The Word of the Lord came to Elijah with specific order: go find King Ahab; and a promise of life: the gift of rain. From this vivid story, the Lord, through His Spirit, wants to help us strengthen our trust in Him. Surely our lives will never be the same again, in the Supreme Name of Jesus Christ.
1. Go with the Word in the face of challenge!
The beginning was “The Word.” 1 Kings 18:1 shows and demonstrates the importance of hearing God first before facing any challenge in life. “Thus saith the Lord” is the pledge of your victory; His instruction protects you from all harm.
In verses 2-16, even famine cannot stop it. The “go” of God is a mandate for triumph. Elijah remains confident in the promise despite the dissuasion of another Obadiah, whose faith seems to have been shipwrecked.
What God has promised, His Hand can do.
2. Word against Word.
“Are you the troublemaker in Israel? Ahab told him and Elijah to reply, “I do not trouble Israel; it is you, on the contrary, and your father’s house…” ( verses 17-18 ).
Before our enemies, it is important to know how to use the Word of God: “For the Word of God is alive and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the point of dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the feelings and thoughts of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
And God, in His love, has given us an exercised tongue. ( Isaiah 50:4 ) Find the right Word and boldly engage in the fight for the Word you had already stored up within you. The Holy Spirit is your best ally to bring them out at the right time.
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3. Lack of decision of the people of God over the other divinities.
“How long will you falter?….. “
The absence of a decision is a decision or simply a refusal. There is no intermediate position between serving God and being a devil’s disciple. You will choose either one or the other. No one can serve two masters Matthew 6:24 (KJV) “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cling to one and despise the other.
Make a choice to belong to Jesus Christ, once and for all, without aggressiveness according to the circumstances of life. The people of Israel were both before Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, and before all the prophets of Baal. They could not make a concrete choice, despite all they had seen and heard from the Lord throughout history. Unfortunately, it was still wrong. It is common to see some citizens of the Kingdom continue to veer between the vain way of life of the pagans and the lifestyle that reflects our motherland, Heaven.
4. Rebuild the altar to offer the offering.
Carmel is now the scene of the power confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. To each his weapons and his principles, to build the altar. The prophets of Baal rush in unsuccessfully. Unfortunately, the incisions on the body, the additional sacrifice, and the invocation of their divinity did not bring any success.
But when the Eternal acts, He consistently achieves His goal. Over 2,000 years ago, God chose a pure Lamb who gave himself up to the mightiest altar there is, out of obedience, for our deliverance. In fact, behind every divine instruction is always hidden an anointing of power and glory, capable of defying any test. We also realize it in this story.
Elie, in turn, performs the following acts:
1. Elijah brings the people closest to him and, therefore, to God and prepares God’s Altar. James 4:8 (KJV) “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Clean your hands, sinners; purify your hearts, irresolute men.
Many people are afraid to come back to the Lord after having distanced themselves from Him, while His arms full of love are always ready to welcome them.
2. He calls for unity by taking the 12 stones. Unity is strength, and corporate prayer is very effective.
3. He waters everything with the Word, again the Word, and the Word. God does nothing without His Word.
4. The simple prayer came, which is based on permanent communion with God. He invokes God, who always remembers His covenant. He insists in verse 36, “…I have done all these things according to Your word….”
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5. Worship and Extermination of the Wicked.
In verses 38-39, we see with wonder the response of the One true God, by the fire which consumes all the offering, the wood, and the water. All the people then put themselves in adoration, face against the Earth, before the Eternal of Hosts, shouting in a loud and powerful voice: “It is the Eternal who is God.”
And finally, in verse 40, it is the extermination of all the wicked. “But the wicked perish, And the enemies of the LORD, like the finest pastures; They vanish, they vanish into smoke. Psalms 37:20 (KJV)
Psalms 104:35 (KJV) “Let sinners perish from the Earth, and the wicked be no more! My soul, bless the Lord! Praise the Lord!