First Kings 18:40

The Bible says in First Kings 18:40-46, “And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.[41] And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.[42] So 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,[43] And 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.[44] And 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.[45] And 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.[46] And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” The times of the Old Testament could be very violent. The age of the law was definitely much different than the age of grace in which we live. Elijah himself killed all the prophets of Baal, and as soon they were dead, the rain started. Elijah said, “there is a sound of abundance of rain.” God brought the rain. God brought the rain just at the moment that the false prophets died in order to demonstrate how much God hates false religion and false religious teachings and false religious practice, and those who are the teachers thereof. The first of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

While wicked king Ahab is eating and drinking, Elijah goes to the top of Mount Carmel, and casts himself on his face before God. For Elijah it is not time to celebrate. There is a lot more that needs to be done for the Lord. They will need more miracles and more help from God. Evidently God tells Elijah what Ahab should do next: go to Jezreel on his chariot even in the rain storm. After the miracles that he had just seen and without wicked Jezebel by his side, for once Ahab does what God tells him to do. But even though he is going there on a chariot, Elijah is on foot, outruns him, and gets there first. This is another evidence of God at work.

The Bible says in First Kings 19:1-4, “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.[2] Then 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.[3] And 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.[4] But 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.” Of course, Ahab goes right to Jezebel and tells her that all of her prophets had been killed by Elijah. Like everything in life, this is being set up by the Lord to accomplish God’s will. When Elijah gets the message from Jezebel that she is going to have him killed, a moment of weakness overtakes him, and he takes off running for his life, and he asks God to go ahead and end his life. Elijah has lost hope. If it can happen to Elijah, be careful. It can happen to any of us also.

The Bible says in First Kings 19:5-10, “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.[6] And 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.[7] And 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.[8] And 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.[9] And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?[10] And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” The angel gave Elijah food to eat so that Elijah would be able to go on his journey. There are certain practical things that we must do because we live in a material world and we have physical bodies with certain needs. We do not need miracles and flashy accomplishments to serve God: we do the normal ordinary tasks of daily life with faith in our hearts and with the Lord Jesus always before us. After forty days and forty nights Elijah then hid himself in a cave. Even one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament could not do what Jesus did. Jesus conquered the devil by using the Word of God. Elijah forgot the Word of God, and basically said, “I have done all I can do. They are going to kill me now.”

The Bible says in First Kings 19:11-14, “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:[12] And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.[13] And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?[14] And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” These verses state a wonderful truth about God and how He often chooses to speak to us. God was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire; but in a still small voice. You must be still to hear the still small voice of God. You must listen in order to hear it, and you must want to hear it. The voice said to Elijah, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” In other words, what are you doing here? Think about it. Are you where God wants you to be? Elijah can only say what is on his heart. He thinks he is about to be killed. He is forgetting one thing: God is in charge of this world. The people who want to kill Elijah will be killed, and Elijah will not die, not ever. Elijah will be the second of two men who will go to heaven without dying as recorded in the Bible. Enoch was the first.

The Bible says in First Kings 19:15-21, “And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:[16] And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.[17] And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.[18] Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.[19] So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.[20] And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?[21] And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” God said to Elijah in verse fifteen, “Go, return on thy way to the wilderness…” We are sojourners and pilgrims on this earth, and so as we follow God, we should be willing to go somewhere else if it is God’s will. If He wants you to move, He will let you know. Just make sure that you do it as His bidding and not your own. Stay where you are, unless God Himself wants you to move. Whatever way God is going, go with Him. Elijah was told to anoint three people to their new positions: Hazael to be the king of Syria, Jehu to be the king of Israel, and Elisha to be the next prophet. God not only picked the king of Israel, God also picked the king of Syria. God chooses all leaders. There is a hierarchy in the world and God has established the hierarchy. God wants us to have an orderly and peaceful society, with people in authority making decisions based upon what God wants, and people not in authority being submissive and respectful to their leaders. That is why it says in Romans 13:1-5, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.[2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.[3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:[4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.[5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”

When Elisha was chosen, he accepted the calling to go in the footsteps of Elijah. How wonderful it is to be called to preach the Gospel. If you have such a calling, you are following in the footsteps of some great preachers. What an honor you have, and what a responsibility. But before you start, there is a time of preparation. It says about Elisha in verse twenty-one, “Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” Learn to be a servant, or you will never be a good leader.

The Bible says in First Kings 20:1-12, “ And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.[2] And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,[3] Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.[4] And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.[5] And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;[6] Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.[7] Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.[8] And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.[9] Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.[10] And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.[11] And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.[12] And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.” And so this information sets up the situation for us where Benhadad, the king of Syria, is going to attack Samaria, the capital of the northern ten tribes of Israel. But kings do not decide what is going to happen. God decides. And in the next verses we will find out what God decides to do. The same thing is true in our lives. We do not decide: Jesus decides. Make sure you thank Him for what He has decided to do in your life.

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