Elijah - Eli (my God) Jah (Yahweh) - Yahweh is my God

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.11 Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 100.

  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.1

1 Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 101.

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.1

1 Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 103–106.