1 Kings 17:1-7 -- About halfway through Ahab's reign (c. 868 BC), we are introduced to the Prophet Elijah. Ahab tended to view Jehovah through political eyes. Not to deny He was real, or deny He had power, but serving Him would be submitting to the primacy of Judah and the House of David. He sought to bring his nation under Melkarth, god of a neighboring country, but referred to in the text by the generic title of Baal. Jehovah might not like it, but Melkarth would take care of it. The idea of a single, true God without peer was just too foreign to human imagination in those times. The message of Elijah was departing from the rule of Jehovah was not an option. By speaking to Ahab in the name of the Lord (literally "Jehovah"), his prophecy would indicate God could not be so easily dismissed.
This Elijah ("My God is Jehovah") hailed from Tishbe, a town in Gilead on a wadi upstream from Jabesh-gilead. As near as we can tell, this wadi was the Brook Cherith. His message to Ahab was that there would be a drought. This was a direct attack on the supposed primary sphere of authority held by Melkarth, as with every pagan Baal in Canaan, reputed to be gods of the storms and weather in general. Further, the drought would end only at the word of Elijah. In effect, Ahab would find no relief without humbling himself before Jehovah and dealing with His prophet. Elijah was then commanded to make himself scarce, by camping in the Cherith Valley, away from any human settlements. He would find sufficient water there, and ravens would drop food to him that they had scavenged. They did this in the morning and evening when birds would be most active during a dry season. In due time the sources of the brook dried up.
17:8-16 -- Now that the drought had taken hold, Elijah was at risk for the crime of cursing the King, of inciting a deity against the nation. Jehovah commanded Elijah to flee Ahab's jurisdiction. He was to take refuge in the land of the god he had challenged directly, Melkarth of Sidon. Zarephath was on the Phoenician coast roughly midway between Tyre and Sidon. God had appointed a widow there to provide for his maintenance. Upon approaching the city, Elijah spotted the woman. We don't know the specifics, but something in the situation made clear by custom she was a widow. Quite likely it was the activity itself of gathering bits of firewood that had fallen from the loads passing into the city. Only the desperate would do this.
Elijah's request for a drink was quite according to custom. The well would be near the gate of most cities, and women only would be sent to draw water. They were expected to show hospitality to a stranger by fulfilling a request for a drink. Turning him down would be a scandalous insult to the town, and she would risk social, if not offical, sanctions. She was under no obligation to provide more than the water he could drink at one sitting, but it was common courtesy to respond to reasonable requests. Elijah asked for what amounts to half a pita loaf. His clothing, manner and speech identified him as Israeli, and probably as a prophet. Her reply was prefaced by an oath upon his God that she spoke the truth: The sticks she had gathered were for he last meal to share with her son. There were no leftovers in her home. Elijah replied that his God was prepared to meet all their needs for the duration of the drought if she would act in faith. As an offering to the Lords, she was to give Elijah the first portion of this last meal. She obeyed, and we are immediately told God kept His promise. There could be no natural explanation for the unending supply during the several years this lasted. Elijah's ministry was marked by miracles, and this was just one more.
17:17-24 -- The woman agreed to host Elijah, treating him with the honor of a genuine prophet. There were many superstitions tied to dealing with prophets. When her son fell ill, she surmised that Elijah's presence was God's plan to make her aware of her sin. Many regarded sickness as a visition of judgment. His reponse was to show this had nothing to with sin, but to settle her doubts. The boy was dead. Acting in full faith, Elijah persisted in calling on God until the boy was resuscitated. When he brought the boy alive down from his loft, the woman's doubts vanished forever.
18:1-6 -- After three years of this, the Lord directed Elijah to present himself to King Ahab. By this time the land had been stripped of all edible vegetation. Ahab determined to conduct a search himself, with the help of his chamberlain, Obadiah. This Obadiah happened to share none of Ahab's religious inclinations, and had remained faithful to Jehovah, though secretly. Using his personal wealth and influence, he managed to rescue a hundred prophets of the Lord from an order of execution from Queen Jezebel. Obadiah divided them between two caves and fed them the miniumu of bread and water, which was more than many had in those days. Ahab's plan in this seaarch was to avoid having to put down any livestock. By searching all the likely places for grass, he hoped to find emergency fodder. Unspoken is the assurance Ahab would willingly confiscate any available forage for this personal needs. As always, important men traveled in the company of slaves and servants. These two would have personally led a search party to insure bribing the searchers was impossible. Likely Ahab went south and east from Samaria, and Obadiah went north and west.
18:7-16 -- Thus, of the two, Obadiah was first to encounter the returning Prophet Elijah. The context indicates the king and his chamberlain had scarcely parted company when Elijah appeared, placing this scene very near Samaria. As befitting a man faithful to Jehovah, Obadiah bowed to the Prophet of the Lord. Falling on his face was an unspoken appeal to Elijah to deal mercifully with him. Just meeting him without reporting it to Ahab would be a capital crime. His question to Elijah was a bit like asking if he should forget meeting him. Instead, Elijah told him to abort the search for pasturage, as there was more important business at hand. Obadiah's fear was palpable. Ahab had been rather forceful with neighboring rulers in demanding Elijah be arrested and extradited if found in their lands. He required they invoke a curse on themselves if they lied about hiding him. Most likely it was this failed search that irritated Jezebel sufficiently that she vented her wrath no all Elijah's associates. Elijah was famous for his ability to travel quickly and without notice. Tradition says he was a consummate runner, easily the equal of modern marathoners. Obadiah politely stated his fear Elijah was playing games by suggesting that if he went to fetch Ahab here to meet Elijah, God might by then have moved the prophet somewhere else. Obadiah asked whether his faithfulness to God was in vain, appealing to Elijah as a fellow servant of Jehovah not to play games with his life. Elijah's response was an oath of assurance that this very day he intended to meet Ahab at that spot. Obadiah obediently set out to catch up with his master.
18:17-19 -- Ahab confronted the prophet, calling him a threat to the nation. In Ahab's mind, this prophet had used his power to invoke Jehovah's wrath. Gods in ancient times were considered easily provoked. It was believed they would respond to anyone employing the proper rituals, but seldom acted on their own initiative. Elijah corrected him by stating flatly that the Omride rejection of Jehovah was the problem. He issued a challenge, with overtones not obvious to us from this distance in time and place. Carmel was actually a series of peaks, the northern end of the mountains of Ephraim, and ran along the southern bank of the River Kishon, dropping suddenly into the Mediterranean. The territory was in some dispute between Phoenicia and Israel. Either way, it was surely under the power of Melkarth at that time. Further, it had long been regarded the haunt of any number of Baals. Thus, Elijah was daring to face the opposing gods on their home turf. More, he would face the entire corps of priests alone, and in the presence of the whole nation as witnesses. The stakes could not have been higher.
18:20-24 -- Under the best conditions, the summons to a solemn assembly would take at least three days to deliver across the kingdom. For the elders of the nation to respond to the most urgent summons would take at least another three days. It's safe to say the appointed day was a week or more later. When the assembly met just after dawn that day, the prophets and priests of Melkarth and friends stood ready. Elijah took the opportunity to ask the elders a pointed question: How long would they dither between a full commitment to Jehovah or Melkarth? There was no middle ground; this was more than just politics where a truce could be negotiated. The claims of each side were mutually exclusive. Of course, no one would commit themselves prior to the demonstration. This was very much like a trial between legal adversaries, and judgment would be rendered after all evidence was presented. Elijah suggested, in plain sight of all, having the nation offer two bulls, giving the pagans every advantage. The pagan priests got first choice. Each side would slaughter their bull, place it on the altar as they saw fit, but neither would kindle a fire. The god that sent fire to burn his sacrifice would be declared the national god once and for all. The elders agreed.
18:25-29 -- At the traditional time of the morning offering customary to both religions, the pagan priests were allowed to go first. They called on their gods all morning. Around noon, Elijah jeered them, suggesting they weren't loud enough. Maybe thier god was preoccupied, or too far away, or inconvenienced. Their rituals continued with frenzied renewal, including gashing themselves with sacred implements. The image is one of the pagan priests sparing no effort, even to the point of improvising new ways to express their urgency that Melkarth respond. By mid-afternoon there had not been the slightest indication of response from their god.
18:30-40 -- As the time of the evening offering approached, Elijah called the elders to come near and join themselves in his act of worship. Reminding them of the obvious, he rebuilt the altar to Jehovah that had been desecrated long ago. Adhering to the ancient Law of Moses, he used uncut stones, one for each of the Tribes of Israel (combined). In the process, he added a trench around it sufficient to hold roughly two bushels of seed. He laid the wood in order, slaughtered the bull and arranged the carcass on the altar. He had the whole thing doused with water repeatedly until the trench overflowed. At the proper moment, Elijah prayed rather simply that God would confirm His Word, and light the offering for Himself. God's answer was fire from Heaven. The flames enveloped the whole altar down to the ground, devouring the offering as well as the everything loose on the altar, and evaporating the water in the trench. In awe, the elders began chanting that Jehovah was ineed the Lord of all. Upon their confession, Elijah ordered the now exhausted prophets and priests of Melkarth arrested. The nation had rendered its verdict; the death sentence was automatic. They were marched down the north slope of the mountain, where Elijah had them executed according to the Law of Moses, on the bank of the Kishon River.
18:41-46 -- Elijah warned Ahab to dine immediately so that he could leave before it started raining. The king returned to his chariot near the peak of the hill and did so. While the king ate, he could watch. Elijah returned to the peak and began praying, with his knees on the ground and his face between them. Periodically, he had his servant go and gaze out east across the Mediterranean Sea. Each time, the servant returned saying he saw nothing different. On the seventh time, he reported seeing a tiny lone cloud over the sea. This was the sign of rapid evaporation taking place, and presaged a massive rain storm. Elijah told his servant to warn King Ahab to flee the coming storm. To Ahab's winter palace at Jezreel was at least 20 miles (32km). Even in the ideal chariot grounds of the Jezreel Valley, this could be no less than a two-hour ride. Before he got there, the storm clouds formed, turning the sky black while the wind rose. In yet another miracle, the prophet was seized by his zeal for Jehovah and managed to outrun Ahab's chariot and entered the gate before the King.
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Ed Hurst
04 December 2004
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