ELIJAH: The
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
TEXT: 1 Kings
Introduction
This study in 1
Kings 18 is
extremely relevant. This is evident by the promises and principles of
First Timothy
2:1-8; 2 Chronicles
Instead, we worship
at the
altar of a modern Baal with a strange mixture of idols consisting of
materialism, secularism, denominationalism, ecumenicalism, and New Age
mysticism. For most people today, even if they believe in God, He is
not a real
issue in their lives and a large portion of the population does not
believe in
absolutes. Recent surveys show this is true even with many whom profess
to be
Christians. Though confessing some kind of faith in God, many live as
practical
atheists. Many are caught up in one of the cults or even in the occult.
What are
desperately needed
in our society today are more men and women who, like Elijah, can have
an
Elijah-like impact on this society. Elijah was used to turn the hearts
of the
people back to the Lord (1 Kings
In this section of
First
Kings chapter 18, verses 30-46, we get a glimpse of Elijah as a man of
prayer.
In this section, we see: (1) His Preparation For Prayer in verses
30-35; (2)
His Public Prayer and Its Results - Fire From Heaven, Hearts Returned
to the
Lord, and the Baal Prophets Removed in verses 36-40; and (3) His
Private Prayer
and Its Results: Rain From Heaven and Special Strength in verses 41-46.
Elijah's influence
was
primarily felt in the northern kingdom, not the southern kingdom. His
ministry
was to the north. Likewise, we all have our own areas of influence and
places
of impact. This varies with each one of us, but faith, faithfulness,
integrity,
and effectual prayer can tremendously increase our capacity for
influence,
wherever that happens to be.
Do you want a
pattern for
your prayer life? Do you want to effectively change your life and
increase the
effectiveness of your prayer life and your impact? Then, absorb the
details of
this passage and claim the promise of James 5. History/ tradition tells
us that
James, the Lord's half brother, was nicknamed "Camel Knees" because
of the calluses that developed on his knees from long hours in prayer.
Well,
who do you suppose God used to turn James into such a man of prayer?
Jesus of
course, but also it was probably Elijah.
For the size of the
epistle,
James says more about prayer than any other New Testament book. Over 14
verses
in James are devoted specifically to prayer or principles of prayer.
Compare
1:5-8, 3:9-10, 4:2-3 (actually everything in between is related), and
The Invitation
to the
People (18:30a)
“Come near unto
me.” Why do
you suppose Elijah called the people to come near? We believe it was
because
what he was about to do, his preparation and his prayer, was designed
to be
instructive. It was doctrinally significant and important to faith and
effectual prayer. The people had just witnessed the futile praying of
the Baal
priests, and Elijah wanted them to know Yahweh was the true God who
answers
prayer when people come to Him according to His plan of grace. He
wanted them
to witness the power of prayer. When we pray in public, we should never
pray
pretentiously, to be heard and seen of people in order to gain their
approval.
Still, public prayer is a means not only of exalting the Lord and
seeking His
grace, but of providing encouragement and a blessing to people (cf. 1
Cor.
The Restoration
of the
Altar (18:30b-32)
“He repaired the
altar of the
Lord…” What an important act! Elijah teaches us we must come to God on
His
terms and through His means of access. We will say more about the altar
in a
moment, but the point is this was the Lord's altar of sacrifice and
represented
His prescribed means for access and fellowship. Note two things:
1. One of the words
used for
offering a sacrifice in the Old Testament was qarab. It meant "to come
near, approach, draw near," and then, "to offer, bring." Another
word used, alah, meant literally, "to go up, ascend, climb." The
ascent of the smoke of the sacrifice symbolized access to God through a
sacrifice that satisfied God's holiness in anticipation of the
substitutionary
death of His Son (cf. Heb.
2. Repairing the
Lord's altar
depicted coming to the Lord on His terms by repentance or confession,
and
restoring the areas of access we have neglected as had been the case -
not with
Elijah - but with
Application: For God to hear our prayer, we need to
repair or
correct those things in our lives that hinder fellowship with Him.
Please READ
and review the following important passages: Compare Isaiah 59:1-8;
Psalm
66:18; Proverbs 28:9; Matthew 5:23-24; 1 Peter 3:7; with 1 John 1:9;
Psalm
32:1-8; 51:1-10; and Proverbs 28:13.
Note also how
Elijah repaired
the altar - he used 12 stones. Why 12? Elijah was addressing the
northern
kingdom of ten tribes. After Solomon, the kingdom had been divided into
the
southern kingdom of two tribes,
The Preparation
of the
Sacrifice (
This was all done
for the
purpose of authenticity. Not only did he not put any fire under the
sacrifice,
but also he drenched it with water so there could be no mistake about
how the
sacrifice was consumed. It was a work of the living God (cf. John
The Time and
Place of His
Prayer (18:36a)
"Then it came about
. .
." This little clause is again instructive. As we have seen several
times
already (17:7, 17; 18:1), this did not mean simply, "and it just
happened." It should remind us that what specifically came to pass was
a
product of the work of God in the life of Elijah. In the preceding
verses, this
phrase referred to what happened through the providential working of
the Lord
circumstantially, but what happened here was doctrinally motivated; it
was the
work of God through the Word. It was a result of what Elijah knew as a
result
of his personal faith in the Word and as a result of his desire to
glorify the
Lord. Elijah waited until this specific time of the day to act and to
pray
before the people. As a testimony to the power of the Word, Elijah
wanted the
people to see that God’s Word ordered his life.
Please note the
following
important points:
1. The TIME of his
prayer was
the time of the evening sacrifice as prescribed by the Old Testament.
2. The PLACE where
he offered
his prayer was near the altar where the bullock lay.
3. These were both
symbolical
acts indicating Elijah's faith in God's truth.
4. Elijah was
acting
according the revelation of the Lord in the Old Testament Scripture. HE
WAS
STANDING ON THE PROMISES.
What can we learn
from
Elijah's actions? There is no access to God and thus no prayer heard
apart from
God's prescribed sacrifice and access. But remember this Old Testament
sacrifice (as with all Old Testament sacrifices) was a shadow or type
of Christ
and God's sacrifice for the sin of the world through His Son (Heb.
10:5-10;
John 1:29). What does this mean for us today now that Christ, God's
Lamb, has
come and borne the sin of mankind?
1. All must come to
God through
faith in the person and work of Christ who died in our place to bear
our sin
(cf. John 14:6; Acts
2. We are to pray
in the
Spirit to the Father in the Name of the Son (cf. Eph.
3. We must be in
fellowship
or our first prayer needs to be the prayer of confession by which we
honestly
deal with the problems of the heart as well as our overt behavior (Ps.
66:18;
Prov. 28:13; Eph.
The Manner of
His Address
to God (18:36b)
He said, "O Lord,
the
God of Abraham, Isaac and
First, when he
addressed God
as Yahweh, he was: (1) Relying and counting on God as "I Am," the
eternal, immutable, and independent God of the universe with whom all
things
were possible. (2) He was relying on God as the One who revealed
Himself to the
nation through Moses and the Law, and who had redeemed His chosen
people for a
three-fold purpose: (a) to be the custodians of the Word (Rom. 3:2);
(b) to be
the channel for Messiah, the Savior of the world (Gen. 12:3); and (c)
to be a
light to the nations (Ex. 19:4-6; Deut. 4:6-8; Rom. 9:4-6).
Second, when he
addressed God
as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, he was specifically thinking
and
praying in the light of the covenants and promises and the principles
that
related to Israel such as: (1) God would not forsake His people; (2)
they were
to be a nation of priests to the nations of God's salvation in the
coming
Messiah; (3) they were to avoid idolatry at all costs; (4) for
obedience there
would be blessing but for disobedience there would be cursing or the
cycles of
discipline as spelled out in Deuteronomy 28-29 and Leviticus 26; (5)
and they
were to be a people of the Word of God (see Deut. 6:3-9). This was to
be their
daily diet that they might remember the mighty works which He had done.
In
other words, Elijah's prayer was motivated and directed by the
principles and
promises of Scripture.
The Purpose and
Content of
His Prayer (18:36c-37)
He said, "Let it be
known..." Elijah had four concerns and each of them concerned the glory
of
God and the well being of His people. Here are four great things people
need to
see and know.
1. "That Thou art
God in
2. "That I am Thy
servant (
3. "That I have
done all
these things at Thy Word (
4. "That Thou hast
turned their heart back again." Elijah sought no credit for the results
of
this miracle. It was all the work of the grace and power of God (cf. 1
Cor.
3:5-10;
His public prayer
occupies
only two verses and 63 words in the English Bible, and even fewer in
the Hebrew.
Here we find a principle seen throughout the Bible. Public prayers
should
usually be brief, clear, and to the point. The Lord does not hear us
for our
many words. Too often public prayers are long, monotone, humdrum, or
flowery
oratories that sound as though the person is auditioning for a part in
a
Shakespearean play. Very often, long prayers are pretentious (Mark
The Results of
His Prayer
(
In these verses we
see the
power of God manifested from heaven to do two things. First, we see men
and
women turning back to the Lord. We see revival, restoration, and
repentance.
Second, we see people become bold enough to defy Jezebel and execute
the Baal
prophets. Remember, this was their covenant duty and a protective
measure under
the law of
How, then, does
this apply to
us today? The fervent prayers of the righteous move God to accomplish
His work
in the hearts of people. The objective is to turn them to the Lord and
then, as
God's people, to give them courage to take a stand against the apostasy
of the
day. We need a bold testimony. We need to refuse to be like the world,
or to go
along with its ideas, patterns, and schemes that are so clearly
contrary to
Scripture. God wants us to get involved in the issues of the day that
face our
society.
This means earnest
prayer for
our nation and leaders. It means taking a stand on the job or at the
office. It
means being informed, praying, teaching, questioning, giving
answers,
voting, writing our elected representatives, and other avenues open to
us in a
free society.
Contrast between
a King
and a Servant (
“Get thee up, eat
and drink.”
It appears Ahab goes up to eat and drink totally unappreciative of the
grace of
God. He is a picture of hardened insensitivity from years of rejecting
the
Lord. For three-and-a-half years his kingdom had faced a severe drought
and
famine covered the land. The prophets of Baal had now been slain before
his
eyes and God had performed a miracle through Elijah, a prophet of the
Lord.
Still, God was simply not in Ahab's thoughts. He had but one thought.
"Rain is coming; the famine will pass, so now I can enjoy myself
without
hindrance." In contrast, Elijah knew his work was not done. God works
through prayer, so Elijah went up to the top of the mountain to pray.
Application: This obvious contrast is a warning to all of
us. It
shows what can happen to the human heart. One man is occupied with
himself and
his own plans. One is occupied with the Lord and His promises. May this
be a warning
to all of us. Our prayer life and our hunger for the Word are clear
barometers
of the condition of our heart. When we continue to ignore God's
revelation and
pursue our own desires and plans, it has a hardening effect on the
heart (Heb.
3:7-13; Mark
The Basis for
Elijah's
Private Prayer (
The basis for
Elijah's
actions was, of course, the promise God made to him in 18:1. But why
pray? God
had said, "Rain is coming." In Matthew
1. Prayer is the
human tool
of faith that God has sovereignly chosen to translate His promises into
performance. God not only ordains the end, i.e., the rain, but He also
ordains
the means of making the promise a reality, prayer. The second principle
flows
out of the first.
2. Prayer is also
one of the
means God uses to draw us to Himself and to conform us to His will.
Prayer
reveals our dependence on the Lord and keeps us dependent and occupied
with Him.
This not only glorifies the Lord, but it promotes spiritual growth in
us as it
builds our faith and keeps us focused on Him.
Right after the
Lord said,
"for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things," he
also said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). Then, in the next
chapter He said, "Keep on asking . . ." (Matt. 7:7). The Christian
life is a life of faith and occupation with the Lord, a life of
trusting and
developing a relationship and commitment to God. Prayer is the hand of
faith
that reaches out and grasps the promises of God. It is one of the
instruments
God uses to mold us into His image and fulfill His purposes in our
lives.
The Meaning and
Significance of
Perhaps there is
analogy here
that comes out of the meaning of the name of this mountain where the
contest
occurred and where Elijah prayed for the rain that would bring
fruitfulness to
the land. As seen earlier, "
Elijah's
Position in
Prayer (vs. 42b)
This simply shows
us Elijah
prayed earnestly or fervently (cf. James
Christians are not
commanded
to assume any special position. We should assume a position that will
allow us
to think and focus on the Lord - this is what counts. If some people
assumed
Elijah's position for any length of time, they might not be able to get
back on
their feet. They would need a tow truck (smile).
The Conversation
with Elijah's
Servant (
“Go up now…Go
again…(seven
times).” This scene provides a second contrast of persons. It shows
that Elijah
prayed in faith, expectantly. He prayed believing God's specific
promises and
with perseverance he continued in prayer, never fainting, wavering or
doubting.
"Seven times" he told the servant to return. Seven is the number of
completion or perfection in Scripture. It is not a magical number. It
simply
teaches us what perseverance and unwavering faith accomplishes. It is
designed
to teach the principle of Luke 18:1, "that at all times they (men)
ought
to pray and not to lose heart." The need is to keep going until we see
evidence of an answer. Elijah wasn't saying he'd quit after seven.
Another contrast of
persons
is seen in the servant who kept running back and forth, up and down the
mountain to Elijah while Elijah remained steadfast in prayer. The
servant is
like many Christians who pray a few minutes, look out the window and
think,
"just like I thought, nothing." Then they try something else and when
that doesn't work, they try a little more prayer. But to pray like that
is to
be like the double-minded man of James 1:5 who asks, doubts, wavers -
asks,
then doubts - and so on. Elijah did not doubt even after six negative
reports.
He continued to pray. Why? Because he was standing confidently on what
God had
promised! Elijah knew God's will from God's direct promise.
Have you ever been
like this
servant? Have you found yourself running back and forth, almost frantic
because
God didn't seem to be listening? Well, I certainly have faced that in
my own
life and I suspect you have too. Let us make four suggestions that can
help.
1. Be sure your
prayer is
grounded in the Word. This gives confidence.
2. Be sure your
prayer is not
from carnal or wrong motives, but directed by biblical principles.
3. Keep on asking,
looking,
and knocking in a faith that rests in God's Fatherly care, love, and
timing
(Matt. 7:7-8).
4. Above all, ask
the Lord to
teach you what He wants to do in you and through you during this period
of
waiting.
“Behold, there
ariseth a
little cloud…” Either the servant was filled with surprise when he
said,
"Behold," or it was sarcasm like, "behold, there is a cloud out
there all right, but it's only about the size of a man's hand." If
surprise, it may have been like the early church when they prayed for
Peter
(Acts 12:12ff). If sarcasm, it was like the typical doubting Thomas,
the
"I told you so" pessimist or exponent of Murphy's law.
“Go up, say unto
Ahab…” For
Elijah, as one with the eyes of faith who was resting on the promise of
God,
the little cloud was just the start of something big. In Elijah's
reaction we
see the expectation of the faith of a man grounded in and believing the
Word of
God. He didn't hesitate. Immediately he sent his servant with a message
to
Ahab. In essence, his message said, "Get back to the palace or you are
going to get caught in the rain and it is going to be such a rain that
you will
not be able to travel." Evidently Elijah expected the ravines to be
filled
with water and there would be flash floods.
The Products of
Elijah's
Prayer (
“…There was a great
rain.”
The drought was broken through the prayer of faith according to the
will of God
(cf. 1 John
Strength for
Elijah
“He hand of the
Lord was on Elijah.”
Elijah received supernatural strength to outrun Ahab. This undoubtedly
portrays
the dynamic effects of living in the Word and prayer. The disciplines
of Bible
study and prayer (when done in faith rather than in a spirit of
legalism – cf.
Acts 6:4), bring energy to a sagging spirit that often wants to give up
or
throw in the towel. They bring vitality into the life of God’s people
as we are
taught in Isaiah 40:31.
There is another
effect to
the praying of Elijah in this passage. It's not mentioned in the text,
but can
you imagine the effect this must have had on the servant? What this
must have
done for his spiritual growth!
If prayer is so
important,
why is it so many of us are continually halted in our prayer life?
Well, it's
no accident. It is the result of satanic scheming plus our own natural
tendencies. Satan doesn't mind if we teach and preach near as much as
he minds
if we pray because he knows it is far more important to talk to God
about
people, than to talk to people about God. It's when we start talking to
God
about people that our preaching and teaching becomes most effective.
The same
applies to studying the Word or any other Christian activity.
If Satan can keep
Christians
off their knees, and keep us running up and down the various mountains
of our
lives, very little of the Word will really take hold. Instead,
spiritual pride
will develop and the activity will become just busy activity, but
ineffective.
Prayer is a very important dimension in the life of every child of the
King.
May the Lord enable us to keep the dimension of the power of prayer in
focus.
I was not getting
much from
worship, my friend explained apologetically.
I need to be fed spiritually!? he stressed.
The inability to learn anything from the pulpit was his reason for
switching
“churches.”
Should we expect to learn something new every Sunday?
Do I need to get anything out of worship at all?
Biblically, worship is always for His benefit, not necessarily
educational for
us.
David knew
correctly the true
purpose and meaning of worship:
“Give unto the Lord
the glory
due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the
Lord is upon
the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.
The voice of he
Lord is
powerful; the voice of he Lord is full of majesty” (Psalms 29:2-4).
But, what should I
do when my
worship experience becomes boring and not intellectually stimulating?
Whose
fault will it be? Church, preacher, God, or could it be mine?
Should I
always get joy, humility, awe and reverence from worship, to name a
few?
Yes, the Word of God is the key element of our worship. But, somehow we
have
wrongly assumed that preaching itself is the center of worship. It
is
incorrect to think a sermon must somehow teach me things I do not know.
Is it possible that when I get nothing from worship, God received
nothing from
me as well?