to the organization and community, these scholars
possess the authority, knowledge, and expertise to address this important subject. Also, the
publication of this article in a peer-reviewed journal demonstrates the quality of its information
and potential application as evidence for supporting the arguments that are presented by other
researchers in their works. However, its inclusion as part of the reference materials for this paper
is due to the author's emphasis on the integration of biblical principles and evidence from the
scripture into the lessons that were contained in the literature that were used for the study. Thus,
the article is a valuable source of information on the measures that religious leaders can utilize to
lead the congregation according to God's principles.
Additionally, the analytical review of how Solomon's disregard for the resentments from
his followers on his leadership style destroyed his legacy is another factor that informed its
inclusion as one of the sources that complemented the perspectives that were presented by other
scholars whose works were used as part of the literature review. Consequently, the article
provided the necessary information that was required for illustrating the potential negative
impacts of using autocratic leadership styles to lead a congregation and nation toward a common
goal.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 7
References
Cafferky, M. E., & Collegedale, T. N. (2010). Biblical Kingship: A Model for Contemporary
Leaders.
Cunningham, J., Salomone, J., & Wielgus, N. (2015). Project Management Leadership Style: A
Team Member Perspective. International Journal of Global Business, 8(2).
Dame, J., & Gedmin, J. (2013). Six principles for developing humility as a leader. Harvard
Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/09/six-principles-for-developing
Dyczkowska, J., & Dyczkowski, T. (2018). Democratic or autocratic leadership style?
Participative management and its links to rewarding strategies and job satisfaction in
SMEs. Athens journal of business and economics, 4(2), 193-218.
Friedman, H. H., & Friedman, L. W. (2019). What went wrong? Lessons in leadership from
Solomon, the Bible’s wisest and worst ruler. Journal of Values-Based Leadership 12(1),
1-20.
