Elijah: A Nation On Its Knees

I Kings 18.7-40

Elijah - a nation to its knees

Do you remember the TV programme Opportunity Knocks with Huey Green? Do you remember the catch phrase? “It is make your mind up times folks. Such a moment has now arrived for the people of Israel.

It is now three and a half years later. All this time Elijah has been living in Zarephath. Flour and oil supplied each day by God for his daily bread. We have the miraculous bringing back to life of the widow’s son at the end of chapter 17. Now the the word of the Lord comes to Elijah again - this time he is told to go and present himself before Ahab because God is going to send rain again on the land.

The venue for this day of decision is Mount Carmel. It is 1791 feet above sea level and it gets its name from the Hebrew for vineyard because it was such a fertile place. The sea is on one side fit and the Kishon valley on the other. In the distance you can see Mount Tabor and the village of Nazareth is nearby. Just on the horizon you can make out lake Gennesaret.

I know we did not read the opening six verses but if you take a quick look at them we see that Ahab is more concerned for the welfare of his horses, his animals, than he is for his people. Quite a revealing insight in to this man’s heart. He sends Obadiah, who has been a faithful servant of God in this pagan regime, to find grass so that he, Ahab, will not have to kill any of his animals. On this search Obadiah meets Elijah and that is where we pick up the story.

One of the things I do not believe in is chance. Let me read to you Proverbs 16:33. Even the throw of a dice in a game is controlled by God. You may not think that, may not have even given it a thought until now. So the encounter we read of here between Elijah and Obadiah is no chance meeting. Look at verse 1 of chapter 18. God had instructed Elijah to leave Zarephath and to go and meet with Ahab because the drought was about to end, rain was coming once again on the land.

Obadiah is on his way to find grass for the king’s animals and he encounters Elijah. He is delighted with this meeting. In fact from the passage I think it is fair to surmise that Elijah was the last person he was expecting to meet and he is certainly taken aback with the instructions that Elijah gives him.

Elijah tells Obadiah to go and bring Ahab to meet with him. Obadiah points out that Ahab has been searching high and low for Elijah and it was not to wish him a happy birthday. In fact any country who said Elijah was not hiding there had to swear and oath to the same. Obadiah is, I think rightly, fearful of carrying such news to Ahab. He is fearful because he knows that Elijah has disappeared before and if he goes and brings Ahab and Elijah is not there he will forfeit his own life. Seeking, I think, to justify this assertion he tells Elijah how he has been faithful in the past in hiding 100 prophets of God from the murderous intent of Ahab. However, Elijah insists that he goes and tells Ahab and Elijah promises that he will remain where he is.

Can you imagine the thoughts and the fears of Obadiah as he goes to find Ahab and convey this message to him? I am sure he is full of fear. How will Ahab react? Will he be angry? Will he vent his anger out against me?

Well, Ahab receives the news and goes to meet Elijah. Whereas Obadiah was delighted to see Elijah and was respectful in addressing him the very opposite is true of Ahab when he meets Elijah - verse 17. Ahab calls Elijah the troubler of Israel. Basically he is saying the last three and half years of drought are all your fault Elijah. It is all your doing. Ahab is not willing, even after three and half years of drought, to admit that he and the people have sinned against God in following Baal and Asherah. Ahab will not confess that as king he has led the people of Israel astray.

Elijah, verse 18, in response to this accusation tells Ahab it is his sin that has led to this situation. Elijah puts the blame firmly on Ahab’s shoulders. Quite a brave remark before a king who has spent the last three and half years trying to find you to kill you.