Chapter Eleven/He Watced, and He Waited

 

ELIJAH longed to be alone with his heavenly Fatgher.  But the throngs around had just seen this true prophet call down fire from heaven, and many of the people were no doubt eager to curry favor with him.  Before Elijah could ascend to the heights of Mount Carmel and approach Jehovah God in private prayer, he faced an unpleasant task.  He had to speak to King Ahab.

The two men could hardly have been more different.  Ahab, bedecked in royal finery, was a greedy, weak-willed apostate.  Elijah wore the official garb of a prophet-a simple, rustic robe, possibly of animal skin or of woven goat hair.  He was a man of great  courage, integrity, and faith.  The day tha twas now drawing to a close had revealed much about the character of each man.

 It had been a bad day for Ahab and other Baal worshippers.  The pagan religion that Ahab and his wife, Queen Jezebel, championed in the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel had been dwelt a severe blow.  Baal had been exposed as a fraud.  That lifeless god had failed to light a simple fire in response to the fantic pleas, dances, and ritual bloodletting of his prophets. Baal had failed to protect those 450 men from their well-deserved execution. But the false god had failed in something else, and that failure was about to be made complete.  For over three years, the Baal prophets had impored their god to end the drought afflicting the land, but Baal had proved unable to do so.  Soon, Jehovah would demonstrate his supremacy by ending the drought. - 1 KINGS 16:30-17:1; 18:1-40/

When, though, would Jehovah act?  How would Elijah conduct himself until then? And what can we learn from this man of faith?  Let us see     as we examine the account. -Read KINGS 18:41-46.

Next time: Chapter Eleven/He Watched, and He Waited - A Prayful Attitude

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