Nov 13

Nov 13 Someone Like Me

This is my 5th post in the Becoming Elijah series. Though reading the previous posts will allow you to get more out of this one, this post stands just fine on its own.

Quick Overview

Elijah had shown up three and a half years earlier and delivered a message from God stating that there would be neither dew nor rain except at his word (1 Kings 17:1 covered in detail in Becoming Elijah).

At God’s command, Elijah left the king’s presence and spend some time hiding by the Brook Cherith and being fed by ravens. After the brook dried, God directed Elijah to the house of a widow in Zarephath (covered in detail on Elijah and the Widow) where he stayed until God called him to present himself before King Ahab once again. While Elijah was living with the widow, her only son died and Elijah prayed and God brought the boy back to life (covered in detail on Tragedy and Hope).

Elijah told the king to gather all the prophets of Baal and Asherah on top of Mount Carmel where they would have a test to see whether the LORD or Baal is the true God. The prophets of Baal were to prepare a bull as an offering and place it on the altar but they were not allowed to set it on fire, Elijah would do likewise and whoever answered with fire from heaven would be the true God. Elijah prayed and fire came from heaven and consumed the sacrifice (covered in detail in Prayer and Fire).

The Drought Ends

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
- 1 Kings 18:41 NKJV

Elijah was not hearing the sound of rain with his ears, rather he heard it with his heart, by faith. Elijah knew rain was coming because God had announced it earlier.

And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”
- 1 Kings 18:1 NKJV

Elijah, by faith, heard the sound of rain because God promised it.

Praying or Feasting?

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
- 1 Kings 18:42 NKJV

Ahab and everyone else for that matter probably had been fasting since the morning as they watched to see when fire would come down from heaven since these events took place in the same day that fire came down from heaven as an answer to Elijah’s prayer. Elijah was telling king Ahab to up because they were likely in the valley by the Brook Kishon where all the prophets of Baal were executed. So King Ahab went back up to where he would likely have had a tent set up with food for him. Elijah however, does not join the king in feasting. Instead, Elijah goes to pray, bowed down, with his face between his knees. Elijah was humbling himself and interceding for Israel. Elijah believe in God, Elijah knew that rain would come, yet he prayed for God’s will to be done, for the people to be forgiven, for the rain to come upon the earth once again.

It was because Elijah was a man of large faith that God could use him in this grave crisis in the history of Israel. As he prayed, his faith reached out and grasped the promises of Heaven, and he persevered in prayer until his petitions were answered.
- Prophets and Kings pp. 156–157

Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that what Elijah does, anyone is able to do in their sphere of activity. You and I can always pray and claim God’s promises. We should develop that habit because that is also how we develop and grow our faith, as we invest time into it. Before we can claim God’s promises, we need to familiarize ourselves with them, and they are found in the Bible. Once we find them, we just need to dedicate them to prayer claiming them and humbling ourselves before God. We humble ourselves because we do not deserve God’s promises, but He graciously blesses us because of His great love and grace.

Faith such as this is needed in the world today—faith that will lay hold on the promises of God’s word and refuse to let go until Heaven hears. Faith such as this connects us closely with Heaven, and brings us strength for coping with the powers of darkness.
- Prophets and Kings p. 157

Who do we relate to better? Are we the ones who pray as did Elijah, recognizing that our only hope is found in God and that His promises are reliable? Or are we feasting like did Ahab, focused more on our own desires and appetites than on how we can be instruments of grace to bring about the will of God and His blessings to a suffering world?

Elijah was a person like you and me!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
- James 5:17-18 NKJV

7x?

and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
- 1 Kings 18:43 NKJV

Elijah had to pray seven times? If you have been keeping track, Elijah prayed three times before God restore the life of the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:21-22). Elijah prayed once and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice (1 Kings 18:36-38). But now Elijah prays seven times. Do you realize what these numbers mean? 3 - 1 - 7? It means that Elijah prayed until God answered. We need to stop trying to figure out the magic formula, the right words, the right number, the correct posture, the main idea is that you humble yourself before God and pray until He answers. We need to pray with the persevering faith of Jacob, and with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, claiming all that God has promised. The honor of God’s throne is staked for the fulfillment of His word.

Hebrews 11 gives us a great overview of what can be accomplished by faith. But I would like to especially highlight verses 33-34 and I believe this is applicable to all God’s children

who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
- Hebrews 11:33-34

Becoming Elijah is about trusting in God, claiming His promises, and allowing Him to strengthen our faith day by day, one trial at a time, and learning that God is willing and that He is able!

Faith

Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
- 1 Kings 18:44 NKJV

Elijah now sends his servant to Ahab to let him know it’s time to go, unless he likes piña colada and getting caught in the rain.

All the “evidence” of rain Elijah has is a small cloud, but that is plenty, he knew that rain was going to come, and now he knows it’s near and it’s time to go! I wonder if we recognize the signs all around us that Jesus is coming soon. I don’t want to sidetrack the message, but there is something about knowing God’s promises and prophecies and recognizing them, and acting accordingly. (For more on the second coming of Jesus see …then the end will come, Seeing the Signs, Watching, Waiting, Ready, The Harvest is Plentiful)

Darkness

Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
- 1 Kings 18:45-46 NKJV

Remember that Elijah had offered the sacrifice at the time of the evening sacrifice (1 Kings 18:29) which was offered in the afternoon before the sunset, it could have been between three or four o’clock. When you add dark rainclouds on top of it the journey back becomes quite treacherous.

The return of Ahab to Jezreel was at night, in a blinding rainstorm, over treacherous mountain roads. The way being difficult to see, the desert prophet ran before the king, guiding the royal chariot in safety to the gates of Jezreel. In this gracious act Elijah showed that he had no ill feelings toward the king, and that he was willing to perform any service, however humble or inconvenient, for the benefit of his lord.
-Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1976). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 821). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Now there can be no doubt that the LORD is God!

When the rains come, the Lord’s victory is complete. God sustains and protects his prophets, while Baal lets his die. Yahweh feeds the orphans and widows and raises the dead, while Baal lets the needy suffer and requires Anat to raise him from death. Yahweh can send fire or rain from heaven, but Baal cannot respond to his most valiant worshipers. A god like Baal is no God at all. A God like Yahweh must be God of all. Rain is not just rain here but evidence of the Lord’s absolute sovereignty over nature and human affairs.
- House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 221). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Do you believe?

There’s a story recorded in Mark 9:14-29 about a father and his demon-possessed son. He had come to the disciples but they were unable to cast out the demon. Now the father turns to Jesus wondering if Jesus is able to help. Jesus replies

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
- Mark 9:23 NKJV

The father now realizes that he had been doubting Jesus. The father recognizes that his faith is weak, but he does not give up, and I love his reply to Jesus.