1 Kings 18:1-40
He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth: likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of His strength. Job 37:6.
ELIJAH lived a long time with the poor widow. Ahab and Jezebel, the wicked king and queen, did not know where he was hid. They would have been glad to have found him, that they might kill him. Ahab sent to all the countries round to look for him: but no one could find him. Why was King Ahab angry with Elijah? Because Elijah had told Ahab that God was angry with him for worshipping idols, and that He would give them no more rain until Elijah said they might have it. You know that wicked people once hated Jesus, because He told them of their sins.
The Israelites were very unhappy, because they had very little food; even king Ahab had not grass enough in his fields for his horses, so that a great many of them died.
God was sorry for the poor Israelites, and He told Elijah the time had come for Him to send rain, so Elijah prayed to God to send rain, that more grain and grass might grow. God heard this prayer: but first He told Elijah to go and show himself to King Ahab.
Do you not think that Elijah would be afraid to go to King Ahab? But Elijah did what God told him: for he knew that God could take care of him. So Elijah left the poor widow and her son, and set out on a long journey to the place where Ahab lived. I think that the widow must have been sorry when Elijah went, for he had fed her and taught her about God: but God had promised to make her flour and oil last till He sent rain; and the rain was not come yet.
Now, while Elijah was on his way to King Ahab he met a very good servant of Ahab's.
This servant was looking for some grass for king Ahab's horses. The servant knew Elijah when he saw him; and he was very much surprised, for it was a long while since any one in Canaan had seen Elijah. This good servant fell on his face before Elijah, and said, 'Art thou my lord Elijah.'
Then Elijah said, 'I am; go tell your lord [King Ahab] that I am here.'
Then the servant was afraid, for he thought that while he was gone to tell Ahab where Elijah was, that God would take away Elijah to some other place, and then Ahab would be angry with his servant and kill him. Ahab was a cruel master, and his servant was afraid of making him angry.
But Elijah promised that he would stay in that place till King Ahab was come: so the servant believed Elijah's promise, and went to look for king Ahab. Ahab was in another place, looking for grass for his horses. His good servant told him that Elijah was waiting to see him. So Ahab came to the place. When Ahab saw Elijah, he spoke angrily to him, and he said, 'Are you the man that troubles the people of Israel?
Ahab thought it was Elijah who had asked God not to let the rain come: but God had told Elijah when there would be no rain, and when to ask for rain.
Then Elijah said to Ahab, 'It is not I that trouble the people of Israel; it is you that have made these troubles come by your wickedness. You have not obeyed God, and you have worshipped Baal.'
Then Elijah told Ahab what he wanted him to do. He told him to get all the prophets of Baal together, and send them to him to a very high hill or mountain.
Would Ahab do what Elijah asked him? Yes, he would, because he wanted rain, and he thought that Elijah could ask God to send it. I think that Ahab was afraid of killing Elijah, lest God should send no rain.
One morning very early Elijah was on the high mountain with Baal's wicked prophets, and a great many people were standing all round: and King Ahab was there, but Jezebel was not there.
What could Elijah have to say to the people?
He wanted them to see that his God was the true God: so Elijah said to them, 'Let Baal's prophets take a bullock and kill it, and lay it on an altar, and then let them ask Baal to send fire from heaven to burn up the bullock: and I will take another bullock and kill it, and lay it on an altar, and I will ask the Lord to send fire from heaven: and if Baal sends fire then you will know that he is the true God: but if my God sends fire, then you will know that He is the true God.'
The people liked what Elijah said, and they answered, 'It is well spoken.'
Then Elijah told Baal's prophets to take their bullock first. So they took it and killed it, and put it on an altar with some wood: but they put no fire to the wood. Then they began to pray to their god to send fire. They cried, 'O Baal, hear us!' They went on calling out, 'O Baal, hear us,' till twelve o'clock: and they jumped about the altar, as they used to do when they prayed to their idol.
How tired they must have been after calling out so long, 'O Baal, hear us!'
At last Elijah said to them, 'Cry louder. Perhaps your god is talking, or perhaps he is hunting, or perhaps he is taking a journey, or perhaps he is asleep, and you must awake him.'
Was Elijah speaking in earnest? O no; he knew that Baal was nothing at all: only those foolish people said that there was a god called Baal, and made images that they said were like him.
Still the prophets of Baal went on praying for fire; and at last they cut themselves with knives, and made their blood flow, because they thought it would please Baal; they thought he was a cruel god, that liked their blood. So they went on till three o'clock in the afternoon: but no fire came from heaven.
Then Elijah said it was time to ask his God to send fire: so Elijah built an altar with twelve stones, and he laid some wood on the altar, and he laid a bullock on the altar: and then he desired the people to throw twelve barrels of water over the altar. There was a river just at the bottom of the hill, where people could fetch the water: Elijah made a ditch all round the altar, and this ditch was quite filled with water, and the altar was very wet.
Why did Elijah desire the water to be poured over the sacrifice? To show the people that he had not hidden any fire in the altar, or near it: for if he had, the water would have put it out.
Then Elijah began to pray to God. All the people were standing round while he prayed before the altar.
This is what he said: 'Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel [or Jacob], let it be known this day that thou art God; and that I am thy servant. Hear me, O Lord, hear me.'
Did God hear Elijah? Yes; the fire came from heaven, and burned up the bullock and the altar; yes, the fire burnt the stones, and even the water that was in the ditch.
How surprised the people were at this sight! They fell on their faces, and said, `The Lord He is the God: the Lord He is the God.'
Now they saw that Baal was not the true God. So Elijah desired the people to take hold of the wicked prophets of Baal, and to bring them down to the river at the bottom of the hill, and to kill them with swords. So the blood of these prophets was mixed with the water in the river. These prophets had taught the people to worship Baal, so God chose that they should die.
Did the people leave off worshipping Baal? Did they mind what Elijah said, and pray to his God? We shall soon hear what they did.
How much they wished that God would send rain! They must have felt sure that if God could send fire, He could send rain.
He sends down rain to make grain grow for us, dear children, does He not! Oh, what a great God He is!
He could send fire to burn us; but instead of that He is kind to us.
To Carmel's hill at break of day,
Ahab, the wicked king, is come;
Elijah, whom he sought to slay,
And those who worship gods of stone;
While people flock from far and wide.
To see some mighty question tried.
They come to know who is the Lord,
And who can hear when prophets call;
And who by all should be adored,
Both high and low, both great and small.
O why does Baal give no heed
To those who cry, and leap, and bleed?
And will the Lord again display
The wonders of His mighty power?
O yes! He hears Elijah pray,
And flames of fire the stones devour—
The people on their faces fall,
And own that God is Lord of all.
Elijah orders in that hour
The wicked prophets to be slain,
And then entreats the Lord to pour
Rich torrents of refreshing rain—
And now let Israel fear His name,
Who sends soft showers and dreadful flame.
Child
'Tis time that I should make my choice,
And see what god I will obey.
Lord, if I listen to Thy voice,
From Satan I must turn away;
All wicked ways I must forsake,
And Thee for my Commander take.
Questions on Lesson 26
Why did Elijah leave the poor widow at last?
Whom did Elijah meet on his way to King Ahab?
Why was the servant afraid to tell Ahab that he had found Elijah?
Did Ahab kill Elijah when he saw him? What did Elijah ask Ahab to do?
Why did Elijah wish all these people to come to the mountain?
Why did not Baal send fire?
Why did Elijah pour water over the altar he had built?
What did the people cry out when the fire came down?
Why did Elijah desire the prophets of Baal to be killed?