1 Kings 18:41-46; 19:1-841And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, 43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. 44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. 45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. 46And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:41‑46)
1And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. (1 Kings 19:1‑8)
YOU have heard how the prophets of Baal were killed. Now Elijah knew that God would soon send rain: so he told Ahab that there would soon be rain, and that he might go, and eat, and drink. So Ahab ate and drank in some place near the high hill. But Elijah did not eat and drink. He went up to the top of the hill to pray to God. He threw himself down upon the earth, and bent down his head very low.
Elijah had a servant. You have never heard of his servant before, and I do not know who he was. Elijah told his servant to stand up while he himself was praying, and to look a great way off over the sea, and to tell him what he saw. Do you know what Elijah wished his servant to see? What is it comes before rain, those dark things in the sky? Clouds. Elijah wanted God to send clouds on the sky, that there might be rain. The servant went up and looked, and then said to Elijah, `There is nothing.' Then Elijah told him to go and look seven times. The seventh time the servant came and told Elijah, 'I saw a little cloud a great way off, as big as a man's hand.'
Elijah knew that God had heard his prayer, and that the cloud would grow larger, and that rain would soon be poured down. So he told the servant to tell Ahab to get ready his chariot and his horses, and to drive as fast as he could to his own house, which was a great way off: for that there would soon be a great deal of rain.
So Ahab rode in his chariot with his horses, and 'God made Elijah so strong that he ran faster than the horses, and he got first to the city where Ahab lived. While Ahab was driving, and Elijah was running, there were a great many clouds in the sky, and soon there was a great rain.
How glad the people were when the rain came down! It filled the dried-up ponds, and refreshed the withered grass, and softened the hard ground. Now the people knew that more grain and grass would soon grow in the fields. It was kind of God to send the rain. Ought not the people to love God, who sent the rain, though they had been so wicked as to worship Baal!
Ought not we, dear children, to love God, Who sends us rain so often, and makes the grain grow? We are naughty, and do not deserve to have rain.
When Ahab got to his own city where he lived, he found the queen Jezebel there, and he told her all that happened: he told her how Baal did not send fire from heaven, and how God did, and he told her how Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal.
Ought not Jezebel to have said she would worship the God who sent fire from heaven? But she did not say this: she was very angry with Elijah, and she sent a man to tell him that she would kill him the next day.
I think she was afraid of Elijah, or she would have desired the man to kill him then; but perhaps she thought, if she killed Elijah, there would be no more rain.
When Elijah heard that Jezebel wished to kill him, he was afraid, and he would not stay in the city where she lived; but he went very quickly all through the land of Canaan till he came to a great wilderness. He did not take his servant with him, but he went there alone. In the wilderness there were trees and hills, but very few houses and people.
Elijah was quite alone in the wilderness. At last he sat down under a tree, and he prayed to God to let him die. Why was Elijah so unhappy? He was afraid of Jezebel killing him: but he was more unhappy because Jezebel went on in her wickedness. Elijah saw that she would go on teaching people to worship idols, and he wished everybody to love God. After Elijah had prayed, he lay down under the tree, and went to sleep. Soon someone touched him. Who was it? An angel. The angel said, `Arise and eat.'
Then Elijah looked and saw some bread that had been just baked; and he saw a jug of water close to his head. Who could have got ready the bread and the water for Elijah? It must have been the angel. So you see that an angel was his servant. God sends His angels to wait upon people who love Him. The angels like to wait upon them; they fly down quickly from heaven when God tells them. Yes, dear children, the angels take care of you.
Elijah ate and drank the bread and water, and then he lay down again, and slept. But soon the angel woke him again, and said, `Arise and eat, for you will soon walk a great way.'
So Elijah ate and drank again, and afterward Elijah walked a great way in the wilderness: but the angel's food had made him strong: and he lived without eating and drinking for forty days. Was not that a great wonder? God can keep people alive without food, if he chooses to do so. Did he not keep the Lord Jesus alive for forty days without food?
You see how kind God was to Elijah, when he was unhappy. I have often advised you to pray to God when you are unhappy, because I know that He can comfort you.
If you are sick pray to God; He can make you well. If you are in disgrace, pray to Him: He can make you good. If you are alone and frightened, pray to Him: He can keep you safely.
Questions on Lesson 27
Why did Elijah go to the top of the mountain, while Ahab was eating and drinking?
Why did Elijah desire his servant to watch?
What did the servant see at last?
Where did Elijah tell Ahab to go before it began to rain?
Who ran before Ahab's chariot?
Who told Jezebel what had happened?
What ought Jezebel to have done, when she heard that Elijah's God had sent fire from heaven?
What message did she send to Elijah?
Where did he go?
Why was he very unhappy?
Whom did God send to feed him?
Do angels still wait upon people who love God?
How many days did Elijah live without food?